Should Dallas Eakins Call Out a Fan?

Sorry that I've not been able to blog for the last couple of days. With Christmas today and family coming out, I wasn't able to hit the site and get some opinions up. But Christmas is over in my family. Everyone has gone to sleep right about now and it looks like it's time to talk about a story. So let's go back to a December 23rd story that came out of the Oilers camp. And it had to do with head coach Dallas Eakins.

The Oilers lost to the St. Louis 6-0 on that Saturday night. And one Oilers fan had enough. He ripped off his Oilers jersey and threw it onto the ice. It sat there until a rink attendant came and snagged it. It would've been no big deal and a frustrated fan letting his emotions take command. But Dallas Eakins was not happy. He had called the fan a "quitter." The fan was quoted as saying he was "just fed up." I would be too if I was an Oilers fan.

But to call a guy out and say that's a quitter. That's turning away the most important fans that the Oilers have. I understand that the Oilers are frustrated and its fanbase is getting restless. They haven't been to the playoffs in what seems to be a long time and no matter what they do, they don't seem to make the pieces work. Every year, they don't have good goaltending and the scoring dips from time-to-time. But by the time they try to get hot, they're already out of it. I can understand this.

Dallas Eakins needs to calm down. You can't call fans quitters. You're just asking for the fan to leave the Oilers fanbase for good and that's not a good thing. The thing that keeps teams running is their fanbase. They need it to survive in the NHL. They need their fans to help them through tough times. And right now, he did the wrong thing by calling out this guy. There have been many fans of all teams who have been frustrated with their teams' efforts time after time, but those coaches didn't call fans "quitters." And let's be honest, the Oilers are a team that doesn't quit, nor do its fans.

Eakins has to focus more on his team than on his fans. They have Ilya Brzygalov, but he's not really getting anything done for this team. And the offensive output just hasn't been there. They have to find a way to get their offense going. Ilya Bryzgalov is a good goaltender, but right now, he's letting in too many shots and the offense is not allowing him to make the saves when they are crucial in games. The Oilers are falling too far out of this playoff race. They have to find a way to get it together and get back into it. Calling the fans out is not the way to help this.

Gaborik Out Again

He missed 17 games with a sprained left knee but this weekend, one Blue Jackets star is heading back to the sidelines.

The team announced that Marian Gaborik is headed back to the sidelines with a broken collarbone, suffered in a 6-3 victory over the Flyers. Gaborik has been placed on the injured list and is out indefinitely. He was sandwiched between Braydon Coburn and Zac Rinaldo of the Flyers while taking a shot in the first period of the game. It went wide, but Ryan Johansen got the game's first goal on a pass from Nick Foligno.

Coach Todd Richards said of the injury, "Obviously, it's a big hole for our team. You really feel for him. He worked hard to get back and was excited to play."

Well, this isn't good news for the Blue Jackets, as well as for the Slovakian team coming up to the Olympics. Not only is he a major playmaker but he's able to play defense from time to time. Not having him on the ice means that the Blue Jackets will have to find a way to deal with his absence yet again. They haven't entirely been successful in his absence for his first injury so now I don't even know what they'll do to counter this. Hopefully, they'll be able to survive this time, but based on their records and the teams they have to play, you only wonder whether or not the Blue Jackets are any good without him.

Varlamov's Case Dismissed

Looks like the case against Semyon Varlamov is not going any further.

The case against him was dismissed Friday after he faced a misdemeanor assault charge for attacking his girlfriend. Varlamov had been charged with third-degree assault on Nov. 22. The case was dismissed because the prosecution could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

His girlfriend says the encounter happened in late Oct. at her home in Denver and had bruisers consistent with the physical encounter. Her attorney had no comment Friday on the dismissal. The Avalanche confirmed later that the charges were dismissed.

I won't go into more details than that about the charges. But when the prosecution can't find a way to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the assault happened, chances are it's not going past that. And even though I still think the bruises are enough, maybe it's not enough. Maybe there needs to be more. Perhaps she lied and gave herself bruises so that she can frame Varlamov for that. Maybe not. Either way, Varlamov is off the hook for now. Whether or not we get more information on it is a mystery. Either way, Varlamov is back and he's helping the Avalanche team. He'll travel to Los Angeles with the team this weekend to play the Kings, who are looking to keep their hot pace going, while the Avalanche are looking to cool them off. So Varlamov's off the hook, he continues to play hockey, and it looks like he's helping the Avalanche out in a big way.

Omark Headed to Buffalo

Looks like Linus Omark finally got my Christmas wish today and got out of Edmonton.

He's been traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2014 NHL draft. Omark has eight goals and 22 assists so far in 66 NHL games. He had asked Oilers GM Craig MacTavish to trade him, according to a Swedish newspaper. He has only appeared in one game for the Oilers this season and has 29 points in 29 games for their AHL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons. This was the last move before the Christmas roster freeze.

I understand Omark's decision this. I think he feels that he should be more of an NHL star and to play more games at that level because of how well he plays, particularly in the shootout. But the Oilers already have too many left wingers and MacTavish hasn't been able to bring him up because of that. The thing is, you have to be good and able to make a difference to play in the NHL. I'm not sure Linus Omark is that kind of player. So now he goes off to Buffalo, where they're in rebuilding mode. I'm not sure this suits Omark just well because of that, but at least he'll be able to play some games and Pat LaFontaine can figure out whether he can be a future player for this team. As for the Oilers, it doesn't make much of a difference for them. He's been in the AHL and they weren't using him. Might as well ship him off and get something valuable in return.

Harding Placed on IR; Can the Wild Survive?

Wild goaltender Josh Harding won't be with the team for a short time. The Vezina-Trophy considered goaltender was placed on the injured list so that he can adjust his medication for multiple sclerosis, the team announced Wednesday.

Harding has been dealing with his disease since the lockout when he was diagnosed with it. He missed two months of last season because of the adjustment to his medication. He played in the fins l week of that season, the first round of the playoffs, and won the NHL's Masterton Trophy.

The team states that the absence will be much shorter.

Harding has taken over the No. 1 job in Minnesota from Nicklas Backstrom. He ranks first in the NHL in GAA with 1.51, tied for first in shutouts with three, second in save percentage with .939, and tied for second in wins with 18.

While losing Harding might be considered a big loss for some concerned Wild fans, I actually think that the Wild will be able to manage. Although he has been the main reason the Wild have been able to remain in games, the fact of the matter is that offense is able to click day-in and day-out. And while Nicklas Backstrom might not be as much of a star player as he once was, he has proven that he can play this in Harding's absence. The good news is that this absence is only for a short period of time. No need to panic, Wild fans.

Engelland Off for Five Games

Looks like going into Wednesday night's game against the New York Rangers, the Penguins will be without five of their top six defenseman after the punishment came down on Deryk Engelland.

The league has suspended Engelland for five games for his illegal check to the head of the Red Wings' Justin Abdelkader on Saturday. Engelland had an in-person hearing, which might five games or more, but the league decided on five.

According to Brian Leetch of the Department of Player Safety "Engelland tucks his shoulder and drives through Abdelkader, recklessly picking his head and making it the main point of contact." St. Louis' Maxim Lapierre and Colorado's Cody McLeod also were suspended five games for their concussion-related hits and the league decided the same for Engelland.

Abdelkader was helped off the ice on Saturday. He is currently going through the league's concussion protocol. He was limited to no-contact in his first practice back Wednesday. He is still day-to-day but will possibly not play in Thursday's game.

But I'm here to talk about Engelland's suspension and was it fair? Well, at least the minimum was put in there. But unlike Lapierre's hit on Dan Boyle, Abdelkader was able to walk off into the locker room with his help. Dan Boyle had to be carted off the ice from his hit. I think the suspension's fair. He caused a concussion for Abdelkader. You can't do that anymore. You give another person a concussion, you're going to have a talk with the discipline office and get a long suspension. So, it's fair and it's expected. This guy may be a tough guy, but what he did was the wrong way to go. And now the Penguins will have to do without him for the next five games.

Should the Rangers Start Dealing Away Players?

Tonight, the New York Rangers battle the Pittsburgh Penguins at the garden. And, because of this, it seems like a sensible thing to do is to talk about whether or not it makes sense for the Rangers to start trading away their potential unrestricted free agents in Dan Girardi and Ryan Callahan.

Three months ago, people would have been quick to turn this down and say "No way!" But with the Rangers completely out of sync, both Callahan and Girardi haven't played at the same level since John Tortorella was with the team.

The March 5 trading deadline is only 77 days away and the Rangers must decide whether or not to sign or trade their two veteran players who, starting on July 1, will be unrestricted. Let's make the case for both, starting with the case to trade them.

Both players were stars when Tortorella was still with the team. However, under new coach Alain Vigneault, Girardi has had less of an impact. However, trading Callahan symbolizes Vigneault going in a new direction with this team. The Rangers may still be in the hunt to make the playoffs and finish 3rd in the Metropolitan Division, but it seems possible that the Rangers could trade away these guys for fresher players who could have a bigger impact and keep them in it. In fact, they could also get a veteran who's played in the playoffs to help the youngers get even better. There is also the possibility of a prospect or a draft pick. Either way, both Girardi and Callahan are valuable in the playoffs. If the Rangers don't make the playoffs this season, their impact might be lost. They would also be the hottest free agents when the time comes and possibly get big offers from other teams. Also, the Rangers trading them would also open up more salary cap room in the summer. The problem is, there would be no extra prospect or a draft pick to help the Rangers. In this case, it would make sense to trade them away and get an extra prospect for the future. Now for the case not to trade them.

Unique players are rare to find nowadays in the NHL, and both of these players have uniqueness attached to it. The Rangers will struggle to replace them the minute they are traded. GMs around the league are looking for scoring wingers who can also hit. Callahan is considered one of those. Every coach would get their hands on Callahan  if he becomes available. There is the possibility of him joining John Tortorella in Vancouver when he becomes a free agent. As for Girardi, he has been effective. Girardi is more likely to stay because he is considered one of those guys who could find it best to work out with the coach on how to get his game back. He's not one to back down without a fight. The Rangers don't want to rebuild. That's not their way. They want to be contending every year, for the playoffs and these two players are built for the postseason.

I'm just not sure what the Rangers should do. If they trade these two guys away, they lose their shot at making the playoffs and going far. If they keep them, the Rangers could possibly get in, but they would lose them next summer. Right now, I think the Rangers need to keep those guys around. If they need to trade, they should at least trade away Ryan Callahan. He's good in this postseason, but not as good as Dan Girardi is. Plus, Dan's not one to shy away from a situation like Callahan. I think the best bet here is to keep them both and then reevaluate a few weeks later. If it doesn't seem to be working out, trade at least one of them. If it is, well the Rangers are on their way to another postseason.

Corey Potter Next on Suspensions

Seems like the suspension parade just keeps on going. That parade continued on Monday and it belonged to Oilers defenseman Corey Potter.

He was handed a two-game suspension for his hit from behind on Ducks forward Nick Bonino. Brian Leetch dubbed this hit as a "dangerous distance from the boards."

He said, "At no point throughout this play does Potter see anything but Bonino's numbers. It is also important to note that Bonino does not twist or turn in any way immediately prior to his check to contribute to his being hit from behind. Therefore, Potter must avoid this hit completely." Bonino went to the dressing room but quickly returned and finished the game.

The carousel continues for suspensions and so does my analysis. 2 games seems far, although when I heard a "dangerous distance from the boards," I expected at least three. Unfortunately, I was not at the game to see this hit in person but when I looked at it in replays, that did seem dangerous, at least from my viewpoint. The one I can't understand is why can't players just avoid the hit? It seems simple enough and the rules of the game have changed so that those kind of hits are therefore banned. Either way, Potter's not going to see the ice for the next two games and the Oilers will have to go along without him for that amount of time.

Another Player Suspended, Another Hearing

Looks like the 15-game suspension to Shawn Thornton isn't the only suspension getting handed down for the start of the week.

The NHL handed down a suspension on Sunday and scheduled for an in-person hearing that happened on Saturday. This was the same day that the league hit Thornton with the biggest regular-season suspension in Brendan Shanahan's tenure.

Winnipeg Jets forward Anthony Peluso was suspended for three games for boarding Dallas Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski. Goliogoski needed 12 stitches after that hit but nevertheless returned to the game. The hit was badly timed, as the Jets had tied the game 35 seconds earlier and the Stars scored on the five-minute major after Peluso went off. Peluso forfeits $8,653.86 in his first suspension.

In the meantime, Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland will have a hearing on Wednesday after being assessed on match penalty for his hit on Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader.  Abdelkader was skating for a loose puck at center ice when he collided with Engelland collided near the red line. Engelland's shoulder appeared to strike Abdelkader's chin, and the Red Wings forward was dazed and had to be helped to the dressing room. His suspension, because it is in-person, has the possibility of topping five games. Engelland was suspended two years ago for a head hit on the Blackhawks' Marcus Kruger. Even though it is outside the 18-month period for a repeat offender, it will be taken into account when handing down the suspension.

I'll go to Engelland's suspension in a moment. Let's start with the small suspension in Peluso. Boarding, especially boarding that appears dangerous, will get you a meeting with the league. Even though Goligoski did come back and skate, it was still a dangerous hit that he took. He used force to drive Goligoski into the glass violently and that was good enough for the suspension. Three games is okay, but Dion Phaneuf got two for boarding Kevan Miller, so I don't know why Peluso's was one more game serious.

As for the Engelland hit, this was a very dangerous hit that he put in Abdelkader. Match penalties always result in suspensions. Engelland has been known as an agitator and a dirty player and even though he has not been suspended or fined for two years ago, we can't ignore his prior suspensions and the hits that he made. I'm guessing he's going to get either five or six, with the potential to be seven. Again, a very dangerous hit that resulted in Abdelkader leaving the ice and not returning. Engelland will be out for a number of games, and it could hurt the Penguins in the short term, who rely on Engelland to bring toughness and physical ability.

Reaction to the Shawn Thornton Suspension

Today, NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan laid down the suspension for Bruins forward Shawn Thornton: a 15-game suspension. In my mind, this represents both a victory for those who want to preserve the image of the game, as well as send a message to the rest of the league.

This is a fair suspension, in my opinion. Thornton committed an act that is intolerable, regardless of events leading up to it, like James Neal's kneeing on Brad Marchand. Thornton attacked Orpik from behind, pulled him down and punched him on the ice, leaving him with a concussion.

This was a dangerous and malicious act of revenge and Thornton has been known to be an honorable player and stay away from dirty actions. He immediately knew of his actions while he was doing them. Unfortunately, we don't live in the 80s and 90s anywhere, where vigilant justice was expected. The NHL has tried to steer away from being untamed and lawless against forces that happen on the ice. We can't accept the idea that Thornton was doing his job and committing vengeance on Orpik for what he did earlier on Loui Eriksson.

For Brendan Shanahan, this is his longest suspension that he has ever issued in the regular season, topping the 10 games he gave to Patrick Kaleta earlier this season.

Shanahan said, "This cannot be described as a hockey play that went bad. Nor do we consider this a spontaneous reaction to an incident that just occurred. Rather it is our view that this is an act of retribution that occurred earlier in the game."

Shawn Thornton may be an honorable player but he wasn't in this particular game. I respect him a lot less for what he did. I'm sure he regrets what he has done and wish it didn't happen, but the fact of the matter is, he punched Orpik when he was defenseless and left him with a concussion. When you punch players who are defenseless, you are going to hear from the league and the officials. This 15-game suspension sends a message to players to remind themselves of what happens when the lines that shouldn't be crossed are crossed.

Thornton will most likely appeal the length, but I doubt it. Video evidence will likely keep him on 15 games. There's a chance he will get it reduced to perhaps 10 or so, but dangerous acts like this really show players what happens when acts of revenge get too violent. Thornton is a well-respected player and does do well as an enforcer, but when this kind of stuff happens, you wonder just how far people will go to protect their players. We saw the example here. Dangerous hits and dangerous acts in the league do get you an appointment with the Department of Player Safety.

LaBarbera Off to Blackhawks

The Edmonton Oilers now have Ilya Bryzgalov manning the pipes, and because they have three goaltenders, they decided to ship one of them out.

They traded Jason LaBarbera to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations. LaBarbera will not be with the team, however, being assigned to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. He became available after Brygalov returned from concussion-like symptoms. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Corey Crawford and Nikolai Khabibulin have injuries and two of their minor league goaltenders are up in the NHL covering for them.

LaBarbera has appeared in seven games with the Oilers this season, going 1-3-0 with a 3.28 GAA. Obviously, this trade was more important to the Blackhawks than to the Oilers. The Oilers needed to dump a goaltender because they already had him plus Brygalov and Devan Dubnyk. The reason the Blackhawks might need him is because their goaltenders are out and the minor league goaltenders might not last long in the NHL before being sent down. I think LaBarbera fits a short-team solution for the Blackhawks in goal. But it's like I said, short-term. Once they come back from injury, LaBarbera will likely be on the move. For the Blackhawks, it's a safety move. For the Oilers, it most likely means nothing.

A Thornton Ruling and a Clarkson Hearing

It's midnight on a Saturday and today, NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan will be in the news.

This is when he plans to announce his ruling on the Shawn Thornton incident. There's that, and then there's also a phone hearing he will have with Maple Leafs winger David Clarkson for his head shot on Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka.

Clarkson's hit occurred at 6:28 of the second period of the Blues' 6-3 victory on Thursday night. Clarkson was given a two-minute minor and Sobotka was able to remain in the game. Clarkson has already been penalized for 10 games this season for jumping off the bench in the preseason to fight the Sabres' John Scott, who went after Maple Leafs star Phil Kessel. Under this, it would make him a repeat offender and would cost him more than $64,000 a game.

For Thornton, Shanahan already had his in-person hearing with him on Friday over the Dec. 7 incident in which he pulled the Penguins' Brooks Orpik down to the ice and punched him, leaving him with a concussion.

For Thornton, I believe this suspension will be between six to eight games, possibly more. I don't entirely know if he's a repeat offender as defined by the CBA, but here's my small take on it. He punched him when he was down on the ice. That's basically taking advantage of a defenseless and possibly leaving him with a concussion. The NHL is known for taking hard action against acts like these, so I would expect between six to eight games. If there's more, and that's highly unlikely, then that wouldn't surprise me either. In a game that's trying to protect its players, you gotta give him as much games as possible.

Now let's move to the David Clarkson thing. He's already a repeat offender. If he's already gotten ten games, he could get more. I don't understand this repeat offender understanding. I think repeat offender should actually be about head shots and hits on other players, not coming off the bench to fight another guy. But that's the way the rules go, I guess. I would be surprised if he got more than 10 games. And this is a phone hearing. Now add that all up together and you could get at least 12 games out of this. I don't want this. But this is a head shot and he needs to sit for this. I would like it to be between seven and eight games, even if it is a phone hearing and that happens when it's five games or less. But I'm afraid it's going to be more than 10 games. Either way, Clarkson's already had a busy reputation this season with the Department of Player Safety and he's going to be sitting another couple of games thanks to this.

Flames Sack GM Jay Feaster

Brian Burke was named to the position of Calgary Flames president of hockey operations back in September. He was going to serve as a sounding board while GM Jay Feaster made the decisions. Well, there's been a change-up.

Burke announced on Thursday that Feaster and assistant GM John Weisbrod had been fired. He said of the firing, "My conclusion was that we needed to make a change to get to the next level."

Burke will serve as acting GM while he seeks a full-time candidate for the job. Burke also added that coach Bob Hartley and the coaching staff are safe til the end of the year.

"We need to figure a way to hold some of these leads and convert some of these leads into W's, but in terms of the terms of the team's work ethic and the role that the young players have been given, I'm very pleased with the coaching staff," added Burke about the coaching staff.

Feaster joined the Flames in 2010 as the assistant GM. When Darryl Sutter was fired, Feaster was given the full-time position in May of 2011. However, he has mostly been in rebuilding mode, trading away Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester to the Bruins and Blues, respectively.

The Flames have not made the playoffs since 2008-09 and sit at 13th in the Western Conference. Burke wants to build the Flames in a way he did with the Ducks in the 2007 Stanley Cup run, when he was GM there.

Let's face it. The Flames were going nowhere and many people saw this coming. This team has got a lot of young talent, but it just hasn't produced as much as the front office would like it too. Darryl Sutter did a great job while he was there, but some of the players he had at the time were starting to get past their prime and Feaster inherited that when he came over. That's why they've finished outside the playoff picture the last few years. Honestly, in the tough Pacific Division, I doubt the Flames will get into the playoffs again this year, but they seem to be going in the right direction with their young stars and the games they have played. Right now, they need to focus on hockey and getting some good wins under their belts and Burke needs to focus on finding a GM suitable enough to get the right players in Calgary to build a winning team there.

Does an Outdoor Game in Phoenix Make Sense?

Six months ago, the Phoenix Coyotes were on the verge of moving to another city, most likely in Canada. Now there are new rumors about the Coyotes becoming a possible team for NHL's most prestigious event as they have expressed interest in hosting a future outdoor game.

Chairman and governor of the Coyotes George Gosbee said of the future outdoor game, "We'd love to have an outdoor game. We'd love to have it at Chase (Field). But we also want to have a frozen four. We also want to have the world juniors."

This season, the NHL has six outdoor games and deputy commissioner Bill Daly told a radio station in Toronto that there's plans for more outdoor games next season.

The Ducks and Kings are set to play at Dodger Stadium on Jan. 25, which proves that the NHL considers warm climates a viable option for their business.

The Coyotes would like to have their outdoor game in February of 2015, around the time when the University of Phoenix Stadium hosts the Super Bowl. This is part of IceArizona's efforts to grow the sport in the Valley.

Phoenix is one of those cities where eyebrows are raised every single day, and this sort of news stuns me. I'm not entirely sure that Phoenix can support an event like this. I mean, there's plenty of people in Phoenix who are hockey fans, but they're fans for other teams, like the Canadiens, Blackhawks, or Ducks. And I'm sure the fandom for the Coyotes is growing, but I'm just not sure this is the ideal time for the Coyotes to have an outdoor game. Outdoor games are usually meant to be put in places where it will attract a large number of fans for the home team. Cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City can support because there are plenty of people who are fans of the Ducks, Kings, Penguins, Blackhawks, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils. The Coyotes don't have a large fandom like they do and putting an outdoor game in Phoenix next year would probably not be the wisest idea. I understand that George Gosbee wants it, but in a place like that, where most of its citizens are not really fans of the Coyotes, I can't see why the NHL would probably want to put an outdoor game there. Maybe in a couple of years, but not right now. The other thing is, if they do want to schedule an outdoor game, it'd have to be at night during the winter, where the weather and the chilly conditions would be able to keep the ice from melting.

Here Comes the Suspensions

Those suspension verdicts really came quick today. Now it's time to look at them and see if they got it right. First, let's start with Senators defenseman Jared Cowen.

He has been suspended for two games for his head hit on Buffalo Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons. He forfeits $31,794.88 in pay and did not have any previous suspensions. He did elbow Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk in the jaw, leaving him with a concussion, but there was no hearing on that case. On this case, I think the suspension fits the crime. He used a head hit so he's gotta sit for some games and Girgensons did remain in the game, so this suspension is enough for me. Let's get to the other one.

Lightning right winger Richard Panik has also been suspended for two games for boarding Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner. He will forfeit $7, 589.74 in pay. I'm less enthusiastic about this one, though. I thought he should've gotten at least one more game. I say this because the league said that Alzner, "was in a very vulnerable position at a dangerous distance from the boards. Alzner returned to the game at least. So two games is fine. At least he's going to be gone for a couple, but this was a very dangerous hit and made you want to cringe a bit. Kinda made me think he would get three, but two was also my possibilities for suspension, so I believe this one is good enough as well.

Two More Games, Two More Hearings

The Bruins' Shawn Thornton is expected to have the hearing of the week on Friday. For now, the Department of Player Safety will have warm-up hearings because there will be another two this week. One comes from the Senators and another from the Lightning.

Senators defenseman Jared Cowen will face a hearing for a head hit on the Sabres' Zemgus Girgensens. At 18:02 of the third period, Cowen went across the ice to hit Girgensons as he entered into the Ottawa zone. No penalty was called and Girgensons remained in the game. I'll get to the other hearing in a moment, but let me tell you, if you haven't already heard yet, my philosophy on head hits. You make a head hit, you sit out some games, no matter what. Girgensons did remain in the game, so that tells you the suspension will most likely be between two and three games. I don't expect less or more than that. Remember, head hits will cost you games. Players should know that. Let's get to the other hearing.

Lightning right winger Richard Panik will have a hearing for boarding Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner on Tuesday night. This incident occurred at 16:31 of the second period, when Panik hit Alzner in the neutral zone, driving him into the boards. Alzner remained down briefly, but returned to the game in the third period. Panik was given a five-minute major for boarding. In terms of this suspension, I would expect between two to four. Five-minute majors usually bring along more games for the offender. Driving a player into the boards is generally a scary thing, along with head hits. I would guess three to four games, with even the possibility of two games. We've already seen that happen with the Dan Boyle incident, as well as the Dion Phaneuf suspension. He got two games, so I'm guessing I wouldn't be surprised if Panik also got the same number. But again, a dangerous play with dangerous potential. Gotta sit for those as well.

Brendan Shanahan's been busy this week, already suspending James Neal of the Penguins for five games and Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf for two. He'll have a lot more coming. For now, it's Jared Cowen, Richard Panik, and Shawn Thornton he'll have to deal with.

Phaneuf Out for 2 Games

Phaneuf got the verdict today on his hearing about his hit on the Bruins' Kevan Miller.

He has been suspended the next two games for that hit. The incident had occurred in the third period in Sunday's game. He struck Miller in the back near the back boards in the Boston end and Miller went into the boards face-first, left the game, and did not return. No penalty was called on that play.

Phaneuf will lose $66,666.66 (lot of sixes) in lost pay.

This comes on the heels of James Neal being suspended for five games for kneeing Brad Marchand in the head while he was on the ice and there is still a hearing scheduled for the Bruins' Shawn Thornton.

This is his first infraction, but Phaneuf knows better than to make a vulnerable play and push a player into the boards. We've seen that happen already this year with Maxim Lapierre pushing Dan Boyle and he got suspended five games. Although this hit didn't have as much severity as the Lapierre hit, this has suspension written all over it. You can't make a play that's going to injure another player. It'll only get you out of the game for a few games. 2 games is enough on this. Again, he's not a repeat offender and this didn't have a lot of severity on it, but when there's a player vulnerable and you make a hit like what Phaneuf did, you're going to be getting a hearing from Shanahan.

Phaneuf Faces A Hearing

Well, the verdict on James Neal went down, but there's another hearing coming right up.

The latest one comes courtesy of Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf, who will have a phone hearing Tuesday morning for his hit on Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller in Sunday night's game.

This incident occurred with 2:21 left in the third period. Phaneuf struck Miller in the back near the back boards in the Boston zone. Miller went into the board face-first, left the game and did not return. He might, however, be available for the next game. No penalty was called. This, along with Shawn Thornton's in-person hearing, means that there are still two verdicts to be assessed.

For this game, I didn't really see this game in person, so I can't give an accurate estimate on what happened, but when a player goes face-first into the boards and the opposing player initiated it to happen, that requires sitting some games. Also, Miller did not return to the game so there's a potential of a suspension of between two to four games. In my opinion, Phaneuf will probably be suspended between two to four games, but again, I didn't really see the play or what exactly happened. Maybe  Maple Leafs fans who were at the game have a better tale on this incident than I do.

Five Games Enough for James Neal?

Looks like James Neal isn't going to be on the Penguins' roster for the next couple of games.

The NHL announced today that the Penguins winger has been suspended for five games for kneeing a fallen Brad Marchand in the head. Five games is the maximum amount on a phone hearing.

Before the kneeing, Marchand was tripped by Sidney Crosby before Neal collided with the Bruins player. Marchand stayed on the ice for a while, but did remain in the game. Shanahan says that the incident was more serious than simply not avoiding contact.

"While looking down directly at Marchand, Neal turns his skates and extends his left leg, ensuring that contact is made with Marchand's head," says Shanahan.

The other factor of Neal's five-game suspension was that he had been suspended twice previously, including a one-game penalty in the 2012 playoffs for charging Flyers center Claude Giroux. He will forfeit $128,205.15 in pay.

Ok, I'm sorry about the length of the games that I mentioned in one of my earlier posts. I didn't see the replay but now that I see it, he was clearly hit in the head. He was clearly hit in the head and in my opinion, you have to sit games for that. And I didn't know how many previous games he was suspended for. So, yes, this time, the punishment and the length of games fits the crime. When you've had two suspensions and you get a phone hearing, it should be five games and that's what he's got. So that is enough for James Neal. And he'll be out five games because of his actions.

Lecavalier Out; Problems for the Flyers?

Vincent Lecavalier was about to come back from back spasm injury until he tried to skate in Dallas for the Saturday afternoon game.

Before the Flyers lost 5-1 to the Stars, the 33-year-old center skated on the ice and throughout the day his back tightened up. An X-ray later revealed something that the Flyers medical staff did not think was right. Lecavalier was flown back to Philadelphia and today, an MRI revealed a non-displaced fracture in the lower back and will be expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

Lecavalier has missed the last three games with back spasms, which was first noticed in the first leg of the six-game road trip that started in Nashville last Saturday. The Flyers will most likely call up a player from their AHL affiliate in Adirondack. GM Paul Holmgren has said who it would be, although he hinted that he might end up going with 12 healthy forwards and the call-up will most likely be a healthy scratch.

The Flyers have been able to cope with Lecavalier's loss so far, going 2-2-0 on their road trip but the brutal beatdown by the Dallas Stars Saturday night could hamper this team's momentum, especially since they have been hot of late. And the Chicago Blackhawks come up with no expectations that they're going to win that game, in my opinion. But without Lecavalier, this offense is going to get through some flukes. Lecavalier leads the team in power-play goals with five. He is tied with Matt Read for the team lead at nine goals. So, that's the bigger issue. If you don't have one of your leading scorers on the ice, you're going to go through some bad games offensively. Let's just hope that Steve Mason is able to stop some shots from the Flyers, because he'll probably not get a lot of help from the offense during the next 3-4 weeks.

Avalanche-Canucks Preview: Will the Canucks Stop the Avs?

The Colorado Avalanche are hot right now. The Vancouver Canucks are trying to win their fourth straight. Both teams clash tonight at Rogers Arena.

John Tortorella hasn't been entirely pleased with his team's performance of late, but at least they're getting results in the win column. Friday night saw the Canucks blow a 2-0 lead to the Coyotes but end up winning in overtime and getting themselves closer to the playoff picture. But they'll have to gain more ground tonight against a tough opponent in the Colorado Avalanche, a team they'll most likely be up against for a playoff berth.

Meanwhile, for the Colorado Avalanche, they are closing out a three-game Western Canada swing where they lost badly in Edmonton and rebounded for a 3-2 win Friday in Calgary. The Avs, under new coach Patrick Roy, were out to a 12-1-0 start and it's look like they're gonna be on another roll, having won six of their last eight games.

This is going to be a battle of wits. The Canucks have been terrible at home of late, even though they did win their last game in overtime. Canucks are going to have to get their offense going. The Avs are one of the top scoring teams in the NHL and even though they've been in a funk lately scoring 12 times over the last six games. If the Canucks want to beat the Avs, they'll have to get the offense going. Also, the Canucks have to keep their foot on the gas. They learned that on Friday when the Coyotes came back. Vancouver has been able to open the scoring in games. Now it's just a matter of holding the leads. And trust me, if they do squander, the Avs will make them play.

Tortorella knows the importance of this game and what it takes to beat the Avalanche. I think they will come out and play smarter hockey than they did Friday night. They've got to find a way to stay in the playoff race, so I believe that tonight, the Canucks will come out and give the Avs a taste of offense and scoring.

Is John Tortorella Making the Canucks Better?

Right now, the new coach of the Vancouver Canucks has his team for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

This is the first time that John Tortorella has coached a Western Conference team in the Canucks. But this has been a challenging time for him. Now, remember, coaching is never easy at any professional sport. And for Tortorella, the difficulty level is high because of the competition that the Western Conference produces.

The Canucks, right now, sit at 16-10-5 with 37 points. They're tied for the final Wild Card spot in the West. They've played two more games than the Coyotes, who currently have that spot. If they were in the East, they would be fourth.

There are a couple reasons about why the Canucks are doing the right things, as well as doing the wrong things. Let's take a look at them:

Stars still producing
Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, and Ryan Kesler are currently leading the team in scoring. At the early point of this season, many feared that the system Tortorella had would cause the skill players to block more shots and not be in attack-mode as often. Right now, that can be dismissed because the stars are producing and in a big way.

Tough Penalty Killing
Vancouver's kill ranks first in the NHL with an 89.2 percent rate. Three shorthanded goals as well. You may remember that when Tortorella coached the Rangers, they had a strong penalty kill. Good transition coaching to Vancouver pays off well.

Road warriors
The Canucks are currently 10-5-2 on the road. Those 10 wins are the second-most in the NHL, behind the Chicago Blackhawks. Need I say more about being road warriors?

Struggling vs. the West
The Canucks have been poor against Western teams this season. They are 6-6-3 against the West, and they need to beat their conference opponents more to be a playoff. Also, they are at 6-5-3 at home. They have to start winning at home and against good teams from the West if they expect a good playoff run.

Close-Out Games
Third period is not on the Canucks' side. They have blown third-period leads in five of the last seven home games. They blew a 2-0 lead to the Coyotes but won in overtime in the last tilt. Gotta hold on to third period leads if you're gonna win games.

Tortorella, in my opinion, gets a B effort. Honestly, his team still needs to do some more work so that they get out of being on the edge and into the playoff picture for good. But, right now, they look strong and hopefully Tortorella will send the Canucks to their sixth straight postseason.

One NHL Game, Two Hearings

What was seemingly a normal Penguins-Bruins game turned out to be one with a stretcher and another with a potential of a long suspension.

Bruins winger Shawn Thornton will have an in-person hearing for his actions on Saturday that led to Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik leaving the ice on a stretcher. The incident happened when Thornton came up skating quickly from center ice, injuring teammate Brad Marchand and grabbing Orpik from behind. He was knocked down backwards before Thornton punched him several times. Orpik was taken off the ice on a stretcher and sent to a hospital. He was eventually released and fly back to Pittsburgh with his teammates.

The grounds being in question here are: 46.2, aggressor and rule 46.15, match penalty.

I'll get to the other suspension coming out of this game in a minute. An in-person hearing means the potential for six or more games, so I don't disagree with that. But this is a garbage play and Thornton knows it himself. You cannot attack a defenseless player because this gets you in worse trouble and the possibly of penalties for game misconduct and unsportsmanlike conduct. I don't respect what he did and I hope he gets a long six or seven-game suspension out of this. Brendan Shanahan has to tell himself that five games will not be enough for this. Attacking a defenseless player should get Thornton a lot more. So the rules would apply to both. I do hope it's not five because this act is certainly deserving of more.

Now let's get to the other suspension, one of less dangerous nature. The Penguins' James Neal faces a Monday phone hearing for striking Brad Marchand with his knee while Marchand was on the ice. That incident preceded Thornton's punch on Orpik. Marchand did remain in the game.

I agree with the hearing type as well. This wasn't as dangerous as what Thornton did, but it was still a bit scary to see him on the ice while Neal was kneeing away at him. Neal has been suspended before, he last in April 2012. I don't know if this fits the 18-month period on the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but if it is, I would expect maybe three to four and if it doesn't, possibly two to three. Again, can't knee anybody when they're down on the ice. Marchand was defenseless, so you have to get some games for attacking a defenseless player. This was less of a dangerous hit, but still, it's considered somewhat of a dirty play, so you have to go if that happens.

What's Wrong with the Islanders?

The New York Islanders are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and people might be quick to blame the coach, but injuries and goaltending seem to have doomed this team more than the coach.

The Islanders have lost their eighth straight and are nine points out of the playoffs. That would probably put coach Jack Capuano on the hot seat. The Islanders went to the playoffs last year but this year, there might be a hint of trouble to get back there. So what exactly are the Islanders' problems?

1. Changes in Personnel
Mark Streit, the former captain for this team, was traded to the Flyers during the summer. He was their top defenseman from last season. And Brad Boyes, their No. 3 scorer was not retained either. And the trade to get Thomas Vanek has turned out to be somewhat a bust. He has had fewer points since that trade, with nine, than Matt Moulson in Buffalo, who currently has 11 with the Sabres. The Islanders also gave up some high picks in that deal. That is definitely not good for this team.

2. The Injury Woes
Lubomir Visnovsky, their top remaining defenseman, missed the last 21 games because of a concussion. And Brian Strait, their other defenseman, has missed 20 with a upper-body injury. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov suffered a groin muscle injury nine games ago. He is more experienced that Anders Nilsson and Kevin Poulin, who are manning the net.

3. Special teams
The power play is a disaster and the penalty kill has been dreadful. You can blame the last two factors, however. Visnovsky and Streit made a combined 19 power-play points last season and this season, all other defenseman have combined for fine. The penalty kill is worse in the league right now. They have given up three goals every 10 times they're short-handed, and they're even worse on the road. Uh-oh.

4. Players in Slumps
Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen may be scoring at a higher rate, but Michael Grabner's production has been off. Pierre-Marc Bouchard, their off-season acquisition, has no points in the last seven games he's played. Free-agent signee Peter Regin is without a point in 17 games.

You can't blame the coach for any of these, although it seems like at one point they're gonna put this on the coach. However, Capuano leaving is not going to solve the Islanders' problems. Right now, GM Garth Snow needs to find a goaltender. That's their No. 1 issue. If you can't have a good goaltender who'll keep you in the game day in and day out, that's going to be an issue, considering if you want to get into the playoffs and get far in it. I think they need to reach out and find a goaltender and if they can't, I don't see this team going anywhere but down.

The Resurging Flyers

At the beginning of the season, people thought that the Flyers' bad start and poor offensive and defensive play were going to keep them out of the playoff picture. Not so fast, because they don't take kindly to that kind of talk.

Since starting the season 3-8-0, they've gone 10-5-2 and are now finally a factor in the Eastern Conference.

Flyers coach Craig Berube said of the team's latest hot streak, "It's about playing defense in general as a team. We're coming around with playing better defense, better support in all areas of the game." As you recall, Berube replaced Laviolette three games into the season and has been able to turn around this defense. They have given up two or fewer goals in the past 16 games.

The Flyers, however, will have to look for more offense, but that seems to be on the rise. The line of Sean Couturier, Matt Read, and Steve Downie has 26 points over the last 10 games. And Couturier is a plus 10 with five goals and five assists in those games.

Claude Giroux has also found this game. He has five goals and eight assists in the last 13 games after start inn the season with no goals in 15. He might make the Canadien Olympic team and looking dim for a while based on his early performance.

This is a huge turnaround for a team that did not start well and I had been bashing at this team for a while because they can't play defense and can't help Steve Mason. But now they've listened. And their defense has shown up and been able to keep the puck out of the net. They've looked better and have played together as a unit much, much better. The thing about the Flyers is, they are looking at their Pennsylvania rival, the Penguins. The Flyers know the Pens are getting all the spotlight and the wins and in order to keep up with that, you have to win as well. If you can do that, then that spotlight can turn towards you. The Flyers have to keep playing this kind of defense all season. And Craig Berube has done a great job to tighten it up and make it play better. Right now, it's all about the wins and if the Flyers can do that, they'll be into the playoffs no problem.

Is Kyle Quincey Out in Detroit?

Looks like a savvy defenseman is preparing to return to the Red Wings, which might change the Wings' landscape for their future.

Danny DeKeyser is coming back from a separated shoulder suffered on Nov. 21. He's been on the ice daily and increasing his practice time and productivity. He's only two weeks away, though, but he can't come back without something else being done. And that belongs to trading away defenseman Kyle Quincey.

Quincey has been awful since being acquired in a trade in February of 2012. He's minus 9 and only has three points, all assists, in 29 games. He could be traded for a cheaper veteran defenseman or a draft pick, though it's most likely going to be a draft pick. This would also clear up some salary cap room for the Wings, who have a $3.775 million salary hit on Quincey.

Although there have been many other options, such as waiving Mikael Samuelsson or Henrik Zetterberg, the likely outcome is trading Quincey. DeKeyser improved the Wings' defense last April, when he signed straight out of Western Michigan. He has been referred to as an "elite, elite guy," by Coach Mike Babcock and he is the team's No. 3 defenseman behind Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall.

Kyle Quincey is indeed out of Detroit. DeKeyser has proven to be better and when he comes back from injuries, he makes that Red Wings defense look fierce. Unfortunately, Quincey has not played well and that's why they've lost games, like to the Philadelphia Flyers a couple of nights ago. The thing is, on the Red Wings, you have to produce day in and day out. This team is one that does not enjoy players having slumps, and the fans and personnel there will let them know it. So, unfortunately, for Quincey, he is out. Whether he's traded or waived, Quincey hasn't proven to be a great defenseman since coming over from the Colorado Avalanche. The Wings are gonna have to do this quick, otherwise, they're gonna be in the cellar and it's tricky to get out of that situation.

Just a little note: I am currently playing Kyle Quincey on my Urban United team in Big Win NHL, playing on the 1st line defense pairing with Nick Schultz of the Edmonton Oilers. He's a silver player, so at least he's not a bronze. Just thought I'd put that in there.

Are the Blue Jackets in Trouble?

While one goaltender has been signed for the next couple years, another one is headed to the IR.

Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Brobovsky has a groin muscle strain and is sidelined for four to five weeks. He was injured during the third of Tuesday night's 1-0 home win over the Lightning.

He was hurt making a spectacular glove save on J.T. Brown. After the save, he fell to the ice with his legs spread, his left leg jammed into the gaol post, and had to be helped off the ice.

Curtis McElhinney will be taking over in net for those next four to five weeks while Mike McKenna has been called up for Syracuse in the American Hockey League. Michael Chaput was sent down to make room for McKenna.

Bobrovsky is 10-11-2 this year with a 2.72 GAA and a .909 save percentage. He became the first Blue Jacket to win the Vezina last season after having a 21-11-6 record.

This is trouble. Bobrovsky was probably their top star on that team and the reason why they were still in games. Without him, I'm not sure where the Blue Jackets go. McElhinney cannot get it done alone and I've seen him try. And I'm not sure Mike McKenna is a guy to take the net for a certain period of time because he's also more suited to a backup goaltender. But the Blue Jackets have trouble beyond the net. They can't score and some of their stars are either hurt or in slumps. I don't know that they can get over this, and that's gonna hurt them. It's going to be a brutal couple of weeks for the Blue Jackets. They could possibly come out of this still in the playoff picture, but right now, it looks a little bleak.

Right Call for Rangers to Extend Lundqvist?

Looks like goaltender Henrik Lundqvist isn't leaving New York anytime soon. The franchise goalie for the New York Rangers has been signed to a seven-year contract extension. It carries an $8.5 million cap hit and a no-movement clause.

Rangers president and GM Glen Sather said about Lundqvist, "Since his arrival in New York in 2005, Henrik has consistently been one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL. He is a proud representative and class of this organization and we are excited to have him remain as a cornerstone of the franchise."

The 31-year-old goaltender has struggled to find his game so far this season. He is only 8-11-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .917 Save percentage. Cam Talbot played in the last two games while Lundqvist sat out.

However, the Rangers have been shaped by Henrik Lundqvist since his debut in the 2005-06 season. His new contract will make him the highest paid goaltender, passing the Bruins' Tuukka Rask, who makes $7.5 million next season.

So the question concerning this is: Did the Rangers make the right call? He is considered the face of the Rangers and without him, this Rangers team would fall flat. Even though he has struggled this season, you can't count this season against his other seasons. He's a phenomenal goaltender and he's able to keep the Rangers in game. That said, this was the right move. I understand that Cam Talbot is taking the spotlight right now, but long-term, Lundqvist is the real deal with this team. Once he finds his game, he'll be able to keep this Rangers team in it. If Lundqvist is called "The King," the New York Rangers are "his kingdom" and that kingdom will only look better thanks to his play and his wit to keep them in the games.

Goalies to Make Impacts So Far This Season

Some of the goalies in the NHL right now are starting to turn heads. Depth of goaltending has been on display for a better part of this season, especially for some back-up goalies stepping in while many elite net minders are having off-seasons or injury problems. In Monday's slate of games, there happens to be a number of goalies who are lesser-known but making a name for themselves. Let's take a look at some of the six goaltenders:

Cam Talbot (New York Rangers)
He was undrafted when he came into the league, but has the league-best save percentage as has given the Rangers a reason to win. Henrik Lundqvist has struggled early and he still continues to find his game. Talbot has six wins (all in a row) in seven starts and has two shutouts. Talbot started the last game, so there's a likely chance he'll start tonight. Will his hot start end Lundqvist's tenure in New York? Maybe and maybe not.

Ben Scrivens (Los Angeles Kings)
Scrivens was thrown in when Quick went out with an injury. He was acquired in the Jonathan Bernier trade and has seemed to outplay Quick. Scrivens has made nine consecutive starts, and has only given up 13 goals. The Kings are 5-1-3 in the span of games he has played.

Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens)
11-8-2 might not seem like the best record for this guy, but he is putting together what seems to be a career year. Price has been able to steady his game, unlike the past. He is likely to be Team Canada's best option in net come the Olympics. In the last seven games, he's only given up only one or two goals. His record would be better if the Canadiens could find a way to get some offense going.

Josh Harding (Minnesota Wild)
He may be your average backup. But Nicklas Backstrom got injured and hasn't been himself so far this season. Harding was then put in and took full advantage. His 13 wins are the seventh most in the league and his play has the Wild a point out of the playoff spot. At this rate, maybe he should be the starter the rest of the season.

Steve Mason (Philadelphia Flyers)
Who expected this? His impressive start was clouded by the Flyers' awful start and the firing of Peter Laviolette. He's really been a constant goalie sine Day 1. He's ranked 11th in GAA and eight in save percentage. They're not out of the playoff discussion because of how well Mason is playing.

Cory Schneider (New Jersey Devils)
Schneider has split time with Martin Brodeur for goaltending duties. Brodeur is expected to start tonight, but Schneider has been consistently better than the future Hall of Famer. Schneider only has four wins, though, for those stellar rates. Schneider will eventually usurp Brodeur this season because of the way he plays and his stellar ratings and performance. Look for him to take over Brodeur in the long run. He might be the next Devils goaltender after Brodeur retires.

Four NHL games on tonight. Plenty of wins on the line. Enjoy your Monday night hockey, puck heads!

Red Wings-Senators Preview: Alfredsson's Return

Daniel Alfredsson returns to Ottawa tonight as a member of the Red Wings. The Senators are giving him a video tribute, which is what the Senators should do. He and the Sens did not entirely leave the best of friends. Both sides pointed fingers at each other over contract negotiations. He was, however, a big part of Senators history after being taken in the first round in 1994. He won the Calder Trophy as a rookie in the 95-96 season, served as captain for 14 years and leading the team to its only appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 2007.

Today, as a Red Wing, he is the third-leading scorer and told a Swedish station he believe he's playing well enough to make the Olympics. Whether or not he's good enough will tell us in the next couple of games. But right now, he's focused on returning to Ottawa and playing the best that he can do. Let's look at some moments in Ottawa for Alfredsson:

5. 1,000 Points
On Oct. 22, 2010, he scored a hat trick against the Sabres to hit the milestone of 1,000 points. He finished his career there with 1,108 points.

4. Controversial Moments
He had some moments in his life. In Game 4 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Final, he fired a shot that hit Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer. The Ducks thought it was intentional, but no penalty was called. Alfredsson said after that game that it was an accident. In another one, he hit the-then Maple Leafs' Darcy Tucker in the 2002 playoffs that went uncalled. Alfredsson scored while Tucker lied on the ice.

3. Seven-point Night
Jan. 24, 2008 was when he had three goals and four assists in a 8-4 win against the Lightning. All the goals were scored at even strength, power play, and short-handed. The seven points remain a franchise record for the Senators.

2. 2012 NHL All-Star Game
What a fitting thing for the Senators. They host the All-Star Game in 2012 and it feels like love fest for Alfredsson. He was voted a starter and was named captain. He chose his Senators teammates and scored two goals in the game. However, there was no victory. Team Chara won 12-9.

1. The biggest goal of career
Back to the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs. On May 19, 2007, Alfredsson scored in overtime of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Sabres. That led him to the Stanley Cup Final for their only time in franchise history. Probably the best moment I have ever seen from a Senators playoff.

So Daniel Alfredsson returns to Ottawa and it should be fitting that the Senators would give him a video tribute. I know they didn't have the best terms when they were together for contract negotiations, but in any case, I think Alfredsson gave the Senators some of their best moments. As for the game itself, the Senators are having winning games right now. They don't seem to score enough goals, Bobby Ryan has been ineffective for many of the games, and the goaltending doesn't seem to be strong. I can't see them winning against a team that put a pounding on the Islanders and could possibly do it again against the Senators. That said, I think the Red Wings and Alfredsson will come out and win this game. I also expect Alfredsson to score at least a goal against his former team.

Ducks-Sharks Recap: A Tough Sharks Team

It was a big night for the top two teams in the Western Conference. The San Jose Sharks have sprung back to life in a way while the Anaheim Ducks have been able to use offense and their goaltending to get ahead of some pretty mediocre teams. On Saturday night, they both clashed in San Jose. And the Sharks came out the victor.

Joe Pavelski scored the only shootout goal and Antti Niemi stopped all three attempts to help the Sharks beat the Ducks 4-3 on Saturday night.

Logan Couture scored his first goal in eight games. Patrick Marleau and Martin Havlat also scored for the Sharks. They finished their five-game home stand unbeaten and won their eighth game in nine overall. Joe Thornton had caught a puck over his eye, but was back on the ice after getting stitched up.

Corey Perry, rookie Alex Grant and Ben Lovejoy scored for the Ducks, who have won three of the past four games. Jonas Hiller saved 32 shots in taking the loss.

I gotta admit, being a Ducks fan, I was scared of this game. The Sharks were a tough team to play against, no matter whether they're having a good streak or a bad streak. When you have Antti Niemi in net at the other end, it's really hard to get pucks past him. I think it was really lucky that the Ducks got out of there with a point and not with no points. As far as I know, the Sharks are one of the best teams in the league, if not the best team in the league. They have offense, they have defense, and they have goaltending. They basically have it all. But they are going on the road against some tough teams, like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins. I'm interested to see how well this defense does against guys like Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel. As for the Ducks, they've got some tough teams coming up too, like the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks. Can they rebound after a tough shootout loss to the Sharks? We'll see what happens, but right now, the Sharks are on the right track and the Ducks will have to regroup quickly by Tuesday night.

Update: Robidas Out 4-6 months

We have an update on the injury to Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas.

He will be out four to six months after breaking his right leg during the loss to the Blackhawks Friday night. He had surgery early Saturday morning at UT Southwestern Medical Center and has been placed on the injured list.

The team has called up defenseman Jamie Oleksiak from the Texas Stars. He played 16 games in the NHL, recording two assists and 14 penalty minutes. So far with the AHL, he had three goals and five points.

With Robidas out 4-6 months with that broken leg, that'll take him until at earliest April for him to get back onto the ice. That's really troubling news for a team that has done well as of late. The thing is, defense is key to everything in the NHL nowadays, despite teams having superstar players. And even though the Stars have Tyler Seguin, their superstar right now, not having Stephane Robidas really hurts this defense, as well as puts more pressure on goaltender Kari Lehtonen to make important saves in the games he plays. I'm not sure how long the Stars can survive. They have been on fire as of late, but the loss of Robidas could put out that fire. I do hope they survive this and Oleksiak is the key to helping this team, but right now, I don't see anything good coming out of this. Let's just hope Tyler Seguin continues to stay right hot.

Tortorella Returns to New York

If anybody thinks that the Canucks coach will be booed in his return to Madison Square Garden today, you would be so wrong. Expect him to be warmly received.

Tortorella had seemed to have lost his players last season with the Rangers but I guess he didn't lose any warm feelings with the fans. His confrontational style played well with the fans of New York and how he always held his players accountable for the performance on the ice. This type of style will be what wins him over with Rangers fans tonight.

Unfortunately, the reason that got him kicked out last season was because the players rebelled against his totalitarian regime. They didn't like how he always blamed them for their poor performance and his drill sergeant attitude was what really turned players off. Plus, those tactics didn't work against the Boston Bruins in the playoffs when they were eliminated in 5 games.

He did, however, get results in the regular season while with the Rangers. He's had winning percentages above .500 in his tenure there. His teams have registered points in 63.4% of the games that they have played. And in the 2012 season, they made a quality playoff run and might have reached the Stanley Cup if they had some better puck luck against the Devils.

He has learned his lesson since being fired. He is less frequent in bashing his players for poor performance and has more of a cordial relationship with Vancouver media than he did with the New York media. Then again, the New York media tends to scrutinize everything and make everything a story. This is, he is still Tortorella, so if things aren't well, he'll go off like a volcano.

I would expect him to be welcomed warmly by Rangers fans, but not by the players. His style was what they didn't like in the first place, so don't expect the players to welcome him back warmly. But with that in mind, Tortorella did help the Rangers in my entire time there so anything sort of a small applause would not be acceptable. And the thing is, right now, the Canucks have to start playing better and that starts against a Rangers team that has been resurging as of a couple weeks, so with that in mind, Tortorella's going to have to be a genius in figuring out how to get pucks past Lundqvist and have his goaltenders and defenders play a bit better.

Blues-Sharks Recap: Sharks Back to Form?

Well, guess what. My first recap game opinion article of the season. And it's going to belong to the Blues-Sharks game that happened Friday afternoon.

Brent Burns was thinking that Friday's game was going to be different but never imagined how important it was to him. He got his first NHL hat trick and the Sharks ended a five-game losing streak to the St. Louis Blues with a 6-3 victory.

Joe Thornton, Tomas Hertl, and Tommy Wingels also scored for the Sharks. They've won their fourth straight and seven of eight. Antti Niemi stopped 21 of 24 shots for his 14th win of the season. Brian Elliot took the loss in his first loss in eight games that he has started.

Thornton now has 17 points in his past 15 games and the Sharks scored their first power-play goal since Nov. 15, a span of seven games. Couture has not scored in seven games and has one goal in his past 11.

So all in all, did the Sharks really win this or did the Blues choke it? In my opinion, I don't think the Blues choke it. Good goaltenders, like pitchers in baseball, get rocked. They've all been rocked. And Brian Elliot should not feel down like this, so there's no problem with the Blues losing this game. They're still in the playoff picture and as long as Elliot can continue to play well and the Blues offense, especially Alex Steen, continues to rocket up the score chart, they can win games. But this game was all about the Sharks and especially Brent Burns.

It must feel good for Burns to score his first career hat trick, but that overlooks a bit about how the Sharks have had problems with their offense in recent games. They've haven's had a power-play goal coming into this game since Nov. 15 and like I said two paragraphs ago, Couture has been ineffective and still is right now. This game was one that the Sharks desperately needed and Burns delivered. I want to see how well this offense, as well as goalie Antti Niemi, does against the high-powered Anaheim Ducks, who go to SJ tomorrow to play them. This game, I don't believe, proved nothing to me except that the Sharks can give up some pretty powerful offense in some games and now I'd like to see that against the Ducks Saturday night.

Robida Breaks Leg; Trouble For the Stars?

Hey, puck heads. Sorry that I've been away for a day or so but it was Thanksgiving and I did note on my Twitter that I would be returning to the blogger world today. Even though it's almost Saturday, we got some news coming out of tonight's Blackhawks-Stars game.

Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas broke his right leg Friday against the Blackhawks. He was hoping to kill off a Dallas penalty in the second period but slid hard into the boards beyond the goal line. He stayed down holding his leg just below the knee. The team says Robidas has a fracture and was taken to UT Southwestern Medical Center.

His 11th season with the Stars, Robidas has the longest tenure on the team. This is his 14th NHL season. Dallas played with five defenseman the rest of the way in their shootout loss to the Blackhawks.

Captain Jamie Benn said of Robidas' injury, "It's really tough. We hope he is all right. He is a big part of this team, and a big part of that back end and a pretty big leader."

I don't disagree with that. He has been by far the best defenseman the Stars have so far. The thing is, without his presence and his leadership, are the Stars going to be able to stay in the race? They've done well in the last few games thanks in part to guys like Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley stepping up their line. But without a veteran defenseman like Robidas, it'll be hard for goaltender Kari Lehtonen to help keep pucks out of the net. When I saw the Stars play the Ducks back in October, they played well out of the gate because of their solid offensive core in Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Rich Peverley. The only problem they had was in the second period when the defensemen started to wear down. And now without Robidas, it'll be hard to say whether or not this team stays on this hot streak. My best guess is they'll cool off, but they'll stay in it. They just have to be careful because teams like the Blackhawks and the Predators in their own division, might run away with it.

Ericsson's Staying in Detroit

The Detroit Red Wings are keeping around one of their best defenseman, who is in the midst of closing in on 300 games with the Red Wings.

Ericsson has been signed to a six-year, $25.5 million extension, the team announced Wednesday morning. Ericsson was described as "really happy" abut the deal. He has never played for any NHL team but the Red Wings, and it seemed like with the way he played and the way the Wings loved his production, he wasn't willing to go anywhere else. Before the contract, he was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. That means he's off the market.

Ericsson said of Detroit, "I really like it here. For me to be able to get a deal done here, now, it means a lot for me and my family."

Ericsson made his debut when he was called up during the 2009 playoffs to fill in for injury holes. He became a regular player in the 2009-10 season. There was a point in time that coach Mike Babcock sat him for being a turnover machine.

This is a really good deal for the Red Wings. They don't have a lot of players who can really carry this team defensively. Jonathan Ericsson is definitely the right investment. And plus, with all of the injuries they have right now, I think it was wise to start thinking about a contract extension. And especially going into the game against the Boston Bruins, you can't have this type of cloud floating over a team, especially if they had some interest in keeping him around. Ericsson loves it in Detroit, his family is in Detroit. I can't imagine a scenario of him leaving. This is a good move for the Red Wings, it keeps Ericsson around, and one of their key defensive pieces is going to be around for a long time. Good for the Red Wings.

Where Should Martin Erat Go?

Apparently, one player in the NHL is not well suited to play for his current team. And because of that, he requested a trade.

Capitals forward Martin Erat wants out and the team has said it will try to accommodate his wishes. Erat said of his demands, "Since day one, I didn't get the chance here. I got traded here to be a top-six player but never got the chance, never played more than 15 minutes here, and it's time for me to move on."

GM George McPhee said the request happened earlier this season and has been in the office repeatedly. Erat also requested a trade from the Predators last season because of his limited playing time.

Erat was acquired at the trade deadline last spring, when Brooks Laich went out with an injury. Erat's been playing on the second line. Michael Latta was also picked up with Erat. Laich is back healthy this season and with the addition of Mikhail Grabovski, the Capitals have had too many forwards.

In 23 games this season, he has had no goals. He has a no-trade clause, but that's likely to be flexible come the time that they trade him.

Martin Erat is one of those guys who wants playing time wherever he goes. But it seems he always gets traded to another team who has one of their players injured or out because of injury. I feel sorry that he's not been able to feel at home on a team that wants him. I understand why he wants to be traded. He wants to go somewhere where he can be effective and be able to produce with a talented offense. The Capitals have too many people, and with Grabovski and Laich playing a lot of ice time, it seems that Erat is the odd man out.

I'm not sure where he should go. There are plenty of teams that can pick him up. They're not likely to be contenders for the Cup, but teams like the Panthers, Islanders, Flames, and Stars would be good spots for Erat. But again, I'm not entirely sure where he'll be able to fit in. The Flames just traded away Tim Jackman and acquired Lane McDermid so I'm not sure if Calgary is going to work, but it might be a nice opportunity. For any other team, they might be willing to take a chance on Martin Erat. Thing is, he has to produce and that means getting out of the slump that he's been in and be an effective scorer on any line for any team that he joins.

How Many Games For Kevin Westgarth?

Looks like another NHL player is going to get the call from Brendan Shanahan. And that distinction belongs to Hurricanes forward Kevin Westgarth.

He will face a phone hearing on Tuesday for his hit that injured Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki.

Borowiecki lost his balance skating away from Westgarth and slid into the boards during the first period. Westgarth pursued the puck, but hit the defenseman from behind as he tried to stand up. Borowiecki did not return to the game and the Senators announced on Twitter that he had a stiff neck, which is not an injury but stiff necks makes it very hard to turn your head.

The league announced it will be based on the boarding rule. I'm not as familiar with the boarding rule as I am with head shots, but in my estimation, boarding rules usually get between two to five games. My best guess is three or four. Boarding is a very serious injury. Dan Boyle was hit into the boards by Maxim Lapierre when he was injured in that Sharks-Blues game and Lapierre got five games for it. So it is possible that perhaps Westgarth could suffer the same consequences but Borowiecki was not seriously injured on the play as Boyle was, so that's why I believe he will get between three or four games for this.

Sbisa and Fasth Out Again

Just when the Ducks thought they were getting some players back from injury, they end up losing them again to injury.

Defenseman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six to eight weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. And backup goaltender Viktor Fasth will miss another 3-4 weeks with muscle inflammation in his lower body. Fasth was a late scratch in Friday's game against the Lightning and Jonas Hiller started in goal.

Due to the injuries sustained by Fasth and Sbisa, the Ducks have recalled goalie Frederik Andersen and defenseman Nolan Yonkman from Norfolk in the AHL. Sami Vatanen was recalled on Friday and scored a goal in Saturday's game against the Coyotes.

Sbisa and Fasth have been through significant injury problems for the first part of this season. Sbisa missed the first 15 games of the regular season with an injured ankle. He got hurt again in the Ducks' 1-0 OT victory against the Lightning on Friday. He will have surgery on that wrist Monday.

Fasth was expected to start, but was scratched late when he got hurt in warmups. He missed a month earlier this season with a lower-body injury and only appeared in five games.

Andersen has had a great start to his NHL career. He went 6-1 with a 1.66 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage. He is the first goalie in nearly two decades to begin his NHL career with six straight victories.

As Ducks fan all know, they have fought through major significant injury issues while at the same time, leading the NHL standings for most of the season.

Koivu has not played since Oct. 27 because of a concussion. Jakob Silfverberg broke his hand in late October, and will still need another month. Sheldon Souray is still out after surgery on a torn ligament in his right wrist and is expected to be back in January.

I'm surprised the Ducks are this good, despite all the injury problems they've had. One reason they've been able to stay in games is because of Andersen and Hiller, who have backstopped this team, as well as a tandem of great defenseman like Ben Lovejoy and Cam Fowler, who have been able to keep pucks out of their own end and have given guys like Perry and Getzlaf a great way to score. As for the injury mess of Fasth and Sbisa, I honestly think that the Ducks do play better without Sbisa. Sbisa's line, before he went out, has had problems keeping the puck out of the net. It's not all his fault but his injuries, as well as him moving slower than he usually is, is something to be of concern about. As for Fasth, I'm not sure what I can say, except that I hope he gets better. The thing is, he could possibly be on the trade block come February. The Ducks can't afford to keep three really good goaltenders around. I doubt the Ducks will trade away Andersen, considering that he has played well for them so far and Bob Murray is not the type of guy to trade away talent that the Ducks need. Either way, Sbisa and Fasth are out again, and the Ducks will have to deal with their absences.

Reformation of Steve Mason

Remember Steve Mason? He was once the goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets when they went to their only Stanley Cup playoff appearance and when he won the Calder Trophy. After that, he has struggled, the Blue Jackets have been eliminated every year, and now he had been traded to the Philadelphia Flyers where he seems to have gotten his game back together.

He came to Philadelphia with a hope that he could get some answers into how to restructure his game. He flipped through magazines and newspapers, looking for something that might give him the edge. One thing he did find was that the goalie should focus on segments within the game as just one game. He says that he sees the game more as a neighborhood of nine segments.

He said, "I just break it down into a pretty much seven-minute increments of a period."

This, of course, is referencing to the three TV timeouts per period, which, adding up, totals nine segments in three periods. He talks to his teammates sometimes and compares notes on what he's seeing from his crease to what the skaters are seeing.

Mason doesn't pay attention to numbers on the scoreboard (no player should, in my opinion). He doesn't keep score. Even when the Flyers were losing despite his best efforts to keep them in the game, Mason does his best to distance himself from his teammates. He didn't want his own performance to falter when his other teammates were slumping.

He gives credits to goalie coach Jeff Reese with a lot of the improvements in his game. Apparently, because he's been playing so well, he's considered for the Olympics.

I won't say anything on whether he should be considered for the Olympics, because that's not my area of expertise, but I will say that Mason looks like he has revisioned himself in a way that helps out the Flyers. I like how he has been able to cut this down to see it as just one game at a time per seven minutes of play. And even though the Flyers haven't been doing too well, he's been able to stop a lot of pucks because of the way he visions his gameplay. They've won five of their last six games thanks to good goaltending. Look for Mason to continue his strong goaltending and hopefully help the Flyers get back into the playoff picture.