Marleau's Game Equals Sharks Victory

He's only the second player in NHL history to have four straight multigoal games since Alexander Mogilny had five straights back in the 1992-93 season for the Buffalo Sabres. Patrick Marleau definitely delivered that for the Sharks today, scoring twice on power plays and helping the Sharks win 4-0 over the Colorado Avalanche.

Marleau joins Ottawa's Cy Denneny as the only players that have opened campaigns with four multigoal games. I guess that mean he's part of history.

Let's get to the simple facts. Patrick Marleau is already a great players, who has had trouble in the past getting into the playoffs and winning the Stanley Cup. He's had his C removed, given to Rob Blake, then Joe Thornton, and had trouble on offense from time-to-time. But now he's a different man, who is trying to contribute all he can to a Sharks team that is now sitting a 4-0-0 and very comfortable second in the Western Conference, only behind Chicago, who is 5-0-0 after winning in Columbus tonight.

The power play has definitely come through for this Sharks team. They have 10 goals on 24 chances in this lockout-shortened season. And that says something about this Sharks team. They come through the powerplay and they execute. That's how you beat other teams. Get the powerplay and make them try to stop you. That's what the Sharks are doing and it's working out pretty well.

Thomas Greiss earned his first career shutout, making 24 saves and Matt Irwin scored his first career NHL goal. This is the Sharks' best start since winning their first four games back in 2008-09, before they lost at Anaheim on October 17, 2008.

For the Avs, this is a bit of a setback. They lost their seventh straight game in San Jose since beating them in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series back in 2010. They had killed off 16 straight penalties coming in, but allowed goals on San Jose's first three power plays.

This team is definitely not dead, but it didn't do its job against the Sharks. They are still a great penalty-killing team and they somehow ran into a Sharks team that was hungry for more powerplay goals. Well, guess what, their season is still way early. They can still recover from this bad loss and regroup, but their next few games have them head to Western Canada. I think they can beat Edmonton and Calgary, but Vancouver has a rebuilt form who can expose their penalty kill. So there's time for this Avs team to get it together. This team has the potential to be great. It's just a matter of staying with the penalty kill and keeping their defense in check.

Bertuzzi Returns and Wings Win

I guess the injury bug got a little bit better after the return of Todd Bertuzzi to the ice in last night's game against the Wild. And better, they were at home and played against two guys who left them in the offseason for the team up in Minnesota.

The power play clicked this time for the Red Wings as they took two points away from the Minnesota Wild and won 5-3 Friday night. Todd Bertuzzi, who turns 38 in a week, scored two goals after missing the first three games of the season with mononucleosis that was later determined to be the flu. Other players on the scoreboard included Pavel Datsyuk, with a goal and two assists. Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, and Valtteri Filppula all pitched in with three-point nights as well. Jimmy Howard came up big in this game with 23 saves, while Damien Brunner scored a power play goal after 17 attempts at the power play for the Red Wings.

Not only did Bertuzzi return, but Darren Helm also returned and that was big enough for Detroit to give itself an advantage over the Wild.

Clearly, the Red Wings have had the advantage over the Wild for the last few seasons at home. I'm glad that Bertuzzi and Helm are back, because I was almost ready to write them off for a while because of all the injuries they have sustained and I wasn't sure that Jimmy Howard could be able to carry this team the entire way. But thanks to the return, I could table that thought for now. This team has come together to beat a team that they should beat. I expected Detroit to win this game and they came through. Also, the power play was a big step for them, as they had failed the 17 times before this game to get a power-play goal on net. They came through and congratulations to the Red Wings on this well-put-together win. It doesn't get easy. They go to Chicago next, who have a chance to get to 5-0 tonight against the Jackets. If they win, the Wings will have to really come together to order to beat this sound Hawks team.

Enjoy your Saturday hockey, puckheads. Avalanche-Sharks are coming up at 1:00. I'll be covering Flyers-Panthers at 4:30 on my Twitter @ReidUrban. So enjoy your hockey Saturday. I'll talk to you throughout the day.

NHL Saturday Preview

Saturday is another busy time for the NHL. Let's look at some of the highlights surrounding the games Saturday:

- The LA Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes will meet for the first time since the Kings knocked out the Coyotes in the Western Conference finals. The Kings are still looking for their first win of the season and they'll be hoping to do that against a Coyotes team that is struggling at times to score. If you may remember, the Western Conference finals ended right after Dustin Brown, the Kings captain, took out Coyotes defenseman Michal Rozsival while on an offsides play and the jawing from Coyotes players to Brown afterward in the line of handshakes. It'll be interesting to see how this plays into tonight's game. Can the Kings pick up their first win of the season after a heart-breaker in Edmonton? Or do the Coyotes want revenge for what happened in the playoffs? We'll have to see about this one.

-Scott Gomez is expected to make his season debut today for the San Jose Sharks when they take on the Colorado Avalanche at HP Pavilion at 1:00 today. I will not be watching that game in person but I'll keep a close eye on that game and see how well this fading Colorado team does against a high-powered Sharks offense. Also, they'll need to keep an eye on Patrick Marleau. He scored twice in each of his first three games. Two against Calgary, two against Edmonton, and two against Phoenix. The Avalanche need to find a way to pick up that slow-rolling offense and its power play is not exactly helping its case either. They'll need to shut down Patrick Marleau on defense if they have any chance at winning this game.

-This is probably the easiest game to predict a win on the schedule for this Saturday. The Blackhawks are 4-0 and are visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight. Last season, they won all six meetings against the Blue Jackets and I would expect that they would win against the Jackets today. Just mark it down. Chicago wins. They get to 4-0. Columbus struggles and drops back to 1-2-1, especially when this offense isn't doing anything to support Sergei Brobovsky.

-Now for the other team on the opposite game of that wild game in Edmonton. The Oilers face off against their bitter rival from Southern Alberta, the Calgary Flames. The Flames are still seeking their first win and the Oilers are hoping to ride their emotional win from Thursday's games. I'll just say this: I want Calgary to win. I do. But the pieces are just not working and it seems like GM Jay Feaster has done nothing in the offseason to really bolster this team's production. That being said, I think Edmonton will come out and show off its somewhat good-scoring offense and make it hard for Miikka Kiprusoff to keep up with it. Edmonton wins tonight.

-And now here's the game that I'll be watching and that I'll be most interested in. The Philadelphia Flyers start the beginning of their four-game road trip, starting in South Florida against the Panthers. The Panthers are coming off a bad loss at home against Ottawa, while the Flyers are trying to build on their season, coming off a big win at home against the Rangers. Since Scott Hartnell is out for at least six weeks and that Mike Knuble is back in a Flyers jersey, it'll be interesting to see how coach Peter Laviolette addresses the need for this offense to come out and produce. Personally, I see this as a game that the Flyers should win. If they want a game to get their offense going and produce for the back-line defense, they need to put the pressure on the Panthers' defense tonight. I don't think the Panthers have their offense together yet. They have all the big stars, but it's not clicking yet, so I see the Flyers coming out with this urgency and pulling it together for a win.

Ian White's Injury a Concern?

Well, if you think that the Wings' list of injury couldn't get any worse, it just did. Ian White's injury could probably make it hard for a Detroit Red Wings squad that is already banged up with injuries and losses.

While skating around at Joe Louis Arena before the game against the Wild Friday, there was an ice bag wrapped around his left kneecap. He had just underwent surgery on Wednesday, which comes around 12 hours after he was cut by goaltender Jimmy Howard's skate during Tuesday's game against Dallas.

He had a picture on his cell phone to prove it too. This type of injury is definitely stomach-churning. There was a lot of blood shown in the photo and questioned reporters as to how strong their stomachs were while showing the photo. Even to me, that seems like a grueling picture to look at.

White will start skating in a week and should be expected back by mid-February. However, his absence will now make it harder for the Wings to have an option with a right-handed shot on their power play unit.

So now head coach Mike Babcock is playing his cards and deciding that White's minutes will now be dealt to either Brendan Smith or Jakub Kindl. This sounds like an opportunity for either of these young guys to get in the game and get some valuable minutes. However, Ian White's injury does set the Wings back a bit.

They have lost almost half of their roster to injuries and although most of their star players will return at anytime this season, it is a matter of how long the Red Wings can last and be able to win without their stars helping them out on the ice.

Honestly, I think this team will be fine. Jimmy Howard has been able to keep this team on its feet with his magnificent goaltending and his ability to stop hard shots on net. That will come in handy for the next few games. They host Minnesota at home then head to Chicago and home against Dallas again. They have to find a way to get these wins. They are 1-2-0 and still looking for a chance to get back into the mix. Hey, it's only Game 4. If you don't have it together by Game 10, you're in a problem. The Red Wings have time to sort it out. One game at a time is what this team needs to have. They can work together and Jimmy Howard can keep this team up. The question is: How long before the slipping really drags this team down? And can they recover if they do? Well, hopefully we will know. In the meantime, the Red Wings have a lot of work ahead of them.

Mike Knuble Is Back in Philadelphia

Looks like the Flyers got the help they need, heading into their weekend action in the state of Florida. That's right. All the rumors about Mike Knuble coming to the Flyers are true.

The right winger, who spent the past three seasons with the Washington Capitals, has officially signed a one-year contract today, making him available for Saturday's game at Florida.

He spent four years with the Flyers (2005-09) before signing with the Capitals. He has appeared in 310 games so far for Philadelphia, racking up 114 goals and 221 points in the games he has played with them.

This move was probably a no-brainer after the injury to Flyers forward Scott Hartnell, who will miss four to eight weeks because of a broken left foot on a shot taken by Kimmo Timonen in the Tuesday game against the Devils.

This move was probably the only move that they have the chance to make right now. Mike Knuble is a very agile forward and in his previous years with Washington and Philadelphia, he has definitely shown that. They need somebody on their blue line to step up and produce, now that Hartnell will be out for 4-8 weeks. The Flyers are 1-3 after a win at home against the Rangers, but they definitely need Knuble, especially going into Florida and Tampa Bay, where both teams don't play easy hockey. Mike Knuble's presence and his ability to skate and shoot, really helps a team that looked like it was fading in its first three games and could've very nearly lost to the Rangers on Thursday night.

Said of Knuble: "It's the first time I've double-dipped for a team, get to come back around and play for an organization. It's a place where I feel very comfortable, the staff, the people at the rink every day, you know your way around, you know a few guys in the locker room that were there when you were there."

I'm just glad Knuble's back in Philadelphia where it seems like it'll go in the right direction for this Flyers team. It's the weekend, puckheads, and hockey's upon us. Can the Flyers, with Mike Knuble, take down both Florida teams this weekend? We'll find out. In the meantime, enjoy your teams' weekends.

That Wild Game in Edmonton

Want an ending to a really wild game? Well it doesn't involve the Minnesota Wild but it does involve another team from its Northwest Division and that city is part of Northern Alberta. That's right. It's Edmonton. And because of this wild game, they were able to keep the defending champion Kings winless Thursday night.

So here's what happened. With 1:05 left in regulation, the Oilers' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins appeared to tie the game 1-1. However, Kings goalie Jonathan Quick argued that Oilers forward Sam Gagner interfered with him in the crease. The on-ice officials consulted with one another and then eventually decided to wave off the goal. But the Oilers fans were so upset that they littered the ice with trash, which delayed the game enormously.

However, they did get back on the ice and the Oilers regrouped and with limited time remaining, Oilers rookie Nail Yakupov scored with 4.7 seconds left and this time did count. His reaction was: "It's probably my great feeling."

But it wasn't over yet. It was tied 1-1 and the two teams went into overtime. When the Oilers went on the power play, Nugent-Hopkins put the puck in front of the net. Who slapped it in? His name is Sam Gagner of course.

Well, that was certainly a wild game. Either way, it didn't work out so well for the Kings, who were only seconds away from winning their first game of the year only to have it taken away by the rookie Yakupov. I bet that hurts Kings and their fans, who are so desperate now to get that first win so that they can get back into the chase and be great again.

But I'll sideline these Kings for now. Let's move to what Gagner said about the atmosphere after the overtime goal. He tweeted that "Oiler fans are without a doubt the best in the NHL."

Well, I have a question to ponder to young Mr. Gagner. Why do you say they are the best when they littered your home ice and delayed the game for around five minutes or so? Can you answer me that? Look, I understand everybody gets unhappy with officials and how we are taken away goals. But let's be modest here. Each player will say that they have the best team fans in the NHL. I get that. You want to appeal to your own fans and make them feel special. But I would be better understood if you had said, "Next time, don't go wrecking your home." The Oilers fans are definitely not the best fans, although some people, especially those in Edmonton, might differ. They're like people in Philadelphia. They're so obsessed with having their teams win, they'll do anything, even do something illegally, just to spark this team to start winning. Well, I'll give you this. Since the end of the 2005-06 season, these Oilers haven't even been in the playoffs. So is this going to help you get to your playoffs? Well, if it does, I just hope your exit comes quickly. This is such a disgusting move by the Oilers faithful. Let the team play. You win some, you lose some. You can't be throwing down trash just because the official waved off the goal. Do you look at the instant replay? Come on. Maybe they did get hosed. I don't know. But the wrong thing to do is send a bad message by littering the trash. I don't like it. The NHL doesn't like it, and especially the players and officials don't like it. I'm sure the PA announcer for the Oilers didn't want to announce not to throw trash onto the ice. Trust me, I wouldn't want to either.

Either way, Oilers nation should probably feel proud that they actually won it, although they almost blew it. For the Kings, their work is cut out for them. They got a point, but it's only a point. They are 0-2-1 and they have the Predators coming to town. I see them getting their first win here. Now after this win, can they keep it up? We'll have to see, puckheads, because in the Kings' situation, it doesn't look good. They're probably like Jonathan Quick: leaving the ice early and turn the television right at the game-winning goal. For the Oilers, their fans need to keep it together. Your team is 2-1-0 with a chance to get to 3 wins Saturday against the Flames. Don't blow it up this early for the Oilers.

Another Blackhawk Win! Is Dallas This Good?

Jamie Benn was recently signed to a five-year contract with Dallas. He kinda wished he would start it off with a win against the Blackhawks.

The Dallas Stars, unfortunately, did not see a W in their favor, as Marian Hossa scored on a power 1:41 into overtime to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 comeback win over the Stars at American Airlines Center on Thursday night.

What set up the winning overtime goal was that Dallas captain Brenden Morrow was called for interference. Hossa then took advantage by firing a one-timer past Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen after a sweet, behind-the-back pass from Patrick Kane. That's what they call "a sweet shot to win it."

The Blackhawks are now 4-0 and matched their best start since the 1972-73 season. Corey Crawford was splendid in goal tonight, making 21 saves and stopped Stars player Ryan Garbutt on a penalty shot.

The Chicago offense has really come around to start the season. It put up 14 goals in their previous three games, but they really needed the man-advantage in order to score all three of those goals and overtake the Stars.

I am a big believer in this Chicago team. It's got all the tools and the offense to really make a run at the Stanley Cup. But I'm more worried about what this defense might give up if the offense somehow goes through a flunk, which I don't believe will happen. Chicago is looking like an elite team, like the new Detroit Red Wings. They seem poised and ready to really take over this high-powered Western Conference.

Now on to the Stars, who have 2-1-1. They got a point from this game so it really shows that they have the skill and the talent to stay in games and get at least that one point. But the one thing that might drag on with them if they don't correct it is their power play. In example, Niklas Hjalmarsson was giving a tripping penalty with 1:18 left in regulation, which put the Stars on the power play for the rest of regulation. But even though the advantage went into overtime, the inability to capitalize really hurt this team's chances of winning. Power play is a key factor for teams to get goal production, so if the Stars want to do that, they have to capitalize where they need to.

But the Stars have life and there's plenty of game left to get it corrected. And here's one thing going for them. Dallas entered having allowed one goal during 5-on-5 play through their first three games. That's a positive going in the right direction. This team is strong, but it needs to produce and capitalize when on the power play.

Chicago is 4-0. Dallas gained a point, but they're still strong. Looks like two teams headed in the right direction.

Flyers Win...Finally!

Flyers fan can rest easy and that's because they just picked up their first win of the year.

Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek each scored tonight to win their first game of the season, a 2-1 nail-biter over the New York Rangers Thursday night, thereby helping the Flyers avoid their first 0-4 start in team history. This is a big stunner, since the Rangers beat the Flyers all six games last season, including the Winter Classic. However, the Rangers have struggled this season and now sit with the Flyers in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 1-3 record.

This certainly is good news for the Flyers after they found out Scott Hartnell will be out between 4-8 weeks because of a broken left foot as well as forward Brayden Schenn serving a one-game suspension for charging Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov. Danny Briere was also out with a broken left wrist.

But the Flyers did enough to beat back Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers. Taylor Pyatt was the only goal for the Rangers, who already have problems scoring goals, aside from the lone game last night in which Marian Gaborik had a hat trick against the Bruins. Good news needs to come and a visit from the Maple Leafs should help that. But then the schedule gets tough with both Pennsylvania teams coming to town.

But congratulations to the Flyers, who needed a spark of a win in order to get things back on track. It won't be easy, though. A Florida swing comes next with weekend games at Florida and at Tampa Bay, which won't be easy games. The Flyers could also be signing Mike Knuble by the end of the week, which would help bloster somewhat of a struggling offense. GM Paul Holmgren has stated that Briere is 50-50 on being available. But for now, the Flyers faithful can be proud that their team has finally got their first win. The road is tough ahead and the Flyers can go into it feeling up and proud about beating the team from Manhatten. Now Florida awaits.

Five More Years, Jamie Benn!!

Hot off the press! Hot off the press! Well, hot off my USA Today app anyway. Looks like Jamie Benn isn't leaving Dallas anytime soon. The star winger for the Dallas Stars has signed a five-year, $26.25 million contract and will get $5.25 million a year.

Benn is entering his fourth year in the NHL and he is only 23, two years older than I am. Throughout his career, his points total has increased from 41 to 56 to 63 and he is the only player in Stars history to earn 100 points before he turned 23. He is second on the team last season in goals with 26, and points with 63.

Last season, in the All-Star Game in Ottawa, he won the accuracy shooting contest as part of the skills competiton. The expectation this season is that Benn will play with new teammate Jaromir Jagr once he is back in the lineup. He played in Hamburg during the lockout and came back before it was all settled and done.

Joe Nieuwendyk, GM for the Stars, released this message about Benn. "He has proven in his short, but very productive NHL career, that he is not only this franchise's cornerstone player, but also an emerging superstar in the league."

I agree with Nieuwendyk. Benn has certainly earned this contract. Although they haven't made the playoffs yet, I think that Benn can carry this team to their first playoffs since the 2007-08 season, when they got to the Western Conference Finals and lost to Detroit. His stellar play and his magnificent skating ability certainly make him a viable option for this young and improving team. I see the Dallas Stars making the playoffs this season and with this guy locked down for another five years, I think they have the potential to do it not only this season, but for many seasons to come.

The Stars are facing the Blackhawks tonight. Another win to get to 3-1-0 can certainly help the chances for this Stars team.

Should the Kings, Red Wings, and Other Teams Be Worried About Slow Starts?

Slow starts. They happen to every team and there are many teams out there that are dealing with. Two of these teams are the Stanley Cup Champion Kings and the Red Wings. Let's see where they are and where they are going, starting with the Kings.

At this start to the season, I would've never expected for the Kings to loss back-to-back games, starting with the opener against the Blackhawks and then just two nights ago against the Avs. They are winless so far this season and they play the Oilers up in Edmonton tonight. And they might've just lost Matt Greene for the entire season, which will hurt the defense, which Jonathan Quick relies on at times to bail him out of certain situations. This is also gonna hurt because their schedule could get tougher as the season rolls along after Edmonton tonight: at Phoenix, then home vs Vancouver and Nashville (both of teams I'll cover in a minute). This is not a tough schedule, but a poor defense could hurt them against these teams long-term. Guys like Drew Doughty and Rob Scuderi are gonna have to pick up that core of the defensive unit if they want to get anywhere long-term. Right now, it's not looking good and the only way they can get back up is to increase their defensive production and provide Quick with some relief, or wait for a good trade to get a really good defenseman. Those are the options. We'll see after tonight what happens to this team.

Another team that is struggling to find the back of the net and win is the Detroit Red Wings. Now let's get this straight: This is THE NHL's team and have fallen hard after their loss to Dallas a few nights ago. Right now, a lot of their players are out including defensemen Carlo Colaiacovo and Jonathan Ericsson, as well as forwards Todd Bertuzzi and Darren Helm. This team is trying to deal with the retirement of long-time captain Nicklas Lidstrom. Jimmy Howard offered this: "We've had a new lineup every single game, and the continuity just isn't there yet." Uh-oh. When your goaltender says that and criticizes the plan, you know you need to find a rhythm and that's what Mike Babcock really needs to do right now to survive to get into the playoffs this season.

Now to the Nashville Predators. I do believe this team still has life in it. They beat Minnesota a few days ago and that was just the beginning. They are 1-0-2, but hey at least they haven't lost a game in regulation and have gained points in their three games. There is nothing major to come of this right now, but if this team does not pick up the pace and win some more games, it might mean nothing for the rest of the season. The Western Conference is very tough. If Nashville falls behind, they might not climb up well enough to make it to the playoffs.

The Vancouver Canucks seem to be stable right now. They are so far 1-1-1 after a big shootout win over Calgary at home. Tomorrow they face the Ducks, who have already beaten them badly in the opener. Ryan Kesler and David Booth are still out of the lineup for this team. Beating Anaheim is a lot tougher than it looks right now for the Canucks and their blue line seems to be taking hit after hit at times in their first three games. So far, they look stable. One wrong move, they could be at the bottom of the pile. But right now, they need to take it game by game if they want to stay ahead of other teams in the Western Conference.

Yes, slow starts and coaches are worried about the consequences that come about when you have a slow start. Here's a little piece from NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, who was a former coach. "Slow starts will hurt you if you have not stabilized things by Game 10. If your team still does not have an identity by Game 10, you are going to be in rough shape."

Well. Here's good news for the teams with slow starts. We're only 3 to 4 games in. So there's plenty of time to turn things back and pick themselves back up. Some teams might get it, others won't. Here's my list of teams that will and won't turn it around. See if you agree with the list, puckheads.

Teams that will turn it around:
Los Angeles Kings
Detroit Red Wings
Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals
New York Rangers

Teams that won't turn it around:
Philadelphia Flyers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Colorado Avalanche             

Lupul and Hartnell: Big Losses?

Well, fans, it's already been one big start to the season. The Stars are a surprising 2-1. The Sharks look like the old Sharks. And the Red Wings...well...they could be better honestly. But just like any great team and its players, you're gonna have a couple that are going to get injured and be out long-term. Well, that's unfortunately what happened to two players, one on the Maple Leafs and one on the Flyers.

Let's start with the Maple Leafs. Their winger Joffrey Lupul, who was signed to a five-year extension earlier this week, will be out at least six weeks due to a broken arm sustained on a Dion Phaneuf shot. To replace him for those weeks, Matt Frattin was called up from the Marlies and Clarke MacArthur, a former Sabres, is inserted onto the top line that includes Phil Kessel.

Now for the Flyers. Scott Hartnell is less certain, however. He was hit by Kimmo Timonen's shot Wednesday night and unfortunately there is no clear date as to when he will be able to get back onto the ice. Here's the statement Flyers GM Paul Holmgren told Philadelphia reporters. "We're talking with the doctors on what's the best way to proceed in terms of how to approach this." This was bad enough for the Flyers, who had to juggle up their line combinations because of Brayden Schenn's one-game suspension. Claude Giroux was playing on a top line that featured Wayne Simmonds and Matt Read. It also states that because of this injury, they'll probably bring back Mike Knuble, who played the past three seasons for the Washington Capitals.

This is gonna hurt, I will say. Joffrey Lupul is one of the top wingers that the Leafs and without him, they're not gonna be able to get much production out of their top line. They're gonna need Clarke MacArthur and many other players, like James Van Riemsdyk, Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, and Colton Orr to step up and produce. Right now, they are 2-1-0. They're not out of it, so they need production right now to bolster this crippled offense. And it's not looking good tonight, because they're trailing the Islanders 5-3 and there's a chance they could drop to 2-2-0. Stay tuned tomorrow for more info.

Let's move on to my analysis on the Flyers, because this is already a mess just waiting to become something worse. They are 0-3-0 and still in the ditch of the Atlantic Division. If Hartnell is out long-term, I don't see this team going anywhere soon and their schedule gets tougher with a visit by the Rangers and a trip to Florida to play the Panthers and Lightning. If they want to win, Claude Giroux will have to produce, as well as Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen. Chris Pronger's already out and so is Danny Briere. This team has already been hit by injury bugs and it'll get worse if Hartnell is out for a long-term period of time. I could say they could be 2-7-0 by the end of their road trip on February 1st. After that, we'll see what happens.

It may be a short season but injuries are piling up. The Flyers and the Maple Leafs have a lot of ground to cover to make up for the loss of injuries. If I had to pick who's in a better position, it would be the Leafs because they have some of their stars on the ice and they play an easier schedule. The Flyers have a long trek to cover and plenty of tough teams to face. It'll make for an interesting week, puckheads. What do you think? Will the Flyers be able to survive long term without Hartnell? Will the Maple Leafs be able to keep it up without Lupul?

Brian Burke Out as Leafs GM

Well, puck heads, since the lockout is over, players are returning to the ice and general managers are trying to beef up their team with players so that they have a great season. Well, unfortunately, for one GM, he won't be calling the shots anymore in terms of players and trades.

That's right. The Toronto Maple Leafs, a team I worship at times and has great colors and a retro look, have fired general manager Brian Burke. He was also relieved as president, but will remain as a senior advisor to the Maple Leafs' board. He has been with Toronto since November 29, 2008 but was not able to bring Toronto to the playoffs in his years as the Leafs GM.

The Leafs have not made the playoffs since the 2003-04 season and now they will hope that the former GM of the Vancouver Canucks, Dave Nonis, will lead them to that playoff appearance. Nonis was the team's senior vice president of hockey operations, but now he'll be under more pressure as the new GM to bring in the right players so that coach Randy Carlyle can effectively guide the team to the playoffs.

You may recall the Leafs changed owners in June but the timing of this firing might come as a surprise to people, considering the fact that training camps are due to start on Sunday and that the season will start next week on Jan. 19.

The MLSE president Tom Anselmi said Burke handled the news with "a lot of class."

"It's a shock for a lot of people." said Nonis. "Brian had a pretty strong rapport with a number of them and was very good for them."

Unfortunately, Nonis does not have a lot of grieve and that this will have to be a quick turnaround in a lockout-shortened season. Plus, the Leafs and their fans really want a playoff to cheer in. However, Nonis did say Randy Carlyle and his staff will stay on. Burke hired him late last season after firing Ron Wilson.

Burke won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and was the GM for the USA team that won the silver in the 2010 Olympics.

Well, good luck to you, Brian Burke. There's plenty of NHL jobs out there to search for. One will pop up for you. Meanwhile, the Leafs have a lot of work ahead of them and it'll be up to Nonis to see if he can put the pieces into place to make it a successful season.

The NHL is Back!!!

Hey, puckheads, how have you been? Upset? Dissatisfied? Doing pretty well? Well guess what, for those of you who are upset and dissatisfied, you don't have to be any longer. Yep, that's right. The NHL is back and you know what that means? That means more hockey and plenty more time to enjoy the world that is shooting, scoring, and saving. Heh heh. Well, since the NHL is back anyhow, I have ultimately decided to come out of my so-called "hockey retirement" to bring you some hockey blogging once again.

Now I know I did say that I was moving on to new things the last time I put up a post but I ultimately decided that it was time to return to the ice and start blogging about hockey once again. Why, you might ask? Well, as you know, I am a puckhead and I am in love with hockey. I just can't take my mind off it and so, after a long period of time without a hockey blog, it's back again.

I hope you're ready to bring in a new season as we get started with the end of the NHL lockout. Yes, that's right. Players and owners have agreed to a 50-50 split and that means more money for the owners but less money for the players. But I'll discuss these issues in another post. All we know is that hockey's back, the players are willing to play again, and businesses that lost money when the NHL was gone, is finally coming back with its fans and its support for its teams.

Let's gear up for a shortened NHL season. It may be only 50 games but the positive is that we love hockey and we love seeing it back. Hope to see you on the grind, puck heads!