Actually that's why I posted it...a nice rip off of what you did last year.

Nice game by Atlanta tonight. Moving up to 6th in standings. I just don't see how they can trade Kovalchuk (which I don't understand the contract situation, doesn't he want to stay in Atlanta?) now.

Oilers record in the last 20 games: 1-17-2, 4 points.

If you prorated that out to a full 82 game season - that gives them 16 points. That would break the record for fewest points in a season, which is currently held by the 74/75 Washington Capitals with 21 points.

(of course, there were 2 fewer games back then, and no loser points...)

I hate all the talk of making rule changes in the NHL. Leave the game alone. If you want, make these three changes:

1) Make each game worth 3 points. A win in regulation or overtime is worth 3 points (and 0 for a loss) and a SO is worth 2 pts. for a win and 1 for loss.

2) Eliminate the instigator penalty.

3) If you get a penalty in the overtime, you should play that penalty out before you get to the SO.

Ottawa with 8 straight wins and Boston loses the last 6 straight games including tonight's game.

Boy the Caps look good over the last ten games. I hope they can find this form come playoffs.

I don't. :)

Who is talking about rule changes now? I (thankfully) haven't heard anything this season, but maybe I'm just not paying close enough attention?

I just keep hearing about it on the local radio (Buffalo) through the local guys and interviews with both the team's managing partner and GM. Not so much about "rule changes", but saying what they would like to change and ect.

What better than HNIC....HDIC

All 3 games on NHL Network here, and then Pens-Wings tomorrow afternoon on NBC.

Lets hope it stays to just your local radio then. If I hear "make the nets bigger" again I'm going postal. I really think hockey is currently as exciting as its ever been (for the most part).

Do the Pens get the same deal that Notre Dame gets playing all those games on NBC :p

Same here. Leave the game alone (expect maybe the three changes I suggested...:) ). Work on getting yourself a better national TV contract in the U.S.

I can't believe the Canucks are on a 14-game road trip. I know the Olympics are why, but jeez.

Be happy...it's the only way the Flyers will get on.

Added bonus for you, no Steigy!

Dola

Ducks sign Hiller to extension, 4 years $18M

I think the Flyers/Rangers are on one of these weeks. It seems to just rotate through Pittsburgh, Philly, Detroit, Washington, and NY. But it is funny that the Pens are on 3 weeks in a row.

That is a HUGE bonus.

Yup, glad to get this done. We still need to get Bobby Ryan set, though. We really need to move Jiggy out becuase of his contract, but I don't think we can get anyone to take on that contract ($6 M next year).

Mike Green gets 3 games for his flying elbow vs Florida.

Gotta say pretty surprised by this one- star player, no history, no injury on the play. Goes against every rule.

But, I have to think the Cormier-Tam incident was in mind when the suspension is handed down. Not nearly as bad as the that incident, but the intent was there as Green had his elbow up as he is skating towards Frolik.

Who would you guys vote for the award winners at this point of the season?

Where the hell has this team been? Canes win their fourth by beating the Blackhawks, 4-2. It's true Chicago had just flown in from the west coast yesterday, but the home advantage was mitigated a bit by the weather suppressing the crowd numbers.

In the end, it was Cam Ward that made the difference. Without him, it would have been a bloody slaughter out there. Chicago was hella fast all night and Kane in particular was running rings around our guys, it seemed. However, every time they had a great chance, Ward somehow pulled a save out to rescue the situation.

Adams Toss up between Joe Sacco and Dave Tippett. Other guys like Bylsma, Ruff, Boudreau having great years, but they were expected to. Colorado picked dead last in the West prior to the season, and Phoenix picked to finish in Winnipeg or Hamilton. Honorable Mention to Scott Gordon.

Vezina Ryan Miller. Maybe Brodeur challenges.

Hart I'll get crap for this, but going for most valuable to his team, Ryan Miller again. Caps without Ovy still top 4-6 in the East. Pens without one of Crosby or Malkin, still a playoff team. Canucks without a Sedin, still a good team, even in the tough West. San Jose without Thornton, Marleau. Chicago without one of Huet/Keith/one of like 10 forwards, same. Buffalo without Miller probably somewhere between 10-12 in the East.

Calder I figure it's Tavares' to lose. Duchene, Hedman, Del Zotto, some other guys putting up points, but Tavares has the recognition factor and most likely ends up scoring the most points too.

The two I am having the toughest time with:

Selke Because it's never really been a defensive award, I have no idea. Mike Richards, Ryan Kesler, probably still Pavel Datsyuk all have a shot I guess. I'll throw out a homer pick of Jordan Staal who is playing a shutdown role still and scoring some too.

Norris Really, no idea. Lidstrom having an off year, by his standards. Same for Chara. Dan Boyle is the main guy in SJ I guess, but isn't really matched again top lines. Same for Green in Washinton. None of the 3 guys in Calgary is having a great season. Gonchar, Pronger...meh. Doughty, Weber? Not yet. So, by default going with Duncan Keith.

oh and...

Lady Byng Sean Avery.

Calgary and Toronto make a deal.

Phaneuf, Sjostrom and Auley to Toronto for Hagman, Stajan, Mayers and White

Dola...

Giguere for Toskala and a pick is another possibility.

I'll say that if the Wings get hot to end the year, Babcock will win the Jack Adams considering every injury under the sun he has had to deal with and I think again, if the Wings stay hot Jimmy Howard probably wins the Calder.

If the OC Register is correct the Ducks pick up Toskala + Blake for Giguere and a 1st.

Some where Maple Leafs is doing the dance of joy.

Souray apparently breaks his wrist in a fight with Iginla last night.

Now maybe the Oilers wouldn't have found a suitor for him, but that's 2 of the D they'd have been trying to move (along with Staios) that are now out with injuries. Here's hoping both get back into form prior to the deadline so they can still be moved, but it's just going from worse to downright brutal in Edmonton right now.

There is no 1st involved in the Anaheim deal. It's just Giggy for Blake and Toskala

The Calgary trade reminds me of another deal made with Calgary about 18 years ago.

The Leafs give up noone that was essential to future success, for a 24 year old, who is universally seen as a probable #1 D. He obviously has fallen for Calgary to give him up, but I have a hard time believing Flames fan's will be happy with the return.

I'm pretty happy about the deal from a Ducks perspective. Giggy isn't worth the money they are going to be paying him next season - Blake's salary goes down to $3m and Toskala will be let go or resigned for a fraction of the value. Leafs overpaid on this one IMO. Can't imagine anybody else in the entire league wanting Giggy for that salary, they should have made the Ducks buy him out or put him on waivers. Dealing a semi-useful part like Blake for him is a pretty bad move.

On the other hand that's a great deal with Calgary, and I can't believe they couldn't get more for Phaneuf.

Well Blake's salary may go down but his cap number stays the same throughout.

Valid point but still don't care. I'll take getting anything back for a guy who we were certain we were going to have to buy out and who was just going to see less and less ice time moving forward.

From the Leaf's perspective, finding someone willing to take Blake's salary was absurd. I can't believe anyone would want him for 2 more years. Blake's salary cap hit stays at 4 mil though. Both teams had their reason's for this trade, and I think both are happy with it

+1. And we even got someone with a little offensive ability, which is critical, since we can't keep a top six forward healthy this season. Not that Blake is really a top six anymore, but when you're throwing out a Beleskey and a Bodie every night, getting a decent offensive player makes a big difference (Sexton doesn't count, we got lucky with him).

BTW, hat's off to Jiggy. I wish him all the best in Toronto.

Was there some super secret trade deadline today that only Brian Burke knew about?

SI

There is a roster freeze sometime before the Olympics but I don't think that's for another week or week and a half.

A Jiggy to Toronto deal, probably with Toskala coming back, has been rumored since, oh, maybe July? My guess is there was a handshake agreement in place to do a deal if the Leafs do certain things. My guess is, whatever that was was accomplished in the Phaneuf deal, ergo triggered whatever deal they already had in place.

Sabres homer here...but I think Ruff deserves serious consideration for the Adams. I don't think anyone expected the Sabres to be where they are now. Maybe 7th-10th in the standings.

Miller has been a huge part to this. However, the team is certainly better in front this year. We don't have that go-to scorer (though Vanek is starting to turn it on), but the goals are being spread all around. You have to give Myers a big (no pun intended) mention for the Calder. Of course, he won't have the points total of the guys you mentioned. Hell, I think he could even contend for the Norris with it being a rather down year.

Agree on most of your choices.

I think it will be interesting this year in terms of trade. Having two weeks off and with teams having a much better idea of where they stand in terms of the playoffs, I think you'll see GMs working during that break looking to make moves once the freeze is lifted without panicking.

I do like Burke. He seems unafraid to make a deal.

While we are on the subject of rule changes...i hate the shootout but that's a debate for another day. I think that if you still have time remaining in a penalty as OT expires you should either have to play out that time (as mentioned above) or that guy in the box should be ineligible to participate in the shootout.

I think I like the Calgary trade.

I know I LOVE the Anaheim deal. We actually found a team to take Blake? Holy shit.

Dave Hodge said it best on TSN: if someone told you the Leafs traded Toskala and Blake, you'd say "wow, great deal" before they even told you what you got back.

So, ML, what's the deal on Blake? Is age just getting to him? Does he have any value at all as an offensive player anymore? And do you think just getting him out of Toronto might be the move that gets him going again? Or is he just done?

So uh, Howard was great, but christ, Crosby and Malkin in that shootout. Nothing Howie could do.

He's a 3rd line player now. He likes to get the puck, pick up some steam, and skate to the outside. One of 2 things usually happen. He usually maintains control, skates around the net, reverses back to the other side before losing the puck, or he takes a weak, bad angle shot, which doesn't go in.

He works hard, he's fast, but you can't count on him providing offense unless it's in a checking line role.

Strangely enough, he might end up in a checking line role. The Ducks have a lot of decent to very good forwards all of a sudden (Getzy, Perry, Ryan, Lupul--when healthy, Teemu--when healthy, Koivu, Sexton--surprise of season).

Now if we could somehow find a defensman worth a damn...

I only leave Ruff as a fringe vote getter because of where Phoenix and Colorado are right now.

Buffalo was seen as a, like you said, 7-10, and most likely end up 3rd.
Phoenix and Colorado were seen as #14 and 15 in the West, and could be #'s 3 and 4.

Myers has been good, but unless he has a 50+ season and Tavares is around 60, I don't see Tavares losing out.

Dola


Sak, not sure if you saw this

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=308411

Howard was fantastic. Jordan Staal alone should have had probably 2 in the 3rd period.

If that means Tollfenson never has to play again I am all for it.

Yeah, I never watched him that much in Cbus, but he was one of the guys rumored to be brought in when Gill and Scuderi left to be a #6/7 guy.

Just wondered if getting a veteran guy means Parent might be out longer than 4-6 weeks?

Parent is out for awhile...he just had back surgery.