A Pair of First-Career NHL Goals Lead Lightning Past 'Canes

Tyler Johnson scored his first NHL goal in a 4-1 win against Carolina Saturday night.

The Tampa Bay Lightning (12-15-1)  beat the Southeast Division rival Carolina Hurricanes (15-11-1) 4-1 in their most complete game in a while, snapping a five-game home losing streak at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Saturday night. Prior to the win, Tampa Bay had only won two of their previous ten games.

Tyler Johnson (1st) and Ondrej Palat (1st) each tallied their first-career NHL goals in the 4-1 win against Carolina. The Lightning also got a breakaway goal from Nate Thompson (6th) and a third period goal from Teddy Purcell (5th), who put the game out of reach.

Lightning goaltender Mathieu Garon was solid throughout, stopping 21 of the 22 shots that he faced in the game for his third win of the season.

Just shy of 11 minutes into the first period, the Lightning were able to get on the board. Shortly after the Hurricanes killed off a minor penalty, Johnson (1st) found himself all alone in front of the net after a nice pass from fellow rookie Alex Killorn and sniped a wrist shot over the glove-hand of Justin Peters for his first NHL goal, giving the Lightning a 1-0 lead.

The Lightning played a solid first period, limiting Carolina’s scoring chances and making the most of their own. Tampa Bay held a 10-8 advantage in shots in the opening frame.

Tampa Bay upped their lead at 6:35 of the second period, when Johnson won a puck battle in the corner and passed the puck out to Sami Salo, who unleashed a rocket of a slap shot that deflected off of the skate of Palat (1st) and past Peters for his first career NHL goal as well, making it a 2-0 game. The Lightning had no intentions of stopping there. At 12:55, the Lightning increased their lead to 3-0 when B.J. Crombeen made a great neutral zone pass to Thompson (6th), who skated in on a breakaway and flipped a shot over the shoulder of Peters.

The Lightning didn’t give the Hurricanes a glimpse of hope in the third period, as Purcell (5th) backhanded a shot that beat Peters just under four minutes into the period, giving the Lightning a 4-0 lead. On the goal, Martin St. Louis notched his 30th assist of the season.

Carolina answered back with a goal less than three minutes later when Eric Staal released the only shot of the game that beat Garon, cutting the Carolina deficit to 4-1. After surrendering the goal, the Lightning played solid at both ends of the ice to secure their victory.

Follow me on Twitter: @Matt_Metcalf

 

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Matt MetcalfCurrently covering all things that is the Tampa Bay Lightning for The Hockey Writers. Follow him on Twitter: @Matt_MetcalfTwitter

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Going Green: The NHL and St. Patrick's Day

As the famous philosopher Kermit T. Frog once opined, “It’s not easy being green.”  That can be especially true if you’re an NHL team attempting to “go green” for St. Patrick’s Day.  For example, just this past fall, on a trip to the Reebok store I spotted a green and white New York Islanders hat.  It wasn’t quite on the level of the Gorton’s Fisherman guy but it was definitely different.

So what teams can and or have pulled off the “green look?”  We’ll find out if you can “Erin Go Bragh” about your team’s look or if you’re going to need a few more shots of Jameson’s to tolerate it.

Toronto St. Pats:

(Toronto St. Pats/Wikipedia)

Well that was an obvious enough choice to start with huh?  From 1919 to 1927, the St. Pats played in Toronto.  In that time they won the Stanley Cup in 1922.  Eventually they would become the present day Toronto Maple Leafs.  Their uniforms were green with white lettering and had the words “Toronto St. Pats” on the front.  When the Maple Leafs wore their uniforms a few years back, they also had brown helmets, gloves and pants.  Of course the original St. Pats didn’t wear helmets.  But really, how can one go wrong with a green sweater and a team named the St. Pats?

Anaheim Ducks:

When the Anaheim Ducks were known as “The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim,” they sported some jade green in their uniforms from 1993 to 2006.  Their uniforms also featured a predominant eggplant color as well.  Then of course there was the signature duck goalie mask with crossing hockey sticks.  After the team changed their name and uniform colors and logo, they won the Stanley Cup.  So I guess that change worked out for the best.

Boston Bruins:

(Bob DeChiara-US PRESSWIRE)

Between the Bruins, Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox, it is practically a requirement to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day.  Mind you the Celtics already do.  While the black, gold and white is “Boston Bruins hockey,” I’m sure they get a pass from the Boston faithful for looking like their fellow Boston Garden tenants for one day.

Chicago Blackhawks:

Personally, I wouldn’t mess with the red, black and white of the classic Blackhawks uniform.  That being said, given the logo, the team could get away with the old North Dakota look I suppose.  Plus they do have a twinge of green in the feathers of the logo as well.

California Golden Seals/Oakland Seals/California Golden Seals:

From 1967 to 1976, the Seals skated in California.  Initially the club had a green jersey with blue trimming and a seal leaping out of a “C” on the crest.  Think Vancouver Canucks meets Hartford Whalers.  The team also had a uniform to match their baseball counterpart, the Oakland A’s.  It was a green and gold jersey with the word “Seals” across the front.

Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars:

Modano acknowledges fans in Minnesota after last game with the Dallas Stars (Image from Flickr).

Two cities, two predominant colors.  Green and gold.  Up in Minnesota it was the green sweater with yellow trimming, along with an “N” and a star.  In Dallas the franchise has used mostly the same color scheme, with a little more black added in.  Their uniforms have mostly had a green star with gold trimming and the words “Dallas” or “Dallas Stars” at the top of the crest.

Hartford Whalers:

From 1979 to 1992, the Whalers wore predominately green and white jerseys with some blue trimming.  They had either an all white “HW” crest or a green “W” with the “whale tail” colored blue at the top.  From 1992 to 1997, Hartford added a lot more blue to the uniform and added some gray trimming.

Minnesota Wild:

Zach Parise & Ryan Suter (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

Much like the North Stars, the Wild have a lot of green in their uniforms.  Since their inception in 2000, the Wild have worn green uniforms with red and white.

New Jersey Devils:

While they don’t be wearing their throwbacks this year, from 1982 to 1992, the Devils had green trimming in their jerseys and and on their pants.  Some have a bit of a soft spot for the old Christmas colored duds but I think their current sweaters are classic.

Martin Brodeur in Retro Gear

New York Islanders:

From 1995 to 1998 the Isles had some aqua green trimming in their uniforms.  I think the wavy look was unique.  Nothing like an original though.

San Jose Sharks:

Since 1991 the Sharks have had one of the newer and more popular logos.  Going with a green-teal and black look with a shark snapping a hockey stick.  Brilliant design.

(Icon SMI)

Vancouver Canucks:

Cory Schneider (Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports)

From 1970 to 1978 the Canucks donned blue and white jerseys with green trimming.  After quite a few different looks along the way, since 2006 the Canucks have gone back to the original look.  Added to the hockey stick crest is the orca killer whale in the shape of a “C.”

 

 

 

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Michael GwizdalaMichael Gwizdala covers the New Jersey Devils for The Hockey Writers. Michael has also written for the Times Union and has been published on numerous outlets on the web. Additionally, Michael was once a Media Relations intern for the AHL Albany River Rats. Michael is also a graduate of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY.Twitter

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Colorado Avalanche: Changing the Culture An Absolute Must

Joe Sacco (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

The Colorado Avalanche have to be the most mystifying team in the NHL. After a few stretches of games where there was some very strong efforts, including a route of the Chicago Blackhawks, the Avalanche have now laid three eggs in a row.

Shut out at home by the Edmonton Oilers, beat down in Minnesota, and then embarrassed on home ice by the some Wild team. Quite simply, this team is lost and simply has no idea how to right themselves.

Even if you ask the team, as Avalanche beat writer, Adrian Dater, did and they can’t even tell you. It seems that the only thing this team is able to do consistently is beat themselves, and if you can’t figure out what is causing that, then things need to change.

Joe Sacco

Joe Sacco has to go. Period, bottom line, exclamation point and any other type of punctuation that gives more emphasis. His period behind the bend of the Colorado Avalanche has been nothing but inconsistencies, frustration and player mismanagement. Since Sacco has taken the helm, you never know what team you’re going to see from period to period.

The way he manages his bench is just as inconsistent as the team. If  player finds himself in “The Joe Sacco Doghouse” that player gets demoted on lines, benched for period, or is a healthy scratch for stretches of games. At the same time, he falls in love with certain players and plays them night in and night out regardless of how poor he has played. Simply put, Joe Sacco just seems to have no idea how to manage a line up.

Then there is his record against his own division. Since Joe Sacco took over, and this is including up to this date, the Avalanche are 29-48-6. This is a 38.55% win percentage against teams in Colorado’s division. He simply doesn’t know how to win against the teams that he sees more often than other teams all year.  It is also the worst divisional winning percentage of any coach in Colorado history. It is beyond time to fire Joe Sacco.

Pierre Lacroix

Ryan O’Reilly (Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE)

The man who was an absolute mastermind at crafting teams that could win Stanley Cup champions during his time as GM of the Avalanche now has a reputation for being an absurd negotiator. Truthfully, those negotiating tactics have gone back even into the successful days of the Avalanche, but they were just ignored because the team was winning.

While Lacroix isn’t “officially” involved in personnel operations, his presence is still very much around and was seen in the terribly botched contract negotiations with Ryan O’Reilly.

The whole front office has not managed to maintain any type of consistency since the salary cap was put into place. It seems that they don’t believe that they can pursue any big names any more for fear of having to pay too much. The team has gone on the cheap exclusively since not seeing success with the big signings of Ryan Smith and Scott Hannan. They have had some success without the marquee players, this year’s examples being P.A. Parenteau and John Mitchell. At the same time, they haven’t been able, or maybe haven’t even tried, to obtain one of those game changing players that they used to get every single year.

Lacroix’s presence is now more of a liability than benefit because he believes this team is still at the same level it was when they were winning Stanley Cups. That’s just not true, the Avalanche are no longer an elite organization.

Greg Sherman

Matt Duchene (Icon SMI)

Of all the guys that might deserve to stay, Sherman might have the best case. After all, the signings of Parenteau and Mitchell go on his resume. Trading for Varlamov, McGinn and Downie. Drafting Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog. All of these things helped make the Avalanche a better team.

Still, Sherman seems to be little more than a puppet for Pierre Lacroix. A guy who will blindly carry out the bidding of the boss regardless of how foolish it is. The Ryan O’Reilly situation is another perfect example. Any general manager worth their salt would never have let things get there. If you come out and say that it is your top priority to re-sign a guy, you make it happen. You don’t let it draw out into this insane high school-like display.

Everybody in that front office needs to be cleaned out, except Joe Sakic. If anything, Josh Kroenke needs to relinquish any of his decision making power to Sakic so that somebody who actually understands and has a passion for the game can be the one in charge of the purse strings.

Clean House

The culture in the Pepsi Center has changed. It is no longer one that people look at as the cream of the crop, this is one that is now a laughing stock throughout the NHL. If the Colorado Avalanche want to return to this elite level, they need to change as an organization. This is not the 1990s anymore, and the Avalanche clearly do not know how to run their organization in the 21st century.

It’s time to clean house. From Joe Sacco all the way to the top.

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Kevin GoffI'm a Denver native who has been a fan of the Avalanche since they came to town and a fan of the game before that. I started writing my own blog a couple years ago before moving to Bleacher Report and becoming a Featured Columnist there. You can also find me the Burgundy Brigade PodcastTwitter

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

The NHL's Most Pleasant Surprises

It happens every season in professional sports: the 'experts' weigh in with their predictions on how the coming season will unfold. They forecast standings, statistics, playoff outcomes and award winners. And, invariably, they typically have the success rate of your local weatherman. Sure, sometimes the hunches come true but, just as often, there are those teams and individuals that surprise you. That's why they play the games, though, right? So roughly halfway through this 2013 season, here is a look at the NHL's three most pleasant performances from either a team or an individual standpoint.

Anaheim Ducks

Without question, the Ducks underachieved last year. Corey Perry followed up his Hart Trophy winning season with a 60 point campaign, 38 less than his MVP year. Off-years from fellow stars Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan helped doom Anaheim's season as they finished 13th in the West. In fact, the team's best player was the ageless Teemu Selanne. And while Selanne was a nice story, having a 41 year old not named Nicklas Lidstrom as your best player, as the Ducks found out, is often a recipe for disaster.

What a difference a year makes. While most people expected Anaheim to compete for a playoff spot, nobody saw this coming. Through 26 games, the Ducks sit first in the Pacific Division and second in the Western Conference. They have a nearly insurmountable 13 point lead over the defending champion Los Angeles Kings in the division and are within four points of the Chicago Blackhawks ' you know, the same team that set a league record for games to start a season without a regulation loss – for the conference lead. Getzlaf, fresh off of his newly signed contract extension, sits eighth in league scoring with 31 points and the team as a whole is +25 in goal differential. In net, Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth have combined to give up only 64 goals, tied for second best in the Western Conference.

Chicago Blackhawks

It's not a surprise that the Chicago Blackhawks are having a good season. In fact, it's not even that big of a surprise that they lead the Western Conference. After all, they have the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp. That's a pretty potent attack. What is a surprise is the utter dominance they began the season with. The Blackhawks set an NHL record for games to start a season without a regulation loss and flirted with the Philadelphia Flyers record of 35 consecutive games overall without a regulation loss.

Chicago’s ability to put the puck in the net was never in question. And true to form, the Blackhawks are second in the West with 87 goals in 27 games. Patrick Kane leads the way with 31 points and seems to relish making an absolute mockery of goaltenders when the ‘Hawks reach a shootout.

No, the main question people had about the Blackhawks came from between the pipes. Specifically, how would Corey Crawford and Ray Emery hold up? Well, despite Crawford having some issues staying healthy, the tandem has played exceptional. Having surrendered only 59 goals, Chicago boasts the stingiest goals against average in the West and is third in the league. Despite a 'rough patch' in which they have dropped two of their last three, the Blackhawks have positioned themselves to make another deep run in the playoffs this postseason.

Chris Kunitz

Chris Kunitz is on pace for a career year. (Tom Turk/THW)

Chris Kunitz is one lucky individual. He spent last season as a winger for Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin and subsequently set or tied career highs in goals (26), assists (35) and points (61). Coming into this season, though, it wasn't enough to stick on Geno’s line. Had he been demoted? Nope. Just moved to play alongside arguably the other greatest offensive player in the world, Sidney Crosby. Boy, has he responded. He leads the league in plus/minus (+23) and sits second in goals (18) and points (39). In fact, he's on pace to set new career highs in goals, assists and points in a 48-game season. Not bad for an undrafted free agent.

Honorable Mentions

Ottawa Senators:

Ottawa broke out last season in large part due to stellar goaltending and the emergence of last year's Norris Trophy recipient Erik Karlsson. People were expecting them to take the next step this season after their surprise run to the playoffs last spring. So the fact that they sit fifth in the East wouldn't be that big of a surprise'if it weren't for all of the injuries. Sure, every team has to overcome injuries but the Senators have been absolutely decimated. First, Jason Spezza went down with a herniated disc in his back and could be out for the season. Then Karlsson had his Achilles partially severed by a skate blade and will miss the rest of the year. As if that wasn't enough, Craig Anderson then went down with a sprained ankle and has yet to return to action. So what have the Senators done? Packed it in for the season and wait for arguably their three best players to return, whenever that is? Hardly. Ottawa still boasts the second ranked defense in the East, having given up only 58 goals in 27 games as they sit in fifth place in the conference. Despite losing so much talent, it looks like they may fight and scrap their way to a playoff spot.

Montreal Canadiens:

Michel Therrien – new Habs bench boss (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)

Last season, Montreal finished dead last in the East with 78 points. Most people weren't expecting a vast improvement under new coach, Michel Therrien. After all, this was a team that was supposed to be rebuilding. Um, wrong. All the Canadiens have done is climb to the top of the Eastern Conference, racking up 40 points through 27 games. Possessing a balanced attack that features 12 skaters having already reached double digits in points and steady play in net from Carey Price, Montreal finds itself in a dogfight with the Bruins for the Northeast title.

Jakub Voracek:

If not for Kunitz's monster season, Voracek would be the surprise player of the season, hands down. A cast-off of the Columbus Blue Jackets (no, seriously), Jakub has been the one bright spot in an otherwise miserable season for the Flyers. He paces the club with 31 points and is primed to shatter his career high in goals, needing only five to reach last year's total of 18.

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Sean GriffinSean Griffin is an At-Large contributor for The Hockey Writers. He worked in the front office of the Richmond Renegades (formerly of the SPHL) while obtaining an M.S. in Sports Leadership. He can be contacted at psgrif27@gmail.com.

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

2014 Olympic Preview: Can Russia Skate to Glory on Home Ice?

Ilya Kovalchuk just scored three goals in the time it took you to read this caption. (syume/Flickr)

Past Previews: Team Finland         Team Czech Republic              Team Sweden

The last time Russia had the Olympic games it was summer, the height of the cold war, and no one wanted to go to Russia. More than three decades later, they are getting the Olympics again, and no event will match the attention given to hockey. The Russians adore their hockey, and the nation’s best athletes usually flock to the sport. In Sochi 2014, Russia is certain to ice an incredibly talented team, with more than enough motivation in front of rabid home crowds to bring home the gold medal.

Goaltending

Starter: Ilya Bryzgalov

Back-Up 1: Evgeni Nabokov

Back-Up 2: Nikolai Khabibulin

There is no questioning Bryzgalov’s immense talent as a professional netminder, but his eccentric personality is often blamed for lapses in concentration which lead to soft goals against him. Last year, he was often a disaster between the pipes for his Philadelphia Flyers, and as a result became a common object of fan ire. This season, however, Ilya has turned his game around completely, playing like perhaps the most valuable player on a team which often struggles on the ice in front of him.

Backing up Bryzgalov will be Nabokov, who will be 37 at the outset of the Olympics put has still shown he has a great deal left in the tank, fending off scores of shots behind an often porous New York Islanders’ defense. Khabibulin is approaching the end of a fine career at 40 years old, but will be a valuable veteran voice in the locker room and is the one active Russian goaltender with a Stanley Cup ring as a starter.

Yet goaltending remains the biggest question facing the Russians in Sochi. If Bryzgalov plays well, the Russians might be well nigh unstoppable on home ice. If he struggles, they could find themselves on the outside looking in during the medal round. Can the mercurial star raise his game and play comparably to world-class puck-stoppers like Lundqvist, Quick and Rinne?

Grade: D+

Healthy again, Markov’s shot from the point very nearly qualifies as a super power. (Icon SMI)

Defensemen

D1: Andrei Markov – Dmitri Kulikov

D2: Slava Voynov – Fedor Tyutin

D3: Sergei Gonchar – Anton Volchenkov

Spare: Alexei Emelin

Markov was an elite defenseman in the NHL before a series of injuries derailed him over the past half-decade. Finally healthy again, his defensive acumen and howitzer blast from the point are one of the biggest reasons his Montreal Canadiens have shocked the naysayers by vying for the top of the Eastern Conference. Kulikov is often unnoticed in Florida, but the huge rearguard is also a fluid skater, displaying blossoming offensive skills while taking care of business in his own end.

Voynov has simply been the best defenseman on the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings this year despite the presence of the more-heralded Drew Doughty on the same blueline. Fedor Tyutin is another very good two-way defenseman skating for a very bad team not many fans get to see on television. The Columbus rearguard’s size and skating acumen will make him a solid match for the more offensive-minded Voynov.

Gonchar and Volchenkov are not the perennial all-stars they were in younger days, but Gonchar still offers a ton of offense with his rifle point shot and Volchenkov’s smarts and physicality were always on display in the defensive zone during the New Jersey Devils’ Stanley Cup playoff run last spring. This solid but mostly unspectacular unit will be spelled ably by Emelin, a big body who is emerging as an outstanding physical defenseman for Montreal.

Grade: C+

Forwards

1st Line: C Evgeni Malkin – LW Ilya Kovalchuk – RW Alex Radulov

2nd Line: C Pavel Datsyuk (Captain) – LW Alex Ovechkin – RW Alex Semin

3rd Line: C Evgeny Kuznetsov – LW Vladimir Tarasenko – RW Nail Yakupov

Checking Line: C Artem Anisimov – LW Nikolai Kulemin – RW Nikolai Antropov

Spares: C/LW Andrei Loktionov, RW/LW Sergei Mozyakin

Will the real Alex Ovechkin please stand up?

The otherworldly skill of the Russians’ top two lines will be difficult for any team aside from perhaps Canada to match. If Sidney Crosby is the best player on the planet, Malkin is a close second. His skating, shot, hockey sense, size and drive are all top-notch, and he will be surrounded by wingers who can match his talents. Kovalchuk might be the best pure athlete in the NHL, the best forward by far in last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs despite playing with a herniated disk in his back. Kovy’s slap-shot is unreal, and the remarkable improvements of his passing and defensive play since joining New Jersey make him among the finest all-around players in the NHL. Radulov has dominated Russia’s KHL for years after a cup of coffee with Nashville in the NHL. A terrific stickhandler and offensive weapon, Radulov will complete perhaps the most talented line in the tournament.

Datsyuk may be the only Russian in the NHL who for some reason doesn’t get unjustly criticized by Don Cherry and Pierre McGuire. (Icon SMI)

Datsyuk is quite simply a magician on skates, a truly sublime passer and stickhandler and a top-10 player in the world. On his left will be Ovechkin, who was once considered by many the top player in the world, before baffling inconsistency has dimmed his star in recent seasons. The Russians will need Ovechkin to return to prior status as an impact player if they hope to come away with the gold. Skating with them on a formidable second scoring unit will be Semin, Ovechkin’s old line-mate in Washington, and a lethal sniper in his own right.

On the third line, the Russians can unleash a trio of future MVP candidates on the world. A Washington prospect playing in the KHL, Kuznetsov is a big, rangy and incredibly skilled center considered by many to be the best player in the world outside the NHL. Tarasenko is a human highlight film and Rookie of the Year candidate for St. Louis. Last year’s first overall draft pick in the NHL, Yakupov might be the best offensive talent drafted into the league since Steven Stamkos.

The Russians can ice a trio of big bodies with speed to spare in a checking line of Anisimov, Kulemin and Antropov. All three have a ton of NHL experience and can also pack an offensive punch. Coming off the bench, Loktionov is an emerging and versatile NHL talent while Mozyakin is a mainstay on the KHL scoing leaders, winning three titles in the past four seasons.

Grade: A

Why I Left Them Off/Put Them On:

Quite simply, many players we think of as Russian are actually not. Dainius Zubrus is Lithuanian, Sergei Kostitsyn is Belarussian. Both would have easily made the team if they had Russian eligibility.

Prediction: 2nd Place, Silver Medal

Admittedly, the Russians will not be impossible to score against, with an average blueline and goaltending tandem. Still, they have tons of skill and speed on the forward units, a star-studded stable of players accustomed to playing on the larger Olympic ice surface. Their best players are also proven big-game players: Malkin, Datsyuk, Kovalchuk — all passionate and electric talents who should shine in front of rabid, home crowds. I expect the Russians to lead the Olympic tournament in goals scored and find themselves in the gold medal game with an excellent chance of winning it all at Sochi.

 

 

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Steven IvesWriter/lunatic, hockey columnist, mlb.com, aspiring cryptozoologist, estrogen addict, patron saint of vertigo, unintentional ghost hunter. Brooklyn, New YorkTwitter

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Boston Bruins Go Back to Basics in Win Over Washington

Grow up around the game of hockey and three basic keys will be hammered into your head: skate as hard as you can, shoot the puck and hit something. Do each of these and you’ll be successful–whether it’s by scoring goals or winning hockey games.

For a full-60 minutes, the Boston Bruins had no problems going back to the basics to beat the Washington Capitals on Saturday, 4-1.

The Capitals? Well, that’s another story.

But let’s focus on the Bruins. The line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Nathan Horton broke out Saturday, combining for six shots on goal, eight hits and nine points, a nice breakout from the lack of production seen as of late from the team.

“When you're not playing good, you want to be better,” said Horton, who picked up a goal and two assists in the game. “You got to really, when you come to the game, you got to turn it on. I think, like I said, we have to play like that every night.”

It was evident from the drop of the puck that this line was off to a good start after Horton set the tone with a monstrous hit on Eric Fehr in his first shift. With 14 minutes played, the game’s scoring started off with Lucic feeding the puck from behind the net to Horton who fired one home for his first goal in nine games. Shortly after, Lucic muscled off Mike Ribeiro and found Krejci wide open to beat Michal Neuvirth and score the second of the game.

“They showed exactly what we need to see from them on a more consistent basis,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “They were skating the north-south type game, they were forechecking, being physical. Because of that, they were turning pucks over, and not only that, they were strong on the puck, and they made their chances count.”

What matters is that each of these players made a varied difference on the ice. Lucic continued to develop his playmaking abilities, Krejci made efforts at both of ends of the ice (including putting a puck off Johnny Boychuk’s skate that sailed past Anton Khudobin) and Horton turned into a physical monster, hitting everything that moves and taking down Matt Hendricks in a fight in the second period. It was Horton’s second career Gordie Howe Hat Trick.

“That's what our team is all about, I guess,” said Horton. “When we play like that style, we finish our checks. That's how we know it's a good game. That's our style.”

The Bruins travel to Pittsburgh and will face-off against the Penguins on Sunday. It will be the second game in as many days for both teams.

Follow Mike on Twitter for more Bruins updates, news and commentary

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Mike MiccoliMike Miccoli has covered the Boston Bruins for three years with TheHockeyWriters.com and is a credentialed member of the media for all Bruins' home games. As a former player, coach and official, Miccoli has been around the game of hockey since the age of three. Along with his work on THW, Miccoli has also been published in the New England Hockey Journal, Improper Bostonian magazine and on BostInnovation.com. You can follow him at twitter.com/mikemiccoli.

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Panthers Acquire T.J. Brennan From Sabres

On Friday night it was announced that the Florida Panthers had acquired defenseman T.J. Brennan from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 5th round draft pick in 2013. The 5th round pick that the Panthers are sending to the Sabres was received when the team traded Keaton Ellerby to the Los Angeles Kings on Frebruary 8th, so in actuality the team basically swapped Ellerby for Brennan.

Selected in the 2nd round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the 23 year-old Brennan has appeared in 10 games with the Sabres this season and recored one powerplay goal. Brennan is known as a talented offensive defenseman with a strong left-handed shot and a nice upside. His offensive abilities could potentially bring back the presence of a quality shot from the blue line that has been missing since the departure of Jason Garrison.

To make the transition easier from Buffalo to Florida, Brennan will find a familiar face sitting behind the bench – Head Coach Kevin Dineen. Dineen coached Brennan for two seasons when both were a part of the Portland Pirates organization. Dineen’s familiarity with both Brennan and his play style should help Brennan slip into the Panthers’ lineup with ease.

When asked about the addition of Brennan, Florida Panthers’ General Manager Dale Tallon had this to say:

'T.J. is a young and mobile defenseman with a hard shot, who we are pleased to have acquired,' said Tallon. 'He is a hard working player with an offensive upside, who has averaged almost a point-per-game in the American Hockey League this season. We look forward to his contributions to our organization.' Tallon told Panthers.nhl.com

For the Panthers, the addition of Brennan to the blue line can only help what has been a disappointing defensive unit throughout the entire season. His arrival and the return of team Captain Ed Jovanovksi in the near future should send defenseman Colby Robak and Nolan Yonkman back to the AHL. Considering the Panthers are still a longshot to make the playoffs this year, expect this to be the first of many trades for the Panthers in the coming weeks.

 

Follow Jameson on Twitter @JamesonCoop

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Jameson CooperA Florida resident, Jameson is currently in his first year of covering the Florida Panthers for The Hockey Writers as well as doing THW's weekly NHL Power Rankings.TwitterFacebookGoogle+

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

NCAA Women's Hockey: NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals

#1 Minnesota (38-0-0) vs. North Dakota (26-11-1)

Saturday, March 16th, at 5:00 PM E.T.

The game can be viewed live here.

Season series: 5-0-0 Minnesota

Minnesota Keys to the Game: The Gophers won’t want to give North Dakota any hope or confidence, so it’s important that they really disrupt UND’s forwards and prevent them from getting set up in the offensive zone. No team in the country can keep up with Minnesota’s offense when it’s really clicking, so if they can put up the first few goals of the game they’ll have a great chance of beating North Dakota.

North Dakota Keys to the Game: They’ve been unable to beat the Gophers in five tries, but they’ve played them better than any other team. UND has shown that they can sustain offensive pressure against Minnesota; they really need to cash in on it in this game. Special teams will be huge for North Dakota. Even if they can’t best the Gophers when it comes to puck possession at even strength for the entire game, they need to win the special teams battle. It is absolutely crucial for their highly-ranked power play to produce here.

Key Players for Minnesota

• Amanda Kessel, F: She was a bit quiet at the WCHA Final Face-Off but while she’s on the ice, she is the focus of the opposing defense no matter what. Even though she has an effect on the game while not actually producing, if she can find ways to break through and create opportunities for herself or her teammates, the North Dakota defense may not stand a chance.
• Baylee Gillanders, D: She’s not the flashiest defenseman but she’s very solid and very consistent, and complements Patty Kaz finalist Megan Bozek well.

Key Players for North Dakota

• Shelby Amsley-Benzie, G: She was great for UND against both Wisconsin and Minnesota, and she needs to be that good again for North Dakota to have a shot at winning.
• Jocelyne Lamoureux, F, and Monique Lamoureux, D: They are the leaders of this team in every aspect, especially when it comes to scoring goals, and it is imperative that they get on the scoresheet against the Gophers.
• Andrea Dalen, F: She’s a talented player who gets good scoring opportunities, but if she can be a bit stronger on the puck and cash in she’ll add another level to North Dakota’s offense.

#2 Cornell (27-5-1) vs. Mercyhurst (28-6-1)

Saturday, March 16th at 1:00 PM E.T.

The game can be viewed live here.

Season series: 1-0-0 Cornell (4-0 win on January 29th)

Cornell Keys to the Game: Shut down Mercyhurst’s top players. The Lakers have a number of players who were able to produce against CHA competition, but their true offensive depth against a team like Cornell is much less than that. The Big Red need to force Mercyhurst to rely on their lower lines to score, because they’ve got the edge in those match-ups. It will also greatly help Cornell to score early and make their presence known in the crease, in hopes of shaking the confidence of Lakers goalie Stephanie Ciampa.

Mercyhurst Keys to the Game: Get on the attack as much as possible. Cornell’s defensemen are not afraid to jump into the play and even go behind the attacking goal line to try and create chances. The Lakers need to take advantage of this and win battles in the defensive zone so they can get the puck out quickly and catch the Big Red off guard in transition.

Key Players for Cornell

• Jess Campbell, F: The speedy forward does a lot of things right in many aspects for the Big Red and because of how fast she is, she’s a lot for opposing defensemen to handle, especially in transition. She will need to be in top form to give Cornell an extra boost offensively.
• Lauriane Rougeau, D, and Laura Fortino, D: As the leaders of this defensive corps, they need to really help establish good rhythm in transition and set a good example as far as making smart decisions and limiting turnovers.

Key Players for Mercyhurst

• Molly Byrne, D: The slick offensive defenseman will be absolutely essential to the Lakers’ success in moving the puck out of the zone quickly.
• Stephanie Ciampa, G: Cornell’s a very good offensive team who can dominate possession for long stretches so she’ll need to give her team confidence and keep things calm in net. If she’s not up to task, the Big Red offense will have its way when it comes to scoring goals.
• Christie Cicero, F: She’s one of the Lakers’ best forwards but may not be Cornell’s first priority when it comes to shutting down players. She’s got the talent to make them pay, and it’s important for her to do so.

#3 Boston University (26-5-3) vs. Clarkson (28-9-0)

Saturday, March 16th at 3:00 PM E.T.

The game can be viewed live here.

Season series: N/A, did not face each other

Boston University Keys to the Game: The Terriers are facing a very good goaltender and a rock-solid defense. They need to get on the attack swiftly and fluidly, and not try to win one-on-one battles in order to enter the zone. They will have more success if they get the Clarkson defense to open up a little, which will happen if they have a good, crisp passing game. BU also doesn’t want to let Clarkson goalie Erica Howe make any easy saves. And they’ll need to win the match-ups against Clarkson’s top forwards, since that’s who the Golden Knights rely on for most of their scoring.

Clarkson Keys to the Game: The Golden Knights don’t have the kind of scoring depth that the Terriers do, so they don’t want to let the BU offense get rolling. They’ve got a good penalty kill (86.8% on the season) and they’ll need it to help prevent the Terriers from scoring. Clarkson will want to get the puck deep, and cycle and forecheck well to make the Boston University defenders chase the puck in their own end.

Key Players for Boston University

• Shannon Doyle, D: The First Team Hockey East All-Star is the anchor of the Terriers’ fairly young defensive corps. Doyle is the best puck-mover they have and will be relied upon to get their offense going.
• Sarah Lefort, F: The rookie has had a lot of success when it comes to scoring goals, tallying 21 of them so far this year. Linemate Marie-Philip Poulin is sure to find her when she’s open, so her finishing ability will be counted on in this game.
• Louise Warren, F: Perhaps the most underrated player in BU’s top-six, Warren can really help their efforts if she’s able to produce, as she won’t be the primary focus of Clarkson’s defense.

Key Players for Clarkson

•  Jamie Lee Rattray, F: We have seen teams content with double teaming her to try and stymie the whole Golden Knights’ offense, so she needs to find room for herself and be on the lookout for open teammates.
• Danielle Skirrow, F: She’s one of Clarkson’s secondary scorers; she’s not as consistent as Rattray or Carly Mercer, but she can definitely produce and she needs to find a way to do just that against the Terriers.
• The Golden Knights’ blue liners, minus Erin Ambrose: The BU forecheckers will be focused on suffocating Ambrose and forcing her to turn the puck over, meaning that the rest of Clarkson’s defensive corps needs to up their game and take control of things.

#4 Boston College (26-6-3) vs. Harvard (24-6-3)

Saturday, March 16th at 1:00 PM E.T.

The game can be viewed live here.

Season series: 1-0-0 Boston College

Boston College Keys to the Game: It will greatly help the Eagles to simplify things and just concentrate on their own play and what they need to do. Their primary focus should be on generating offense, winning rebounds in front of both nets, and pinning Harvard in their own end. They need to be wary of the Crimson’s speed in transition both ways.

Harvard Keys to the Game: The success of their penalty kill will be essential in this game, as it was in the ECAC Tournament, but they need to have the momentum gained from their PK carry over to scoring chances and offensive pressure at even strength. The Crimson need to get all of their lines cycling well to really wear down Boston College. Also, they’ve had success crashing the crease this year, so they need to get to the net against the Eagles as well.

Key Players for Boston College

• Alex Carpenter, F: She’s the catalyst of the Eagles’ offense and she’ll be counted on to get things going against Harvard’s strong team defense.
• Melissa Bizzari, F: She has scored timely goals for Boston College this year and if she can do that here against the Crimson, it will really help the Eagles’ efforts to secure the win.
• Dru Burns, D: She adds a different dimension to BC’s defense from Blake Bolden and Emily Pfalzer’s puck-moving abilities and offensive mindsets. But Burns is just as important to the Eagles’ blue line and her style of play adds a lot..

Key Players for Harvard

• Emerance Maschmeyer, G: The freshman goalie has been fantastic all year for the Crimson and they will rely on her again to keep the Boston College scorers off the board as much as possible.
• Lyndsey Fry, F: She’s got a great shot and a nose for the net, and she really needs to get involved in the scoring to help Harvard’s chances.
• Michelle Picard, D: She is the cornerstone of the Crimson’s blue line and it’s important that she is able to control the puck and play effective defense.

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Gabriella FundaroAn avid sports and hockey fan. Currently working towards a journalism degree and covering women's hockey for THW.

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Matt Cullen: Turning Back The Clock In Minnesota

 

Matt Cullen on 2006 Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup tour

Matt Cullen is turning back the clock to 2006 when he was a key offensive piece on a Stanley Cup winning team in the Carolina Hurricanes and the 2013 Minnesota Wild are benefiting. This team is starting to roll and the play of Cullen as the second line center has been pretty valuable in Minnesota’s recent success.

The Wild started the 2013 season battling despite an offseason that saw them investing a lot of money in major offseason free agents Ryan Suter and Zach Parise.

They are 8-4-0 in their past 12 games moving them up to sixth position in the Western conference and only two points behind Northwest division leaders Vancouver.

A big part of that recent success has been an offense that has found its feet. They have scored 34 goals in the past 12 games, which is 2.83 goals per game. That’s well above their 26th ranked 2.35 goals per game. Charlie Coyle has slotted perfectly alongside Parise and Mikko Koivu on the team’s top line, while the third line featuring Kyle Brodziak, Cal Clutterbuck and Dany Heatley showed plenty of energy and has generally been playing pretty well of late.

A pretty important part of that recent offensive success is the play of Matt Cullen marshaling the second line. That second line has generally featured Jason Zucker and Devin Setoguchi and they have produced consistently behind the Koivu line. It should be noted that they were productive again on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche even with Zucker sidelined and Pierre-Marc Bouchard completing that line.

During the last 12 games Matt Cullen has scored 11 points spending most of that period at center. He played a pretty important role at the beginnin of the winning streak scoring two goals and adding an assist on February 21 against the Edmonton Oilers. He also has eight assists in eight games and has been pretty important in re-generating the scoring touch of line mate Setoguchi. The 26-year old has scored five goals and nine points in the past 11 games while playing with Matt Cullen.

He may be 36, but Matt Cullen is looking a lot more like the player who was a key cog in the 2006 cup winning Hurricanes offense. He scored 25 goals and 49 points in the regular season that year, before tallying four goals and 18 points in 25 playoff games.

Cullen’s best season also came with the Hurricanes when he scored 49 points in 59 games, but there’s little doubt that this is some of his best and most significant offensive play since his peak days with Carolina, and certainly a far cry from scoring 39 and 35 points in the past two seasons with the Wild.

In previous articles for The Hockey Writers [Minnesota Wild Struggles In Key Stretch] I have questioned whether Cullen can be a key offensive contributor for this line-up. However, it’s fairly clear that he might just be the key cog for this line-up especially after Mikael Granlund was sent down to the AHL earlier this week.

(Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE)

Matt Cullen is a finesse player in being a good playmaker and having good on-ice vision. However, he is also a player who has the experience and knowledge to understand how goals are scored in the NHL. He isn’t afraid to take physical punishment to create offense  and right now he is finding tremendous chemistry playing on a line with talented young offensive players like Setoguchi and Zucker.

Maybe age will catch up to him and his production will slow down. Perhaps he is just keeping a seat warm for Granlund. Generally, it’s pretty clear that Matt Cullen is an important part of Yeo’s Minnesota Wild offense right now.

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Sebastian Egerton-ReadSeb has been writing about the NHL and ice hockey for nearly five years. He has written for a number of different sites and is currently lead writer of The5Hole.com and Hockeyschedule.me. He covers the Minnesota Wild for The Hockey Writers. Follow him on twitter @seberead

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Top 5 Florida Panthers Goals This Season

The Florida Panthers are not where they thought they be after coming off last season where they finished first in the Southeast Division. The team has been plagued with injuries including Kris Versteeg, with an upper-body injury and Dmitry Kulikov who is set to be out for four weeks, that is hurting the line-up. Either way the Panthers are looking to keep the streak alive and make it a repeat to win the Southeast Division by the time the season is complete. That being said, the Panthers  have still managed to capture fans hearts with goals that are one of kind, so here are the top five goals to date this season!

Number 5: Peter Mueller Goal Against Buffalo Sabres Feb 3, 2013

Drew Shore skates away with his first NHL point with a pass to Peter Mueller. This goal had Mueller on a four game point streak after scoring against the Sabres.

Number 4: George Parros Goal Against Buffalo Sabres Feb 3, 2013

Steven Weiss is able to show what great sense of ice he has with a blind pass that gets the puck to Big Geroge Parros for his first goal as a Florida Panther.

Number 3: Shawn Matthias Against Boston Bruins March 14, 2013

Matthias shorthanded goal is not something you will see everyday, after the hustle to beat Hamilton he dives to get up and proceeds to score against the Bruins.

 
Number 2: Tomas Kopecky Hatrick Against Pittsburgh Penguins Feb 26, 2013

Tomas Kopecky recorded his first career hatrick, and it was natural they placed on the top five goals this season when they defeated the Penguins 6-4.

Number One: Jonathan Huberdeau Penalty Shot Goal Against Winnipeg Jets March 5, 2013

Huberdeau takes his second penalty shot of the year, after coming in from the right scores against Jets goalie Pavelec.

 

There you have it, the Top Five Panterns goals this season, if you favorite goal didn’t make the list let’s talk about it over on Twitter @TiaPreece

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Tia Preece

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Vancouver is Rich with Hockey

If I had told someone in 1915 that hockey players would become millionaires, I would probably have been punched in the face, taken to the alley behind East Hastings Street to get more beatings, and then hung over the Capilano Suspension Bridge near North Vancouver. No one back then would ever think of anybody let alone a hockey player earning millions of dollars a season.

Money in those days was real tight. However, the Patrick Empire led by father Joe and sons Frank and Lester Patrick found out the hard how difficult it was to introduce professional hockey in the West Coast. They had risked everything to construct new buildings called hockey arenas in Vancouver (Denman Arena) and Victoria (Patrick Arena), gambled on forming a new league of their own called the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHA – backed by the Patrick lumber fortune), and to be able to attract the best players to make the migration from Montreal, Ottawa or Toronto to trek over to the West Coast and play in new hockey markets like Vancouver, Victoria, New Westminster, Portland, Spokane and Seattle. One of those teams, the Vancouver Millionaires was first formed 1911.

A wonderful history lesson about the Millionaires can be seen here:

With the exception of goaltenders today, imagine playing a full game without spares. This is what players had to deal with one hundred years ago. If they saw how petty and spoiled some of the players are today, they would be rolling in their graves or rise from the dead and give them a lickin’. The Millionaires roster was filled with the toughest players in the young league, including Fred “Cyclone” Taylor. He was aptly named Cyclone because of his fast skating abilities, kind of like Pavel Bure. But he was also tough as nails because he was once arrested for punching a referee in 1908, something Tiger Williams might do in the heat of battle.

After The National Hockey Association (NHA) and the PCHA agreed to have their league champions compete for the Stanley Cup in 1914-15, Cyclone Taylor led the Millionaires to their one and only Stanley Cup victory, sweeping the Ottawa Senators in three games by a combined score of 26-8.

Sadly, the Millionaires and the PCHA would be short-lived. Despite winning six PCHA championships, Vancouver would lose the Stanley Cup final three times after 1915. The team changed their name to the Maroons in 1922. By 1924, the team & PCHA was merged into another league, the Western Canada Hockey League (renamed the Western Hockey League) spelling the end of the Pacific Coast. Two years later, the WHL and the Millionaires/Maroons club folded. Vancouver wouldn’t reappear again in the big leagues until 1970.

History Lessons Learned

The West Coast is certainly rich in hockey tradition. How fitting that the Canucks are honouring the Millionaires for the March 16 matchup against the Detroit Red Wings – a team that was founded oddly enough by the expansion Detroit franchise that bought the PCHA/WHL-defunct Victoria Cougars and their players. If you get past the fact that the Red Wings are ahead of the Canucks by 11 in the Stanley Cup count, tonight’s game should be a good one.

Datsyuk and Zetterberg (Icon SMI)

Daniel and Henrik Sedin (Courtesy canada.com)

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Peter ChauA long time former player, current timekeeper (lol) and fan of the game, Peter Chau has lived and breathed hockey throughout most of his life living in the cold confines of Edmonton, Vancouver, and currently in Regina, Saskatchewan. He is now a contributing writer for the Hockey Writers covering the Vancouver Canucks.TwitterFacebookLinkedIn

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Tyler Bozak is the Toronto Maple Leafs' Worst Nightmare

Are Tyler Bozak’s days in Toronto limited? (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Tyler Bozak was once a promising prospect in Toronto. Although he was never anticipated to be the next Mats Sundin, it was said that he would be the Maple Leafs’ next regular first line centre. Four years later and Bozak has yet to reach the level everyone expected of him and he hangs over the Leafs like a nightmare as the home stretch of the NHL season approaches.

Bozak, 26, is currently playing out the final year of his most recent contract with the Leafs. He will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, meaning by the time July 5 rolls around, general manager Dave Nonis will have no control over the young forward’s NHL future. That is unless the Leafs’ brass elects to re-sign Bozak.

Leafs not in a rush to sign or trade Bozak. Need him for playoff push. Unlikely to get 1st line money out of Tor. Likely ufa in July. #TSN

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 15, 2013

They may not be in a rush to re-sign him but it’s a possibility and it seems easy enough to do, right? Wrong.

As mentioned in Dreger’s tweet, Bozak will demand first line money from the Maple Leafs. He has every right to do this. After all, he does play on their top unit. The only issue is that Bozak isn’t really what you would call a “true” first line centre; he isn’t a perennial goal scorer or play maker, nor is he the face of the hockey club either. He only really plays on the top line because there is no one else to fill that void, especially considering Mikhail Grabovski’s lack of production this season.

The reality is that Tyler Bozak is really a second line centre playing on a mediocre team with a mediocre roster. In no way should a player who has never reached the 50-point mark in a season earn more than an average of $5 million per season, the same amount that Ryan O’Reilly in Colorado, who has produced less than Bozak has in the NHL, recently signed for. In fact, many would argue that Grabovski, who has reached that plateau twice in his career, is well overpaid at $5.5 million per season.

So where does this leave us? Well, there is the option to trade Bozak, although as Dreger was quick to point out above, he is essential to their playoff push, something that isn’t guaranteed to end well in the first place. But hold on for one second as there may be a way out.

Lupul will take morning skate before official decision. Leafs still in market for D upgrade and a big 2nd3rd line centre. #TSN

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) March 15, 2013

If the Maple Leafs are looking to add an impactful centre, would it be possible to ship Bozak out of town in exchange for a different centre on a longer contract that could make just as large or larger of an impact in Toronto? Of course this would take a package trade, which would create a whole other conversation on its own.

Should the Maple Leafs trade centre for centre? Should they be making any large changes at all while in the playoff hunt? Is it worth it to let Bozak walk? Just how big of an impact would this new player make? These are only four questions that come to mind when considering a potential Bozak trade, especially if another player or draft picks were going the other way with him.

We can almost guarantee that the Leafs are not going to re-sign Bozak before July 1. Especially when compared to O’Reilly, there is no sense in giving Bozak the type of money he will be looking for. Then again, it makes almost just as little sense to trade him, unless Dave Nonis and company get lucky and find a trading partner willing to swing a deal that favours the Leafs enough to pull the trigger.

Until this situation gets sorted out, and it looks like it never will in time, Tyler Bozak will continue to weigh heavily on the minds of Maple Leafs management.

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Lukas HardonkSenior Writer/Editor at The Hockey WritersLukas is an experienced hockey writer who covers the Toronto Maple Leafs as a Contributing Editor for The Hockey Writers. He is also the co-founder of Maple Leafs Central. You can contact Lukas via email at lukas.hardonk (at) gmail (dot) com.TwitterFacebookGoogle+

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.