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So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (10/16/2008 8:56:47 AM)

My man Vanek leading Buffalo to a 3-0 start.
They beat the Rangers last night behind his two goals.
Increased his responsibilities this season, he's even being used on kills.
Special player.




Stacey King -> RE: General NHL (10/16/2008 10:25:17 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: So.Mn.Fan

My man Vanek leading Buffalo to a 3-0 start.
They beat the Rangers last night behind his two goals.
Increased his responsibilities this season, he's even being used on kills.
Special player.


Yeah the weight of the big contract is one year behind him.
Expected a little more from Stafford so far but it is still so early.
If Connoly could ever play 75 games in a season he would shine,
he is very very talented.
Ruff is worth every penny the Sabres are paying him, he just
works with what he's got.




Stacey King -> Fantasy Puck (10/16/2008 10:30:29 AM)

My Golden Seals team looks good this year....got Vanek and Mueller to lead them....and rock solid between the pipes.

Salary Cap: $275
Cap used:   $254
Available Cap:$21
**************

Responsible for:
15-Manny Fernandez (1)

Current Roster:
1. 23-Dion Phaneuf(d)(4 years)
2.  2-Carey Price(g)(4)
3. 17-Martin Brodeur(g)(2)
4. 26-Thomas Vanek(lw)(3)
5.  8-Dustin Brown(rw)(3)
6. 14-Alexander Semin(lw)(3)
7. 26-Brad Richards(c)(1)
8.  2-Peter Mueller(c)(4)
9.  7-Patrick O'Sullivan(c)(3)
10.23-Brian Campbell(d)(1)
11.13-Erik Cole(lw/rw)(2)
12. 3-Paul Kariya(lw)(1)
13.22-Scott Niedermayer(d)(1)
14. 7-Teemu Selanne(rw)(2)
15. 2-Andrew Cogliano(c)(2)
16. 4-Jonas Hiller(g)(1)
17.20-Sheldon Souray(d)(2)
18. 1-Steve Downie(rw)(1)
19.15-Derick Brassard(c)(3)
20. 2-Mikhail Grabovski(c)(1)
21. 2-David Perron(lw)(1)

**************
Minor Lg Roster:
1. Steven Stamkos, c tb
2. Michael Frolik, c/w fla
3. Ryan McDonagh, d mont
4. Steve Mason, g cbj
5. Jamie Benn, lw dal




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (10/16/2008 10:47:48 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Stacey King

quote:

ORIGINAL: So.Mn.Fan

My man Vanek leading Buffalo to a 3-0 start.
They beat the Rangers last night behind his two goals.
Increased his responsibilities this season, he's even being used on kills.
Special player.


Yeah the weight of the big contract is one year behind him.
Expected a little more from Stafford so far but it is still so early.
If Connoly could ever play 75 games in a season he would shine,
he is very very talented.
Ruff is worth every penny the Sabres are paying him, he just
works with what he's got.


That struck me today too
Ruff is great, imo.
This is the same guy (Ruff) who let the reins loose on that Sabres juggernaut a couple years back, with all the great offensive weapons.
This year? Shut-down defense. Winning tight, low-scoring games.
Adjusts to personnel, not the other way around (hmm, sound familiar?)




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (10/19/2008 7:55:15 AM)

Oshie with the shoot-out GW in St Louie last night.
Another great story. That kid just keeps producing at every level.
Good to see all these guys getting opps in the NHL.
Now, if we could ever convince JL to give them a fair shot, I'd be even happier.
Pssst, Jacques .... there are actually some good players that come from colleges, and some are even non-Canadien. No, really, there are.  [;)]




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (10/22/2008 4:34:10 PM)

Good stuff from Burnside
 
For NHL coaches, the beginning of the season is like sitting down to a complex puzzle.

The sooner you can find some pieces that look like something, the better off you are.

This is especially true when it comes to forward combinations. Even teams that made few offseason changes -- the Washington Capitals are a prime example -- present myriad possibilities for coaches in finding that elusive, early chemistry. And early chemistry generally means early points, and early points mean less pressure to complete the puzzle.

Look around the NHL as teams approach the 10-game mark, and you'll notice coaches who still have pieces in their hands, desperately trying to make them fit, while others have found things falling into focus quite nicely.

The lines that are working

• Take Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres, a team that missed the playoffs in 2007-08 and was given only a medium chance of making the playoffs this season. The Sabres are undefeated in regulation after their come-from-behind victory over Boston on Tuesday night (5-0-1), in large part because of Buffalo's go-to top line.

Thomas Vanek, who scored the decisive shootout goal Tuesday, was named NHL Player of the Week and leads all players with seven goals. He has found instant karma with Derek Roy and youngster Drew Stafford. Not that this was Ruff's plan all along. He had Maxim Afinogenov on a line with Roy and Vanek for two preseason games.

"It just didn't seem to click," Ruff told ESPN.com shortly before Tuesday's win. So Ruff looked for a bigger body to replace Afinogenov and decided on Stafford, who scored his first goal of the season Tuesday. At 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, Stafford gives that line a little more time to be creative because they can control the puck a little bit more, Ruff said.

There is, at least in theory, a domino effect in terms of finding some combinations that work. Get one line going, and it takes the pressure off the other three units. That is especially true if the so-called "big line" hasn't been producing from the outset of the season.

• In Montreal, the Canadiens are the only other team in the Eastern Conference that hasn't lost in regulation time (as of Wednesday morning) and much of the heavy lifting has been done by the line of Saku Koivu, newcomer Alex Tanguay and a slimmed-down Guillaume Latendresse. The trio has combined for 21 points, while last season's most important player, Alexei Kovalev, is off to a relatively slow start with four points in six games.

• After opening with two wins in Europe with Scott Gomez centering Chris Drury and Markus Naslund, the New York Rangers have tinkered with their "top" lines but haven't suffered in the standings. That's because Brandon Dubinsky, Nikolai Zherdev (who came over from Columbus, where he was too inconsistent for coach Ken Hitchcock) and the surprising Aaron Voros have provided consistent production for the Rangers (6-2-1). At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Voros has been the biggest surprise since his offseason arrival from Minnesota (five goals, four assists in nine games), providing a nice compliment to the skilled Zherdev (five points).

• In Colorado, Avalanche coach Tony Granato struck pay dirt early and he's stuck with it as Ryan Smyth, Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny have grooved for all six games, combining for 24 points. That's a good thing given that the surprising Avs (3-3-0) are 25th in goals allowed per game.

• Over in Pittsburgh, there's no surprise the Stanley Cup finalists are still looking for their offensive karma given that top-six forwards Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa moved on in the offseason. After pairing natural center Jordan Staal on the wing with Evgeni Malkin and Petr Sykora, coach Michel Therrien moved Malkin up with captain Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis. Malkin leads the league with 11 points in seven games and the Penguins are a respectable 4-2-1.

The lines that need some work

Some teams are still looking for a defined image from their line combinations, even if there is considerable talent to work with.

• It's a work in progress as the defending Southeast Division champion Capitals are off to an up-and-down 3-2-1 start. Alexander Semin has been strong with 10 points, but Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau has been looking to jump-start defending NHL scoring champ Alex Ovechkin; so he dropped sophomore center Nicklas Backstrom between Brooks Laich and Semin to start Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Calgary. Meanwhile, Boudreau moved Sergei Fedorov, who was toiling on defense for the previous three games, between Ovechkin and captain Chris Clark.
• For the Anaheim Ducks, it's been mostly a lowly start, and a lot of that has to do with the lack of production from the team's top players, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Chris Kunitz started training camp with Getzlaf and Perry but was then replaced by checking forward Travis Moen before Kunitz returned to the top unit in Tuesday's shootout win over Toronto. Getzlaf didn't play thanks to a tooth problem, but Kunitz did register his first point of the season, an assist.

"What we've tried to do is that we've tried to simplify it, with those individuals, specifically Getzlaf and Perry, just to simplify and not try to do too much," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said before Tuesday's game. "And that's what we're guilty of, is individuals taking too much responsibility on themselves to do it all by themselves. If they simplify and stay within the structure and not try to do too much and not try to beat people one-on-one, not trying to do everything yourself, let the puck to do the work, move off the puck, keep it simple, drive the middle lane, shoot the puck -- those are all things we talk about."

Kunitz, Perry and Getzlaf are all looking for their first goals of the season, and the Ducks are last in the Western Conference at 2-5.

One thing is clear: Putting that first bit of the puzzle together is only the first step because it's difficult to have success when just one line is scoring.

If you have production from other lines, "there's no panic when any certain line isn't going," Ruff said.

So far so good in Buffalo.




Jeff Jesser -> RE: General NHL (10/23/2008 8:47:00 AM)

No mention of Bruno, Kit and Mittens???  They're probably the 2nd best line in that game at the moment behind Vanek and his crew. 




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (10/23/2008 11:36:19 AM)

I kept re-reading it too.
They have to be in there, as hot a start as anyone.
Niiiiice, name. Grrrrr.
Not as intimidating as the GAG Line or something like that. [&:]
Sounds like a pre-school muppet show.




djskillz -> RE: General NHL (11/4/2008 1:53:54 PM)

Have you guys ever seen this shot?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1eWkqTmlXM&feature=related

Someone just told me about it the other day.  Unreal.




Jeff Jesser -> RE: General NHL (11/4/2008 2:14:10 PM)

Yeap and if anyone post that game winner against the Gophs by Michigan you can go to hell in a hand basket [X(]




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (11/4/2008 8:49:11 PM)

My man Parrish inks a one-year deal with the Stars.
Great for him.
You still the Man, Mark. Show 'em.




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (11/4/2008 9:12:54 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jeff Jesser

Yeap and if anyone post that game winner against the Gophs by Michigan you can go to hell in a hand basket [X(]


Jeff ... the HS team I assist on has had a couple really skilled players, and one pulled off the Michigan Miracle during a game last year.
His teammates went beserk and loved it.
I, however, wasn't thrilled.
I remember not handling it well when they pulled it on our Gophs, and I remember people saying "you'd love to see your team do it".
Nope.




Jeff Jesser -> RE: General NHL (11/5/2008 9:48:19 AM)

I was in shock.  I didn't talk for about 4 hours which probably made the whole room giddy.  




Don T in CO -> RE: General NHL (11/5/2008 1:28:32 PM)

Here's an idea that my buddy and I were kicking around the other day.  Not sure how feasible or desirable this is, but I thought it was interesting.  Tell me what you think-


Instead of the current NHL schedule, how about the NHL go to more of a baseball-like schedule where you play a 3-game series (probably over a 7 day period) against the same team in the same city before moving on to the next city?  That would save significantly on travel expenses, travel time, and logistics.  It would also help to build rivalries a little more than the current "see you in a couple weeks" schedule that the NHL has now.  Each week would be kind of a mini-playoff series, and fans could talk about each series going on over a particular week the same way they do about a football game.  For example, MIN @ CHI this week could mean Vikes at Bears or Wild at Blackhawks.

Also, since the NHL is pretty free with throwing out points for overtime losses and such, how about giving the winner of each series an extra point in the standings for added incentive.  A three game sweep nets you 7 points; if you take two out of 3 you get 5 points.

More details of the plan-
You would play each team in your division two weeks out of the season (H & A, NFL-like); that's 6 games x 4 different teams = 24 games
You would play each team outside your division in your conference for 3 games (alternate H & A on a yearly basis); thats 10 teams x 3 games = 30 games
You would play 10 of the 15 teams outside your conference for 3 games (rotating divisions each year like the NFL, so you have a home & away series against each out-of-conference team every 3 years); that's 10 teams x 3 games = 30 games
So we'd have to expand the season by 2 games. 

Brilliance or lunacy?




Jeff Jesser -> RE: General NHL (11/5/2008 1:56:44 PM)

I wonder what that would do to attendance in non-hockey cities.  I would think a weekend series of PHX vs Atlanta would go over about was well as gasoline boxers in hell.  




Don T in CO -> RE: General NHL (11/5/2008 2:16:19 PM)

Think of it this way, the fans in non-hockey cities mostly like hockey for the fighting IMO; so, what better way is there to generate some bad blood between teams and some fighting than a little back-to-back-to-back action?

I mean, the Wild and Avs play a few times during the season, and that's cool - but get them together for a playoff series and then watch the mud fly.  I think these mini-series could have the same affect, and I wouldn't have to check my schedule every two days to see who we play next.  [sm=shrug.gif]




Jeff Jesser -> RE: General NHL (11/5/2008 3:24:18 PM)

I'm definitely not opposed to it.  I was just thinking about what Bettmen and his lackey's may say.   I wish I were at the games when the Wild played the South East to start out the year.  I could have asked every one at those homes what they thought.  I could have had a comprehensive answer 3 minutes in to the game [&:]




Don T in CO -> RE: General NHL (11/5/2008 3:34:06 PM)

I used to travel a lot with my job and let me say was 'interesting' watching hockey in the South.  [&:]  
Even some of the sports radio guys didn't quite know what to make of it.




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (11/6/2008 12:22:17 AM)

Love it, Don.
I look at it like you do, the league needs rivalries.
The more the better.
Compress it down to the weekend mini-series.
Like it.
I've brought up schedule changes like that in other sports also.
I really, really, really think they all need some tweaking.
All of them.  
Love baseball, but at some point we have to admit 162 games is pure stupidity.
I've advocated one MLB game (between 2 teams) a night during the week.
You'd make a spectacle out of it, like MNF is.
So you have your Monday night game, your Tuesday night game, your Wednesday night game.
Then .... you have 4-game series on Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun, featuring every team.
Increases importance in each game. Most you'll play in a week is 5 games.
Thats one season that HAS to end earlier, it just has to. There will be a WS soon that gets snowed out and moved, mark my words.
I'd rather see full stadiums 4 nights a week than half-empty stadiums 6 days a week.
But I digress.
Like your NHL plan. Like it a lot. Get it done. [;)]




Don T in CO -> RE: General NHL (11/6/2008 9:53:02 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: So.Mn.Fan

Love it, Don.
I look at it like you do, the league needs rivalries.
The more the better.
Compress it down to the weekend mini-series.
Like it.
I've brought up schedule changes like that in other sports also.
I really, really, really think they all need some tweaking.
All of them.  
Love baseball, but at some point we have to admit 162 games is pure stupidity.
I've advocated one MLB game (between 2 teams) a night during the week.
You'd make a spectacle out of it, like MNF is.
So you have your Monday night game, your Tuesday night game, your Wednesday night game.
Then .... you have 4-game series on Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun, featuring every team.
Increases importance in each game. Most you'll play in a week is 5 games.
Thats one season that HAS to end earlier, it just has to. There will be a WS soon that gets snowed out and moved, mark my words.
I'd rather see full stadiums 4 nights a week than half-empty stadiums 6 days a week.
But I digress.
Like your NHL plan. Like it a lot. Get it done. [;)]


Cool.  Now that I have the blessings of some real hockey fans I'll try to get the idea brought up at the next board of governors meeting. [sm=buttrock.gif]




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (11/6/2008 7:39:00 PM)

Good luck to your boys tonight, Don
Great story on Bruno in the Strib about not wanting to play the Avs so early.
I understand every word. Been in those situations before, I HATE playing people I have ties to.
I'm too much of a jackass competitor and it usually ends up biting you.
Tough situation.
I see Sakic is currently laid up, thats too bad, I enjoy watching him play. Classiest act in hockey.
Love Brunos comments about him. No surprise he is the best captain-type out there.




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (11/6/2008 7:50:44 PM)

Sheesh, these Western swings are tough ....
If we get home in one piece with the guys we have left, I'll be surprised.
Rivals every night, good-to-great teams, and it gets worse, up to 'couver to take on the hated 'nucks.
I've said it a million times .... the toughness it takes to survive an NHL season is light-years above any other sport.
Catching an entire MLB season is close.
Surviving and NFL season is close.
But the weekly grind of NHL-calibre hockey sets that athlete apart from any other, imo.
They are freaks. They are  Lance Armstrong with muscles and surly attitudes, and toothless smiles.
The most unique athletes on the planet. Their personalities are like 1950's NFL players.
(I'm happy as hell to be here, and I'll do whatever it takes to stay here)




Bruce Johnson -> RE: General NHL (11/6/2008 10:16:01 PM)

With Gabby not playing, is his stock falling?  With a lower stock value, it's harder to get value when we trade him, and I believe that it improves our chances of retaining him.  Other teams will not offer as much as the Wild have offered him, and even the Wild may want to consider lowering their offer now.  You know, he's been hurt so often, maybe they should not try to keep him. Maybe some of you who follow the Wild more closely would care to comment, although you probably already have.




So.Mn.Fan -> RE: General NHL (11/7/2008 7:51:42 AM)

Yeah, we talked a while back, Bruce. But it's worth re-visiting every day.
Its the gorilla in the room no one talks about.
Unfortunately, (as most MN teams do), we waited too long, and now will get only pennies on the dollar back for him.
I think its a foregone conclusion his days here are numbered, but thats just my opinion.
The club is playing decent hockey without him, and the money he wants to play for us next year and beyond is way too much for what he brings to us. We're screwed. Someone will offer us very little, and we'll have to take them up on it.  Montreal has been interested, not many others are.
Don't kid yourself, the rest of the league saw what we did every playoff, he disappears. Too injured, too fragile.
It's tough, because he's a great, skilled player, with the speed we desperately need. But he is missing that "it" factor. And often, only a change of scenery can find that "it" for a guy like that. Just my 2 cents.
(With my track record, that probably means he'll be signing a long-term deal here soon. [&:])

Great win last night, much needed.
Stood up physically, got some big goals, and held on.
 
3 Stars
*** Clutterbuck/Weller/Reitz .... adding toughness and hits, playing hard and not backing down on the road.
** Bruno .... nice return, one pretty goal and a couple other good chances, Miettys set-up was sickkkkk.
* Backy ..... he's back to that quiet, solid, goalie who leaves no holes and just calmly shuts down everything. He is flawless at times, cutting angles down, sliding across to take away passes, letting errant stuff go by harmlessly. Great goalie.


Points out of Vancouver would make this a great trip, boys.
Rest up, and make one final push Saturday night.  




Jim Frenette -> RE: General NHL (11/7/2008 9:35:12 AM)

After Tucker tried to take Nick's knees out, I was hoping they would send Boogie out there to let him know that kind of crap won't be tolerated. JL is a pansy




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