NHL Players of the Week: 12/6 through 12/12

By Dara Heaps

1. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks. Daniel has points in all but 2 games since returning from a broken foot on November 22nd. This week he notched his 3rd career hat trick Thursday and added 2 goals in 2 assists in his other 2 games this week. He and brother Henrik have combined for 14 points this week, which brings me to my 2nd star…

2. Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks. Henrik’s seven points this week all came in the form of assists, pushing him to 4th overall in assists and tied for 2nd in points with Marian Gaborik. Henrik assisted on 4 of brother Daniel’s 5 goals this week and notched his 500th career point with his 3-assist effort Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild.

3. Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings. Howard won 2 of 3 games this week with a sparkling .951 save percentage. The Wings seem to always be looking for goaltending and it looks like they have a replacement for Chris Osgood. The Wings haven’t been the past dominant selves but goaltending seems to be sorted out, for not.

Honorable Mentions:

Alex Ovechkin had 3 goals and 4 assists over 4 games this week, including 2 goals in his return game from suspension. … Matt Stajan was solid for the Leafs, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists. … Niclas Bergfors is making a strong case for the Calder so far this season. He scored 3 goals and an assist over 4 games. … Tomas Plekanec is playing for a big extension so far this year. He notched 6 assists in 4 games, including a 3 assist effort against Ottawa. … Ray Whitney scored the game winning goal for Carolina against Pittsburgh Monday night, helping the Canes win their first game of the season on the road. Whitney also scored 2 against Ottawa Saturday. … Semyon Varlamov stopped all 26 shots for his second shutout of the season before sustaining a lower body injury. … After having a career-high 7 game point streak, Eric Fehr hasn’t had a point in 3 straight. … The Edmonton Oilers have won 5 in a row all on the road and goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauries has been key in those wins. He’s won all 5 of those games for the Oil. … Colorado netminder Peter Budaj records a shutout against St. Louis Monday night, stopping 35 shots. Wojtek Wolski had 3 assists in the win. … Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 28 saves for the Coyotes, earning the shutout against Minnesota Monday night. … Martin Erat notched his 2nd career hat trick Tuesday night against Vancouver. He also had an assists. … The Flyers ended a 5-game losing streak and new head coach Peter Lavoiolette got his first win Tuesday night with a 6-2 win over the Islanders. Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux each had 2 goals. … Kyle Okposo had 2 assists in every game he played last week (3). Teammate John Tavares had 4 goals in that span. … Jaroslav Halak was stellar Tuesday for the Canadiens, stopping 45 of 46 shots for the win. … Saku Koivu scored 2 goals and 3 assists for the Ducks this week. … Ryan Miller stopped 35 shots for his 4th shutout of the year and 16th of his career Wednesday night against Washington. … Steve Mason played like his Calder-winning self on Wednesday against the Panthers, earning his first shutout of the season. Mason had 10 as a rookie last season. … Blues netminder Ty Conklin stopped 42 shots against his former Detroit team for the shutout. … Did you know Detroit’s opponent has scored first in 21 of 32 games this season? … Henrik Lunqvist was fantastic in the Rangers’ OT loss in Chicago, stopping 39 of 41 shots and posting a .951 save percentage. … Niklas Backstrom stopped all 22 of Colorado’s shots Wednesday for his first shutout of the season. … Ryane Clowe’s career-best 10 game point streak came to an end Friday night. … Did you know Boston’s Tuukka Rask hasn’t lost in regulation since November 16th? … Ottawa netminder Brian Elliott posted his first shutout of the season playing in place of injured started Pascal Leclaire on Thursday, stopping all of Philadelphia’s 23 shots. … Alex Semin scored 5 points this week for the Capitals (2+3). … Patrick Lalime was stellar Friday night stopping 39 of 40 shots for the Buffalo win. … Dustin Penner lead the Oilers to a 5-3 come-from-behind win, scoring a goal and 3 assists on Friday Gilbert Brule had 2 goals and an assist. … Martin Havlat has been solid for the Wild, scoring 2 goals in 3 assists in his past 2 games. … Despite stopping 42 of 44 shots, Evgeni Nabokov’s Sharks couldn’t pull out a win on Friday against Dallas. … Dwayne Roloson made 36 saves for a 3-2 OT win against the Bruins on Saturday night. Roloson does not look like he’s 40. … Alexei Kovalev scored 3 goals against the Canes on Saturday, the second goal being his 400th career goal. … Jonas Hiller got his first win in 4 starts, stopping 35 of 36 shots Columbus threw at him. … Did you know that all 3 of Florida and Pittsburgh’s meeting this year have been 3-2 Pittsburgh wins, all wins in extra time? … Todd Bertuzzi scored 4 goals for Detroit in 2 games this week. … Did you know Dallas has gone to extra time a league-high 14 times this season?

Notes:

-Darren McCarty retired after 15 years in the NHL. McCarty won 4 Stanley Cups, all with the Detroit Red Wings.
-Phoenix defenseman Ed Jovanoski was suspended for 2 games for hitting Andrew Ebbett in the head with his forearm Monday night.

Milestones:

-Martin Brodeur tied Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record at 103 Monday night with a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
-Montreal forward Georges Laraque notched this 100th career assist Monday.
-Leafs forward Lee Stempniak got his 100th carreer assist.
-Radek Dvorak played his 1,000th career game Monday.
-Patrik Bergulind played his 100th career game.
-Darcy Tucker played his 900th career game.
-Chris Pronger earned his 1,500th career penalty minute Tuesday.
-Anaheim forward Dan Sexton scored his first NHL goal Tuesday. He also set a rookie record with 9 shots on goal.
-Matthew Lombardi recorded his 200th NHL point.
-Buffalo forward Nathan Gerbe scored his first NHL goal Wednesday.
-Luke Schenn played his 100th NHL game.
-RJ Umberger recorded his 100th career assist.
-Patrick Sharp scored his 100th career goal with Chicago.
-Jay Bouwmeester played his 373rd consecutive game Friday night, the longest of active players.
-Islanders forward Rob Schremp scored his first NHL goal.
-Patrick Elias scored his 300th career goal Saturday night.
-Jere Lehtinen scored his 500th NHL point.
-Andrew Brunette played in his 900th career game.

Injury Report:

-Alexander Edler (VAN), arm, unknown.
-Eric Brewer (STL), back, 2-4 weeks.
-Ray Emery (PHI), abdomen surgery, 6 weeks.
-Tim Jackman (NYI), unknown.
-Sean Bergenheim (NYI), unknown.
-Paul Mara (MTL), shoulder, unknown.
-Brian Pothier (WSH), undisclosed.
-Erik Cole (CAR), upper body, 3 weeks.
-Chad Larose (CAR), unknown.
-Dan Cleary (DET), shoulder separation, 1 month.
-Derek Dorsset (CJB), hand, unknown.
-Wayne Simmonds (LAK), torn meniscus, 2 months.
-Mike Grier (BUF) has missed 3 games due to the death of his mother.

Rob Scuderi (LAK), Brian Rafalski (DET), Vesa Toskala (TOR), Brendan Morrison (WSH), Peter Mueller (PHX), Jay Pandolfo (NJD), Cam Ward (CAR), Wade Redden (NYR) and Mike Knuble (WSH) all returned from injury.

NHL Players of the Week: 11/29 through 12/5

1. Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames. Kiprusoff followed a 40-save shutout performance with 22 saves against Nashville Monday night, earning his second straight shutout and third of the year for the Flames. Kiprusoff only allowed 3 goals in the 2 following games, ending the week with a .969 save percentage. His stellar November combined with captain Jarome Iginla’s propelled the Flames to first in their division and third in the Western Conference. Kiprusoff also entered this save into contention for Save of the Year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69yO4ORf-c0

2. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins. Fleury has been fantastic all season long for the Pens and this week was no exception. In 3 games, Fleury has 2 wins and an overtime loss (to the Blackhawks in one exciting game) and a .936 save percentage. He’s also tied for league leader in wins at 17 (with none other than his childhood idol, Martin Brodeur).

3. Andrew Brunette, Minnesota Wild. The Wild have won 5 straight and Brunette has been instrumental in the past 3. Brunette has 7 points in 3 games (1+6) and +4 rating. The Wild have been dealing with their share of injuries and have struggled accordingly but the return of Martin Havlat and Antti Miettinen should help the Wild continue to win.

Honorable Mentions:
Players with hat tricks. Seven different players had hat tricks this week: Pittsburgh’s Mike Rupp (first career), Columbus’s RJ Umberger (second career), Florida’s Stephen Weiss (second career), the Islanders’ Matt Moulson (first career), Montreal’s Mike Cammalleri (in Montreal’s Centennial game; fourth career, second of the season), Carolina’s Erik Cole (sixth career) and Boston’s Marc Savard (third career). … Sidney Crosby played 2 games last week and scored 3 points in each (2+1). … Ryan Miller won 2/3 games last week, including a 38 shutout save performance against Toronoto Monday. … Miller’s teammate Jason Pominville had a good week, scoring 2 goals and 4 assists in 3 games. … Brenden Morrow is currently riding a 7-game point streak, scoring 5 goals and 2 assists in that span. … Craig Anderson earned his 3rd shutout of the season Monday night against Tampa Bay. Anderson had help up front from rookie Matt Duchene who scored two goals. … Paul Stastny had a fantastic week for his Avs, scoring a goal and 5 assists, 4 of those points coming against Florida (1+3). … Daniel Sedin notched 4 points in 4 games, including a goal and assist against the Devils. … Roberto Luongo stopped 38 shots Thursday against Philadelphia for his second shutout of the year. … Alex Semin made his return to the Capitals lineup and has scored 6 points in two games (2+4). … Did you know Phil Kessel has 10 goals in his past 14 games? … Dany Heatley may have only scored one goal and two assists this week but in 4 games, he has 20 shots on goal, including 7 in the first period against St. Louis. … Heatley’s teammate Ryan Clowe is riding a 9-game point streak … The Penguins were the first team to reach 20 wins with their victory over Colorado Thursday. Evgeni Malkin had 3 assists in the win. … Washington’s Eric Fehr is riding a 6 game point streak. … Carey Price was solid for the Habs in their Centennial game, only allowing one goal on 38 shots. Cammalleri’s hat trick helped propel the Canadiens to a 5-1 win. The Habs honored their past greats with former players Guy Lafleur, Jean Beliveau and Patrick Roy in attendance. … Did you know Martin St. Louis has played in 336 consecutive games? … Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen each had 2 goals and an assists against Anaheim Friday night. Joffery Lupul and Bobby Ryan each had 2 goals for the Ducks as the Wild won in a shootout. … The Capitals routed the Flyers 8-2 on Saturday. Nicklas Backstrom scored a goal and 4 assists, Mike Green had 2 goals and 2 assists and Tomas Fleischmann had 2 goals for the Caps. … Wayne Simmonds’ 2 assists against St. Louis extended his point streak to 6 games. … Mike Smith stopped 30 shots for the shutout on Saturday night.

Notes:

-The Philadelphia Flyers fired head coach John Stevens Friday, replacing him with 2006 Cup winner Peter Laviolette.
-The Chicago Blackhawks announced the extensions of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith on Thursday. Toews and Kane will make $31.5 million over 5 years ($6.3mm cap hit) and Keith will make $72 million over 13 years ($5.52mm cap hit).
-Alex Ovechkin got handed his first career suspension for his knee-on-knee hit with Tim Gleason. Ovechkin was given 2 games.
-Florida defenseman Keith Ballard injured his own goalie by swinging his stick at the goalpost, missing and hitting netminder Tomas Vokoun in the head. Later in the week, he injured former teammate Craig Anderson by running into him in the crease.

Injury Report:

-Alex Ovechkin (WSH), knee, day-to-day.
-Jonas Gustavsson (TOR), second ablation heart procedure, indefinitely.
-Sidney Crosby (PIT), groin, day-to-day.
-Teemu Selanne (ANA), broken bone in hand, surgery, 4-6 weeks.
-Alexandre Picard (OTT), upper body injury, DTD.
-Brian Rafalski (DET), back injury, unknown.
-Patrick Eaves (DET), ankle, unknown.
-Mike Comrie (EDM) mononucleosis, indefinitely.
-Paul Gaustad (BUF), knee, unknown.
-Rostislav Klesla (CBJ), torn groin, 6 weeks.
-Jussi Jokinen, Chad LaRoase, (CAR), lower body injuries, unknown.
-Joe Corvo (CAR), leg laceration, 8-12 weeks.
-Jay McKee (PIT), Brian Sutherby (DAL), Martin Havlat (MIN), Antti Miettinen (MIN), Rob Niedermayer (NJD), Alexander Semin (WSH), Rene Bourque (CGY), Milan Hejduk (COL), Robert Nilsson (EDM), Scott Walker (CAR), Johnny Oduya (NJD) and Ed Jovanoski (PHX) all returned from injury or illness.

Milestones:

-Montreal Canadiens celebrated their 100th year Friday.
-Corey Perry (ANA) set a new franchise record point streak at 19 games. The streak ended Thursday.
-Chicago coach Joel Quenneville won his 500th game as coach in a shootout win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
-Sidney Crosby (PIT) scored his 150th career goal Thursday against the Avalanche.
-Ryan Whitney (ANA) played his 300th career game on Thursday.
-Jakub Kindl made his NHL debut for Detroit.
-Jordan Staal (PIT) played his 250th consecutive game Saturday. He scored the game-tying goal in a 2-1 OT loss to Chicago.
-Aaron Ward (CAR) notched his 100th career assist Saturday when the Canes took on the Canucks.
-Victor Hedman (TBL) scored his first NHL goal.
-Play-by-play announcer Randy Hahn called his 1,000th game for the Sharks Saturday night.

Calder Trophy Candidates: Rookies to Watch

By Pat Andrzejewski

John Tavares: The most coveted player coming out of this past draft class is also the most expected to make an instant impact at the NHL level. John Tavares’ junior career was spectacular. He set new scoring records in the OHL and led the Canadian Juniors to 2 straight gold medals. The Islanders will expect immediate results from the young phenom as they will most likely plug him in their first line. Unfortunately for Tavares, he plays on a very young, unproven squad on the Island, but his pure talent alone is enough to take him seriously in early Calder talk. How long will it be until Tavares carries this team on his back?

Semyon Varlamov: Semyon Varlamov took the world by surprise when he led the Washington Capitals to the 2nd round of the playoffs last summer and made highlight reel saves night-after-night to get them there - all this with just 6 NHL regular season games played under his belt. Coach Bruce Boudreau would not commit to naming a starting goaltender in the pre-season, but Varlamov will battle Jose Theodore from day one, and don’t be surprised if Theodore’s reign as starting goalie is short-lived. Playing for the offensive powerhouse Capitals also adds to his value, as he will be able to accumulate quite a few victories.

Victor Hedman: Victor Hedman was Tavares’ biggest rival in the rankings of this past draft. He is expected to be a franchise defender, due to his great skill set, his size (6’6’ and still growing), and his knowledge of the game. At the age of 16, Hedman was playing in the Senior Modo Team for the SEL. The new Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman is consistently compared to Chris Pronger, because of his overpowering size and offensive aspect of the game. Hedman was logging over 20 minutes a game in the pre-season, so expect him to start the season off with a bang.

Nikita Filatov: Probably one of the most individually skilled players out of all Calder candidates is the small sized, hard working Nikita Filatov. Filatov has enough talent to make scoring chances alone while making his surrounding players superior. In his 8 regular season games last year for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the regular season, he managed to score a hat trick against a defense first Minnesota team, but was then sent down to the AHL to familiarize with the North American style of hockey. With explosive speed combined with quick hands, this offensive force is not one to be ignored and could be primed for a big rookie campaign.

Jonas Gustavsson: Jonas Gustavsson is a late bloomer that led his Farjestad team in the SEL to a championship last season. Brian Burke flew out to Sweden in an effort to bring him to the Toronto Maple Leafs and succeeded. “The Monster” earned his appropriate nickname by his 6’3” stature and his ability to cover the whole net. He also has an aggressive perspective on the game so he can limit shooting angles. Expect him to push Vesa Toskala for the starting goaltender role once he finds his NHL stride and with the improved defensive corps, it’ll be fun to watch.

Michael Del Zotto: As the 20th overall pick in 2008 by the New York Rangers, Michael Del Zotto was drafted for his offensive output on the blue line. After roughly averaging a point-per-game in the OHL, this 19-year-old wasn’t expected to make the Rangers this year. After an impressive pre-season, he has opened the eyes of coach John Tortorella and has made the team and is now quarterbacking the 1st PP unit. For now, Tortorella prefers Del Zotto to highly priced Wade Redden and Michal Roszival and if he continues his strong play, there is no doubt that the London Knights, his junior team, will have to look for his replacement immediately.

Matt Duchene: Often compared to Steve Yzerman for his speed, hockey sense, and great hands, Matt Duchene is one of the most complete players to come out of the 2009 draft class. Duchene played on a team with a plethora of future NHL talent, the Brampton Batallion, and amassed 79 points in 57 games. One of the many bright sides to his game is his 2-way sense of hockey and his ability to throw his weight around even though he isn’t the size of a typical power forward (5’11”, 200 lbs). Duchene pumped his fists as Victor Hedman was drafted the Tampa Bay Lightning, which allowed his childhood favorite team to select him at 3rd overall. With Colorado in rebuilding mode, Duchene will be counted on as the 2nd line center and he has the potential to be an impact player in this young Avalanche lineup.

Jamie Benn: Jamie Benn who was drafted in the 5th round in 2007 by the Dallas Stars has progressed admirably in his final year on the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL by scoring 46 goals in 56 games. He is a natural goal scorer who always manages to get to loose pucks before his opponents do. He’s going to get a chance to prove his NHL talent as he has made the Dallas Stars’ opening roster and will play on the second line with Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow. He will need to adjust his defensive skill and start using his 6’2” frame more if he wants to be as successful as he was in the WHL, but with his raw offensive talent, he has more than enough to become a successful NHLer.

Ville Leino: When Ville Leino was called up to the Detroit Red Wings at the beginning of February last season, he made a huge impact fast. He accumulated 9 pts in 13 games including his first NHL goal in his first NHL game. This year is a different story for the 26-year-old rookie hailing from Finland. In the off-season, the Red Wings lost over 80 goals to free agency this off-season and another 34 goals in the season-threatening injury to Johan Franzen. He will be heavily relied upon to make up for those lost goals and being on a team which is a perennial cup contender and being used as a top 6 forward, Leino has a big opportunity to make a strong case for the Calder Trophy.

Colin Wilson: When Colin Wilson was drafted 7th overall in 2008 by the Nashville Predators, they knew they had drafted a player that will be the foundation of their hockey team for years to come. An offensively gifted Wilson, who is the son of Carey Wilson who played over 500 games in the NHL, has great size, remarkable offensive capabilities, and incredible hockey sense. He led Boston University to a NCAA national championship last season and put up impressive point totals in his 2 years on the team. With plenty of open roster spots on the Predators this year, Wilson is poised to have a big season if he can translate his junior success into his NHL form.

Directv: National TV? NHL loses, again

By Tim Daily

Monday night was supposed to be perfect. I was headed to the bar to watch my Rangers play the Devils for the first time this season, catch some Monday Night Football and celebrate a friend's birthday with beer and other unflattering forms of alcohol.

I got there at 6:55 to make sure I could get at least one television focused on hockey, as 90% of the bar's patrons would be focused on Brett Favre and the Vikings playing the Packers. When the channel flipped to Versus, I got the following message:

'Unfortunately, Versus is no longer available on DIRECTV. Comcast, the largest cable company in the U.S. and our largest competitor, owns the channel and has forced us to pull it down.' For more information go to www.directv.com/versus .

Upon further reading I found that Directv asserted Comcast was forcing Directv to pay more than its competitors to air Versus. Directv even used the 'difficult economic times' phrase to help bolster its argument. Great.

I could keep going and outline the highlights of both arguments, but honestly that would be a waste of time. Who cares about another television channel dispute? I've been begging for the NFL network for years, but the Cablevision logo on my cable box reassures me that I will never get it.

What I care about is the fact that anybody with Directv (including all of the bars that get the service for NFL Sunday ticket or the baseball package) could not watch a NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAME. It is the National Hockey League's responsibility to make sure its entire customer base has access to a game shown in every television market and boy has it failed here. We're talking about a major sports league that is still struggling to regain credibility after a devastating 2004-05 lockout season. Showing your games is step one in that process!

Look, I'm aware of the reality that is high-level contract disputes. These things do not often get resolved quickly. What I want to see is the NHL step up and use its leverage as a billion dollar industry to get its high profile weekly matchups shown to ALL potential viewers. Until the economic downturn, this was a growing business that is still more than afloat. Let's see the league use some of its resources wisely and get the Versus situation right.

Players of the Week - 10/5/09

By Dara Heaps

1. Alexander Oveckin, Washington Captials. With 6 points in 3 games (3 goals, 3 assists), Ovechkin is leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that he wants to three-peat MVP.

2. Craig Anderson, Colorado Avalanche. Anderson stood tall, knocking off two teams expected to finish top in their divisions (San Jose and Vancouver). With Anderson in net, the Avs will have a chance to win.

3. NHL Rookies. John Tavares (NYI), Victor Hedman (TB), Evander Kane (ATL), Matt Duchene (COL), Michael Del Zotto (NYR), Benn Ferriero (SJS), Jason Demers (SJS) and Frazer McLaren (SJS) all scored their first NHL point this week.

Honorable Mentions: Chicago netminder Antti Niemi earned his first shutout on home soil, besting the Florida Panthers 4-0 in Helsinki, Finland. ... Ray Emery showed he's still a capable number one goalie, winning back-to-back games. ... Keith Tkachuk lead his team past the Red Wings in Sweden, scoring 2 goals. ... Alexander Semin had 2 goals and an assist against Toronto. ... Sidney Crosby scored the opening goal in a 4-3 win against the Islanders and he ended it in a shootout. He also opened the scoring in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.

What's up with... Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo? Brodeur looked downright awful in the Devils home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. Its early into the season, but hopefully this is just rust and not a sign of old age and declining skill. Luongo was also uncharacteristically bad in the Canucks first two games, allowing 7 goals on 50 shots in 2 games.