(photo: Josie Lepe / Bay Area News Group)
Winning back-to-back games is always a confidence booster for a team. Winning back-to-back games after three losses in a row is a much-needed confidence booster. The San Jose Sharks hosted the Philadelphia Flyers and got that confidence back. For a team that was struggling early on with a 10-10-4 record going into this game, and an abysmal 2-4-2 record at home, this win couldn’t have happened at a more opportune time for the Sharks.
The first period showcased the same type of play typically seen this season – a lot of dump-ins, turnovers, and chasing the puck. There was one stat, however, that was uncharacteristic for the Sharks – the Flyers out-shot the Sharks 16-6 in the first period. They are usually ahead in shots on goal, with the trouble being getting those shots past the crease. So, to be behind in both shots and a goal so early on was a scary thing. One of those Flyers’ shots produced a power-play goal by Sean Couturier. At this point in the game, it didn’t look good for Team Teal. The only notable spark was a fight between newly acquired defenseman Brenden Dillon and Couturier, and each received five minutes in the box. Up to that point, there was barely any physicality or oomph shown by the Sharks. It was a great way for Dillon, donning his new colors, to make his presence known.
The Sharks continued their lackluster performance until late in the second period when, finally, some offense occurred. Marc-Edouard Vlasic wristed one in from Tommy Wingels and Logan Couture. Wingels has continued to be a top contributor with 16 points so far this season, and Couture has stepped up his game as well. So it was horrible to see what happened early in the third period – Couture had a seemingly unintentional run in with Michael Raffl that sent him to the dressing room to go through concussion protocol. No call was made on the ice and he didn’t return to the game. Coach McLellan commented that “he looks okay, but he’ll be re-evaluated [Wednesday] morning.”
Another star starting to shine brighter is Matt Nieto – nowhere more apparent in the final 11 seconds of the game. A breakaway from Nieto to Patrick Marleau then back to Nieto, after a second effort, resulted in the game-winning goal. Plus, it was his second goal in as many consecutive games. Confidence sure was the theme of the night, as Nieto reflected in a post-game interview: “Last game I got an empty-netter, and even though it didn’t seem like much it was a huge confidence builder. They come in bunches, so I’ve been patient all year and just tried to stick to my game. [I’m] glad to see that it’s paying off the last two games.” McLellan was very pleased as well:
“[Nieto] made a tremendous read in the neutral zone, created a turnover, and it wasn’t the first follow up by Wingels, it was the second one. So give him credit for sticking with it. We weren’t very good in the first period… but we stuck with it and got a little better as the night went on. Good to see those results.”
Characteristically, in seasons past, the Sharks have always dominated the Pacific Division early on. The opposite is true this year, as they are just barely in a playoff position. Those two very valuable points from the Flyers boosted them into their current position, but anything can happen in this long season. Another uncommon occurrence? Empty seats at SAP Center. Where usually sellout crowds come in masses for games, a 205 consecutive game sellout streak ended this year.
The Sharks host the Boston Bruins on Thursday night, a game in which their character will be tested. Can they keep up the confident stride?
Photo: NJ.com
There have been New Jersey Devils fans on the “Fire DeBoer” bandwagon for some time now, but since the start of the 2014-15 campaign the tension has risen and Devils head coach Peter DeBoer has given fans a reason to want him gone.
Start with the team’s less-than-impressive 9-11-4, with 22 points that has them in 5th in the Metropolitan Division but would put them in last or second-to-last place in any other division. Add to that two separate 4-game losing streaks in the month of November for 10 losses altogether that month.
The Devils have been inconsistent at best when it comes to goaltending provided by Cory Schneider. The guy’s a good goalie, but he’s at his best when he plays a couple of games followed by a night off. Instead, he played 20 consecutive games to start the season, going 9-9-2 in that span and 9-10-3 overall (one loss he played in was credited as a loss to backup Keith Kinkaid).
That record isn’t entirely Schneider’s fault. Sometimes, the offense doesn’t show up. In his 11 regulation losses this season, 10 of those were games when the Devils scored 2 or fewer goals, and twice the team was shut out.
Even worse than the lack of offense, though, is the fact that DeBoer decided to keep Schneider in net for 20 straight games, and three straight since his one night off. There have been eight games when Schneider allowed four or more goals. A good coach, a coach who knows how to manage a team, doesn’t allow a goalie to continue to start long stretches like that when he’s performing the way that Schneider has been.
The worst part about how badly DeBoer has been coaching this team is that it’s not a bad group of players. The roster is full of talent, young and old. Although there have been notable injuries, there are also good, healthy players that aren’t being pushed to perform the way that they can.
Take Michael Ryder, for example. Ryder is fourth on the team in points, with four goals and eight assists. He’s played in all 24 games on various lines, but is a healthy scratch versus the Penguins tonight to make room in the lineup for Adam Henrique and Scott Gomez. Ryder is capable of producing good numbers; last season, the line of Ryder, Henrique, and Ryane Clowe scored 50 goals for the Devils.
Ryder’s a talented player who’s put everything into the game all season long. Now, he’s being healthy scratched against the toughest team in the division, in favor of Gomez and Henrique, one who hasn’t played all season and the other who’s been injured twice already.
The Devils have a multitude of problems this season, but they all boil down to their head coach. DeBoer’s worth was heightened by success three seasons ago, that only happened because of players like Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, David Clarkson, and Martin Brodeur. It didn’t happen because of DeBoer and it isn’t happening now. The longer he coaches, the deeper they dig themselves into a hole that won’t see playoffs for a long time.
(Photo credit: Ken Campanelli)
One of the Ontario Reign‘s royals has officially left his throne. Edmonton, Alberta native Tyler Spurgeon signed a professional tryout contract with the American Hockey League’s Adirondack Flames.
This will be the first time that Spurgeon will be returning to the AHL since the 2009-10 season when he finished the year with the Abbotsford Heat. Since then, he has been on fire with the Reign. He played 12 games this year and racked up a total of 10 points with two goals and eight assists.
If his stats from both the AHL and ECHL are combined, it is no wonder why the Flames were so impressed by him. In the 246 matches combined from both leagues, he has a total of 155 points and 96 penalty minutes. Spurgeon also spent time playing for Klagenfurt AC of the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga in Austria and recorded 64 points and 55 penalty minutes in the total of 105 games he played.
The 28-year-old center was automatically welcomed back by Flames head coach Ryan Huska. According to Huska, he really liked Spurgeon’s play during training camp but when the recalls came around and the Flames needed a forward, Spurgeon was already injured. Now that he is officially signed, that means the crowd will get a feel for his technique and see him improve even more while he gets significantly more playing time. It all worked out for the best for everyone involved.
Spurgeon’s future in the game is only getting bigger from this point on. Before actually turning pro, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound player spent his junior career with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League from 2001-06. In 212 games, he scored a total of 124 points and 99 penalty minutes. He also was an eighth round selection (#242 overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
There is no doubt that Spurgeon will become a fan favorite with the Flames. In the Dec. 2 game against the Hamilton Bulldogs, he was already able to get the hang of all of the fast changes and recorded two shots on goal. The Flames’ next game against the Texas Stars on Dec. 5 will be an even better game to see Spurgeon really in action and the rest of the season should not be missed for all of Spurgeon’s old and new-coming fans.
(photo credit: Dinur Blum)
To borrow a Simpsons line, “everything is coming up Milhouse!” for the Nashville Predators at the start of this season. With only the second coach of their 16 year history, Peter “Laffy” Laviolette leading the way, the Preds are 16-6-2 and are currently 1st in the Central. Also, through the first two months of the season, they are averaging more than 31 shots on goal per game which is a far cry from the years of the defensively minded Barry Trotz.
Also helping is the offense by former Penguin James Neal who has (as of Dec 1st); 9 goals, 5 assists and 14 points, including a natural hat trick at home in Bridgestone Arena against one of their major rivals in the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct 23. Mike Fisher was able to play (and get 2 shots on goal) against the Oilers on (American) Thanksgiving after having a ruptured Achilles and missing 21 games, so he will also soon be helping the offense.
The Preds also been getting more national attention; a 2016 All Star Game to be held in Nashville and they are (spoilers) #24 in Forbes NHL Franchise Values. Also, PETA finally realized that their fans have been throwing (sometimes live, sometimes not) catfish on the ice (a la Detroit fans octopus’) for years now. They’ve offered the team 1,000 plastic fish for the fans to throw in place of the live ones.
Pekka Rinne finished the month of November with 10 wins, bringing his total to 16 and a league leader. (December has not started off on the best foot but it’s only been one game so far.)
And the Predators’ Filip Forsberg, lead all rookies with 9 goals (including 3 game-winners), 15 points, 6 assists and a +9 rating in 13 games is the NHL Rookie of the Month for November.
Forsberg, the 20-year-old native of Ostervala, Sweden, was the 11th overall selection by the Washington Capitals in the 2012 NHL Draft who was traded for the Predators Martin Erat & Michael Latta in a lopsided deal that may one day be reference in the same breath as “Zdeno Chara traded from the Islanders” and “Mark Messier traded from the Oilers.”
He also becomes just the fourth active player to record a goal streak of at least 6 games during his rookie season, joining Alex Ovechkin (twice in 2005-06), Evgeni Malkin (2006-07) and the Islanders Michael Grabner (2010-11). He edged out Winnipeg Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson (4-0-2, 1.22 GAA, .958 SV%, 1 SO in 6 GP), Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (2-7—9 in 13 GP), Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (2-9—11 in 13 GP), Ottawa Senators left wing Mike Hoffman (6-2—8 in 14 GP) and Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (3-5—8 in 10 GP) for the honor of being the NHL’s Rookie of the Month.
(Photo credit: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.)
As part of an “optional” skate, the Los Angeles Kings allowed suspended defenseman Slava Voynov to practicing with the team this morning. They were subsequently fined $100,000 for violating the terms of Voynov’s suspension which clearly states that he is prohibited from participating “in any team-related functions or activities.”
OC Register reporter Rich Hammond received word from NHL Deputy Director Bill Daly that this includes “practices and other mandatory or optional team functions.”
It’s disappointing that the team would do this. They said they were going to respect the terms of Voynov’s suspension and so far, they have. They complained about his cap hit but remained compliant to the extent of the NHL’s Compliance Bargain Agreement. Today, though, they took it too far. They knowingly and purposely had Voynov practice with the team. While I understand the need to push the edge and test limits, this is one area that should not be grey, especially since the suspension came on the heels of his arrest for domestic violence.
In spite of repeated statements from both Voynov and his wife, he should (and rightly will) remain suspended until his legal status has been cleared. He is free on bail but felony charges have not been dropped nor has he been found not-guilty by a jury. The team having him practice with them suggests that they have no interest other than getting their defenseman back into the lineup as quickly as possible and that they don’t care about domestic violence issues. It was a terrible, disgusting act that was not well-thought out and it’s disappointing to me as a die-hard fan.
Instead of harping on what they did or haven’t done, I want to take this time to promote Hockey Fights DV. This blog is made up of pledges from individuals who have decided to donate money to shelters that are badly in need of funding.
Here’s how it works: Take your your favorite player’s stats times a small dollar amount and make regular donations to a domestic violence nonprofit of your choice. It’s great to get involved and give back to your community, especially if you feel helpless or don’t know how to help when situations like this arise. It takes a lot of courage for someone to leave an abusive situation and these shelters are literally life savers as often these (predominantly) women leave with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
As a reminder, if you or someone you know is involved in an abusive relationship, you can always call the toll free hotline at 1-800-799-7233. For more information, you can always visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s website at the hotline.org.
I’d urge anyone who is hesitant about participating due to financial woes to contact a local shelter to see where if they need supplies or if they could even use volunteers. For example, there is a non-profit organization based in the Los Angeles area called “Friends and Helpers.” Even if you can’t donate money, they always need supplies and it’s usually small things such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, socks, blankets, etc. What we take for granted, many of these survivors have nothing.
So while the Voynov situation was gross and a blatant violation of the rules, at least the (hockey) community can unite to help out a much needed cause. And no matter how small, your contributions will mean a lot to those who need it most.
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(photo: Dinur Blum)
The San Jose Sharks honored defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic as the Sharks Foundation “Sharks Player of the Month” for November for the third time in his career. Vlasic, drafted by the Sharks in 2005 and an alternate captain for the club, has posted a team defensive-best plus-5 in 13 games during November, plus he had three assists. Additionally, he is ranked 9th in the NHL with a plus-12 rating – the first for a player on the Sharks and fifth-best among all defensemen in the entire league.
So far this season, he has played in all 26 games with three goals and four assists. His third goal happened against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 2, and it was a very important goal. The Sharks were about to head into the second intermission with a goose egg on the scoresheet, but Vlasic’s goal tied them up. Not only does he contribute offensively, he continues to be an integral part of the blueline as well, his main job. He has blocked 29 shots and tallied 39 total shots on goal, which is second-best on the Sharks’ D.
Clearly a key player in the NHL, he also got an opportunity to support his home country earlier this year in the Olympics, where Team Canada won Gold. He registered 8 shots and was a plus-3. It is plain to see that he is in his prime and is an invaluable hockey player.
The Sharks Player of the Month program was established by the Sharks Foundation to recognize players who have made the most contributions to the team’s success each month. Since the program’s beginning in the 1996-97 season, the Player of the Month and Year programs have donated more than $300,000 to the Sharks Foundation.
Vlasic’s previous Sharks Player of the Month awards were in October of 2011 and 2013. Congratulations, Marc-Edouard!
The Los Angeles Kings violated the terms of defenseman Slava Voynov‘s suspension. The National Hockey League announced that they will be fined $100,000 for not following what was supposed to be set for Voynov. Whose idea was it to think that it was okay to go against official word and act like nothing happened?
Voynov skated with the club today during practice. Even that kind of activity is a direct violation of the terms of suspension. The NHL was very strict on what the terms were involving Voynov and expected them to be followed with no issues. They have a statement on the fine saying, “Voynov skated with teammates today during a Club practice. Such activity is in direct contravention of the terms of the suspension levied Oct. 20, which permit Mr. Voynov to use club facilities and work with team personnel but prohibit his participation in any team-related functions or activities.”
Of course with him under the close watch of the public eye, especially with anyone involved in the hockey world, there was no way that he or the Kings club officials would have been able to get away with it without anyone saying anything or noticing.
Darryl Sutter explained the situation to LA Kings Insider, Jon Rosen and said, “It was an optional skate and everybody went. He’s supposed to come out after with the injured guys, right after practice. Everybody went today…”
Rosen even pointed out in his piece, “All the players on the team’s roster participated in the morning skate in advance of Tuesday’s game against the Boston Bruins.”
So if everybody went, doesn’t that mean that it should not have even be an option for Voynov because then he would be skating with teammates and participating in team activities? Maybe it was an accident or just pure carelessness from everyone involved but it is really not worth it to pull a completely boneheaded move and basically give away $100,000. Not only does this make Voynov look worse but the entire Kings franchise looks bad now also.
The Kings quickly responded to the news with a statement: “This was clearly a mistake on our part and we accept full responsibility. It is incumbent upon us to be more vigilant in managing this situation to ensure that Slava’s allowable training activities always remain separate from the team.”
This is a pretty big mistake to make and should not have even been made in the first place. Who knows if they were trying to test the waters out with how much they could get away with but they should have had better sense than that.
The whole problem started when Voynov was arrested back in October and after an investigation, was charged with “corporal injury to a spouse with great bodily injury.” He pleaded not guilty in court on Monday and a preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 15.
The St. Louis Blues have signed veteran goaltender Martin Brodeur to a one-year contract worth $700,000.
Brodeur spent the past few days in St. Louis on a tryout after the Blues lost their starting goaltender Brian Elliot to a lower-body injury. He is out on a week-to-week basis.
Brodeur, 42, spent his entire NHL career in New Jersey with the Devils who drafted him as the first overall pick in 1990. He became a free agent at the end of the 2013-2014 season when the Devils decided to turn to Cory Schneider as their starting goalie.
During the summer, Martin Brodeur said that he would be willing to explore options as he searched for his 700th win in the NHL. He currently needs 12 more wins to reach his goal. He also said he was also looking for a team with potential to play for the Stanley Cup.
The Blues sit as the second seed in the Central Division only behind Nashville. Both teams have 34 points going into December.
Last season in New Jersey, Brodeur played in 39 games for the Devils, accumulating a 19-14-6 record. He finished with a 2.51 goals against average, a .901 save percentage and three shutouts.
Throughout his 21 seasons, he has won numerous awards and currently holds the most regular season NHL goaltending records. The future Hall-of-Famer has compiled a 688-394-176, making him the winningest goalie of all time. In addition, he has a 2.24 goals against average and 9.12 save percentage.
Some of Brodeur’s other accomplishments through his career include:
- Most shutouts in the league with 124
- Most games played with 1,259
- Most minutes played with 74,083
- Most postseason starts with 204
- Most postseason shutouts with 24
- In his first season with the Devils, he won the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year
- He has appeared in 10 NHL All-Star Games
- Four-time Vezina Trophy winner (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008)
- Five-time Jennings Trophy recipient (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2010),
- Led the Devils to the Stanley Cup Finals five times, winning in 1995, 2000 and 2003.
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/slgc/
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