Goaltending is the one position that can really take over a game on its own. If your goalie doesn’t give up a goal, you can’t lose. On the other side, if you are constantly giving up weak goals, it is impossible to build any momentum, and games can get away from you quickly.
For a while, United States hockey has been associated with superior goaltending. This is especially true lately, where we’ve seen USA goaltenders steal the show at the 2010 Olympics and 2013 World Junior Championships. When you have a confident goaltender, it changes the entire complexion of the game.
With the potential leak that came out a couple of days ago about the United States goaltending selections, this isn’t so much of a projection anymore. Obviously, there is a chance that the report isn’t true, but it appears that the goalies have been selected.
Ryan Miller
Jonathan Quick
Jimmy Howard
It is hard to imagine that even as recently as last season, Ryan Miller was a bubble player for the Sochi squad. After he took over the 2010 Olympics and nearly led the United States to gold as the tournament’s best player, it seemed impossible to envision the 2014 team without his presence. But that became a possibility, as a declining Buffalo roster set the stage for a severe drop in play and numbers from the talented netminder. Perhaps the thought of the Olympics closing back in has helped Miller recover this year, and the Sabres goalie has played spectacularly, despite being under seige most nights. He is the most steady American goaltender and has the experience to be penciled in as the starter.
(Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images) Ryan Miller will try to trade Silver for Gold in Sochi.
If Miller was on the bubble last year, Jonathan Quick was the run away projected starter. Despite only one really quality regular season, Quick starred in the 2012 Stanley Cup run for the Kings, and again in the 2013 playoffs. The guy shows up when it counts, and it looked as though he’d get another chance to try out his clutch game in Sochi. However, mediocre play and a bad groin injury have combined to put his chances in jeopardy. Still look for Quick to make the team and be ready to step in if Miller falters at all. But, it would take a lot at this point to see Quick head into Sochi as the number one.
Most people can agree on the top two goalies for the Stars and Stripes, but there is definitely no such consensus on the three spot. Though the third goalie may not even dress during the tournament, let alone see any action, it is still an honor to be chosen for the team and the debate rages on. If the leaked report is accurate, Jimmy Howard will be the third goalie for the United States. Howard, like Quick, has been nothing better than mediocre this season, following a year where he played extremely well. Howard has the talent to turn things around at any time, but it is slightly concerning that two-thirds of the United States projected goaltenders are struggling. This is especially true considering that the position has to be the great equalizer if they are to win the tournament.
Based on play this season, which the USA brass did say would be a factor in the decision process, it is a little surprising to see Ben Bishop not receive the call. Bishop has played in 29 games this season and has won 20 of them (despite Steven Stamkos’ injury), and sports incredible numbers (1.89 GAA, .935 SV%). When you consider that both Quick and Howard are barely treading water over the .900 SV% line, you can’t help but feel a little sorry for Bishop, again assuming the report is true. However, a couple of things obviously went against Bishop in the decision process. He had a shot last year during the World Championships and played poorly enough to be replaced by young John Gibson. Bishop also has a very short track record of success, and apparently both of those factors were too much for Bishop to overcome.
Another name that many people figured was in the mix was Cory Schneider. The Devils split starter has numbers somewhere between Bishop and Quick/Howard, but ultimately hasn’t gotten a chance to prove himself. Schneider still hasn’t played over 33 games in a season, and will barely eclipse that this year. Until he gets a chance to be a fulltime number one goaltender, which may come as soon as next year, Schneider will have to wait his turn to prove himself on the big stage for his country. Tim Thomas tried to play himself back into the mix with his return to the NHL, and has played pretty well at times for a below average Panthers team, but hasn’t done enough to make up for any ground he lost by taking a year off. Craig Anderson figured to be well in the mix, but his disasterous season has derailed any chances, though Ottawa should share the blame in that struggle. Still, Miller has shown that you can still succeed on a struggling team. The aforementioned John Gibson could have been a very interesting wild card choice, after proving himself on the international stage during the World Juniors and World Championships, but he’s still adjusting to life in the AHL and will have plenty of time to have his biggest shot in the future.
Don’t forget, the United States Men’s and Women’s Olympic Rosters will be announced at the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. The Women’s team, featuring 18 skates and three goalies, will be named during the second intermission. The Men’s team, including 22 skaters and three goaltenders, will be announced immediately following the conclusion of the game.
The Stockton Thunder let “Kids Take Over the Stockton Arena” for the Sunday matchup against the San Francisco Bulls. Kids had the opportunity to hold various positions throughout the arena, from ushers and zamboni drivers to Thunder broadcasters.
“It is important to us as an organization to continue to grow our sport,” team marketing manager Brandon Kisker said. “This event was put in place to give some of our youngsters an idea of what it takes to work for a sports team, while also teaching them a few lessons of what it takes to be a good writer, public address announcer, sales person, etc. Hopefully the kids learned a lot, had a ton of fun, and if they didn’t already, have a great passion for the sport of hockey.”
The Pink Puck got involved in the fun and had a young shadow journalist throughout the game. Meet Gracie, a sixth grader from Stockton, who’s favourite subject is math, she aspires to be a journalist and her absolute favourite Hockey player is Thunder Captain Garet Hunt.
Assistant Associate Editor Tasha and aspiring journalist Gracie at “Kids Take Over”
What follows is her recap of a wild Sunday tilt that saw the Thunder score four times in the first period and the penalty minutes rack up at a breakneck pace.
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In the first period everything was calm,until Stockton made the first goal!!! Made by Matt Bergland#17, and assisted by Shawn Boutin#26 and James Henry#15. Followed up by a fight with Garet Hunt#24 Stockton and Kris Belan #43 for San Francisco. After we got the boys back in we got a power play but it didn’t end up well for the OTHER team. It so happens that they got a penalty for throwing a punch, as number 47 heads to the penalty box we seemed to have gotten another goal short handed from #15 Henry!!!! Just two short minutes after that we got another goal backhanded by Mike Dalhuisen#14,with assists by Henry, and Bergland. Most of the other team was pretty shook by what Stockton did as they were swiftly skating #24 Hunt passed it to #11 Larson, as he quickly glides to the net he shoots he SCORES!! Stockton Thunder fans go crazy wild!!
“The Stockton thunder fans are amazing I didn’t really expect as much of crowd. Their really great supporters,” said Thunder goalie Parker Milner. After the four goals Stockton made, San Francisco huddled up and decided to change goalies to #40 Anderson!!
The second period was mostly mild the whole time nothing really was too exciting. We got a power play, two in fact. Then it so happened we got a fighting penalty for #24 Garet Hunt!! As soon as Garet got in the penalty box San Francisco got a score!4-1!! During the first five minutes of third period Stockton scored the fifth and final point!!! 5-1 was the winning score!!
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Following the game, we went down to do post-game interviews with Thunder Head Coach Rich Kromm and some of the players. Our shadow journalists took over the first series of questions. Gracie was very interested in how women fit in to hockey, particularly around what it would be like to have a female teammate. Earlier in the evening we had a discussion about how visible women are in professional sports and my young shadow was disappointed that so few women’s sports are recognized by the national media. Gracie could only think of two, tennis and golf where women have been successful. Here are Gracie’s Post-game questions and comments:
Coach RIch Kromm: Would you treat a female player any differently than a male player? “I don’t think so. My daughter played at Brown University and I think in my experience with her playing she liked to be coached the same as we would coach the guys.”
Nick Larson: How would I feel if I had a female teammate? ” I had a female teammate when I was about 12 years old and it was a little awkward at first but she worked hard and I got along with her in the end, you know now I think we’d just be professional about it.”
Matt Bergland: What would you say to someone to get them interested in hockey? “You know its a fun sport, a team sport. You can make friends. You build a comraderie you might not see anywhere else. It’s a fun sport and you get to get together with people for a common goal.”
At the end of the night Gracie got her wish to meet her favourite player Captain Garet Hunt during the “Kids Paint the Ice”
After the game, the Stockton Thunder opened up the ice to kids and their parents to paint the ice. A total of 845 people participated in the event, which included many of the Thunder players, who joined in on the fun.
“The goal was to do something new, unique and different both for Stockton and for hockey in general,” team President Brian Sandy said. “We also wanted to give our young fans an opportunity to showcase their creativity and to have a chance to interact with our players in a fun environment.”
The ice will be sealed over and then for the first time in hockey history a game will be played on the fan art when the Thunder take on the San Francisco Bulls for a Friday January 3rd matchup. A short video of the event follows:
Even though they make it look easy, it hasn’t been that way for Team USA so far in this tournament. They improved to 3-0 in the round robin with a shutout win over Germany. It was a dominant victory for a team that had appeared to still be searching for some chemistry and consistency in previous games.
The story of the game was the power play. The US took a couple of early penalties, even yielding a 5v3 PP opportunity but Germany was subsequently unable to score with the man advantage. Just over a minute into the game, Nick Kerdiles took a hooking call; 24 seconds later, Hudson Fasching went to the box to serve a Too Many Men penalty. On the ensuing 5v3 power play, Germany got a few good looks at the net but the USA’s excellent PK was up to the challenge, as was Anthony Stolarz who denied all of Germany’s attempts. The US got a power play of their own a short time later but failed to do much with it. That didn’t matter much as Fasching opened the scoring with a squeaky goal that he managed to slide between German goalie Patrick Klein’s pads. The next six goals scored in the game would all come on the power play. Only two goals during the entire time were scored at even strength.
Midway through the first, Germany took another hooking penalty and Team USA’s strong power play went to work. In the dying seconds on the man advantage, Nick Kerdiles scored his first goal of the tournament, roofing a great wrist shot over Klein’s right shoulder. Late in the first, Steve Santini was called for interference, but once again, Team USA’s PK was stellar, not even allowing Germany a shot on goal and playing much of the first minute in Germany’s zone.
Things would not turn around for Team Germany, though, as 10 seconds into the middle frame, Leon Draisaitl (undeniably Germany’s best player and likely a first round pick at the NHL draft this summer) made a dangerous hit on Andrew Copp in the corner. Fortunately, Copp was able to get to the bench under his own power and did return to the game. For his troubles, Draisaitl got a major penalty and an automatic game misconduct. It went from bad to worse for Germany as a minute and a half into the penalty kill, they took another hooking penalty, giving USA’s already potent power play an extra man advantage for two full minutes. Thirty seconds into the 5v3, Will Butcher received a pass from Jack Eichel, found a lane and put it top shelf for a very pretty goal. With just under two minutes left in the major, Vince Hinostroza found a hole and beat a laterally sliding Klein to make it 4-0, Team USA. The rest of the power play ended without anymore goals, though not for lack of trying.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the ice, Anthony Stolarz was sitting on top of his net and knitting a sweater, then decided that was too exhausting and took a nap. OK, not really. The puck hadn’t even entered Team USA’s zone for the first five and a half minutes of the second period. Stolarz didn’t even see an actual shot on goal for over seven and a half minutes in and it was only a harmless dump in from 100 feet out. Germany’s first real scoring chance came about eight and a half minutes into the second period as they tried to jam it short side. Stolarz made just his eighth save of the game with a little over ten minutes left to go.
Shortly thereafter, Germany took another penalty, this time for holding. Riley Barber scored his third goal of the tournament 1:10 into the power play. Dubbed a “seeing eye” shot by the NHL commentators, Barber found a lane and shot the puck through traffic with a nice screen in front. Cue the Boss. (For those who don’t know, when Team USA is the “home” team, their goal song is “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen.)
Riley Barber scores his third goal and gets his fourth point in three games. – Ellen DeLuca
A couple minutes later, you guessed it, the Germans continued their parade to the penalty box with two guys going to the box for two separate infractions (slashing and high sticking). Matt Grzelcyk scored his second of the tournament at 1:23 after he gathered Hinstroza’s shot that had rang off the post. He walked to the top of the circles, snapped the puck and it went in bar down. On the remaining power play, Hudson Fasching had a chance to further pad Team USA’s score with a wraparound but just couldn’t quite put it in.
Germany had a chance to get on the board but Stolarz woke up from his nap just long enough to make the save, bringing Team Germany’s shot total up to four for the period and their scoring chance up to two for the period. Mercifully for the Germans, the rest of the period passed by without incident.
Stolie the Goalie makes an easy save in the second period. – Ellen DeLuca
The third period saw a goalie change for Team Germany and the ice a bit more level at both ends. A little less than five minutes in saw coincidental roughing minors for Team USA and Team Germany and no real scoring chances for either team. Germany apparently wanted to keep giving Team USA a chance to work on their power play as they took another penalty around the halfway mark of the final frame, this time for slashing. On the ensuing power play, Team USA apparently decided to experiment a little with their structure and use defensive defenseman Steve Santini a little differently. They “put Santini as a slot presence,” according to one of the NHL announcers. It paid off as Grzelcyk’s shot deflected off Santini and into the net for his first point of the tournament.
Grzelcyk’s shot deflects off Santini and into the net behind Reich in the third. – Ellen DeLuca
Germany followed up this penalty kill by gifting Team USA with yet another power play. Although the US failed to score on that power play, they did get an even strength goal not long after the man advantage had expired. Quentin Shore carried the puck out of the corner, dangled around a German player, then sent a beauty of a backhand pass to Hinostroza who sniped it in for his second of the game. The rest of the game passed by without much incident. Hinostroza did have a few good attempts for the hat trick, but was denied. Germany did cede one more power play chance to Team USA late in the game, but by then, it didn’t matter anymore and the US didn’t do much with their final man advantage.
Overall, Team USA’s power play went 6 for 10 (good enough for 60% on the day) and 3 for 3 on the penalty kill (100% if you hadn’t figured that out yet. Coincidental minors cancel out any advantage). With the win, the US improved to 3-0 in the tournament while Anthony Stolarz earned his shutout stopping all 16 shots he faced. Seven different players scored a goal in the 8-0 rout and 14 different players picked up a point. Once again, scoring by committee powered the US to another victory.
Perhaps unable to summon the emotion necessary to maintain a full 60 minutes of pressure through their first two games, Team USA came flying out of the gate today. While they did take a couple of penalties early in the game, killing those penalties allowed them to find their game. Despite jumping out to another early lead, the team was able to sustain the necessary emotion level to keep pressure on Team Germany. It looks like Team USA is firing on all cylinders and the team chemistry is really building.
While you could’ve picked pretty much any player, Hudson Fasching was named Player of the Game. He opened the scoring with a wrist shot that beat German goalie Patrick Klein 5-hole and had several other great scoring opportunities, though he was unable to capitalize on any of them. Selected by the LA Kings in the 4th round (118th overall) in the 2013 draft, he is certainly making a name for himself in this tournament. Playing on the third line with Andrew Copp and Stefan Matteau, the 6’2 200 lb Fasching is the “smallest” forward on the line (he edges both of his linemates by an inch but both outweigh him). The three have combined for eight points in three games (4 goals, 4 assists) and demonstrating a keen ability to play a strong 200 ft game. Fasching in particular is proving to be a workhorse who never quits on the play. While his play did not lead to any direct scoring chances for in Sunday’s game, his work ethic led directly to a goal in Friday’s game. Fasching is a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop his north-south game.
Said Chris Peters of the blog United States of Hockey about Fasching, “Fasching was a dominant force on many, if not all of his shifts. He is so hard to take off the puck and does a great job down low. From the faceoff dots down in the offensive zone, the U.S. doesn’t have a guy who has been better than Fasching there. It’s an important area and will be even more important against Canada.” You can check out his entire recap and his thoughts on the game here.
While the US made it look easy with an 8-0 victory over a far weaker opponent, it was a hard earned victory that was anything but.
Anthony Stolarz makes a key stop early in the first. – Ellen DeLuca
Hinostroza scores a goal in a multi-point game for him. – Ellen DeLuca
Fasching crashes the net and acts as a screen. – Ellen DeLuca
All photos are courtesy of Ellen DeLuca, the official photographer for Team USA at the WJC. You can find more photos here.
Defense is such an incredibly underrated position in hockey. It is responsible for so many different aspects of the game. They obviously provide what their very position says – they help the goalie to defend. They also contribute offense in many situations, providing the first big pass up the ice, or even skating it all the way themselves. Defensemen must also take the body to prevent opposing forwards from entering the zone. Some specialize in just one of those skills, and others are quite capable of doing it all.
There is no grouping that is more difficult to narrow down for the United States Olympic Team than the defense core. Without a doubt, the United States would be more than comfortable sending two different sets of six blue liners to Sochi, and feel pretty competitive at the position. It is not as though they have an embarrassment of riches, but they really do have an embarrassment of solid, strong depth. There are a couple of guys who will be able to shut things down, and the rest can provide steady play to keep the squad competitive.
This is where the scouts and USA Hockey team really earn their money. They have to find a way to differentiate between many similar talents, and also tailor a unit that will be mobile enough to most effortlessly negotiate the larger ice surface. As we’ve already mentioned, one bobbled puck can be the difference between ultimate jubilation and complete failure. What sounds like a dramatization is simply the cold reality of a tournament where you have three games to advance to a single elimination process.
Ryan Suter – Paul Martin
Ryan McDonagh – John Carlson
Jack Johnson – Erik Johnson
Extras: Keith Yandle, Cam Fowler
Locks (2): Ryan Suter, Ryan McDonagh
For a while, as Ryan Suter and Shea Weber formed an incredible pairing for the Nashville Predators, many wondered if Weber was making his partner look good. Fast forward to Ryan Suter in Minnesota, and it has become clear that Suter is one of the NHL’s best, while Weber has struggled at times to adjust to life without the American blue liner. Suter will be the main man for the United States, playing in every situation and probably more than half the game every night. Ryan McDonagh started off slow this season, but has really become the only constant for a struggling Rangers squad. Though the Rangers rank near the bottom of the NHL in scoring, he is on pace to break 40 points from the back end, while still providing lock down defense. Expect each Ryan to anchor a top four pairing for the red, white and blue.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum) Ryan Suter will have an even larger role in Sochi.
Probable (3): Paul Martin, Jack Johnson, Erik Johnson
One of the most difficult distinctions for this grouping is what separates a player from probable and bubble. If you really want to get right down to it, the skill level is probably pretty similar between the defense in this category, and those that are in my bubble. So why are these three here? Each player has enough going for them to have better odds than the rest. Paul Martin is a steady rock of a defenseman, and is my personal choice to play with Suter on the top pair. Although Kris Letang gets all the attention (and award consideration) in Pittsburgh, most Penguins fans will tell you that Martin is the much better all around guy. Don’t forget, he was chosen for the 2010 squad, but missed due to injury. He also has the benefit of having his NHL coach as the team’s coach. Ironically, only his current injury is capable of keeping him off the roster, yet again.
If all things were equal in this world, Jack Johnson would be lucky to be on my bubble. But, anybody familiar with USA Hockey knows that this is not the case. Jack Johnson has answered the call for the United States on every single level, always playing in the World Championships, where others turned it down. If that, alone, doesn’t give him an edge, the fact that he always steps up and plays well for his country is probably enough to earn him a spot. His pedestrian NHL numbers (and career plus/minus of -99) would not be enough to garner consideration, but his loyalty to the program will probably be rewarded. Plus, his familiarty with the squad means he has played on the large ice surface many times, and that counts for a lot. Erik Johnson was probably a bubble player, at best, coming into this season, but he has enjoyed a very nice breakout campaign with the impressive Colorado Avalanche. Erik has experience playing in the World Championships and the Olympics, and his strong season should earn him a spot in Sochi.
Bubble (7): John Carlson, Keith Yandle, Cam Fowler, Dustin Byfuglien, Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Faulk, Brooks Orpik
The bubble is quite large when it comes to American defensemen, and there is no doubt that the official announcement will come with some controversy, no matter who is selected. My personal pick from the bubble for the final top six spot is John Carlson. The young blue liner has finally been given a larger role in Washington, adding top power play time to his big minutes. While he has benefited from a steady partner throughout his NHL and even AHL career (Karl Alzner), Carlson does so much well and did come up huge for the United States Junior team with an OT Golden Goal in 2010 against Canada. If he isn’t the choice, Keith Yandle would be an intriguing pick. Known mostly for his offensive and power play specialty, Yandle could be dangerous on the large ice. Chances are, at least one of Yandle or Cam Fowler will make the team, as Fowler plays a similar offensive type role. Fowler has been a top defenseman for an incredible Anaheim team and his skating is virtually unmatched at his position. Currently, I have both Fowler and Yandle on my team, but if the USA is looking for some diversity, I would not be surprised to see one go, and a more all around or physical defensemen chosen instead.
No conversation about offensive blue liners would be complete without mentioning Dustin Byfuglien. You can’t discuss his candidacy without some joker bringing up his weight concerns, but a fit Byfuglien is on pace for yet another 50 point season. Byfuglien could come as a power play specialist, or he could even be used as an extra forward. If Canada happens to go with Roberto Luongo as their goaltender, I would love nothing more than to see Byfuglien buzzing in front of his net and causing problems, much as he did with Chicago years ago. A guy who I’ve seen as high as top pairing projected to as low as off the team, Kevin Shattenkirk is an interesting consideration. He has just one point less than Byfuglien this year, but it is hard to ignore his secondary role in St. Louis. Playing behind Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester comes with some advantages, though Shattenkirk could easily play a similar role if he was selected for a bottom pair on this team. Justin Faulk is a guy that draws rave reviews every time he plays for the United States internationally (he went point-per-game in the ’12 World Championships), but that hasn’t carried over to much sustained NHL success or production. He’s the type of guy who might be a somewhat controversial pick, but could flourish in the tournament. Brooks Orpik is available if the United States wants a physical, net-clearing presence, and also if they want chemistry with Paul Martin.
There will be many deserving players that get left off of this roster, but the good news is many of these defensemen are just beginning their careers. The United States has a very bright future on defense, and this is without mentioning Seth Jones, who will add to a formidable future grouping. We finish our United States roster projection next with a look at the goaltending situation.
Less than one minute into the second period of the Blackhawks’ game against the Avalanche, Patrick Sharp scored his third goal of the Friday night matchup.
What a way to celebrate a 32nd birthday — three goals and an assist in a 7-2 win. The Blackhawks’ “Star of the Game,” Sharp called out to his parents, who attended the game. This was his third career hat trick.
Captain Jonathan Toews also had a four-point night, with two goals and two assists. Blackhawks’ teammate efforts to set Toews up the rest of the game were equally matched by Avalanche defense.
Sharp opened the game with a goal, assisted by Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, about 7 minutes in. With just two minutes left in the first, Toews scored with a wrist shot. He was assisted by Marian Hossa and Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Less than a minute later, Sharp scored on a too many men Power Play with a beauty of a slapshot. Toews and Keith got the helpers.
Only 27 seconds back onto fresh ice, Sharp tallied another, earning a hat trick and making the score 4-0. Toews and Hjalmarsson were credited with the assists.
Toews scored his second goal of the game, with Sharp’s assistance, after a rather uneventful eight minutes.
Now down 5-0, Paul Stastny backhanded one past Antti Raanta, with Gabriel Landeskog and Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau assisting.
Michal Handzus (Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg) would answer with a wrister a few minutes later, and Versteeg would score one with Handzus and Keith’s assistance at 17:48 in the second.
Landeskog scored the final goal of the game, at 7:37 in the third, helped by Parenteau.
The 7-2 victory displayed a sense of determination and confidence the team and its fans would like to see every game.
Nine Blackhawks recorded at least a point, with six having more than one.
Returning from a three-day holiday break, with league rules prohibiting travel, the Avalanche did not make it in time for morning skate Friday, while the Blackhawks were able to have a morning practice.
“It’s an unpredictable game (off that break); you don’t know how you’re going to play or how your opponent’s going to play. But I thought we were ready,” Coach Joel Quenneville said. “We seem to do the right things when we do get rest, and the guys handled it the right way. They looked good this morning, looked good in the meeting. The right approach: that’s what we were looking for. We have a good group of pros here.”
The three-day break worked to their benefit against Colorado, but will the back-to-back impact their performance Saturday against St. Louis — a notoriously physical team?
Raanta is expected to start again versus the Blues, though Corey Crawford, who has been out with a “lower body” injury practiced and traveled with the team.
Notably, Sharp leads the Hawks with 35 career points against the Blues — 12 goals and 23 assists.
In other news, with a hat trick already achieved, maybe Sharp’s birthday wishes involved Team Canada this year? It’s certainly worth consideration for the alternate captain who has 21 goals, 19 assists, and a plus-16 record so far this year. Sharp’s also made an impact defensively.
“In my book, that was solidified a long time ago. But he’s out to prove something and I don’t think there’s a guy who deserves it more than him right now,” Toews said. “He’s playing good two-way hockey and that’s a big reason why he has so many scoring chances. He has a lot of confidence right now.”
What do you write about when your team just can’t seem to pull out a win? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself over the past weeks. The New York Islanders have come away with only three wins in the past month, and the games usually seem to go the same way. The team has a great knack for taking a lead and holding onto it until the third period; then they just seem to fall apart and end up losing the game. 60 full minutes of hockey is not something fans have been seeing from this team as of late.
Before the break for Christmas, the Islanders had won two out of their last three games. Tonight, they take on Metropolitan Division rivals, the New Jersey Devils, but without their captain, John Tavares. Tavares is “day-to-day” with a lower body injury. The Devils had only one win out of their final three games before the holiday break, and fell last night to Columbus in overtime. Playing a tired Devils team and having momentum from their pre-holiday shut out against Detroit, this could be the fresh start the team needs.
The Islanders play the Devils tonight at 7:00 PM EST at home before taking on the Wild and the Bruins on the road before the end of the year.
I may be many things, but I am fair. So on that note, I will write this column. I will give equal space to the female players of this great game as I did for the male ones.
On Friday December 20th, 2013, a game was played between Canada and the U.S. female hockey teams. A huge fight broke out and there was a lot of punching and other fighting actions. There really wasn’t any difference between any other brawl I ever saw, only that it was females.
My last column was about fighting in the NHL. My thoughts about brawls in the game has not changed since then. Is the stress too much for players? Are we making them dangerous by adding so much pressure? Is the outlet for stress punching and hitting? A little brawl with a few little punches might add some spice to a game. I remember seeing games where there was smaller brawls and they were fine. They lasted for a few minutes and no one got hurt! Now, the fights are different. Females are acting like their male counterparts, is this OK or am I over thinking it too much?
I guess this topic will be talked about, written about, and argued about in the future. It is one of the topics where everyone has their own thoughts and ideas. I know that both genders fight and they do it equally. Who says that the genders are not equal in some ways in the hockey world?
For me, it was hard to see males fighting and getting hurt by other players. To see female players doing the same thing was concerning and a bit ugly. We are brought up to be mothers, to be supportive, loving and caring, not to be brawling on the ice. Maybe it is me who needs to change?
Besides the brawling, female hockey is great to watch. Exciting to see and it picked me up and carried me away like the other fans!
Prior to the Christmas break, the Bruins posted a 4-1 win over the Sabres on Saturday, followed by a 6-2 win in Nashville. Fully rested and with the team slowly recuperating from injuries, the boys were back at the Garden on Friday where they kept the scoring train rolling with a 5-0 win over a struggling Senators team.
It wasn’t just the Senators who struggled in the first period, Boston couldn’t find their legs and looked sloppy and uncoordinated — but the poor play stopped as they found an offense surge through the second and third periods.
“Yeah we got better and I thought the first maybe three, four shifts in that first we were okay,” said Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien. “Then we had a couple of bad shifts and they just kind of took it over; momentum shifted their way for the rest of the period. But we came back in the second obviously a little bit.”
The first goal of the game, his 11th of the season came from Jarome Iginla ( assists,Lucic, Krug) at 16:29 of the second period. But it was the third period that showcased a crumbling Senators team and a flourishing Bruins offense. 38 seconds into the period, David Krejci netted his 8th of the season with the help of defensive pairing Bartkowski and McQuaid.
It was yet again a stellar performance from Reilly Smith who pocketed his 13th and 14th of the season at 10:20 and 17:26 of the third. Chemistry has finally made it’s mark for the young forward and his line mates Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, who both assisted on Smith’s first goal, and Bergeron on the second.
“That was definitely the case tonight where we were getting tons of chances in the first and mainly in the second and nothing was really going in,” said Smith in regards to the points his line has been producing. ” You’ve got to stay positive and if it’s not going in it’s just a matter of time. We were creating great scoring chances, Marsh [Brad Marchand] and Berg [Patrice Bergeron] did a great job creating two-on-ones and odd man rushes. Sooner or later it went in and it kind of came in a bunch.”
If the Senators fate hadn’t already been sealed, Marchand found the back of the net with a shorthanded goal at 19:33 of the third period for a final of 5-0. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask tallied his fourth shutout of the season, stopping all 33 shots faced.
The sting of the loss may be short lived as both teams meet again tonight in Ottawa for a re-match.
The first home game after Christmas can be an absolute struggle. Of course, excitement levels are running high, because you’ve been deprived of hockey for a whole 72-hours, but exhaustion levels are running just as rampant. You’re running on empty from the hectic family filled schedule and, if you’re like me, you’re probably experiencing some sort of head cold to boot.
So keep the game night ensemble two things, 1. simple, 2. comfortable. Heeding my own advice, I went for a look that was just that.
Breakdown:
Cream oversized sweater, Gift from Santa, Price unknown
Black pleather leggings, Gift from Santa, Price unknown
Brown wedge boots, Target, $13.98
Media Tip: Always pack your charger. Too many times I’ve been running on empty, praying that my phone will make it through post game. Pack your charger and head into the locker room at 100%.
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