Archive for March 14th, 2009
SATURDAY’S GAMES AND PICKS
For in depth look into the NHL teams records and preview of tonight’s games please go back to the “Home Page” on Hockey God, at the bottom lower left hand side:
Click on “Scoreboard” and review every game by clicking in the individual games being played on Saturday.
Today’s Picks
NYI @ BOS: Take BRUINS
NYR @ PHI: Take RANGERS
DET @ STL: Take RED WINGS
OTT @ PIT: Take PENGUINS
ATL @ BUF: Take SABRES
CGY @ TOR: Take FLAMES
NJD @ MTL: Take DEVILS
CAR @ WSH: Take CAPITALS
TBL @ FLA: Take PANTHERS
MIN @ DAL: Take STARS
NSH @ PHX: Take PREDATORS
LAK @ SJS: Take SHARKS
COL @ EDM: Take OILERS
GAINEY BETTER WIN OR ELSE . . .
Montreal Canadiens General Manager & Head Coach Bob Gainey has to be feeling the heat these days leading to the end of the season. Gainey who fired his coach with 16 games to go and sitting in a playoff position has put the target squarely on his back.
Gainey going behind the bench has made it clear that it’s his team and the players to a man have said it’s a little hard to think that if he does not like you, you could be shown the door out of town.
For the Habs to have success at this time of the season and beyond they have to get goaltending just like any team in the new NHL. But in the case of the Habs they also must have huge performances from their remaining group come playoffs assuming they get there.
Montreal was thrown around, out hit and eventually out skated in the playoffs last season and have very little to change that. Other than trading one of the forwards that plays with grit Steve Begin for basically nothing leaving the Habs with little grit to combat the Flyers mean, tough and hard working team come playoff time.
First Gainey let Sheldon Souray go as a free agent but then followed it up by allowing power play specialist Mark Streit jump. Now this year it seems that Mike Komisarek will bolt as he is a free agent July 1st leaving Gainey with an 0-3 record of being able to sign his free agent D.
This time around I don’t see much changing in the playoffs even if they get the goatending.The team with Gainey never even attempted to make the necessary changes to get bigger stronger and an amount of grit up front. Not to mention replacing Robert Lang who was injured earlier putting Gainey on the hot seat when as I predict the Habs fail miserably in the Playoffs.
SENS PRIVATE BOX GETS MAKEOVER
Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk would like it if there was as much action on the ice these days for the Sens as there is in his private boxs inside Scotia Bank Place.
At a Sens home game this past week Senators forwards Mike Fisher along with recently acquired Mike Comrie had their famous girlfriends in attendance.
Fisher who dates country singer and former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood who are just now admitting that they are an item has been at several home and away games this season.
Comrie who has dated actress/singer Hilary Duff for years now was a main stay at Islanders games while he played there. But this past week was the first time the two of them pictured above were at the games at the same time. They not only do not know each other but when sitting in the private box they sat apart from each other with one on the upper platform of the box and the other on the lower. With all the reports of them not getting along it’s doubtful that any of that is true with hockey players as boyfriends they better learn to get along with each other if they don’t. Hopefully the boyfriends influence as hockey players reputations of being among the best people in sports will rub off if there is a jealousy problem between them.
TIME OF YEAR
This is the time of year that non playoff teams like the Senators and Maple Leafs play all their youth to see where they can fit in next season. The teams without a hope of making playoffs opt to give some younger players a chance at the NHL level playing among NHL talent on their own teams and against stronger talent.
This is the time that players can make or break their chance at being whatever they were drafted for as players. Players are more than likely feeling the heat at this time of year like no other and it’s interesting to see who responds with the additional ice time.
In Ottawa it’s Nick Foligno who has stepped up with the increased ice time at this time of year. Foligno who comes from a strong hockey family with father Mike a former Toronto Maple Leafs and NHL player is starting to show his goods.
Foligno is trying to do more with the puck which is a tell tale sign that he is gaining confidence in the NHL. Also he is hanging onto the puck trying to better plays, moves and over all taking the time to read the play like veterans do. This is what it takes to become a pro in the NHL slow things down take time to be able to do things at a very high rate of speed all the while using the skills that got you there in the first place.
REFS TO BLAME
The NHL General Managers meetings exposed one thing that the refs won’t be happy about. They are basically changing again how they want the game to be called leaving the refs on the hook saying they just need to enforce the calls already in place.
The refs being told that this time next season if all the rules are cleared by the correct committees they will increase the instigator penalty. Along with that the refs will be asked to make the call on the ice if it is a staged fight? Come on putting this entire package on the refs is ludicrous to say the least about it. Refs have a hard enough job making in game calls never mind them deciding if the two guys fighting are a result of a staged fight or in game spontaneous fight.
Brian Burke Toronto GM has said the only real debate on fighting has been with reporters because within the NHL boardroom it’s clear that no one wants it to stop.
For Hockey God I’m Dave Frost
