Division previews, take 2

It's time to head down I-95 and take a look at the Atlantic Division. Yesterday I mentioned that the Northeast Division is one of the toughest in hockey. I stand by that in terms of how evenly matched the teams are. To the Atlantic Division I say it's arguably the deepest and/or best division in hockey. Three of the past four Stanley Cup Finals have featured a team from the Atlantic Division, and this division routinely sends multiple teams to the playoffs year in and year out.

ATLANTIC DIVISION:
Last year's standings

Philadelphia 47-23-12
Pittsburgh 49-25-8
New York Rangers 44-33-5

New Jersey 38-39-5
New York Islanders 30-39-13


Philadelphia Flyers: What a long, strange trip it's been for Flyers fans. In the matter of hours, the faces of the franchise are shipped cross country in some of the most shocking trades in Flyers history. After a lifeless performance by the Orange and Black against Boston, owner Ed Snider put the world on notice, the Flyers were going to get a goaltender. GM Paul Holmgren wasted no time in trading for the rights to pending UFA, Ilya Bryzgalov. With cap issues before the 4million increase, the Flyers would have to make room to fit Bryz's hefty new contract, so out went Jeff Carter to Columbus for the 8th overall pick in the 2011 entry draft (Sean Couturier) and Jakub Voracek. Not even an hour later word was given that Mike Richards went to Flyers West, I mean the LA Kings, for prospect Brayden Schenn and feisty Wayne Simmonds. In the span of an afternon the Flyers announced their new goalie and the departure of their leading goal scorer the past few seasons, and their captain once likened to be the next Bobby Clarke. Oh yeah, they also signed Max Talbot to a long term deal and brought in Jaromir Jagr. Yes, you read the correctly. After July 1, I think it's safe to say that Pittsburgh was more like Pissedburgh. Worse joke ever, right?
This future is now in Claude Giroux and James vanRiemsdyk's hands. In the immediate future however, the veterans are going to handle the leadership. With Pronger expected to be completely healthy in October, and the rest of the D intact, look for the offense to be the question marks. How will Giroux handle being the #1 center, and will he and JvR mesh with either Voracek or Jagr? Also look to see how Bryzgalov handles the increased pressure of a hockey mad town compared to playing the desert, where it's plaus 32 all year. If he can weather the storm and play like he has been, apart from his poor playoff performance this year, Flyers faithful will be loving every bit of his large contract.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pens towards the end of the season were those people you see running marathons, finishing long after the competition, but still finishing it despite not winning accolades. Except for the fact that they still almost won the division, despite losing Crosby and Malkin to season ending injuries earlier in the year. Somehow playing the trap can win you the Jack Adams trophy by the way, so aspiring coaches take note. They did manage to blow a 3-1 lead against Tampa Bay in the opening round of the playoffs, but given the injuries the team sustained, just making it is a feat in itself. Now the good news for the Pens is that Malkin is fully healed and ready to go, but the bad news is Crosby's concussion issues have resurfaced with more intense workouts, so when (and just to say it, if) he returns is still in question. Still to be "stuck" with Malkin and Staal as your 1-2 centers isn't a bad place to be. The James Neal trade at the deadline last season and the free agent signing of Steve Sullivan should help the Pens lack of depth on the wing. If and when Crosby returns, the Pens will be a very serious threat to take the division.

New York Rangers: Well the Rangers finally got their center to play with Gaborik. In a move a blind man could see coming, the Rangers somehow "managed" to land free agent gem Brad Richards. Let's face it, Gaborik can shoot, and Richards is more of a playmaker than a sniper, this is a match made in hockey heaven...providing Gaborik can stay healthy, which is always a concern. Couple their all star center/wing combo with a young, but sturdy defense and one of the best goalies in the league in recent years, and you have a team that can make some serious waves. Maybe now the Rangers won't need to wait till the last day of the season to make or miss the playoffs. Maybe.

New Jersey Devils: The Devils were they hottest teams in hockey down the stretch, unfortunately that was about the only time they got hot all year, and ended up missing the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Floundering under then head coach John McLean, and decimated by injuries, the Devils soon found themselves at the bottom of the league and well out of the playoff picture. Enter Jesus with a comb over, I mean Jacques Lemaire, and the team played with a new found vigor. Kovalchuk found his killer instinct and backup goalie Johan Hedberg was simply phenomenal when called upon. Now the Devils got the pick of the draft with Adam Larsson, the big right shooting Swedish defenseman to help add youth and talent to the blue line and the now healthy Parise to be in the lineup at the start of the season things are looking up for the Devils. Biggest questions for the Devils are how much the injury to Travis Zajac will affect them, and whether or not Martin Brodeur can continue to spit in Father Time's eye and play above his years suggest he should be. If the Devils can do that, they will once again be in the playoff hunt.

New York Islanders: If hockey teams were cartoon characters then the New York Islanders would be Eeyore. It's always raining on the Islanders parade. The potential on this team is immense, but when one thing happens to them, it seems like a million more are right around the corner. Injuries to key players Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit ended their seasons before they began, and of course Rick DLiPietro was injured. We all remember when Ty Conklin literally broke DiPietro's face! It wasn't all doom and gloom for the Islanders though, as they had five 20+ goal scorers, Matt Moulson and rookie Michael Grabner potting 34 goals, six of them short handed. the Islanders also managed to deal with the mess with Evgeni Nabokov, and he will play this season, so once DiPietro gets hurt (and you know it'll happen eventually) Al Montoya and Nabokov should be more than able to handle the goaltending duties for the Isles.
Will last year's first round pick Nino Niedereitter make this year's big club after another season in the WHL? And what about this year's pick in Ryan Strome? The Islanders give their youth every chance to succeed at the NHL level, so it will be an interesting preseason to watch out on Long Island. Even without all the drama of a new arena or possibly relocation, a healthy Islanders club should be a fun club to watch, but I cannot stress the healthy aspect enough. Injuries flat out destroy this team's chance at being competitive in an already cut throat division.


Predictions: With the injury to Crosby looming over Steel City like a storm cloud, I expect them to stumble a bit this season. They will certainly be competitive, but right now I think it's a two horse race for the division crown between the Rangers and the Flyers. On paper the Rangers are the most improved team in the Atlantic, while the Flyers certainly have some possible chemistry issues to contend with before they can be truly considered a contender at this point.

New York Rangers-Philadelphia Flyers-New Jersey Devils-Pittsburgh-New York Islanders. I'll say the top four in the division all have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

The Steven Stamkos Saga

Nice alliteration huh?

We can really replace his name with a few of the high profile pending RFA's to be lately, but it seems to be that his name is at the top of the list, and on the tips of tongues and fingers everywhere. For good reason I suppose. As currently as this afternoon Tampa Bay has been signing other players (D-men Bruno Gervais and Marc-Andre Bergerson), arguably deemed lesser players, to their roster but have yet to sign Stamkos to a deal. I can hear you asking yourselves already, what pucking gives?! Quite honestly no one really knows, but I'll try to figure it out as best as I can.

According to Capgeek.com, the Lightning have 21 million dollars in cap space right now. Let us just assume for a moment, that Stamkos is looking for Vinny LeCavalier type money (a 7.7 mil cap hit until next millennium). With the current state of of long term deals it seems simple enough to ink him to a long term front loaded contract with a cap hit around 6 million dollars. There is some speculation out there that Steve Yzerman trying to follow the Detroit business model where the top end guys take a little less money for the good of the organization, and it looks like Stamkos isn't biting. Why should he? Back to back 90+ point seasons, with 45 or more goals. The kid is turning into everything that he was expected to be, and possibly more. He has every right to ask for more money. Now on June 22nd TSN reported that Stamkos Says He's "close" to a Deal with Lightning. What could've happened within the span of a week to change all that? With mum being the word from all sides, it's hard to gauge. Without trying to dissect this even further, I'm going to skip right to the speculation flying around. Yeah yeah, enough pucking around, I know.

Let the rumors begin. July 1 is literally right around the corner. Tampa Bay has cap room, but it is being reported that they have lost from anywhere from 20-30 million dollars this past season, despite coming within one game of the Stanley Cup finals. That certainly doesn't bode well for a long term lucrative deal for Stamkos. There are also reports that Stevie Y. has said that he's ready for anything, you have to wonder if there will be money enough to match any/every offer sheet that comes through the door. With the cap floor being so high, a lot of teams are struggling to make it there, so an offer sheet could come from teams with cap room to spare, or from a big market club with space and money to burn. Barring an offer that is completely out of reach you have to wonder if Tampa Bay will match year after year until Stamkos becomes a free agent, or they will manage to iron out a deal before someone else comes along with an offer sheet to good to refuse.

Undoubtedly the compensation will be four consecutive 1st round draft picks, as there is no way the Lightning will be unable to match a smaller offer, nor will one be issued in all likelihood. Teams rumored to be in on the possibility of an offer sheet are Toronto and Philadelphia although any number of teams can make a move, as long as they have their picks to offer as compensation. However, it doesn't make any sense for those to clubs. For starters, Philadelphia has only 8.2 million in cap space currently, and still has to reach deals with recently acquired RFA's Voracek and Simmonds, while also attempting to re-sign pending UFA Ville Leino, whom the Flyers have expressed great interest in locking back up. Not to mention the Flyers are in need of some depth players and possibly a younger defenseman to come in and learn the system while playing a limited minutes role until some key veterans retire, which may be sooner than later. Despite what amounts to rumor mongering by Frank Seravelli of the Philadelphia Daily News, it just seems illogical for the Flyers to make that kind of run at a player. Although to be fair to Frank, this is Philadelphia we're talking about so anything is possible. Toronto seems more likely with over 18million in cap space and an overwhelming need for a number one center. However, with the state of their team, and the bitterness over losing two first round picks for Phil Kessel (which resulted in the second overall pick in the draft, Tyler Seguin and a Stanley Cup for Boston) I cannot see Brian Burke willing to give up four years worth of draft picks. However, if anyone is "crazy" enough to do it, it would be Burke.

Another option could be the New York Rangers. While they are front runners for Brad Richards once free agency opens up, if that goes awry, they do have the space and the craziest of all GM's in Glen Sather to possibly pull this off. I see this as a dark horse at best, simply because they're freeing up their cap space for Brad Richards, and given that player's close relationship to current coach John Tortorella, it's hard to imagine Richards going anywhere else. Other teams with cap space to burn and some offensive woes are the Ottawa Senators (who have holes up and down their line up), Nashville Predators (who play a defensive system), St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche (who are currently deepest at center position).

So as free agency prepares to open its flood gates, we sit and watch as these rumors continue to fly. If you take the time to pause for a moment though, it only seems to make sense that he stays in Tampa Bay. Yzerman will be forever defined by what happens in the coming days, possibly weeks. He's smart and competitive, and there's no way he's simply going to be out bid for a player. If a team puts together a deal, he can simply match it for a year and spend all that time negotiating a long term contract. While fans are enjoying the thoughts of Stamkos in their favorite team's sweater, at the end of the day it's just a pipe dream. Anything is possible, sure, but this one is probably the furthest from it, without being officially impossible.

It's preview time.

No pontificating (I just wanted to say that) about the end of the regular season. You know it's over, and you know it was awesome. The playoffs are here and it's time to get down to business. So without further adieu (bi-lingual up in the mo-pucker) here is the Eastern Conference matches and my "expert" analysis and predictions.

#1 Washington Capitals vs. #8 New York Rangers
Regular Season results, Rangers win series 3-1 (Caps 2-1-1)

The Rangers once again needed the last day of the season to clinch a playoff spot, and they needed help from the Tampa Bay Lightning to do it. The Caps on the other hand, have once again finished on the top of the heap, and while they failed to capture the President's Trophy for two years in a row, but till have the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers will be out to prove that they deserve to be in, and the Caps are looking to finally get passed the first round and show they're for real.

Caps: The Caps have improved defensively and that was their biggest downfall the last few years in the playoffs. Their run-and-gun offense was fine in the regular season, but when the playoffs start and teams buckle down, it's not always enough to play fast and loose. What remains to be seen is whether or not Mike Greene will be back in the line up after dealing with his head injury. He will certainly help the Caps power play which finished the season at 17.5%. The biggest question will be whether or not the Caps young goaltenders will be able to rise to the occasion and get them over the hump. All three goaltenders who have played for the Caps this season have been rather solid between the pipes, but only Varlamov has any kind of playoff track record. Neuvirth seems to be the Caps choice heading into the first round, so it will be interesting to see if he's the key to the Caps success or not.

Rangers: Rangers might have just made the playoffs on the last day, but the last few games have been some really inspired hockey with gutsy wins over division leaders Boson and Philadelphia. The Alanta shutout was a cause for alarm, but they bounced back and won when their backs were against the wall. They have lost one of their emotional leaders in Ryan Callahan to a broken leg, courtesy of Zdeno Chara. The return of captain Chris Drury seemed to be a morale boost. The play of Henrik Lundqvist has once again been stellar, as he is the NHL shutout leader this season, with 11. King Henrik, has been known to let in a softy in his day, so it should be interesting to see which version of him shows up come playoff time.

Breakdown: This series should be rather intense. The Rangers have a chip on their shoulder, but the Caps have something to prove of their own. Rangers and Caps have met in the playoffs before so there could be some bad blood brewing, if it hasn't started already. With the new commitment to better team defense, expect the Caps to put on a better display than they did last year against the Habs. Goaltending will be the key to this series. The Rangers actually put up more goals this season than the Capitals (233 to 224), so they aren't afraid to go toe-to-toe in an offensive battle. Their biggest problem is that they tend to score in bunches, so if the well runs dry against a team like the caps they could be in trouble. Will either goaltender be able to steal a game, possibly the series, for their respective clubs? Whoever can win the battle between the pipes will win the series. I think the regular season struggles of the Caps have made them a stronger team for the playoffs.

Bottom Line: Caps in 6. that's if they can get playoff caliber goaltending from Neuvirth...or whoever starts for them. If goaltending fails them again, Rangers in 7


#2 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #7 Buffalo Sabres
Regular Season results, 2-2 (Philly 2-1-1, Buffalo 2-2)

Stop me if you heard this before, but Philadelphia needed a solid last game effort to clinch a spot, and they have goaltending issues. Only difference now is that last year they were fighting for the final playoff spot, and this year they were fighting for the Atlantic Division title and #2 seed. Goaltenders for Philadelphia have been healthy this season as opposed to the trauma unit they had in goal last year, but their anointed starter has been pulled twice in his last few starts once again raising the question of who will be in the pipes come Game 1. Buffalo, has been...well Buffalo. Seemingly flying under the radar, but playing well enough to make it in.

Philadelphia Flyers: As stated above, the Flyers are once against in the midst of some goaltending issues, but that's par for couse at this point. Honestly, if this happened to any other team, it wouldn't be a big deal, but Philly's been having goaltending issues since Hextall's 2nd go round in the orange and black. It's up there with death and taxes as things you can count on in life. The recalling of Michael Leighton from the Phantoms only adds to the goaltending situation. Are the Flyers showing no faith in rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, or are the Flyers simply looking to add some insurance in case something should happen to either him or Boucher?
Offensively the Flyers are arguably one of the deepest teams in the playoffs. 7 players with 20 goals or more, two of which are over 30 goals on the season. They also have two players who just missed the 20 goal plateau, which means they could've had 9 players with 20 or more goals. Defensively, the Flyers have a terrific crop of 6 D-men, although the absence of Chris Pronger, courtesy of a broken hand, has been detrimental to the team. All aspects of their game has been suffering without his veteran leadership on the ice. Waiver pickup Nick Boynton is day-to-day with neck issues, so look for the 6th man to be Danny Syvret, until Pronger or Boynton is healthy enough to come back in the line up. Obviously the Flyers are hoping for Pronger's return first and foremost to help with their mediocre power play and PK.

Buffalo Sabres: Buffalo enters the playoffs on a decent streak of 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, securing the 7th seed. Thomas Vanek has been one of the hottest players down the stretch, and their leading scorer for the season. The acquisition of Brad Boyes has also sent a message that the Sabres are out to win, and they want to win quickly. Previous ownership of the team was notoriously frugal, and the new owner has come in with a message to the team that he wants to win, and he's willing to spend to do it.
Defensively one has to look at Tyler Meyers, rookie phenom who had one of the worst sophomore slumps in the first half of the season. He has since been on a tear and managed to finish even in plus-minus, after being a minus for the majority of the time leading up to the midway point of the season. Jhonas Enroth has also been a pleasant surprise for Buffalo this season. It used to be the Sabres only had a chance to win with Miller between the pipes, as Patrick Lalime has been terrible during his tenure in Buffalo. To give you an idea of his "success" in Sabres blue, in the past 3 seasons with the sabres, he has been a combined 9-26-5, including 0-5-o this season. Those are numbers that instill confidence in your back up. Enroth on the other hand is 9-2-2 this year, already equalling Lalime's wins over 3 seasons. If something should happen to Miller, Enroth appears to have the skills to step in and get some wins for the Sabres. At the end of the day though, this is still Ryan Miller's team, and he will need to be brillant to stifle the Philadelphia attack.

Breakdown: Philly limped into the playoffs this year, but they did that last year too. Will they capture lightning in a bottle twice, or will the lackluster 20 game stretch be too much for them? The long layoff should help, and hopefully they will use that time to rest up and nurse any nagging injuries before the series with Buffalo. Their regular season match ups have been exciting games, and the playoff atmosphere should only add to that. Will the man they call Bob say "nyet" to the Sabres and bring the Flyers one step closer to the Cup, or will they need to call on their expirienced backups? The Flyers have the physical edge, but Buffalo can punish you for being careless with the puck. If the Flyers can control the flow of the game their forecheck will wear down Buffalo. They will need to play smart and limit the term overs, something that has been a bit of an issue as of late. If they can do that, they can win.

Bottom Line: Flyers in 7. Ryan Miller will steal some games, but the Flyers should be able to prevail

#3 Boston Bruins vs #6 Montreal Canadiens
Regular Season results Montreal wins 4-2 (boston 2-3-1)

Boston Bruins: The "big bad" Bruins have certainly lived up to their name this year. Towards the top of the lead in fighting majors, and if there is a stat for this, they have to be up there in breaking opponents bones. Well at least Chara is anyway. Their abilities to be excellent loan sharks notwithstanding, the play of Timmy Thomas has to be noted. While most people out there were willing to write him off after last season (myself included) he has stormed back and not only silenced even the harshest of critics, he did so while setting a new record in save percentage of .938%. As long as Tim Thomas is between the pipes, the Bruins will have a chance to win every game they play.

Montreal Canadiens: In one of the most bizarre moves of last year's off season, the Habs traded the rights of Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues for a 6-pack and half a pizza. After their run to the Eastern Conference finals, defeating both the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in playoff series for the ages, they essentially say "thanks for that, now don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya," although it probably sounded way more pompous in French. The Habs decided to stick with Carey Price and he has rewarded them with his best season as a professional, with each stat being a career high for him. The Canadiens will need more of this kind of play out of him if they have any kind of hope to beat the Bruins

Breakdown: This is like a prize fight where it's speed versus power. There is no way the Habs can compete with the Bruins in a physical series, but the Bruins cannot compete with the speed of the Habs. Whoever can control their aspect of the game will be victorious. There is already a long standing history between these two Original Six teams, and this regular season has only added to it. The Pachioretty incident will certainly be talked about again, and the Habs should use that to their advantage, but looking at their first meeting with the B's after that, they simply came out flat. The Canadiens will need to skate and move the puck quickly to keep Boston reeling. Conversely, the Bruins will need to bang on the Habs every chance they get. You often hear players say from the bench "no easy plays, boys" and the mantra should hold true for Boston. Finish every check and make the Habs pay a price every time they touch the puck, and they will success. Both goalies will need to bring their best efforts to give their teams a chance to win. You have two Vezina caliber goaltenders going head to head in one of the most storied rivalries in the NHL, and this should be an exciting series to watch.

Bottom Line: Boston in 5/6. The Habs will need to find a way to respond to the physical game of the Bruins if they have a chance. Plus, Tim Thomas has been a beast all season, and I don't that changing any time soon.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs #5 Tampa Bay Lightning
Regular Season results, series split 2-2

This is the series the league will be pushing the most in the first round. Will Crosby be back in time to play in this series? What will Steven Stamkos be like in the post season? These are two teams with players who know what it takes to win the cup, and who want to win. Who will want it more?

Pittsburgh Penguins: When Crosby was on nearly a two point-per-game pace, the play of Marc-Andre Fleury was suspect at best. Then when both Malkin and Crosby were lost for the season, the man they call Flower came up huge for them. Jordan Staal finally returned to the line up after his broken hand injury and has been this team's number one center in the absence of the team's top two guys. Credit to Dan Bylsma for turning this team into a more defensive minded team amidst the loss of their two most offensively dynamic players. It is working well for them, as everyone was expecting them to fall off the face of the earth without Crosby and Malkin.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Steve Yzerman and Guy Boucher have turned Tampa Bay into what they should've been for years, a playoff team. Steven Stamkos was on pace for 50 in 50, and while he fell off his torrid offensive pace, he still managed to finish the season with 45 goals and 91 points. Line mate Martin St. Louis turned in his second best season in terms of points, and set a new personal record for assists. In terms of Center-Winger combinations they are 2nd only to the Sedins in terms of points, but not by much. Vincent Lecavalier looks like he's finding his game again scoring more goals this season than last season, despite playing in 17 fewer games. He's a long way from his career years, but he knows what it takes to win, so look for him to step his game up in the playoffs. The big question in Tampa is goaltending. Expect Dwayne Roloson to start. At 41, you have to wonder if he has it in him to sustain a long playoff run, but he seems to be ageless between the pipes.

Breakdown: The Penguins are perennial favorites for the division title and conference lead. This year was no different, and they challenged right up until the end for the division. Tampa Bay was leading their division for awhile, but lost it to the Caps. With both teams having a mix of veterans who know what you need to do to hold the cup over your head, as well as young hungry players, it will simply come down to who wants it more. Dwayne Roloson carried the Oilers to the Cup finals in '06, and if not for his injury, it's quite possible they would've won. Can Rollie the ageless goalie do the same for Tampa Bay? The Lightning are a team that can score, but they can also give up as many as they put in. Roloson will have to be his old self and be prepared to steal this series.

Bottom Line: Pens in 7. This should be a back and forth series, but it just seems like the Pens will find a way to pull this one out. Roloson will have to steal a few games in order for the Lightning to be victorious. Tampa has given up the most goals this season, and I don't see that changing in the playoffs.




So there you have it, the east in a nutshell. Yeah i picked all the top seeds, but honestly these series can all go either way. The only series I really see being "easy" to predict is Boston/Montreal. I will be back tomorrow, or Tuesday, with the Western Conference previews. Those should be fun matchups.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers "live" blog

I kept an active blog on the game today. Read along.


1st Period: Ugh, Pierre McGuire to start the broadcast. It could only be worse if Mike Milbury is between the glass. Doc Emerick, and Eddie O with the call. Boosh vs. King Henrik. Oh hey, Gaborik is healthy. Give it 20 minutes.

20:00 Here we go.

19:09. Flyers remain the only team in the NHL without a shutout. The first bit of sustained pressure by the Rangers results in goal. Dubinsky puts the work in and Callahan gets the goal.

17:48 Flyers set up. decent puck movement, but Lundqvist is gonna stop everything he can get square to.

17:15 Doc let's us know that Jeff Carter is out sick with the flu. Oh no, who will throw it high and wide for the Flyers?

16:05 Prust stopped on the wraparound. A quick flash of the pads by Boucher to close the door. Flyers getting out played so far. Most of the first 4-5 minutes played in the Philly end.

14:48 Flyers can't get set up. They look tired so far, playing yesterday.

14:21 Penalty to the Flyers. Trip (?) on Shelley. Really, Shelley to the box? In other news ice is cold.

14:08 McCabe with a slapper from the point, gloved up by Boosh. Rangers are tied for 24th in the league in Power Play, Flyers are 7th on the PK

13:11 Zuccarello wide open back side, but Boucher gets square and smothers the high snapper. No rebound. Decent kill so far. Any shots getting through are being stopped.

12:20 Penalty over and now Hartnell draws the penalty. This should almost be a wash since the Philadelphia penalty is terrible right now. and we go to commercial. I can't wait to hear more of Pierre McGuire's "expert" analysis. This dude is the James Lipton of hockey broadcasters. Please. Shut up.

12:02 We're back. Fedetenko in the box, thanks to Hartnell's fine acting.

11:25 nice hard pass by meszaros, snatched up by Lundqvist. He seems on his game so far today. Flyers will need to get bodies in front and hope for some deflections or screens.

10:50. Flyers getting excellent puck movement...but that's it. Ok NOW they're shooting. If the flyers keep this up, a very tired rangers kill is going to yield something.

10:02. Rangers escape that one.

9:25 Shelley and Boyle in a quick scrap after Shelley drops Gilroy with a heavy hit along the half boards. Shelley wins! I'm pretty sure hell has frozen over. Boyle gets an instigator penalty. ....wow. Didn't expect that at all. Not a good call. Torts is PIIIIIIIIIIIISSED! Flyers back on the power play.

9:04 Flyers once again getting great puck movement, but refuse to shoot. Interesting seeing Carle playing so low. Pronger is the guy up top

8:28 ....and that's it. Richards to the bin for Slashing.

7:51 Rangers get away with a delay of game. Ruled a tip, but wasn't.

7:20 abbreviated power play beings for Rangers.

7:02 Callahan with his 2nd on the power play. bad angle shot, roofed it. Boosh thought pass, so Callahan took the real estate given. Flyers in a hole now

6:25 "It's all Rangers right now" says Doc Emerick. Just in case you didn't see the scoreboard, or just turned your TV on right now.

5:30 Flyers are in trouble. Rangers are pressing. Out hitting, and out hustling. Flyers have no sustained pressure. It can easily be 3 or 4 by the end of the period if they don't do something.

4:17 Why does Brian Boucher play the puck? It's like he's in cahoots with Cholesterol and high blood pressure to help give people heart attacks.

3:13 Rags come in with a 3 on 1 and Boosh makes the save. He's easily been their best player, which doesn't say too much considering the score. In all fairness, he's getting no support and it could be worse. The first period cannot end soon enough for the Flyers. They need to regroup.

2:42 Flyers with a chance, but once again can't convert.

2:05 Carle backhander stopped by Lundqvist. This one and done will not work against a goalie like Lundqvist. No traffic = no goals.

1:02 PING! The post is the goalie's best friend.

0:46 Andres Nodl with a great pass to Grioux, who's robbed by Lundqvist. too little too late in the first. Hands down their best chance of the period.

0:00 Period over. The Rangers need to keep up the pace. They're absolutely dominating every aspect of the game. Torts should just stroke the ego a little bit and let them know they're killing it right now. The other locker room should be fire and brimstone. Flyers came out flat and are now 2 goals down. Only positives to take away is puck movement on the power play. They kept it in the zone and out worked the PK. However they have nothing to show for it, since the don't pucking shoot. Rangers are out shooting the Flyers 14-7. U

And now it's time to Milbury-McGuire. NBC....PLEASE fire these assholes.

20:00 2nd period underway. Time to see what kind of adjustments the coaches made, and if the players are actually paying attention.

19:05 Rangers continue to dominate. Dubinsky and Richards scrapping in response to a big hit by Richards. Capt. Mike is clearly trying to spark the team, but Dubinsky is getting the better of him. Hopefully this will wake the Flyers up. Edzo points out flyers with 6 hits in the oppening 55 seconds.

18:14 Avery laying in the crease picks up the goal. 3-0 Rangers. Any interference is negated since Meszaros hooked him. oooohhh replay shows him kicking it. They're going upstairs. Commentators are calling a "distinct kicking motion," but he was hooked and going down. Will be interesting. Wow, 20 years of video review. War room says kicking motion. Thems the breaks when you're Sean Avery. Flyers get away with one. Let's see if they can build on it.

17:30 The Flyers cross the redline. Yeah that's it.

16:48 Gaborik just threw a punch at Versteeg. Coming back from a concussion and already getting your bell run by a Flyer before, you'd think he'd learn. Matching minors.

15:40 Flyers shooting from the half boards, failing to get any sustained pressure. It's going to be an easy afternoon for Lundqvist if this keeps up

14:54 Rags get the 3rd goal back. Zuccarello converts the 2 on 1. Matt Carle playing the pass, and Boucher just gets beat far post. Something's gotta give for the Flyers

Commercial break. via Tim Panaccio's twitter "not sure if UGLY fully does justice in describing this game right now"

13:32 And that's the trick for Callahan. Versteeg served up the biscuit on a platter. Boucher beaten from just inside the right faceoff dot. Based on play thus far, there's no way this game is going to improve for the Flyers. Bobrovsky coming in. This game is decided, barring a miracle. Final stats for Boucher, 4 goals on 18 shots.

12:52 Flyers going on the powerless play. 12 shots on goal so far. 0-2 on the power play this afternoon.

11:02 Flyers ice the puck. Really indicative of their play today.

10:26 Imagine that, Lundqvist making the easy save. He looks very comfortable, challenging up high.

9:58 Rangers again going to the box. Looks like Prospal. It's strictly academic at this point. The Flyers want to get on the bus, and the refs want to go home. It's times like this you almost wish there was a mercy rule, like in little league. Almost waiting for the short handed goal to put an exclamation point on this fiasco for the Flyers. Yeah I did that on purpose.

6:46 "All you need is one goal," says Eddie O. yes and no, simply because the Flyers right now haven't put forth a consistent effort to warrant a comeback. A goal a this point just goes towards a "respectable" loss.

5:59 Was about to compliment JvR one being one of the few Flyers putting for a decent effort....and he goes to the sin bin. Apparently the Flyers are treating this like a golf game. Everyone wants to be a minus today.

5:06 Bobrovsky with a stretch across the crease to deny Gaborik. Easily the best Flyer today....and he's been in for 8 minutes.

3:05 Briere to the box for slashing. I don't know if there's a stat for this, but in terms of just stick infractions Briere has to be among the league leaders. He's a like a combination of Zorro and Phil "Dr. Hook" McCracken.

2:02 Bobrovsky makes a nice save on Callahan to keep him at 3 goals.

1:00 last minute to play, and the horn can't come fast enough.

0:00 Rags leave the ice to hometown cheers. Rangers continue to dominate the play through 40 minutes. At this point it's all over, barring one of the craziest 3rd period comebacks ever. Rangers just need to continue to play they have been all day and they'll get out of here with a much needed two points. The only adjustments I see the Flyers making is their bus driver fixing his seat. Start warming it up now. The best part about the 2nd period was hearing Rusted Root in that Enterprise commercial...and I don't even like Rusted Root.

20:00 The Broadway domination continues. Pierre is commenting that the Flyers are not happy with the way they've played today. Ya think?! Thanks for that insight. I can't wait for more in depth reports like the Flyers are wearing orange

18:45 Nodl gets a stick up high after a good hit on Anisimov. 2 minutes only. Powerless play on for the Flyers.

18:12 Zherdev with a nice cross ice feed to Giroux, who with plenty of room....passed it back to the point. Poor decision making on the man advantage.

17:23 Briere to the box for Interference. He has to know most of the sin bin people by name at this point.

15:40 Callahan with his 4th of the night on the power play into the open net. Bobrovsky over committed and left the cage wide open.

13:42 Rangers clear the puck out of danger with Lundqvist on his back. Everything going the Rangers way today.

12:00 Flyers can't even beat the traffic today. Only thing going right for them today will be the bus as it drives out of NYC.

11:12 Bobrovsky freezes the puck. stop dragging this out.

9:50 The Flyers have their 4th line out there banging. At this point any energy they create will be a waste. Might as well play them anyway, give the other guys a rest

9:12 vanRiemsdyk with a nice wrister, but Lundqvist is square and swallows it up. While he hasn't had too many scary moments, Lundqvist has been strong whenever he's tested. This is a team shutout, as the Flyers hasn't had too many quality chances, but Henrik will not be denied.

8:41 Meszaros played the 2 on 1 nicely denying the pass and Bobrovsky comes up with a save on Anisimov.

7:37 Every little miscue, errant pass or broken play has been a microcosm of the Flyers recent stretch of poor play. They're trying, but it's just not going their way. The frustration has to be reaching a boiling point. This is not a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations right now.

5:19 Anisimov for the 6 pack. He won't be denied by Bobrovsky again. The end can't come fast enough.

4:22 That sums it up. Nice puck movement, and it looks like they'll finally get on the board, and the puck won't go in. Not the flyers night.

1:13 Giants 7, Eagles 0. Oh wait, this is a hockey game. Rags put up 7. Zuccarello with his 2nd of the night.

0:00 Rangers with the shutout. they go to 1-4 on the year against the Flyers. Lundqvist gets his 9th shutout of the season. With the win, the Rangers hold on their 7th place position in the standings and the Flyers stay in first. This game was over almost as soon as it started. The loss drags out the Flyers winless streak, and one has to wonder where they go from here. I will be looking forward to the post game with Laviolette. He cannot be happy with his team, and with Flyers playing Edmonton on Tuesday and Toronto on Thursday, it could be a chance to right the ship. The Rangers meanwhile have to be happy with their performance today. While I don't think they will move up to 6th, it was a solid 2 point effort and helps to increase their grip on the 7th seed.

deadline is almost here

no waxing philosophically to start. the deadline is just around the corner and there are some teams that absolutely have to do something, so let's talk about them.

LA Kings: This team appears to be over the hump and fighting to hold on to a playoff spot, but at the same time challenging for the division lead. They are four points back of Phoenix for the division lead (yeah you read that right) and only 3 points ahead of 8th in the conference. A few games in either direction can either make or break this team. Marco Sturm was claimed off waivers today, giving LA even more cap space. They need a top line winger to play with Kopitar and add depth to their scoring. Rumors are saying possibly Hemsky from Edmonton but who knows what Lombardi is thinking. I think that's part of the problem, as no one seems to know what anyone is thinking. The Kings have a good crop of younger players and a respectable veteran presence, but it's not enough to go deep in the playoffs, especially in the West.

Washington Capitals: I love the fact that for once a team with goaltending issues being discussed ISN'T the Philadelphia Flyers, although they do have some of their own. Hell, it wouldn't be a season if they didn't. Having said that, McPhee needs to do something to sure up the goaltending. The Caps need to choose between Neuvirth and Varlamov and then go for a possible trade. With Giguere injured, I don't see Voukun as a bad choice, albeit an expensive one. The Caps can still move Semin, and with his $6mil+ cap hit, it would be a wash in terms of money. Both players are set to become free agents at the end of the season, so it't a win win. The Caps could always use the space freed up by Semin to potentially re-sign Voukun too, thus giving their young goaltenders a chance to develop with one of the better goalies in the game today. McPhee has repeatedly stated that he's comfortable with the goaltending as it is in Washington, but given the decrease in offensive production coupled with some lopsided losses as well as injuries, you have to wonder if the Capitals are in for another early playoff exit.

Buffalo Sabres: Thanks to the new owner's green light to spend, it'll be interesting to see how fast the Sabres can spend. More importantly however, it's important that they spend to win. You also have to wonder if they will have to give up draft picks and prospects right now to get a return. The Tylers are far too good to trade for the short term, but out of any team in the east that has a chance to make it right now, I believe the Sabres have the best shot, with two games in hand of Carolina and only two points back. I'm looking for them to be busy, or at least in the running right up until 3pm monday, but how successful they are remains to be seen.

New York Rangers: If the Brad Richards rumors are true, Glen Sather has to be busy to get him in under the cap. The Rangers have needed a true number one center for awhile, but the addition of Marian Gaborik has only made it more imperative. The goaltending combination of Lundqvist/Biron is more than enough to get them through, providing they can play solid defense and get solid leads. The young crop of defensemen for the Rangers looks to be good for years, but right now they're still a little green, and will need all the help they can get from both their forwards scoring goals and their goalies stealing games. If Lundqvist has shown us anything in his tenure with the league, it's his ability to do just that. Well that and give up the odd angle goal now and again.


OK, that's all for now. I'm still here, just hard to focus on all these trades. Maybe after the deadline I will have a winners and losers run down or something. We'll see. In the meantime, just keep your eyes peeled on your favorite hockey news sources.