The Fifth Liners

Earlier this year I wrote a piece which posed the question ' What's Going On With Philly?' and this was one thing everyone in the city of brotherly love was pondering! To begin this season, the Philadelphia Flyers seemed to be in free fall with only one win from a possible nine games and sat 15th overall in the Eastern Conference- only the Buffalo Sabres seemed to be having a worse time. But since sacking head coach Peter Laviolette in October, new coach Craig Berube has reignited the competitive flames of Philly and currently they have surged up the table to now lie 8th overall in the East with a noteworthy 16 wins to their name and now an outside chance of a play-off appearance- now who would have predicted that? But what has been the kick starter in this dramatic come back? Well the answer points to one man who initially was label as the key problem... Claude Giroux! Earlier this year the Flyers captain seemed to be going through an almighty crisis and not helped by

After last nights 7-2 steamroller over the Colorado Avalanche , it would appear that the Chicago Blackhawks are the public's favourite to retain their Stanley Cup crown this year! If they do succeed in taking back to back titles, it will make them the first team to achieve this since the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings and will already make them one of the big successes of this decade alone! After their up and down start to their title defense, the Red Express has got back on the rails and it ain't going to stop any time soon! But as always with winning, things are never straight forward because across from our brothers in Illinois are another team who are equally hungry and have a burning desire not to repeat last years play-off nightmare in the shape of the Pittsburgh Penguins ! Both sides have an equally strong case as they possess offensive units to die for- Chicago this season have been led by free scoring winger Patrick Kane, whose 21 goals have pushed them to the top of the

On June 27th next year, the 2014 NHL Draft will be upon us and as the day grows ever closer, it is time to evaluate the next potential superstars of the game. Right now, there is one name on the tip of everyone's tongue and that name is Sam Reinhart ! The 18 year old Vancouver native has sure been making heads turn playing for Kooteney Ice in the Western Hockey League and this season currently has an unbelievably hot stats of 50 points in just 33 games this season! From the footage witness, the kid possesses all the key attributes of a number one pick with his speed, skill and most importantly a strong edge. Also he seems to a great sureness of shot- judging from the goals on display, he'll be on TSN highlight reels more than once! Can this Canadian centre become a more important draft than Stamkos or Crosby before him? Time will tell, for the moment check this kid out below!

Oh dear...

I know this piece will probably seem a bit hypocritical to some seeing as I basically slated the St Louis Blues during the off season and implied that they better not hold their breath waiting for the glory days to come! Well after last night's 6-0 thrashing of Edmonton, it seems this year could well be the year that hockey goes big in Missouri! So far the Blues firm has been nothing short of exceptional and currently they stand 4th overall in the Western Conference with only four points separating them from previous cup champs Los Angeles and Chicago! Last season brought a similar result and despite their best efforts, they were eliminated by the Kings in the playoffs first round. It seems head coach Ken Hitchcock has been firmly wracking his brains in the off season. His solutions to plugging the gaps seem to be working as the Blues have the third most goals in the Western Conference with 125 goals and have been led by the free scoring forward Alexander Steen with 38 points!

The San Jose Sharks may never have lifted the Stanley Cup, but it's definitely not for lack of trying. In the 21 seasons (not including the lost 05/06 season) since the Sharks formed, the team has only missed the playoffs five times. The last time that happened was in 2003. Still though, the furthest the Sharks ever got in the playoffs was the Conference final. The Pacific division is full of teams with cup pedigree and the intermittent Calgary Flames and struggling Edmonton Oilers seem to be happy to gift their points to any team who turns up. The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are dominant in the division, and the Phoenix Coyotes' initial run of outstanding form has stalled slightly. This leaves the Sharks and the Canucks to fight for the number three spot in the division. Traditionally the Canucks have always been happy to donate two points whenever the two teams meet up, but under new coach John Tortorella; the planets aligned and the Canucks actually won a game

Last season the New York Islanders seemed to have reached a breakthrough. Speared by their main man John Tavares, they made the playoffs for the first time in over five years by finishing 8th in the Eastern Conference and they pushed Pittsburgh to six games in the playoffs first round! But so far this season it seems normal lousy service has resumed!  Currently the Islanders lie 15th in the Eastern and so far have a low 9 wins and a high 121 goals against! So what had caused this sudden drop in form? Well lack of goals hasn't been the cause, it's the lack of players scoring them! Tavares, Kyle Okposo and Frans Neilsen have been the Islanders' only really consistent players and their high points scores reflect their efforts, but the nearest player to them is Tomas Vanek with 13 points. Ah yes, that one, recently GM Garth Snow made the utterly bizarre decision to trade star winger Matt Moulson to the Buffalo Sabres for Tomas Vanek. While the hockey world sat in shock, the

As the 2013/14 season rumbles on, one of the biggest surprises so far is how impressed we've been with some of the back up goaltenders. Usually only rolled out for the easier games, or when the superstar goalie gets injured, the back up usually spends most of his time sat on the bench. Patiently waiting, but never hoping, for something to go wrong. Scrivens, standing guard. Before moving to the LA Kings from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the start of the season, Ben Scrivens had spent most of his professional career so far in the lower leagues. When Jonathan Quick picked up an injury in November, a huge amount of pressure was then shifted to Scrivens' shoulders. He had to step into Quick's Stanley Cup winning skates. Just like The Beatles with Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever, it turned out that the LA Kings had a double a-side between the sticks. Right now both goalies have played 16 games each and despite playing less minutes than Quick; Scrivens has faced m

The Edmonton Oilers hold a proud hockey history and fans in this part of Alberta still love their team, but this year has been nothing short of a horror show! All looked promising at the end of last saw season when former GM Steve Tambellini was given the the chop and was succeeded by head coach Craig Mactavish, who in turn appointed young Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins as the new coach of the Oilers. A new era seemed to be born and many experts expected bug things. Tragically we are STILL waiting for the results to come and even with no less than three 1st overall picks, their play just isn't coming together. So far Edmonton are 14th and last in the Western Conference, they have only 11 wins and a whopping 18 loss! Depressingly this over 17 goals more than the Nashville Predators but they have three more wins. But the real question here is what is cause of this continuing slide? The answer is not an easy one, continuing injuries haven't helped their cause, in particul

Sorry. Couldn't resist.  The Buffalo Sabres are being very thorough when it comes to hiring a new General Manager. So thorough that it's beginning to look like nobody will be hired until everyone who's ever worked in hockey has been considered. Potentially that list includes fictional Japanese candidates . According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the LA Kings' Director of Amateur Scouting Mike Futa is being considered. Although we don't know if the Kings have given permission for the Sabres to talk to Futa. That said, it's also pretty much a given that we won't see a new GM this side of Christmas, or possibly even the Olympics.  The Sabres' list of targets seems to be focused on people with backgrounds in scouting, as well as coaching. Potentially this is a brilliant plan, given that the only way that Buffalo can become competitive again is to start from scratch. Something that current caretaker coach Ted Nolan is working on.  Anyway, Fut

The great state of New Jersey maybe have brought us the music of Bruce Springsteen but right now the New Jersey Devils are starting to dwindle! After a glorious period from 1995 to 2003 which included 3 cup wins, the Devils have only been the finals once since in 2012 when they lost in six games to the LA Kings. Last season they finished only 11th in the Eastern conference and the seasons only real highlight was Martin Brodeur being selected for the new NHL 14 cover! Problem with this team is the key elements that them such a threat are either long gone or about to leave, missing are the days of the tough defensive pair of Scott Stevens and Scott Neidermeyer. Right now NJ doesn't have that back line that makes a difference and with Brodeur now 40 and seemingly on the verge of ending his great career, it seems that their fail safe options are thinning out! So should this team look to the future? Well right those options are looking scarce, kid wonder Zach Parise bolted to Minnes

After kneeing Brad Marchand in the head while he lay prone on the ice, Pittsburgh's James Neal now has a five game suspension to think about what he's done. Whether he meant it or not, only Neal knows. But in a busy week for the Dept of Player Safety, the decision was made that Neal had time to avoid Marchand. Although Marchand wasn't injured, it was decided that Neal would be assessed five games because of his history. That's the CBA at work again. More time for Neal to get that last minute Christmas shopping done.

Tampa Bay Lightning's #3 draft pick Jonathan Drouin was injured last night while playing for the Halifax Mooseheads. Quebec Remparts' Adam Erne hit Drouin sending him face first into the glass. Erne picked up a major penalty and a game misconduct for his hit on his potential future teammate. Both players were picked by the Lightning. Drouin returned to the bench after leaving the ice but played no more part in the game after showing concussion-ish symptoms. Hopefully it's nothing but Drouin will be reassessed by team doctors this weekend.

Pittsburgh Penguins winger James Neal is due to have a hearing today with the Department of Player Safety after appearing to knee Bruins player Brad Marchand in the head! The incident took play at 11.06 of the first period when Neal struck Marchand as he lay on the ice. A two minute minor was assessed and both players remained in the games. Meanwhile, Boston Bruins player Shawn Thornton is set to have an in person hearing after an ugly incident that occurred during their 3-2 win against the Penguins! Thornton in the midst of a scrum pushed defenseman Brooks Orpik to the ice and threw several punches which resulted in a match penalty being assessed. If you guilty, Thornton faces a potential ban of up to five games!

The Boston Bruins won a dramatic late 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden last night in real end to end game which included two goals in the last 90 seconds. The Penguins started out very much on top with Chris Kunitz continuing his excellent run of form to put Pittsburgh ahead when his shot deflected off Dennis Seidenberg and crept underneath Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask on 6.33! But Reilly Smith tied the game only four minutes later. However the game soured when Pens D-Man Brooks Orpik had to leave the game after being hit whilst down on the ice by Shawn Thornton after a scrap broke out, resulting in a match penalty for Thornton! Bruons forward Loui Eriksson also had to leave the fame after suffering a concussion. James Neal then put the Penguins back in front on 13 minutes, when after being released from the penalty box, he deflected in Matt Niskanen's speculative blue line shot. In the second period, the Penguons failed to capitalize on several chances to ex

The Vancouver Canucks battled to hard earned 3-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes at the Rogers  Arena last night, despite two blowing a two goal lead! In the first, the ever consistent defenseman Jason Garrison blasted Vancouver ahead after 1.26 of the second period with a spectacular slap shot! But Phoenix goalie Mike Smith was as usual proving a wall in net and made several key saves to keep the scoreline respectable. But Canucks captain Henrik Sedin made it 2-0 with an impressive shot from an acute angle and on paper, the home side looked home and dry! Into the final period Smith continued to frustrate the Canucks offense and the fanbs were left wondering why the score line was not heavier! But mid way through the third period, Vancouver became unstuck as Antoine Vermette's crashing drive but the Coyotes back in contention and then David Moss seized on a rebound to unbelievably tie the scores at 2-2! Into overtime Chris Higgins settled affairs after 3.41 when he seized on a

Detroit Red Wings captain and Swedish beard icon Henrik Zetterberg is going to be out for a while after herniating a disc. This will be a huge loss to the team, Big Z has provided 11 goals and 19 assists so far this season and has been at the center of Detroit's recent run of good form. Zetterberg in less painful times.  Word so far is that Zetterberg isn't expected to practice for two weeks. Updates as they happen. Få väl snart Henrik

After shamefully forgetting to include the Phoenix Coyotes on my Most Improved Teams list recently, I thought I would make amends by recapping their impressive 6-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers Rexall Place last night! Mike Ribeiro was the stand out as he turned a 1st star performance with a goal and two assists! But it was Mikkel Boedker who put Phoenix ahead on a powerplay after 03:37 of the first period, but David Perron soon levelled the scores for the Oilers after 9 minutes after making the most of a breakaway. Into the second period and Ribeiro skillful set up Radim Vrbata to put Phoenix ahead after 06.58 played and then Shane Doan's tip in pushed then 3-1 ahead. Perron then pulled one back on a power play for Edmonton with 52 seconds left to give the home side hope! The Coyotes took control in the third period as they scored three without reply with Ribeiro putting them further ahead after 4 minutes and Keith Yandle then made sure of things when fired past Oilers goal

When the NFL settled its concussion case for $765 million in august, it was only a matter of time until the NHL's lawyers would be facing the same suit.  Concussion is a very real part of hockey with heads hitting ice, boards and fists in pretty much every game. NHL poster boy Sidney Crosby has missed a lot of games through concussion related injury. Chris Pronger hasn't played a game of hockey since 2011 for the same reason. What started as a 10 man lawsuit now has over 200 names and is expected to get bigger, although whether or not it reaches the almost 5000 names that the NFL suit did remains to be seen. The original 10 players were enforcers in the 70s, 80s and 90s, a role that by design is going to attract the most punches. Former Avalanche enforcer Scott Parker recently told the Denver Post about his daily struggles due to concussion issues. Although he says that he knew the risks and isn't part of the suit. A number of allegations have been made, the g

Vancouver Canucks winger Alex Burrows has officially suffered a broken jaw after their 3-2 win over Carolina Hurricanes. After surgery on Monday, it has been confirmed that he will miss up to 4 weeks of action. After missing the opening 12 games with a broken foot, this will no doubt add to Burrows' frustration. He has also gone 22 games without scoring and currently has 3 points and a minus 7 rating in 17 games. Wish you a speedy recovery, from one Alex to another!

The Vancouver Canucks bounced back from a loss by the New York Rangers last night to score a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the PNC Arena tonight! Ryan Kesler got Vancouver started with a goal from a rebound off a Jason Garrison shot on the power play after 3 minutes of the 1st period. Tom Sestito then doubled the advantage after 15.48 after he deflected in another Garrison shot! The Canucks were then hit twice by Carolina with goals less than 10 seconds apart at the beginning of the second period as Jordan Staal scored on 39 seconds past Eddie Lack then Nathan Gerbe tucked home a rebound on 49 seconds to tie the scores at 2-2! But this game was to be decided early when Kessler scored his second after only 01.16 played following an error from Cam Ward in net. But Vancouver had Eddie Lack to thank for this win as he single handedly kept the Hurricanes at busy for the remaining two periods and his 29 saves proved vital! The young Swede is becoming a solid backup goalie f

Colorado Avalanche Without question the big surprise of the year and after an awful 2012/13 season where they finished bottom of the Western Conference and sacked Coach Joe Sacco, the Avs turned to former player Patrick Roy to breath new life into this franchise. Roy has done just that and currently Colorado top the Western Conference with a 13-2-0 recor byd! 1st overall pick Nathan MacKinnon has been a rookie sensation but Matt Duchene has been the more consistent scorer and currently has 19 points. This combined with the solid player of young captain Gabriel Landeskog has presented to us a franchise that can start to reclaim its glory years! But the scandal involving starting goalie Semyon Varlamov could prove crucial. St Louis Blues Previously on this blog we sneered at the St Louis Blues for their lack of squad depth - well it appears a heartfelt apology is in order as this season they look a changed team and currently stand fourth in the Western Conference. Their high scorin

The Pittsburgh Penguins won a titantic back and forth battle against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night for a 6-5 shootout win at the Consol Energy Center! From the very outset, things were far from straight foward and despite Chris Connor putting the Penguins ahead after 1.57 of the first period, James Van Riemsdyk soon made thing a tie game after he scored on the powerplay after 5 minutes. From there things got very tricky for the home team as Nazem Kadri gave Toronto the lead after 11 minutes. Less than 43 seconds into the next period- the Leafs hit Pittsburgh with a double blow as a crucial mistake by Marc-Andre Fleury as he attempted to pass the puck behind his net to Jayson Megna let in Van Riemsdyk for his second goal after only 13 seconds! Thirty seconds later Phil Kessel would score to put Toronto 4-1 in front and add to the home fans frustrations! Powerplay goals by Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang midway through help raise spirits- but when Tyler Bozak popped up to score

Boston have been playing well of late, quietly getting on with job. The result of which is a spot at the top of the Eastern Conference. Detroit's troubles this season have been well documented and last night the team had to go without superstar Pavel Datsyuk and dependable first-liner Todd Bertuzzi. On paper, this looked like another win for Boston. The first ten minutes were close, the Bruins looked dangerous when pushing and the Red Wings broke well, recently returned Darren Helm almost opened the scoring with a lightning fast breakaway, only to put the puck wide. Detroit's Johan Franzen then stepped up. The Mule set up the first and only goal of a penalty packed first period when his cross through the blue paint found Justin Abdelkader who tapped in the opener. This came straight after he stepped out of the penalty box after picking up a penalty for high-sticking on Zdeno Mt. Chara. Must have been a really high stick. The second period brought more goals for boys in

It seems that Washington's Czech fourth-liner isn't happy and wants out of the nation's capital. A few years ago Erat was the Nashville Predator's starting right winger, terrorising defences across the length and breadth of the NHL. But those days are gone, Erat was traded to the Washington Capitals in the 2013 trade deadline after waiving his no-trade clause and asking to move. It seems though that the grass is not always greener and Erat revealed to the Czech press (and subsequently the local press) that he's unhappy and wants to move on. "It's time for me to move on." He said. The Caps' GM; George McPhee has accepted that after averaging just 13 minutes ice time per game and totalling six points for the season, it's probably time to look elsewhere.

48 saves from James Reimer gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a much needed 2-1 shootout win over the Washington Capitals at the Air Canada Center last night. David Clarkson got the ball rolling when he deflected in Jake Gardiner's long shot after 10:08 of the second period. But Alexander Ovechkin then tied the game with 5 minutes remaining of the third to send matters to overtime! After an uneventful overtime, the game was pushed to a shootout where Grant Fehr gave the Caps an initial advantage when he deeked past Reimer but James Van Reimsdyk scored to level the shoot out. Niklas Backstrom then had his penalty shoot saved by the glove of Reimer which allow Joffrey Lupul to seal the win for the Leafs!

The Vancouver Canucks finally ended their five game winless streak with an impressive 6-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Rogers Arena. But when Matt Calvert scored with Columbus' very first shot after 2.47 of the 1st period, many Canucks fans must have thought this streak would be going to six games! Tom Sessito had a goal waived off for Vancouver before with 15 seconds left Daniel Sedin scored to tie the game at 1-1. A second period flurry ultimate would set the Canucks on their way and in a two minute flurry midway through, goals from Zack Kassian, Captain Henrik Sedin (although knocked in off Sergei Bobrovsky) and a stunning centre ice slap shot from Alex Edler pushed Vancouver 4-1 ahead after 14 minutes played! Daniel Sedin scored again after 9 minutes of the third to give Vancouver a more than comfortable cushion! Although Jannik Hansen missed a penalty shot when Bobrovsky easily saved his weak wrist shot! Artem Anisimov scored for Columbus with three minute

It's been difficult for Detroit Red Wings fans recently. Of the ten games played so far in November, the Wings have lost seven of them, five of those at the Joe Louis Arena. Fans can almost forgive a road loss, but when a team comes to Detroit and wins? Well that hurts that little bit more. It's not like there was a shortage of goals either, in the seven losses, Detroit were only shutout by Nashville. For the season so far, the Wings are scoring 2.52 goals per game (average). Which is okay but it's not cup winning form. I met a Detroit fan today who'd stopped following the NHL a few years back. We reminisced about the days when Nicklas Lidstrom was a brick wall on the blue line, and how Detroit's Swedish contingent was unstoppable. Then we realised that those days are behind us. Lidstrom is retired and the Wings haven't found a replacement to fill that gap. I'm not entirely sure that anyone exists who's as good as Lidstrom was. There's hope t

Last night whilst sat high up in the stands of the Air Canada Center in Toronto, I was witness to an offensive feast as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Islanders 5-2 in an entertaining game. The Leafs got off to a flying start when Trevor Smith beat Isles goalie Kevin Poulin after only 22 seconds played after great work by 1st star Joffrey Lupul The score remain this way for the rest of the period remainder but Jonathan Bernier was forced to make several impressive saves in net for Toronto! Mid way through the second period, Phil Kessel put the Leafs 2-0 up before Casey Cizikas gave the Isles a lifeline with 11.5 seconds left. Mason Raymond put Toronto firmly in charge after scoring a rebound early in the third period before a first leafs goal for David Clarkson pushed them 4-1 ahead! Frans Nielsen briefly gave New York hope with a goal late in the third before Kessel scored his second with 2.43 remaining. Bernier made 35 saves in net in an impressive performance but

It's a good time to be Ben Scrivens . The Canadian goaltender is currently defending the net for the LA Kings while regular first choice Jonathan Quick is out with a strained groin. He's been the back-up man at the back for the Kings since he was picked up in June this year, in a deal which saw Jonathan Bernier head to the leafs. This season so far he's played eight games, conceding seven goals. This gives him a .955% which is the best in the league after Petr Mrazek (who has 1.000% after one game). He also leads the way in shutouts. Three so far and on Monday was named the NHL's first star of the week. Ben Scrivens was an unrestricted free agent when the Toronto Maple Leafs signed him up in 2010, where he played his hockey at the ECHL's Reading Royals and the Toronto Marlies. He played his first NHL game in November 2011. Scrivens started his NHL career with a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and made 38 saves. The LA Kings host the Tampa Bay Li

Last night while in the wonderful city that is New York I had the pleasure of watching the Rangers entertain the LA Kings at MSG. Sadly the result wasn't to favour the home side as Ben Scrivens turned in a 1st Star performance for the Kings as he made 37 saves to record a second straight shut out win! Tyler Toffoli scored the games only goal after 1.23 of the second when his shot crept under Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers were slightly flat throughout and despite having six powerplays,the LA powerkill shut them down! But were cruelty robbed in the closing minutes when a controversial call went against NY. Everyone thought Dominic Moore had scored the tying goal with 2.41 remaining. As I went wild with celebration with my good friend Ossie and high fived fellow Rangers fans in the midst of goal buzzer sounding, we were then informed the goal was under review and shortly after it was announced that the officials judged Moore kicked the puck past Scrivens and the goal was waived of

Not unlike an actual avalanche, the Colorado Avalanche has been fairly unstoppable recently. But, also like an avalanche, once they've run out of momentum, progress will grind to a halt*. The boys from Denver have now lost their last three games in a row and in last night's surprise 4-1 home defeat to the Florida Panthers , Superstar center Matt Duchene has suffered an apparent oblique injury. No word yet on whether the injury is serious our not. Duchene, who's current the Av's leading goal scorer was unable to finish the game. Duchene has scored 12 goals and has 8 assists this season. Colorado's home stand continues when the teams hosts the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. We wish him a speedy recovery. *Maybe. I'm no scientist.

Tonight's Eastern Conference match up saw Alain Vigneault's New York Rangers make the trip to Montreal to take on the Canadiens at the Bell Center. Cam Talbot took net duties for the Rangers but it was the Habs' Carey Price who saw most of the action in the first period, fending off 15 shots while Talbot was only needed seven times. Both goalies were called into action early in the second period. With the Habs down a man due to Diaz's delay of game penalty, the Rangers upped the ante and Zuccarello forced Price to make a great stretch save. Gionta then made a shorthanded run but was denied by an instinctive glove save by Talbot. Price was beaten though when at the end of a Rangers 5 on 3 powerplay; Ryan Callahan was able to power a slap shot to give the visitors the lead. The New York Rangers have taken a while to adapt to Alain Vigneault's new leadership style. Couple this with starting the seaon on an extended road trip due to the MSG's refurbishment and i

That's right, it's not a typo. Miami. Whether you're fighting Jonathan Martin's corner or you think Richie Incognito is a kind-but-misunderstood soul, we can all agree that this is turning into the story that won't go away. MMA champ Jon Jones (MMA is that thing that Kronwall does to opposition skaters) said in an interview that "I'd kill him" and "someone tweet him, let him know I'd smoke him" if the two were to (somehow) get into a fight. Incognito has become the face of not only evil in football, but also all sport. As a result of rookie hazing being not cool anymore, the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves' Shabazz Muhammad no longer has to carry a Jonas Brothers bag.  All because of "that football thing". Incognito was suspended indefinitely for detrimental conduct, which can only last for four games unless league mandated. Incognito has now  filed a non-football injury grievance against the Miami Dolphins . The s

It's all go in New York State. Buffalo Sabres today announced that GM Darcy Regier and head coach Ron Rolston have been fired. The decision was made after the team beat the 2012 Stanley Cup winning LA Kings on penalties. Go figure. Long term though, the Sabres have been struggling with suspensions and general ability to not concede goals. The team currently sits bottom of the league and change has been on the cards for a while. Former Sabre captain, legend and current Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine has been hired as director of hockey operations to sort things out. "It's going to take a team from top to bottom and we don't have all the pieces in place." LaFontaine said, confusing hockey with a Puzz 3D. He also said that he won't be taking the GM job, but will head the search.  Ted Nolan has been appointed as interim coach, tasked with changing the culture within the squad. Nolan last coached the team in 1997 when despite winning the Jack Adams award, he was

After leaving the Kings Vs Sabres game early with an injury, the LA Kings ' main goaltender Jonathan Quick has been sent back to the team's doctors in LA and will likely miss the rest of the New York road trip. The injury, through to be a hamstring or groin strain will keep Quick out for a few games. Ben Scrivens , who took to the ice to replace Quick in the Sabres game will stand between the sticks for the NY Islanders game tonight. Martin Jones has been called up from the AHL's Manchester Monarchs and will back up Scrivens. It's not known when Quick will return to the ice. While this isn't a huge worry for the Kings, who have a great back up in Scrivens, it is possibly a worry for the USA Olympic team, of which Quick is pretty much guaranteed to be the starting goalie. Or maybe he'll run it off and be playing next week. Either way, get well soon.

The Philadelphia Flyers, the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabres aren't exactly having seasons to write home about. Going into last night's games, the teams had collectively only won 12 games (the same amount as the Phoenix Coyotes). Last night was a reminder that in the NHL, any team can beat any team on the night. Even Buffalo. Buffalo Sabres All three of the Buffalo Sabres' wins had come on the road and welcoming the in-form LA Kings to the First Niagra Center, it didn't look like a home win would be on the cards.  At the end of the first period, the 2012 Stanley Cup champions were a goal to the good after Justin Williams slipped the puck past Ryan Miller in the second minute of the game. The Kings held the lead until just over half way through regulation when Cody Hodgson found an equaliser for Sabres.  Hodgson became the Sabres two-goal hero when he took advantage of Justin Williams' hooking penalty to score a powerplay goal and give the Sab

Hello fellow hockey fans! As Mike mentioned previous I am currently on Vacation in Canada for hockey season. I have recently left a wonderful 2 day trip to Toronto where a visit to the hockey hall of fame was made (Picture of me with the Stanley Cup will be up soon!) And last night in eating in none other than Wayne Gretzky's restaurant, where four games of hockey were played at once (did feel slightly like David Bowie in The Man who Fell to Earth). Though I did manage to dazzle a Sharks fan called Pat with hockey (if you read this mate- it was great speaking to you!) En route to Montreal now where I shall most likely be viewing Penguins v Flyers as the Habs are not playing. I'll also have the pleasure of watching Rangers v Kings at MSG when I reach New York on Nov 17 and finally Leafs v Islanders last the ACC on November 19. Will keep you update your on my travels in due course, until then take care and live large :-) Alex

Things are tight at the top of the Atlantic Division, as it stands there's only two points between the top three teams. The two Florida teams, while geographically close, are miles apart in the points race. The Tampa Bay Lightning are holding onto a slim lead at the top of the division, while the Florida Panthers are only avoiding only just avoiding the wooden spoon. From the Panthers' BB&T Centre to the Lightning's Tampa Bay Times Arena is only 245 miles by road, but based on this season's, performances so far, that distance might as well be 100,000 miles because it's difficult to see how the two teams are in the same league. What makes the difference in fortunes so unusual is that the two Florida teams' recent histories are freakishly similar. Both teams replaced their General Managers in 2010. Steve Yzerman coming into Tampa Bay and Dale Tallon taking the reigns at the Panthers. Further more, in 2013, both teams fired their Head Coaches. Guy

Ilya Bryzgalov has finally found a new home after reaching a verbal agreement with the Edmonton Oilers for a one year deal. After enduring a tough 2012-13 season where he was released from his multi year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Russian goalie will be keen to make up for lost time! Curring Bryzgalov has features in over 425 NHL games and has recorded a win-loss record of 208-149-45. His career NHL goals against average stants at 2.55 with a save percentage of .913. The goaltender also has 30 career NHL shutouts since being selected 44th overall by Anaheim in 2007!

The Vancouver Canucks after nine straight defeats finally beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 at the SAP Center last night to condemn the Sharks to a fourth straight defeat. But when Roberto Luongo knocked Joe Thornton's shot into his own net after only 1.17 of the first, all Canucks fans must of had that sinking feeling that this was going to be yet another wasted trip! But for once, Vancouver didnt fade away and only 3 minutes later Brad Richardson levelled the scores! This paved the way for an action packed rest of the period and Mike Santorelli put the Canucks ahead after 09.25 when he slotted past Niemi! Mike Brown latched onto a great assist to level the scores after 10.45 and once more we were at a tie game! San Jose then kept Luongo busy with several testing shots before Chris Higgins nudged the Canucks in front again with less than a minute left in the first! After 5 minutes of the second played, Zack Kassian redirected Kevin Bieksa's long range shot to give Vancouver

The Philadelphia Flyers, to put it bluntly, aren't flying. In fact it's hard not to notice how badly the team is performing this season. Only Buffalo sits below the Flyers in the league. Many fingers across the internet are starting to point at Flyers captain Claude Giroux . Last season Giroux averaged a point per game, even more the season before that. So far this season? After 15 games, he's contributed seven points. All from assists. There's no doubt that assists are important, but the Flyers have scored the fewest goals in the league so far. The top five teams' first lines are averaging 15 goals each, while the Flyers' front line has scored seven. Now it's hard to compare the best teams in the league with Philadelphia, a team still being rebuilt, but Giroux has said this season that the Flyers are going to challenge for the Stanley Cup. If that's really going to happen, the Flyers are going to need a lot more goals. This is the thing. Gir

The New York Rangers scored an impressive win last night at Madison Square Garden as they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1! They were lucky not to fall behind after 20 seconds though when Henrik Lundqvist stopped Sidney Crosby's breakaway chance! He was also faced with challenging efforts from Tanner Glass and Marcus Niskanen, but the Swede's efforts kept things at a tie game! But in a late 1st period flurry, the Rangers took control as Ryan McDonagh scored on 18 minutes to give them the lead and this was then followed up just over a minute later when Derek Stepan put the Rangers 2-0 up! Into the second period and New York went further in front when Brian Boyle slammed past Marc-Andre Fleury to make things 3-0 after 13.10 played. Kris Letang gave Pittsburgh a solitary reply when he scored on a powerplay, but Pittsburgh would get no further than that! But Rangers captain Ryan Callahan restored their three goal advantage shortly after when he deflected in Carl Hagelin'

Jordin Tootoo has been placed on waivers to free up some cap space for the Detroit Red Wings. The rest of the NHL (and I suppose the world) now has to noon tomorrow to pick up Tootoo or he'll be assigned to the Red Wings' AHL affiliate; the Grand Rapids Griffins. If Tootoo is sent to the Griffins, this won't necessarily be a bad thing for the Canadian forward. He'll get games, which is more than he was as a Detroit healthy scratch. Also the Griffins just won the Calder Cup, and that's a team I'd like to play for.

Former NHL forward Jason Arnott has called time on a glorious 18 year career that has taken in the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals to most notably the New Jersey Devils. He last played for St Louis in 2011/12, but has not played since. He did sign a contract with the New York Rangers in January this year but was not cleared by the team doctors. Since being drafted 7th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, he has gone on to record 417 goals and 938 points in 1,244 career games. The highlight of his career was a Stanley Cup win in 2000 with the Devils where he score d the championship clinching goal in game 6 against Dallas! Upon announcing his retirement, Arnott said in a statement "I would like to thank everyone who helped me throughout my NHL career, including my family, friends, teammates and fans. Playing in the NHL was my dream and I am very proud and appreciative of the fact I was able to play at the highest level for 19 years wit

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Dave Bolland has been ruled out indefinitely after suffering an ankle injury in their 4-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, where he was injured in the second when Zack Kassian accidentally trod his leg which caused it to break! Bolland was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in the off season and so far has racked up 6 goals and 10 points in his 15 games played at the Air Canada Center. Also the Leafs have placed center Tyler Bozak on the long term injury list, which is bound to affect their offensive options!

If you hadn't heard of Reto Berra before last night, you're not alone. Despite being drafted by St. Louis in 2006 (106 overall), the 26 year old stayed in his native Switzerland until he was included as part of the Jay Bouwmeester trade. Having played top level hockey in Switzerland and at Olympic level for his country, Berra wanted to gain experience playing in the US, and was assigned to the AHL's Abbotsford Heat. Calgary's affiliate. Berra's first taste of the NHL couldn't have come against a tougher team. Current Stanley Cup holders Chicago aren't quite the unstoppable force they were last season but any game at the United Center is always gonna be a trial by fire. After facing 44 shots and missing only two, I think we can safely say that we'll be seeing a lot more of Berra between the sticks. Calgary won the game 3-2 in overtime.

I think the Internet is angry at the goings-on in Buffalo. In case you can't make out the naff quality pic (sorry), it says: General manger - Fire Darcy Regier Head Coach - Fire Ron Ralston Hell hath no fury like an internet scorned.

The Patrick Kaleta issue is turning into a story which won't go away. After Kaleta's ten game suspension for his hit 'n Jack Johnson ran out, the Buffalo Sabres decided to place him on waivers, rather than allow him to return to the team. No other teams were in the market for the 27 year old so today he was assigned to the AHL's Rochester Americans. So what's next for the suspension prone forward? Aside from a big slice of humble pie, Kaleta has a good chance to turn his career around, although taking Matt Cooke's offer of help is probably best avoided.  This is mixed news for the Amerks, currently 11th in the Western Conference. Kaleta, when he's on his game is a handy right winger. The Angola, NY native last plated for the Amerks in the 07/08 season. Scoring one goal, and 109 penalty minutes in 29 games.  For Kaleta to turn over a new leaf, he's going to need to perform like an angel game after game. This here presents an issue. The Ame

The Vancouver Canucks capped an emotional night at the Rogers Arena that saw the Number 10 jersey of Pavel Bure retired to the rafters with a great 4-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs ! James Reimer made a flurry of good stops in a row after 3 minutes to deny both Mike Santorelli and Chris Higgins from putting Vancouver in front, but then captain Henrik Sedin scored off an assist from Dan Hamhuis to put the Canucks ahead after 06:03 of the first period played. Early in the second period, Zack Kassian made it two when he scored a rebound off Reimer after only two minutes played before Chris Higgins put the Canucks firmly in the driving seat when his quick shot made it 3-0 after only five minutes played. Toronto offered little in offense but came close briefly when Phil Kessel had his stop stopped by Roberto Luongo, but they would get no closer than that before Hamhuis scored to complete the perfect night in British Columbia. But the score wasnt the real celebration as the Vanco

The Washington Capitals should no signs of fading in the absence of star player Alexander Ovechkin last night as they hammered the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 at the Wells Fargo Center! Things almost got off the wrong start for the visiting capitals when Steve Downie, who was making his debut after arriving from the Colorado Avalanche in mid week, almost beat Capitals goalie Braden Holtby in the opening seconds! But Niklas Backstrom got the party started when after he rifled a shot past Steve Mason after 17.28 to put the away side in front! But it was in the second period that the Capitals should their offensive capabilities and a five goal flurry would soon follow- Joel Ward pushed the advantage to 2-0 after less than 1.24 of the second before Jim Chimera made it three on a breakaway! After Steve Mason's poor display, he was pulled from net shortly after the third goal and replaced by back up Ray Emery. Sadly Emery would fare just as worse when Backstrom grabbed his second off