The Fifth Liners

Finally there is a ray of light in the Colorado Avalanche's dismal season! Last night in Toronto it was announced that they will have the 1st Overall Pick at the 2013 NHL Draft. Avs fans should get very excited as it means that hot prospect Seth Jones  could be making his way to Denver and this result could mean great things for next season. This will also mark the 1st time in 4 years that the Edmonton Oilers havent not been given first choice. After a poor display this season which has seen Colorado finish bottom of the Western Conference and also  the sacking of Head Coach Joe Sacco. It will be important that the Avalanche learns from these failings and comes back a bigger and stronger team and with the possibility of Jones joining their ranks, next season could be a big improvement!

The regular season is over, all the games are played and the fixtures have now been completed. Here's my quick guide to the games in the Western: Minnesota Wild Vs Chicago Blackhawks The Blackhawks are currently winning everything and are 2-0-1 against the Wild this season and there's no reason to believe this won't continue. Prediction - Blackhawks Detroit Red Wings Vs Anaheim Ducks Detroit has won its last 4 games in a row and has performed well against the Ducks, only losing 1 in 3 games. The Ducks however have had a good season and finished second in the conference. Given the Wings' recent run of form and history against Anaheim, I think they've got the edge in this round. Prediction - Red Wings San Jose Sharks Vs Vancouver Canucks The Canucks have lost all three games against the Sharks this season, taking only 1 point from a possible 6. Overall the Sharks have taken less points in the league but the stats are really close. My heart says that

The regular season is over, all the games are played and the fixtures have now been completed. Here's my quick guide to the games in the Eastern: New York Islanders Vs Pittsburgh Penguins The Pens are 4-1-0 against the Isles and are easily favourite to walk this round. Golden boy Sidney Crosby is back in training after his broken jaw but no word on if he'll make the playoff games. The is doing well enough without him though, having made some good trades this season. Prediction - Penguins Ottawa Senators Vs Montreal Canadiens This fixture is a going to be close, the Sens are 2-1-1 against the Habs this season and have recently found a run of form. The Habs on the other hand have a better defensive record and I reckon this will give the Canadiens the edge. Prediction - Canadiens New York Rangers Vs Washington Capitals 6th seed Rangers actually have the edge over the 3rd seed Washington this season. Going into the playoffs 2-0-1 against Ovechkin and Co. The te

The great reshuffle of 2013 continues, Dallas Stars GM  Joe Nieuwendyk is out! The former Hall of Famer was dismissed by the Stars after they failed to make the playoffs for a 5th consecutive season. Full story  here.

It's the season for shuffling and rebuilding, and the first thing on the Colorado Avalache 's to-do list is to find a new coach. Joe Sacco was today fired. In his 4 seasons with the team, the Avs only made the playoffs once, arguably because of the work former coach Tony Granato did. More games have been lost than won and this season the team finished bottom of the conference. No news yet on who will replace Sacco.

Last night saw a slightly sour end to an otherwise excellent regular season by the Vancouver Canucks as they were trounced 7-2 by Edmonton at Rexall Place! Derek Roy gave the Canucks the lead in the 1st period but Nail Yakupov was the star with an impressive 3rd period hat trick as the Canucks let in six goals in the final stretch and he was joined a brace from Jordan Eberle, Jordan Smithson and a first star performance from rookie defenseman Justin Schultz who contributed a goal and 3 assists! Tom Sissito gave Vancouver another solitary reply early in the 3rd- which gave us a tie game at 2-2 but the Oilers offensive would eventually prove too great. The Oilers have at least ended a misfiring season on a high and we new GM Craig Mactavish installed they can prepare for next year and with the talents of Yakupov and Taylor Hall in their ranks, perhaps next season will see them make a long overdue playoff appearence. The Canucks have been given a tricky looking quarter final in the We

A few weeks ago, the Detroit Red Wings were looking at finishing the season outside of the playoff places for the first time in over 20 years. The team was 10th in the conference with 4 games left. Last night the Red Wings made it 4 out of 4 with a 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars , clinching the 7th spot in the playoffs. This means that Detroit will play the Anaheim Ducks in the first round. This season the Wings are 2-1-0 against the Ducks so this should be a good match-up. 2 goals from Henrik Zetterberg and a 3rd from Jonathan Ericsson were enough to take the game. Pavel Datsyuk assisted on all 3 goals. Full story  here.

With the 2013 NHL Draft only two months away, we have been mentioning our potential candidates for the number 1 overall draft pick, while Seth Jones is currently top of all critics lists to be selected first, there is one skater who is currently ranked the top European skater who may be worth considering- that man is Tappara's Finnish Centre Aleksander Barkov! His stats so far in the SM-ligga are just astounding! So far he has chalked up 47 points including 21 goals and 26 assists! These are the kind of stats we are used to seeing by seasoned professional! The video below demonstrates just what this kid can bring to the NHL- any team that selects this young man should get very excited!

New York Rangers will definitely be appearing in the Eastern Conference playoffs after a 4-3 Overtime win against Carolina Hurricanes confirmed them as the 7th overall seed! Early goals from Derek Stepan and Derek Brassard made it appear that it would be an easy night for the Broadway Blues, but Carolina rallied in the second period and goals from Jiri Tlusty and Tuomo Ruutu tied the game! Early in the 3rd period Tlusty scored again to put the Hurricanes 3-2 in front and things were beginning to look worrying for the Rangers! Brad Richards however, scored on a powerplay near the end of the period to push things to overtime. It was left here for Captain Ryan Callahan to shoot high into the next and give great reward to the Rangers hard work! This year we have a rare distinction of having both teams from the Big Apple appearing in the Eastern Conference! A potential match up between these two would be one of great interest as we know what both can do offensively. The Stanley Cup race

The Detroit Red Wings are determined not to miss out on that last playoff place in the Western Conference. Last night the LA Kings were welcomed to the Joe Louis Arena (minus Dustin Brown). The Kings opened the scoring in the second period Kyle Clifford wristed past Jimmy Howard . Pavel Datsyuk responded with a backhanded effort five minutes later to restore parity. In the third period, Jordin Tootoo gave the Wings the edge and Valtteri Filppula sealed both points. The win puts the Wings a point ahead of Columbus and edges the team back into the playoff places. Columbus, Dallas and Detroit are all still in the competition to see who'll get knocked out by Chicago in the playoffs. Full story  here.

After planting his elbow into Jason Pominville of the Minnesota Wild , Dustin Brown was today handed a 2 game suspension. The Kings forward will miss tonight's game against Detroit and Saturday's game against San Jose. Full story  here.

Alex wants you to vote for Michal Handzus , it's a good choice, but it's the wrong choice. Why is it the wrong choice? Because we shouldn't be voting for a skater, we should be voting for a goalie. The last goalie to make it onto the cover of an EA NHL game was John Vanbiesbrouck , the Vezina Trophy winner was on the cover on NHL 97. Current draft hotshot Seth Jones was 2 years old when a goalie was last on the cover. Why is this? The goalie is the glue that holds a team together, the man at the back, the last line of defense, etc etc. As I've pointed out  before,  quite often the goaltender is the difference between success and failure. We've established that this is the season of the goalie, so why Cory Schneider ? 5 shutouts, .927 save percentage 2.11 goals against average. These numbers speak for themselves but there's more. Some keepers will play day in, day out. They're first choice and it's a given that they're always going to skate. Sc

Tomorrow we shall officially announce the candidates for the NHL 14 game cover- but before any announcements are officially made, I would like to propose an alternate candidate, hold on to your hats, this will be a bit of a shock! My official candidate is veteran Blackhawks centre Michal Handzus! Now hold on a moment before the WTF cries fill the air! I appreciate the 36 year olds point stats haven't been amazing (all 3 points scored) and his ageing years may be catching up with him. But this man has one fact that makes him stand out- he is amazing at taking faceoffs! For this very reason the Stanley Cup chasing Blackhawks acquired his services from San Jose and everyone knows a faceoff can win or lose a game! The Slovakian may not be up for the Maurice Richard scoring trophy this season, but it would be nice to see him get a little recognition for his under-rated skill! Let's see if we can a twitter trend going, if you agree put #handzusnhl14 on your twitter page! Than

The Detroit Red Wings welcomed the Phoenix Coyotes to the Joe Louis last night, desperate for two points to keep them in the race for a placeoff place.  Super Swiss Damien Brunner tipped the puck to Johan Franzen to score in the third minute before then scoring himself just before the end of the first period.  Valtteri Filppula added a third goal late in the second period and Franzen stole another in the fourth period.  Jimmy Howard made 34 saves in his fourth shutout of the season. The win puts the Wings one point outside the playoff places with three games left.  Full report  here.

Anaheim Ducks recorded a 3-0 shutout win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall place last night to clinch the Pacific Division title! Goals by Getzlaf, Dvorak and Vatanen sealed the oilers fate and they were assisted by a 1st goalie performance by Viktor Fasth who recorded 24 saves to record a shutout win! Already in the playoffs after impressive all season in the western conference, the Ducks will be a team to watch come playoff time and with an offence like theirs, any team should not take them lightly!

The Vancouver Canucks once again successfully defended their Northwest Division title as they grabbed a 3-1 victory over the in form Chicago Blackhawks at the Rogers Arena! Goals from Jannik Hansen, Zack Kassain and Daniel Sedin proved the difference along with 24 saves from the ever impressive Cory Schneider! Its a positive sign that we are beating opposition who are in contention for cup glory and it appears that Gillis and Vigneult have got things together at the right time, can this be the year that a Stanley Cup Banner flies over Vancouver?

Ice Hockey jerseys demonstrate unity and promote a brand. They're a source of income for teams and allow fans to show their allegiance. I surveyed one person (me) and this is my list of this season's awesome jerseys. It's in no particular order. Minnesota Wild (Third) I'm probably going to anger the Minnesota faithful here but the Wild's logo is possibly my least favourite logo in sport (after the Miami Dolphins). Luckily the third jersey omits the logo. I'm a sucker for any jersey with lacing at the collar and this one looks like it could have been lifted straight from a different era. The retro style doesn't alway work but this with its bold, yet muted colours works perfectly. The logo looks like it was lifted from the diner in Happy Days.  Detroit Red Wings (Home) Biased? Yes, but I still love this Jersey. Its simplicity is superb. Some jerseys try and cram in too many colours or patterns but this is two colours and two stripes. The la

Last night the New Jersey Devils made the short trip to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers , 2 goals from Ryan Callahan and a third from Derek Stepan were enough to defeat the Devils who could only muster 2 goals. The loss means that the Devils have no chance of a playoff place. Full story  here.

Vancouver will officially be appearing in the Western Conference Playoffs as they scored an important 2-1 shootout victory against the Detroit Red Wings at the Rogers Arena! This fixture was the most important of the weekend as it saw both mine and Mike's teams up against each other with bragging rights at stake! Alex Edler gave the Canucks a bright start midway through the first period on a power play, but the Red Wings soon levelled through Cory Emmerton's well timed goal. Cory Schneider was again the hero for the home side with 33 saves which forced the game into overtime and eventually a shootout. Saves from Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Brunner ensured the Wings drew a blank and once again it was left to Maxim LaPierre to smartly beat Jimmy Howard and give the Canucks the extra point! With their form steadily improving, it will be interesting to see who Vancouver is paired with in the 1st round of the playoffs because with Schneider on such good form, beating us will no easy

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to march forward, and there's no Morgan Freeman in sight. The Pens beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 at the TD Garden. The victory means that Pittsburgh clinch the top spot in the Eastern Conference and take the number one seed. If things stay the way they are, the Pens will meet the New York Rangers in the first series of the playoffs. For the full story, including Jarome Iginla 's reaction to being booed whenever he had the puck,  click here.

The New York Rangers showed their offensive capability last night with an entertaining 8-4 win over Buffalo Sabres. Brad Richards was the star of the show with an impressive hat trick to take him to 10 goals during regular season play. But the Rangers were also aided by some questionable goaltending by Sabres' Ryan Miller, who was largely at fault for the first four goals and found himself pulled from net and replaced by backup Jhonas Enroth- who would give up four extra goals! The boys from Broadway came out strong in the first two periods and found themselves 6-0 up by the midway point of the second period with Hagelin, a brace from Richards, Clowe, Stralman and Rick Nash all pitching in. Although there was a brief rally from Buffalo as former Canucks Christian Ehrhoff and Cody Hodgson combined to put Buffalo on the board then Nathan Gerbe's wrist shot reduced the score to 6-2! But Rangers Captain Ryan Callaghan soon restored normality despite a third Sabres goal from Staff

Vancouver Canucks were given a soft shock yesterday as the Dallas Stars gave them a 5-1 walkover at the American Airlines Center! Despite Stars old boy and our current mister consistent, Derek Roy giving the Canucks the lead in the first period- a third period meltdown proved their undoing as goals from Cody Eakin, Jamie Benn, Ray Whitney and Erik Cole paved the way for a Dallas demolition! Although this doesnt harm their playoff chances too much- it is a worrying reminder of what happens when form deserts us! Cody Schneider still notched up an impressive 30 saves, but Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen went one better with 38 saves! Let's hope we can put this minor blemish behind us and focus on the task ahead- for a full game report go to NHL.com

Columbus has had an up and down journey this season and have perhaps been best noted for the well documented off season activity concerning former Captain Rick Nash who was traded to the New York Rangers for seven other players. But how have the Blue Jackets coped in the absence of such an important player to their franchise? Surprisingly the Blue Jacket have surprised many this season and despite an obvious lack of goals, they are currently hanging onto 8th place in the Western Conference above Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings (Sorry Mike!) and they have been aided by the excellent goal tending of Sergei Bobrovsky who has contributed 12 wins and three shutouts and the scoring form of 38 year old veteran Vaclav Prospal has also been an important factor and his 21 points so far has kept them above water. Many people simply disregard this team as Ranger's cast off team and while players such as Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov have yet to come alive, Columbus has however sec

The Boston Bruins have taken their place at the playoff table, alongside the Pittsburgh Penguins , Montreal Canadiens , Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Ducks . This week has been difficult for the city of Boston and that added an extra level of emotion to the game. The full match report can be found  here.  The Buffalo Sabres eventually took the two points in the shootout but the single point the Bruins picked up was enough to ensure that the team will be playing in the post season.

Washington Capitals ' super winger Alex Ovechkin has topped the goals chart. He scored in last night's 5-1 drumming of the Toronto Maple Leafs , thereby knocking Steven Stamkos off the top spot. Ovechkin now as 28 goals for the season.

Last night during Vancouver's 5-2 win over Nashville (see Mike's article for the full story), Head Coach Alain Vigneault came up with an inspired solution of the teams second line and decided to pair Ryan Kesler at centre and surprisingly Derek Roy on the right wing! This choice proved to be inspired one as Kessler bagged a brace (impressively with his only two shots) and Roy grabbed a goal and an assist- together the two occupied the game's first and second stars! Kesler's return from injury after missing 31 games has come at a key time and his inclusion will aid the Canucks as we make our push for the playoff. Derek Roy however is proving to be an inspired piece of business and the former Dallas man is capable of playing in a variety of attacking positions. Seems a decent run in the playoffs may be not be impossible!

The Nashville Predators join the Calgary Flames and the Colorado Avalanche in the list of teams out of contention for the Western playoffs. The Preds welcomed the Vancouver Canucks and got a 5-2 kicking in return. Full story  here.

Now I know this clip is a golden oldie- but its effect its everlasting. Here we see current Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask in his days playing for minor league affliate, Providence Bruins. When the referee allow two controversal goals in a shootout that gave victory to Albany- Rask didnt seem to agree with the call and to say he was upset would be putting it mildly. What follows next the Incredible Hulk would be proud of! After this wave of destruction, referee's beware of this man! Lord knows what happens if this event recurs in the playoffs!

Edmonton Oilers have relived General Manager Steve Tambellini of his duties and he has now been replaced by Craig MacTavish. The Oilers have been a five game losing streak of late and despite having the talents of three 1st overall picks in Nail Yakupov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall, they have now fallen to 12th place in the Western Conference and now look unlikely to feature in the playoffs. MacTavish- a former player of the Oilers from 1985-1994 has also previously coached them previously from 2000-2009 and has since been holding the post of Vice President of Hockey Operations. The decision to replace Tambellini has been viewed by many as ill timed, but with their current run of form, change seemed desperately needed and MacTavish will have a mighty task in bringing back hockey glory to Rexall place! To read the full story- go to  NHL.com

Detroit Red Wings #1 goalie Jimmy Howard hasn't had his best season, the team has lost 6 of its last 10 games, with 2 of those being shootouts. The added pressure of the team dropping out of the playoff places made winning last night's game vital. According to  NHL.com , Howard sought advice from former Wings Goalie Chris Osgood, Coach Jim Bedard and Jedi Master Yoda  in his attempt to end the slump. Whatever that advice was, it worked. Howard made 22 saves including breakaways and a mis-hit penalty shot after Bobby Butler was tripped by Jakub Kindl . Helping the Wings to beat the Nashville Predators 3-0. Howard, braced for action.  Howard's performance was so good last night that he earned the 1st star of the game. The two points earned see the Wings jump back into that last playoff place although things are still very tight with a few teams still in contention. Henrik Zetterberg , Johan Franzen and Justin Abdelkader scored for the Wings and new boy Danny

The unthinkable has happened. The Detroit Red Wings are 9th in the Western Conference.  It wasn't the Phoenix Coyotes but the Dallas Stars that have taken their place, those sneaky Texans have continued their quiet march up the table. The 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks sealed the deal. Although. Dallas, Detroit and the Columbus Blue Jackets are all tied on 45 points, the Stars have won more in regulation, giving them the edge. Columbus on the other hand, have played more games; earning them the 10th spot.  Detroit take on the Nashville Predators tonight. Make or break...

Washington Capitals are currently top of the Southwest Division, from Mike's previous post about this seemingly mundane division, we have learned it is one that is far from excitement. But this team does boast an impressive roster and based on their 6-5 win over Tampa Bay Lightning- we have learned that this team has plenty of fight in them and this is what counts come playoff time! Led by notorious Captain Alexander Ovechkin- the Caps have been a regular feature in the Eastern Conference playoffs over the last four years and this year their forward line has clocked up some impressive stats- Centre Nicklas Backstrom currently sits on 44 points while Mike Ribeiro has contributed 41 points and along with wingers Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer- we have some offensive lines crying out for progress! Former NHL player Adam Oates was installed as Head Coach earlier this season and so far the results seems to be paying off and with a true star in Ovechkin leading the way, we could well see

Let's be honest, the Philadelphia Flyers are having a season that can best be described as 'challenging'. The Flyers are currently 25th in the league, 12th in the Eastern Conference and last in the Atlantic Division. Since 1994, the Flyers have only failed to appear in the playoffs once, in the disastrous  06/07 season when the team's points total was the worst in franchise history (56 points if you're wondering). If we conveniently forget about that shocker, the Flyers actually have a respectable record in the post season, having only failed to make the playoffs 8 times since the team's creation in 1967. So what's going on now? The Flyers are 17/21/3. Only the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche have lost more games (in regulation). Let's look at some numbers. These are definitely not numbers which set the world on fire. The Flyers do have goal scorers, quite a few, only 9 of the 31 rostered skaters haven't scored. There's be

The Chicago Blackhawks have had their playoff spot locked in for some days now but after their overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings , the Central Division now belongs to the Hawks.  There was a sweet irony to last night's game. It was the last time the Hawks and Wings would ever* meet as divisional rivals. With the new alignment coming into effect next season, it's the end of one of the longest running rivalries in hockey. The North American neighbours have played over 700 games against each other and with the new changes, this will drop from 6, to 2 per season. Still, time for a new era and what-not. Despite Chicago's dominance of all things Central, the Wings have had relative success against this team, taking 3 points from a possible 8. I did say relative! And despite a 7-1 education, the other three games have all been very close with just the aforementioned walkover being decided in regulation time. The Red Wings hold onto 8th place in the conference aft

The Montreal Canadiens have joined the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins at the playoffs table. Buffalo Sabres welcomed the Habs to the First Niagara Center and received a prompt kicking from their guests. The Habs scored 5 while the Sabres were only able to manage 1, further damaging the Sabres' playoff hopes. For a full game report, click  here. The current placings would see the Habs take on the Ottawa Senators in the first round if things stay as they are, a team recently finding some form. There's certainly no doubt that this post-season is going to be awesome.

Just a short post to say thanks from Alex and myself! Our little blog has had over a 1000 views and it's only been going a month, We've had views from places as far afield as Norway, Germany, Australia, USA, Canada and the Cook Islands! That's awesome.

... of missing the playoffs! The Detroit Red Wings ' playoff hopes took a slight bruising last night after yet another home loss in overtime. The San Jose Sharks have recently found some form and despite the Wings putting up a fight, regulation time ended 2-2. A shootout cemented the 2 points for the Sharks who are now only one point behind the LA Kings. While an overtime loss isn't the worst result for Detroit, it's still hanging onto the 8th position in the Western and the gap between it and Phoenix is down to 2 points. Tonight the Wings play Chicago and Phoenix play Calgary. Tonight is going to be interesting to say the least.

New Jersey's defenseman Anton Volchenkov has been banned for 4 games as a result of this elbow on Boston's Brad Marchand! On the surface it may appear to be not as bad as it seems, but when you consider this action has resulted in Marchand suffering a severe concussion which will rule him out for the remainder of the year- then this ban might just be justified. It's not in the Rafi Torres school of hard hits, but the result has been just as brutal To make your own mind up- view the video at NHL.com http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=665267&navid=nhl:topheads

Vancouver gave more belief that they will be a force during the Western Conference playoffs with a dominant 4-1 win again over Calgary at the Scotiabank Saddledome last night. It was a win that also saw a rare appearence in net by Roberto Luongo, who made several important saves to deny the Flames forward line. Good to see the Canucks management is getting some use out of his $64 Million dollar contract! After a tight first period where the scores were tied at 1-1- the Canucks came alive in the 3rd period and aided by a flurry of goals by Maxim LaPierre, Mason Raymond and Daniel Sedin, another win was ensured and Vancouver are now sitting pretty at 3rd in the Western Conference. Elsewhere the Boston Bruins won a thrilling contest 5-4 against New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. After a stunning start the Bruins found themselves 4-0 up by the beginning of the second period! But after a brief fight back through Zajac and Elias, The Devils cut the score back to 4-2, then Adam G

By Alex Watson Sport in North American can change in the bat of an eye lid and a team can be in one city one day and be far down the road in the next. NHL has seens it fair share of chopping and changing over its history which spans almost 100 years and people are currently debating if the league will yet again be expanded and with the well documented financial strains of the Phoenix Coyote's, it appears one franchise could be on the move! But who are the main players in contention to have their city join Gary Bettman's Ice Hockey's elite club?? Here are the main possible cities. Canada Hamilton, Ontario: This city is desperate to rejoin the NHL afters it brief appearance in the 1920s and Blackberry creator Jim Balsille has been making a number of efforts to bring hockey to Hamilton. In 2008 he reached an agreement to buy Nashville Predators, only to have his agreement terminated a month later! Later he would attempt to buy Phoenix Coyotes only to have the move fa

Pittsburgh became the second team to solidify a play off place with a 5-3 win over Carolina Hurricanes and in doing so clinched the Atlantic Division! The Penguins three newcomers, Brendan Morrow, Jussi Jokinen and Jarome Iginla all contributed to the win and also aided by great performances by 1st star Pascal Dupuis and Evgini Malkin, it gives hope that the team can cope in the absence of Crosby. The Eastern Conference playoffs promises to be an entertaining affair and with a strong offensive line like The Penguins, the goals are sure to flow!

Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock has announced in the  Detroit Free Press  that he doesn't think Canadian Center Darren Helm will be back before the end of regular season. Helm has been suffering with a back injury he picked up in pre-season.

The masks are good, the dancing is great! As seen on  NHL.com .

After Sidney Crosby's horrific jaw injury suffered a few weeks ago, it cut short what was so far a stunning season and has officially ruled him out for the remainder of the year. Also it prevents him from being able to add another Hart Trophy is his already impressive collection! So with Sid the Kid out of the picture we must turn to another of the excellent candidates on show in the 2012/13 NHL Season. Ladels and Jellyspoons, here are your main contenders... Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning) The closest overall to Crosby points wise with 49 and the top overall goal scorer with 26 goals, Tampa Bay's renowned centre has proved to be a bright spot in their otherwise horrible season. With a goal scoring touch like this, we can only shake our heads in disbelief that his team doesnt follow his good example. Would be nice to Stamkos rewarded for his continually excellent play. Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) This man is by far the most talented winger in the league and

The Detroit Red Wings have 9 games left in the regular season. The Question that GM Ken Holland and Coach Mike Babcock is does the team have enough left in the tank to ensure that it can hang on to a playoff place? Let's look at the remaining games from the point of view of a (slightly) biased Wings fan. 11/04/13 San Jose Sharks - Home. The Wings are currently 1-1-0 against the Sharks and their only win was a shootout in February. The Sharks have made a lot of trades leading up the closure of the window last week and the Wings will need to pick apart any of the inconsistencies that come with unfamiliar players and lines playing together. 12/04/13 Chicago Blackhawks - Road Despite Chicago's dominance of all things Western, the Wings have taken 2 points from their three games having lost 2 in overtime. Wings' record against the Hawks is currently 0-1-2 and the sole regulation loss was a 7-1 thumping on March 31st. There's a score to be settled but with 2 road g

The Pittsburgh Penguins ' injury woes continue, according the  Trib's sport page . James Neal is out indefinitely after his head to elbow interface with New York Rangers' Michael Del Zotto left him with concussion. This is in addition to Sidney Crosby who is still out with a broken jaw.  To shore up the main line, Evgeni Malkin and Jussi Jokinen have traded places, with the Finn taking the center position on the 2nd line. Malkin will partner Chris Kunitz and the Pens' other big trade Jarome Iginla up front.  The positive news is that both Crosby and Neal are doing well, but it is not currently known if either player will be back in time for the playoffs. 

This never gets old... Thanks to Pavel Datsyuk for tweeting this.

As the draft approaches, it's time to look at the current number 1 rank Seth Jones . This 18 year old currently plays for the Portland Winterhawks and has captained Team USA at the IIHF World U18 Championships. The defenseman has already picked up several silver and gold medals and regularly clocks assists. This young man is definitely one to watch when the draft hits New Jersey. 

In news that will surprise nobody, there'll be no extended summer holiday period for the Chicago Blackhawks , their 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators at the United Centre last night sealed the first playoff spot for the Western. Goals by Toews , Saad , Shaw , Bickell and Kane did the job for the Hawks. Although Legwand , Spaling and Weber all netted for the Preds, they continued Nashville's season-long tradition of losing to Chicago. Nashville are sat 13th in the conference and while mathematically they have a chance of a playoff spot, it would take a huge stroke of luck to be in with a chance of reaching the cup. At the other end of the conference, the Detroit Red Wings made life more difficult by losing 1-0 to St. Louis Blues at the Joe Louis. Blues Chris Porter  scored the only goal in what was a very tight game. The Wings' offense out-shot the Blues but were unable to find the back of the net. Goalies Brian Elliot and Jimmy Howard took the 1st and 2nd stars

Soon the 2013 NHL Draft in New Jersey will upon us and experts are already lining up their top prospects and so far young US Defenseman Seth Jones currently tops the list of young guns and in the European category, Finnish centre Aleksander Barkov is looking like being the top European pick and his outstanding stats playing for Tappara confirm this fact. But there is one name ranking at number 2 on the list of mid term rankings that deserves serious attention and it comes in the form of Canadian centre Nathan Mackinnon who plays for Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior League, and his stats so far are quite simply incredible! Last season his picked up 78 points which included 31 goals and 47 assists! Based on why I've seen so far, this 17 year old possesses all the key ingredients for succeeding in the NHL- speed, skill and most importantly a goal scoring touch! I know you can never predict how a young man's future will turn out- all I can say I hope this guy can g

Good evening hockey fans! The news we've all been waiting for is here, the Winter Classic is back, after its forced holiday due to the lockout, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has announced the game will be played on new year's day, 2014 with the Toronto Maple Leafs playing the mighty Detroit Red Wings. The major change will be that in 2014, Toronto and Detroit will be division, as well as historic rivals as the new realignment will have to come into effect. The annual celebration of all things hockey will descend, along with an expected 110,000 fans onto the University of Michigan's Big House. There's also plans for 2 alumni games to be played on December 31st. Today's other Winter Classic announcement is that both teams will be wearing retro jerseys. Please Santa, bring me this Wings jersey. Both jerseys pay homage to those sported in the 1930s although the Wings jersey also contains some 1980s nods with the numbering and lettering. Go Wings.

The Vancouver Canucks gave new hope to making their mark in the playoffs with an impressive 5-2 win against Calgary Flames at the Rogers Arena last night led by an outstanding display by the Sedin Brothers who were directly involved in almost every goal! Dan Hamhuis gave the Canucks fans the perfect start with a goal inside 34 seconds! Soon Dale Weise would deflect a Jason Garrison shot to put them 2-0 up before the periods end. But Flames winger Dennis Wideman would score to reduce the score to 2-1. The second period however, the Canucks would firmly take charge and Alexandre Burrows and a spectacular slapshot from Alex Edler would push them forward. But the scorelines didnt reflect the match and the Flames continiously pressed forward and finally midway through the 3rd period, Alex Tanguay gave Calgary hope and a tight finish looked likely. But the Flames would find themselves continually frustrated by the excellent goaltending of Cory Schneider who made several import

Playoffs without the Detroit Red Wings are like picnics without sandwiches or Coach Maclean without his 'tache. It just doesn't happen. It hasn't happened for over 20 years either. The Wings are currently sat seventh in the Western Conference and came very close to dropping to 8th. Two things in Detroit's favour are that their next game is against eighth placed St Louis at the Joe Louis. In addition to this, Mike Babcock's team have a 4 point cushion over the teams outside the conference top 8. At this late stage of the season, that small cushion could have a huge impact. Detroit's second road game in as many days was against bottom-of-the-conference Colorado at the Pepsi Center. Mark Olver cancelled out Pavel Datsyuk's opener before Gustav Nyquist gave the Wings the edge again with the first period ending 2-1. That's how the score stayed until 6 minutes into the third when P.A. Parenteau deflected the puck past Jimmy Howard to draw the Avs equa

After being utterly humilated at 'The Garden' on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins struck back with an important 2-1 win over New York Rangers at the Consol Energy Center. The first two periods remained scoreless with both Rangers goalie Lundqvist and Penguins' Fleury making several vital stops to get it at a tied game. But new signing Jussi Jokinen gave Pens fans a home debut to cherish as he struck with a goal early in the third period which would ironically turn out to be his only shot on goal the entire evening! But after would come a lengthy review to debate whether or not a Rangers shot had crossed the line- eventually the decision would be ruled no goal. Rangers fans didnt to wait long though as a mere three seconds after the decision went against them, Derek Stepan won the resulting face-off and set up Rick Nash to hammer home his 14th goal this season! Eventually after an action packed 3rd period/ Overtime this match was to be decided by a shootout and it was

In Detroit Red Wings 3-2 away win over Colorago Avalanche last night, Avs player Jamie McGinn found out just what it means 'Being Kronwalled'  by Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall right at the end of regulation time! The Swede is a man who knows the very definition of hard hitting and unless you like waking up with some very painful marks- it is advised to steer clear of him on the ice! After his big hit on Minnesota's Charlie Coyle earlier in the season, it is clear that this man has many bone breaking hits in him yet Check out McGinn receiving an education here http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=72&id=236431&navid=nhl:topheads

Pittsburgh Penguin's latest big signing Jussi Jokinen will tonight step into injured Sidney Crosby's skates on the 1st line with Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis, the Pens' pregame report reveals. The Penguins' game tonight against the New York Rangers will be the third without captain Crosby. The Pens are also coming back off 2 losses in a row.  Is throwing Jokinen into the first line really the best idea? Sure he's a great forward but he's only been a Penguin for a couple of days and hasn't had time to bond properly with the two wide men. Surely it would make more sense to promote Evgeni Malkin up from the second line. Malkin is a natural center and had a tremendous run last season, Jokinen is a left winger.  Begs the question what is coach Bylsma planning playing the new man on the top line out of his natural position. The Pens are desperate to prove that they're more than just the Sidney Crosby Show and with no sign of the superstar's return

Toronto Maple Leafs' goalie James Reimer is one of the most frustrating goalies in the NHL. Both to play against and to watch as a spectator. There is no doubting his ability between the posts and as the following videos show, he's a top notch shot-stopper. Optimus Reim is a superb goalie to watch, especially as a neutral, but when you look at the NHL's  official stats page , he isn't in the top 10 for any category. He's rarely in the top 20. Toronto is 4th on the 'goals for' list so far this season but 19th on the 'goals against' category. Why the big difference? While up front, the shooters are doing the job, Kadri, van Riemsdyk, Kessel and Bozak are all in double figures for goals. While the forwards are scoring for fun, it's a different story on the other side of the blue line. The defencemen's +/- are all over the place. They range from +14 to -12. From an offensive point of the view, the Leaf's D-Men are doing pretty

There was a goal feast in Wednesday nights NHL action, with the most notable scoring being the New York Rangers blitzing Pittsburgh 6-1 at Madison Square Garden! Ryan Clowe was the stand out with two debut goals in an impressive start, before this he had gone scoreless all season long and Rangers fans will no doubt be delighted that he has discovered his scoring touch again. There was also scoring debuts for John Moore and Derek Brassard- who had only arrived from Columbus hours before! Goalie Henrik Lundqvist also chipped in with 26 saves and Wednesdays win takes New York to 7th overall in the Eastern Conference. In the absence of Sidney Crosby, the Penguins looked worryingly thin on quality and despite Pascal Dupuis' lone goal, things are starting to look troubling for the Stanley Cup contenders!   Meanwhile Edmonton Oilers three number one picks shone brighly in their 8-2 win against an un-inspired Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome to go five games unbeaten! Despite

Confirmed by the Sharks' FaceBook page. San Jose Sharks now have Coyotes forward and man with a thorough  understanding of illegal hits Raffi Torres. Phoenix Coyotes get a third round pick in exchange. California here we come!

Today at the trade deadline, once again Roberto Luongo was the talk of the town as speculation grew as to whether he could be on the move from the Vancouver Canucks. Well it seems there has been another sting in the tale as it appears that Bobby yet again will not be on the move and will remain as back up to Cory Schneider for at least the remainder of this year. As he met the media, his body language suggested he was perhaps disappointed that things hadn't gone the other way and once more the Canucks goalie situation in appears to be as complex as before. But things arent all bad for Canucks fans because lets face it- who wouldnt want this man to on stand by in case things go wrong! The Canucks are more than likely to feature in the Western Conference playoffs this season and this period is always a time where goalies can sink or swim and it will raise confidence having Luongo to turn to in the event Schneider isn't up to the task! I have no doubts that come the off seas

Trade day continues and Pittsburgh have traded Jussi Jokinen with the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a conditional draft pick.  Helmets spoil his hair.  Marian Gaborik has moved from the New York Rangers to the Columbus Blue Jackets. This now means that Columbus have a chance to score some goals. Something that's currently lacking. The Rangers pick up Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and John Moore in exchange.  9/10 for synchronised skating.

Vancouver Canucks have been given an offensive boost to their season as yesterday it was announced that Dallas Stars centre Derek Roy is heading to the Rogers Arena in exchange for a conditional second round pick and Defense Prospect Kevin Connauton. With the Canuck struggling to score even with two veteran centres during regular season play, Roy will certainly help improve stats and so far he has notched up 22 points with 4 goals and 18 assists while playing in Dallas. It is expected that Roy will help elevate the third forward line and together with Jannik Hansen and Chris Higgins, together this line could prove important. With Henrik Sedin finding form and Ryan Kesler expected to be playing again within a week, Roy signing has come at an important time and with other centre Maxim LaPierre anchoring the four line, the Canucks goal tally could be steadily increasing! Derek Roy relaxes during his Sabres days.

Dallas Stars have announced that veteran right winger Jaromir Jagr has been traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a conditional second round pick and two prospects. The 41 year old has been Dallas top point scorer this year with 14 goals and 26 points and his advancing years dont seem to have held him back just yet. With the Bruins pushing for a playoff spot and a chance to win back their 2011 Stanley Cup, Jagr will bring great experience and his impressive play off record in years gone by will aid the Bruins cause dearly as Head Coach Claude Julien says "There's no doubt he's coming to help us, and I think that's the key word!" The Bruins management will no doubt be delighted to add Jagr to their already impressive forward line and although they missed out on Jarome Iginla- this trade could prove just as beneficial! The face of experience 

Looks like Clowe, previously linked with every team north of Carolina is now a Ranger. Not sure what the trade was but will presume it was for a crate of Bud and a packet of BBQ Hula Hoops. The Sharks pick up three of Rangers' draft picks. two in the second round and one in the third. The deal is still pending paperwork. One of the second round draft picks is conditional and may become a fifth round pick. This is the second  big trade this in seven days for a player who hasn't achieved a great deal this season. The left winger, who was due to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season is currently on zero goals and -9. He does have 11 assists though.  Won't be doing this anymore. 

Buffalo Sabres’ Robyn Regehr is being traded to the LA Kings, subject to medical. The move is in exchange for two of the Kings’ second round draft picks, one in 2014 and another in 2015. The Kings are ready to mount a staunch defence of their Stanley Cup title and with Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene both out injured; the Kings need some experience on the blue line. Regehr definitely ticks that box. Full story  here.

Calgary Flames have been dealt another fatal blow this season as they continue to sell off their high end assets as now their popular defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has been traded to St Louis Blues along with the Blues 2014 First Round Pick, Minor League defender Mark Cundari and Swiss League prospect Reto Berra. But the Flames loss is the Blues gain as Bouwmeester has had an impressive record playing for Calgary and his previous team before that, Florida Panthers and has so far notched up 71 goals 229 assists over an 11 year career. But how ever he has yet to grace a play off game and currently has played 750 games without reaching the playoffs, maybe St Louis can help the Canadian break that spell. Flames GM Jay Feaster has confirmed that the Flames initated the deal, not Bouwmeester himself. St Louis it seems has gained a valuable asset for years to come! Mike's edit. Gutted that Bouwmeester isn't going to Detroit as rumoured, he'd have made a great addition to our d

It's official. Chicago Blackhawks have confirmed  TSN's Bob McKenzie 's earlier report that Chicago have picked up Michal Handzus from the San Jose Sharks. The trade is in exchange for a fourth round draft pick. Time will tell if this is an extremely smart move or a lemon. Handzus is an experienced player with over 400 points, he's good in the faceoff circle too. This season though he has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) and is currently -9. Feedback from the Blackhawks faithful is mixed. The opinion being that the move is solely based on the fact that the team currently sucks at faceoffs, and Handzus is pretty good at them. This move is a sure sign that the Hawks are deadly serious about their Stanley Cup campaign and are doing everything possible to cover any weaknesses in their play.  Does not smile. Ever. Pic by Kristen Jerkins. Handzus, who played 8 games for the Hawks in the 06/07 season does add depth to the roster and his experience will be good for the team&

There has been some interesting trades so far this season  Vancouver has trumped the lot by buying an entire franchise from the St Louis Blues. As it's on both the  Rivermen  and the  Canucks'  websites, this is either a legit move by Vancouver or an elaborate April fools joke. Neither team is commenting further and the deal is still subject to approval by the AHL.