They got a point out of it and that gets them in the playoffs. For all you people that gripe about loser points, the Stars got two of them on this trip and that got them into the playoffs. I thought they played well in the third period, except for missing on those three power play chances. I've said it before, but I am not a big fan of the shootout. This is one of those games I was really hoping would have been settled in OT or regulation. Oh well. More later, including some thoughts on the potential matchup if these two teams meet in the playoffs, which is looking likely.
They are still hanging around and only down 2-1 after the first 40 minutes. The Stars aren't helping their cause with all these penalties. I am not going to fault the officiating. Anahiem's got the puck a lot. That said, the Ducks are flirting with danger by squandering away all these power play chances. Anaheim's power play has been a momentum killer from their end of things and the Stars capitalized on that by scoring right after Morrow came out of the box and made a nice backhand pass to set up Modano's goal. Anaheim got the lead back with that Schneider goal, but it's still a game because of Anaheim's inability to make hay with the power play. The Stars are still in decent shape heading into the third period.
It could have been worse than 1-0 considering the strong early push by the Ducks and the Stars' penalty woes. Marty Turco came up with some nice stops on Sutherby and Kunitz before the Schneider power play goal, so being down 1-0 isn't bad when you take three penalties in the period and only get only power play chance. Marty's got to be careful with that stick there around the net. He seemed to clip Brad May there at the end of the period, but didn't get caught. Let's see if the Stars can counter-punch in the second period.
They rounded out the win with a solid third period. It was nice to see them score a couple in the third period for once. It was nice to see Niklas Hagman finally get on the board. I am going to say what I always say after one of these wins: it's only one game. They've got another big one tomorrow in Anaheim that has big standings implications. That said, this one over the Kings was just one game, but it was a big one in its own right. They needed a win and they needed the two points to put some distance between themselves and those teams outside of the playoffs and still with a chance of catching them. More later.
Well, it looks like the Stars carried that late push in the first into the second period. That was a dominating second period all the way around. When you score early, get some power plays and take advantage, all that helps too. They buckled down defensively as well. Kings look like they are in disarray here. We'll see what the third period holds.
Well, they got out of the first 20 minutes tied. I thought they were OK. They had some decent zone time and scored on the power play, but they gave up some prime chances and the Kings scored on one of them. Brenden Morrow took a couple of penalties that could have cost them. They also dodged a bullet on that one Los Angeles power play chance. That no goal call was close, but I didn't see anything on the replay that was going to overturn the call on the ice. I thought the Stars seemed to pick it up towards the end of the period. We'll see if they can carry it over into the second period.
There were some good reviews for Stars prospect Ray Sawada in his pro debut Friday night in Iowa. Sawada scored a goal and was a physical force in Iowa's 4-1 win over Quad City. Not bad for a guy who was still at Cornell on Thursday morning. Sawada, who is a right wing with good size (6-2, 205), has been flying under the radar as far as Dallas prospects go because he's been in college the past four years and plays in a defense oriented system at Cornell. But he was a second round pick who came was highly regarded when drafted.
Welcome Ray Sawada. Holy s&@#! Sawada finished his checks, and finished his checks, and finished his checks. Scott White and Andy Moog were both visibly pleased with Sawada’s performance. He was as advertised, physical two-way winger. If Sawada plays with the physicality he showed tonight on a nightly basis in the AHL, boy is Dallas in for a treat.
Raymond Sawada was sitting in the library at Cornell University in New York on Thursday morning when he got a call from Scott White, the Iowa Stars’ director of hockey operations.
“They said, ‘You better get home and get packing,’” Sawada said.
In a whirlwind 36 hours, the right wing signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars, was assigned to Iowa and experienced weather-related travel delays and flight cancellations before arriving in Des Moines Friday afternoon.
He made his pro debut hours later, scoring a game-tying goal and serving up several hard hits for Iowa in a physical 4-1 American Hockey League win Friday against the Quad City Flames at Wells Fargo Arena.
“I was nervous off the bat,” Sawada said. “I could tell I didn’t have the same poise with the puck and I was getting used to a new stick. Getting that first goal allowed me to sit down and take a breath and be like, ‘OK, you can now play your game. It was fun.’
“It was a busy day. I’m ready to go to bed.”
Sawada was one of two college players making their pro debuts with Iowa on Friday in front of an announced crowd of 4,205. Providence defenseman Trevor Ludwig signed an amateur tryout contract Wednesday and played alongside defenseman Dan Jancevski.
Michigan Tech right wing Tyler Shelast and Bemidji State goalie Matt Climie also joined the Stars in the last 10 days, and also experienced their first games at Wells Fargo Arena.
“Ray came in there and really gave us a physical presence,” Stars coach Dave Allison said.
The Sharks clinched the Pacific Division with a 3-1 win over the Ducks in Anaheim in Friday night. The Stars are six points behind Anaheim and have two games in hand. A win over L.A. Saturday and they would put themselves in position to pull to within two of the Ducks with a regulation win in Anaheim Sunday evening. Home ice isn't out of the question, but they need some wins here this weekend.
Nashville beat Columbus and Vancouver got beat 4-0 by Minnesota. That moved Nashville into eighth and pushed Vancouver out of the playoff picture for now. Minnesota is in first in the Northwest by three points, but Calgary has games in hand. Colorado, a 5-4 winner in a shootout over Edmonton, joined the Flames and Stars at 90 points, but the Avs have played two more games than both Dallas and Calgary. Edmonton is just two points out of the final spot right now. Standings are below.
One other note, Stars goaltending prospect Richard Bachman's Colorado College team lost 3-1 to Michigan State in the NCAA West Regional Friday night. I was flipping over every now and then during the Sharks-Ducks game. I've got it on the DVR and will probably watch it later.
Stars goaltending prospect Richard Bachman will be in action tonight as his Colorado College team takes on Michigan State in the NCAA West Regional. The game is on ESPNU. If you have DirecTV and don't get ESPNU, you are in luck. It's being offered on a free preview basis this weekend. The Colorado College game is at 9 pm (CT).
According to the Ithaca (N.Y.) Journal, the Stars have signed forward Ray Sawada to an entry-level deal. He just wrapped up his collegiate career at Cornell, has signed an ATO with Iowa and is on his way to the AHL. Sawada was a second round in 2004. He has some good potential. (Update: The Stars made this signing official)
The Hockey News has its playoff preview edition out today and the publication is putting odds on who will win the Stanley Cup. The Stars are listed at 20-1. The Ducks are the favorites at 4-1. Here are the odds for the teams that are 40-1 or better.
That was a tough loss for the Stars. To me it was the same old stuff. The effort was there. They played well in the game for the most part. Like the Anaheim game they came out and put together a superb first period. But, unfortunately, like other games they couldn't get anything done in the third period and gave up a lead. And then in this one they had a penalty meltdown in OT and Joe Thornton and the Sharks made them pay. It's a fine line between winning and losing and the Stars are ending up on the wrong side off that line because they doing too many wrong things at the wrong time. The Marty Turco penalty was a killer. It was just a bad penalty and Trevor Daley's hooking penalty compounded the problem.
It's interesting how the focus on the Dallas end is what the Stars did that cost them the game and on the San Jose end the talk about what they did to win the game, and there was a lot of talk about denying Mike Modano a shorthanded goal in OT. Here's an excerpt from today's game story in the San Jose Mercury News:
Joe Thornton turned out to be the Dallas Stars' worst overtime nightmare at both ends of the ice Thursday night.
First he combined with goalie Evgeni Nabokov to miraculously rob center Mike Modano of a short-handed goal that would have won the game for Dallas. Then he ended up firing the shot that gave the Sharks a 3-2 come-from-behind victory that assures them of home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
And with a win tonight in Anaheim, San Jose would guarantee itself home ice in the second round as well.
"What a play, what a play," Thornton said of the Sharks' ability to foil Modano in overtime.
The sequence began with the Sharks holding a four-on-three advantage after Dallas goalie Marty Turco was tagged with a four-minute high-sticking penalty for striking Joe Pavelski as he pursued the puck behind the net.
Sharks defenseman Brian Campbell fell on the play, and Modano had nothing but open ice in front of him. Thornton credited linemate Jeremy Roenick with a back check that forced Modano to change his path, but Modano still got off two shots.
The last seemed destined to end the game, but Nabokov somehow got enough of his stick on the puck that it sat on the goal line - "Nabby, I guess he's been in the weight room lately," joked Mike Grier - where Thornton was able to clear it up the ice just as Dallas was about to take a third swipe at the puck.
"It was kind of desperation," Nabokov said of his role in keeping the puck out of the net. "I gave him a free net and kind of got lucky."
Sharks Coach Ron Wilson found a fourth player who contributed to the Sharks' good fortune on the play.
"If Modano had hung around instead of starting to celebrate, he would have scored," Wilson said of his longtime friend.
They got a point, but this has to be demoralizing. They played well, but once again they found a way to lose a game late. They've now been outscored 9-0 in third periods over the last five games and 15-1 in the last nine games. The overtime was a mess because of the penalty problems. The point is important though. More later.
Well, the second period was a little scrambly, but they still have the lead. A few too many San Jose breakaway opportunities for my tastes, but the Stars dodged the bullet on all of them. San Jose had the momentum there after they scored on the power play. That five-on-three chance was a big one and the Stars cashed in to shift momentum their way again. Special teams a big key through two periods.
That was a very strong first period for the Stars. Two big penalty kills gave them some momentum and although they don't credit for a power play goal, they scored just a few seconds after it expired. That has quite a blast by Mike Modano, a great stop by Evgeni Nabokov and Brenden Morrow cashed in on the rebound. Big kill coming up here to start the second.
The Stars get back to playing some games tonight. They have three over the next four days, which may help them get going here. The sporadic schedule probably hasn't helped their cause. With Minnesota winning last night the Stars are now in the sixth spot. The Stars - and we've haven't been able to say this for a long time - have games in hand on some of these teams.
I am not sure the seeding is that big of a deal right now. They just need to get their game in order, start playing well and get ready for the playoffs. If they have their act together for the playoffs, I don't think anyone will be thrilled about playing them in the first round even if that other team has home ice advantage.
As for tonight, it looks like Jonathan Cheechoo is doubtful for the Sharks. I expect San Jose to have a sharp focus on winning one at home against the Stars, who are 3-0-0 in San Jose this season. There was talk about that on one of their broadcasts recently. Beating Anaheim was a priority and getting one at home against Dallas was on the radar too.
Here are a few updates from today's practice. For all of you into the line combinations, they were juggled around again. Modano and Richards were not on the same line today. Modano was with Ott and Barnes. Richards lined up with Hagman and Eriksson. Lundqvist was on a line with Petersen and Crombeen. Morrow, Ribeiro and Lehtinen were the one line that stayed together from Monday's practice. Miettinen, Barch and Winchester were the fifth line.
Philippe Boucher had a good practice. Tippett said he'd be re-evaluated in the morning and that Boucher "was getting pretty close."
Sergei Zubov went through a full practice as well. "He is still day-to-day and is still dealing with some issues," Tippett said.
The Calgary Flames now hold down the top spot in the Northwest and the No. 3 seed after beating Vancouver 3-2 Tuesday night. Nashville shutout Columbus 3-0, so the Predators are only two points out of that last spot. The Oilers, who were idle, are only three points out. The standings are below.
San Jose lost 5-4 in OT on the road in Phoenix. Not a very good effort from the Sharks leading into Thursday's game against the Stars. Not a big surprise. They were coming off a big win over Anaheim and had a few days off. They came out a little flat, were down 3-0 early in the third after a Shane Doan shorthanded goal, but rallied to tie thanks to some Phoenix penalty problems and the game getting a bit sloppy overall, especially the two goaltenders. Evgeni Nabokov ended up getting pulled after getting caught out of the net and watching Steven Reinprecht score to make it a 4-2 game at one point.
No Jonanthan Cheechoo for the Sharks. He is still hurting after that hit Chris Kunitz laid on him in the Anaheim game last week. No Craig Rivet either. Word from the Versus crew was that he got the night off to rest.
I watched some the games out East too. The race over there is pretty good, especially with Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps making a strong push. They beat Carolina in a shootout and are now two points out of eighth in the East. Pittsburgh, Philly and Boston all had big wins.
Jeff Halpern scored another goal and also had two assists for Tampa Bay, which beat Florida and seriously damaged the Panthers' chances of making the playoffs. No Mike Smith though. He hurt his knee in practice on Monday and sat out the game.
Here's a look at the Western Conference after Monday's games. Colorado beat Calgary 2-0, which kept the Stars in fifth place and pulled the Avs to within three points of the Stars. The Oilers beat the Wild 5-3, so Edmonton continues to make a push and the Northwest continues to be incredibly tight here with just a few games left.
Vancouver is at Calgary on Tuesday. Also, San Jose is at Phoenix. That one really doesn't affect the Stars' position, but it's a game worth noting since the Sharks are the Stars' next opponent.
There was no bag skate today, but the Stars did practice for an hour-and-a-half Monday. They went for about 40 minutes, the Zamboni came out and they went some more. There was some scrimmaging and the most significant note of interest is that the lines were juggled quite a bit, and Mike Modano and Brad Richards were back together with Modano on the wing.
Dave Tippett said he was just looking at things today, so we'll see if this all sticks tomorrow. And he pointed out the team's recent woes have little to do with line juggling and combinations.
Sergei Zubov did not practice today. He went to see the doctor. He is said to be fine and is expected to be on the ice tomorrow. Philippe Boucher went through another full practice, but he still seems to have a ways to go before he can play in a game.
Dave Tippett put the Stars through a very hard practice Sunday afternoon in Frisco. There was a lot of skating and a lot of competition drills. It was a grueling workout and it's fair to say the players were spent afterwards.
"We deserved it," Mike Ribeiro said after practice. "The way we've played, it's not acceptable."
Said Tippett: "Do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it. We tried days off and now we are going to try working."
The only guys not out there were Sergei Zubov and Jere Lehtinen. Zubov will skate with the team tomorrow and Lehtinen was because of some tightness in his groin.
The Stars will be call up right wing B.J. Crombeen from Iowa.
And let me say to all of you what Steve Ott had to say after practice: "Happy Easter."
That's how I would describe that loss. A kick in the gut. I thought they played OK for the most part, but I was still expecting a better overall game then that they showed even before squandering the lead at the end. Their inability to extend the lead had me concerned. I thought they were flirting with disaster and disaster struck.
I am not sure what you say. It is the same stuff over and over. They just aren't making big plays and mistakes are ending up in the back of their net. There's a fine line and right now they are on the wrong side of it on a nightly basis. I thought the Anaheim game was a step in the right direction and I think this last one was a step back.
I thought they started well, but by the midway point of the game I felt it had sort of turned into a quagmire. That was just before the juggling started, Stu Barnes got moved to the top line and he potted that goal. I thought that would be a turning point, but they never really built on it. The Kings just hung around the game and Michal "I haven't scored in 42 games" Handzus comes up with a big goal to tie. I think there was that feeling of "Here we go again." Less than a minute later the Kings strike again. That's the way it is going for this team right now.
Confidence can be a fragile thing and right now this team's confidence has probably taken a big hit. That's why a win in this game was so important. Why closing the game out was so important. That's why having it all fall apart at the end was like a kick in the gut.
I am still not ready to hit the panic button, because I am not sure what to panic about. It's not like they are in danger of missing the playoffs or anything like that. If it gets to that point, then I'll hit the panic button. Am I concerned about this slide? Sure. There are some disturbing things I see and wonder about as the regular season winds down and the playoffs approach. But, as I said before, there is still time to right the ship.
The schedule the Stars put out earlier in the week had Sunday as a day off. Not anymore. The team will practice tomorrow afternoon.
Here's an update on Ducks goalie J-S Giguere from this morning's Los Angeles Times. Back spasms kept him out of the game last night.
Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere hit the ice for the warmup before Friday's critical game against the San Jose Sharks. Nothing unusual about that.
And then he was gone. That's about as unusual as it gets.
Giguere never did play as he was felled by back spasms and the Ducks' slim chance at defending their Pacific Division title faded in a 2-1 loss to the Sharks at HP Pavilion.
The Sharks (45-21-9) edged closer to their first division title since 2004 as their 14th victory in 15 games padded their lead to seven points over the second-place Ducks (42-26-8) with seven games to play.
But the Ducks' main worry is Giguere, who has battled injuries throughout his career but has been healthy since undergoing sports hernia surgery last August.
According to a team spokesman, Giguere's tried to work through the back pain during the warmup.
Giguere did not speak to reporters afterward.
"He skated this morning and was fine," Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said.
The severity of Giguere's back issue could affect the Ducks in their last six games as they try to lock up a playoff spot and home-ice advantage in the first round. It's unlikely Giguere will be available for tonight's game in Phoenix.
"I would think that we would be in a situation to possibly have to recall a goaltender for [tonight], obviously," Carlyle said.
Sharks beat the Ducks 2-1. Close score, but it was a pretty impressive and I thought dominating performance by the Sharks. They outshot Anaheim 43-13, including 17-0 in the third period. Still, it took a goal on a five-on-three by Jeremy Roenick early in the third to break a 1-1 tie. The Sharks are now on a 15-game points streak (14-0-1).
The most interesting thing out of this game is that Jonas Hiller started in net for the Ducks. He played very well and made some great saves, but there was a lot of speculation as to what happened to J-S Giguere, who took warm ups. I watched the Sharks broadcast, so they didn't have an idea. Maybe something will come out in the post-game reports, or maybe not.
Anyway, that leaves the Stars ten points behind San Jose. They still only trail the Ducks by three and that's the team they are chasing now.
If you aren't doing anything tonight and have Center Ice, the Ducks and Sharks meet in San Jose at 9:30 CT. Ducks have won five of the six meetings, but four of the six meetings have gone to overtime/shootout. For the most part, they have been close, tough games. Should be a good one and I believe the Sharks broadcast is in HD.
Starting one-half hour earlier on the NHL Network is a big game in the Northwest between the Canucks and the Wild. Minnesota has a one point lead over the Canucks, who can take sole possession of first place with a regulation win and pull even with a overtime or shootout win. GM Place should be rocking.
Winchester and Petersen appeared to be the odd men out.
After skating on his own yesterday, Sergei Zubov was out there with the team in full gear today. He skated the entire practice and looked OK. I wouldn't read too much into it just yet. Stars coach Dave Tippett said it will take a few more days to see exactly where Zubov stands.
"Realistically, I think it will be a couple days before we get a good read on it," Tippett said after practice. "When you haven't skated for two months, whether you are injured or not, it's uncomfortable when you come back and skate. He'll be uncomfortable for a couple of days. I think we'll get a better gauge on where he is the middle of next week."
Still, it was pretty neat to see him out there. Philippe Boucher was out there as well for a second straight day. Tippett said Boucher was still "tentative in some situations, but he is coming along."
Overall, they seem to be finally moving forward on that front and there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Time will tell as to exactly when they get back.
Here are a few tidbits from this morning's practice. Sergei Zubov skated before practice. According to coach Dave Tippett, Zubov was "pleasantly surprised" with how well it went. Still no timetable on a possible return. They'll see how it goes over the next few days. The last thing they want to do is rush him back.
Philippe Boucher skated with the team this morning as well. No contact or anything like that and Boucher said after practice he wasn't sure about a possible return yet. He is taking it day-to-day right now.
No surprise here, but they spent part of practice working on the power play.
The Stars have signed a couple of prospects. Here is the press release:
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed forward Tyler Shelast out of Michigan Tech University to a two-year entry-level contract through the 2009-10 season goaltender Matt Climie out of Bemidji State University to a one-year deal for the 2008-09 campaign. Both players have been assigned to the Iowa Stars, Dallas’ primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Shelast, 23, just finished his senior year at Michigan Tech University (WCHA). In 39 games with the Huskies this season, registered 16 goals and 10 assists for 26 points to go along with eight power play tallies and a +2 rating. Among team leaders, ranked first in goals, power play goals and shots (114) and was second in points. The 6-1, 202-pound winger posted three, two-goal outings this season and notched three points (2-1-3) on Dec. 28 vs. Michigan State.
The Kelowna, British Columbia native, served as assistant captain for Michigan Tech this past season and has been named to the WCHA All-Academic Team following both his junior and sophomore years. He also played his freshman and sophomore seasons with current Iowa Star Chris Conner at MTU.
Prior to attending Michigan Tech, Shelast played two seasons from 2002 – 2004 with the Powell River Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Following the 2003-04 season with Powell he was named the club’s most valuable player after tallying 71 points (26-45-71) in 65 games.
Climie, 25, just finished his senior year at Bemidji State University (CHA), posting a 14-8-3 record with a 2.16 goals-against-average, a .913 save percentage and five shutouts. He finished his four-year career with the Beavers first on the school’s all-time shutouts list (12), second in goals-against-average (2.45) and second in save percentage (.908).
The 6-3, 200-pound goaltender tied BSU’s single-season record with five shutouts this past season and is the school’s Division I-era record for goaltending victories with 45. The Leduc, Alberta, native earned First-Team All-CHA honors following his junior year and was selected to the Second-Team All-CHA squad following his senior season. Climie also graduated from Bemidji State with a degree in elementary education in three and a half years.
Iowa still has 12 games remaining in their AHL season.
I thought the Stars played a pretty good game at times Wednesday night. I thought they were particularly strong in the first period. Overall, they fared well in a tight checking, playoff style game against a Ducks team that excels in that kind of environment. But it's a 60 minute game that encompasses a lot of areas and when you add in the power play, which just seemed to suck the life out of things, and that Todd Bertuzzi goal at the end, it just felt like a lousy loss. This is one of those games I attribute to them simply not executing. They didn't execute on the power play, especially. I thought there were other times at even strength where they failed to execute at times too. They needed that save from Marty there at the end.
I am not going to gripe about the officiating. It was erratic, but both teams got hosed. That 4:00 power play the Stars got was off a bad call on the Ducks. But the Stars didn't take advantage. The interference call on Brenden Morrow at the end was questionable, but the Ducks capitalized. In the end, the players still have to make plays or not make plays and that's how it was decided. The Ducks got it done on this night.
This was a tough loss for the Stars in a key game. There's still time to right the ship and perhaps get home ice at least in the first round. I have some concerns about this 1-6-0 slide, but I am not going to hit the panic button and start planning a vacation for early May. It's a little early for all the doom and gloom. Nobody loses a playoff series in March. We'll see how they do Saturday against the Kings and maybe they can get going on next week's road trip. They've often been able to jump things on road trips and maybe they'll be able to do it again.
They beat the Kings in Los Angeles 2-1 with Brian Boucher in net. Not a great effort by the Sharks, but it was two points. And those two points really raise the stakes in Wednesday night's Stars-Ducks game. Dallas is six points behind San Jose and Anaheim is five points back. The Sharks, who host Minnesota Wednesday night, have a game in hand on both teams.
Nothing earth shattering out of practice today. Pretty good one hour workout. Line combinations looked the same as the ones used in Saturday's game against the Canucks. Stephane Robidas was wearing a protective cage because of the injury to his cheek the other night. Nothing new on Sergei Zubov, or at least not while I was there. He was supposed to see the doctor today, but the doctor was supposed to get back into town this morning and his flight was delayed by the weather.
Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov has been nominated for the Masterton Trophy. Here's the release from the Stars:
The Dallas chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) announced that defenseman Sergei Zubov is its nominee for the 2007-08 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The Masterton Trophy is presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The winner will be selected at the end of the regular season by a poll of the PHWA’s 30 chapters. Last year’s recipient was forward Phil Kessel of the Boston Bruins.
Zubov, 37, has appeared in 46 games with the Stars this season, posting four goals and 31 assists for 35 points with a +6 rating. Despite missing the past 25 games due to injury, he is still the only defensemen to record 30-plus assists in each of the past 12 seasons. He notched his 600th career NHL assist on Nov. 21 vs. Anaheim, becoming the 15th NHL defensemen in league history to reach the milestone.
The 15-year NHL veteran ranks third in scoring all-time among defensemen born outside of North America behind Nicklas Lidstrom and Borje Salming. Since the 1993-94 season, he ranks second (behind Lidstrom) in points among all NHL blueliners.
Following the 2005-06 season, Zubov was nominated for the Norris Trophy for the first time in his career and was also named to the NHL Second All-Star Team. In 1993-94 while with the New York Rangers, he became the first defensemen in NHL history to lead a team in scoring that finished first overall in the NHL. The two-time Stanley Cup winner (’94 with Rangers, ’99 with Stars) has also participated in three NHL All-Star Games (1998, 1999, 2000) and one Olympics (1992).
NHL writers first presented the trophy in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, who played for the Minnesota North Stars and died on January 15, 1968, as the result of head injuries suffered during a game. Masterton’s number 19 has never been worn by another Stars player and was officially retired on January 17, 1987.
Philippe Boucher was Dallas’ nominee for the 2006-07 season.
Chances are there won't be much going on with the Stars today. They had yesterday off and they have today off as well. I know there is an inclination to run them through some tough practices considering the recent play, but there are times when you need to just get away from things. There's physical fatigue and there's mental fatigue too. Taking a few days to charge the batteries on both fronts isn't a bad course of action. It's been a long season and there is a long ways to go.
Can the Stars still catch the Sharks? It will be tough, but it is not out of the question. The Sharks' recent run and the Stars' recent slide has taken things out of the Stars' hands. San Jose controls its own destiny here. But nine of their final ten come within the division and they are 10-8-5 vs. the Pacific. Six of the games come against the Stars, Ducks and Kings and they are 6-7-4 against those three teams, so they'll still have to earn that division title. Of course, there's that little thing like the Stars needing to get on track too.
It's a big night in the Northwest Division. Colorado is at Minnesota and Vancouver plays as well, hosting Phoenix. Those teams are still within striking distance of the Stars. Either the Wild or Avs will be within three points tonight.
The Sharks winning streak is over at eleven games. They played extremely well, but lost in a shootout to Edmonton 2-1. Dwayne Roloson was absolutely brilliant in the game and stole the game for the Oilers. He looked like he did back in the 2006 playoffs when the Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Final. I can't remember how many big, big saves he had in that game. He had 48 total. Anyway, Sharks do get a point, so they lead the Stars by four and the Ducks by three and have two games in hand on both.
The Sharks play Edmonton here starting in a few minutes. It is one of two games San Jose plays before the Stars hit the ice again. The Sharks will be at Los Angeles on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see where the Sharks are after those two games. They have an opportunity to put the Stars and Ducks in a big hole here with these games in hand or they might leave the door open a little and keep it very interesting. We'll see where it stands after tonight's game.
Here is the way the Canadian media treated Dave Tippett's decision to start Johan Holmqvist last night. Every game is like a playoff game right now for the Canucks, so every decision that affects the outcome of the game is getting analyzed as such. As I said in a previous post, it's one of those things you look at the result and rip, but you can look at the decision and see some logic. You can also look at the decision - as the Canadian media did - and rattle off a laundry list of reasons making the case for it being a poor move.
Anyway, here are some of the comments starting with Hockey Night in Canada's Don Cherry, who never pulls any punches.
Don Cherry, Hockey Night in Canada:
"Look, here's the deal. They say he's uncomfortable. How could Tippett the coach be so stupid. The kid hasn't played in a month and you play him at home. You've got all the pressure and the crowd on him. You take him on the road and play him in L.A. or something like that where nobody is going on. No wonder he is nervous. How could he be so stupid to play him at home and he hasn't played in a month."
If the Canucks weren't excited about facing the Stars, their mood brightened considerably at the morning skate. That's when they found out Dallas coach Dave Tippett was throwing Vancouver a curveball -- a big, juicy, floating, hit-me-over-the-green-monster curveball.
He said Johan Holmqvist would start in goal for the Stars. Presumably, Tippett has a sense of sporting fairness, or a sense of humour, or at least didn't want Marty Turco's confidence to inflate any more than it has from a 15-3-1 career record and 1.75 goals-against average against the Canucks.
Turco thrives on Hockey Night in Canada and especially enjoys going head-to-head against another elite goalie like Vancouver's Roberto Luongo.
But Turco was watching from the bench as the Canucks scored three times in nine minutes early in the first period -- believed to be Vancouver's first 3-0 lead since football season ended.
In a memorable night that possibly created some lasting legends, Trevor Linden, Willie Mitchell and Dave Tippett all did things people in Vancouver will be talking about for days, weeks, and possibly years (especially if the rest of the season goes well for the Canucks).
Linden was a leader. Mitchell was a warrior. Tippett played the fool. ... His decision to start Johan Holmqvist was as bizarre as it was fatal.
Marty Turco has owned the Canucks in his career. He has a 15-3-1 career record, with a 1.75 GAA and a .931 save percentage. That doesn't even include his dominating playoff performance last spring when he had three shutouts and a 1.30 GAA.
"Johan's been here a while and we are trying to get him integrated into our team," Tippett reasoned.
Well, we have a bona fide slump going on here with the Stars. They are following up that record setting month of February with a clunker of a March. Anyone remember back when the word was that March was going to be good because they would finally get some rest and all that. It could be this erratic schedule that has knocked them out of sync. What ever is going on, that was a brutal start.
Let's start with the decision to play Johan Holmqvist. He needed to play a game and with the schedule the way it is right now for the Stars it is a tough call. You don't want either guy to sit too long and, again, they need to get Holmqvist into a game. You can look at the result and call it a mistake, but I am not going to complain.
Dave Tippett put him out there against an offensively challenged team and with the Stars coming off a disappointing loss to Detroit. I would have expected a better effort from the Stars. The Stars started the game poorly, Holmqvist was shaky and it added up to a 3-0 deficit. You could make the argument that Holmqvist needed to play earlier, but considering the fact that the Stars have lost five of seven since he and Brad Richards have joined the team his chances faring any better would have been slim. This team hasn't been playing well.
They now sit in third place in the division, one point behind Anaheim, which beat St. Louis Saturday night. They are three behind San Jose, which has three games in hand and hosts Edmonton Sunday.
I am not going to do some big picture analysis on what losing five of six games means here, or what it means. It's way to early to tell. Maybe it's just that the erratic schedule has knocked them out of sync. Maybe it is something more. I don't know. What I do know is that all teams go through slumps and the Stars are in one right now. What this slump means, if it means anything of significance, only time will tell.
A couple of items here on a Saturday morning. Don't forget that tonight's game is an early start (6 p.m.). The reason is it is part of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Coverage. Canucks have lost a couple in a row and are clinging to that last spot in the West. Expect them to being pushing hard tonight.
Sharks won again last night. Blew the Blues away with four goals in the first period and then put the clamps down the rest of the way to win 4-1. That's eleven in a row for San Jose, which leads the Stars by three points and still has two games in hand.
Ducks play tonight and we should know the fate of Chris Pronger in relation to the Rylan Kesler incident before tonight's Anaheim-St. Louis game. Is he going to get 30 games like Chris Simon?
Well, I think all those people who are hoping that is the case are going to be disappointed. And those will who will immediately cry and whine that Pronger is getting special treatment (he may in some cases) and the league is being inconsistent, will be off base in this case. People just look at the issues of stomp and skate, and then say the two add up to the same penalty as the one levied on Simon. That's oversimplifying things. Those two incidents are grapes and grapefruits. You can't look at them and say they are the same when you look you look at not just the stomp, but the few moments proceeding it as well. I still can't look at that tape of Pronger and Kessler and say what Pronger was thinking. I know what he did was reckless. I can look at the tape of Simon and there was malice involved there.
It's the same with a lot of these other suspensions. People look at how bad someone got hurt or how bad a play looked at the moment of impact, draw comparisons with other incidents and then compare punishments. You can't always do that.
Should Pronger get suspsended? Sure. After seeing the better, closer shot of it I'd say he might miss the rest of the regular season and a playoff game or two. I think ten would fit the crime.
At issue is whether Pronger intentionally stepped on the left leg of Canucks center Ryan Kesler. Pronger initially appeared to have avoided any discipline by the league Thursday after it reviewed videotape of the play, which occurred during the second period of the Ducks' 4-1 win.
A more conclusive angle, which was not provided until late Thursday night, led to the league's course reversal.
"We viewed the incident the night that it happened but we did not have the isolation view until [Thursday] night around 10 p.m.," said Mike Murphy, NHL vice president of hockey operations. "Once we saw it clearly and up close, our antennas went up."
League spokesman Frank Brown said that a hearing has yet to be scheduled between its dean of discipline Colin Campbell and Pronger.
If there is a hearing, Ducks General Manager Brian Burke is also expected to take part.
An announcement on Pronger's status is expected to come before tonight's home game against the St. Louis Blues.
"If supplemental discipline is deemed warranted, it virtually always is assessed before the offending players' team plays its next game," Brown said.
It's why there have been enough changes (some significant, others more subtle) to suggest this season is finally the season the Stars get it right. That doesn't necessarily mean winning a Stanley Cup, but rather Dallas finally looks capable of making a dent come playoff time instead of being postseason fodder as in recent years.
The changes couldn't come at a better time. The Stars are in a crucial period of needing to find the passageway between regular-season and playoff success in order to shore up fan support that has grown weary of postseason busts. Since losing in the 2000 Stanley Cup finals, the Stars have won just two playoff rounds. In three straight seasons, they have bowed out in the first round despite piling up 107, 112 and 97 points, respectively, in those campaigns.
And so, as the regular season winds to its conclusion, there is both anticipation and a little anxiety as the playoffs approach. Veteran stars like Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen aren't getting any younger. And as fine a coach as Dave Tippett is, if the Stars can't escape the first round this spring, the team will likely go in another direction.
Still, there is a different feel about this team this time around.
I wasn't really surprised by this, but there was some line juggling at today's practice. I don't know if it will stick for tomorrow's game against the Canucks, but here is how it broke down:
That game in Detroit Thursday night was, in a word, disappointing. The Stars played well early, but is a 60 minute game and the Red Wings hit another gear there and the Stars couldn't match it.
Detroit's top players were better than the Stars' top players. Pavel Datsyuk was outstanding. Henrik Zetterberg was excellent. Nick Lidstrom is Nick Lidstrom. The Stars' top line of Brenden Morrow, Mike Modano and Brad Richards wasn't much of a factor.
I thought the Datsyuk goal late in the second was huge and basically changed the momentum of the game. It gave the Red Wings some life and that carried over into the third period. When Turco let in that goal 36 seconds into the third period, I felt this one was starting to slip away. Confirmation came 25 seconds later. It's still a one goal game, but the air appeared to have been let out of the Stars' balloon. They got three shots on goal the rest of the way. Sure, they could have gotten a break or a bounce and tied the game and maybe ended up with a point or maybe even two, but when you look at this game as a whole it was not a recipe for success.
They let a big two points slip away. They basically lost ground to San Jose, which still has its one point lead and three games in hand. The Stars wasted a game in hand they had on the Ducks, who are lurking just one point behind in the standings.
One other note. It looks like it will be at least another week before Sergei Zubov starts skating. That's a little bit longer time frame than the Stars had been hoping. It's a little bit of a setback, but there is still light at the end of the tunnel on that front.
The Canucks, who are hanging on to eighth place and got shutout in Phoenix Thursday night, are in town Saturday night. They'll be desperate, so expect another playoff type game and another good test.
The Ducks won Wednesday night, beating the Canucks 4-1 in Anaheim. That is eight straight home wins for the Ducks and pushes them to 13-3-1 in their last 17 games overall. They are now point behind the Stars, who have a game in hand. That game will be played Thursday against Detroit.
San Jose's next game is Friday vs. St. Louis. Anaheim's next game is Saturday vs. St. Louis.
Here's a look at the standings with the points percentage and the points pace for the Stars, Sharks and Ducks.
The Stars have just announced some contract signings. Here they are:
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed left wing Chris Conner and goaltender Tobias Stephan to one-year, two-way contracts for the 2008-09 season. The club has also signed right wing Sergei Korostin to a three-year entry-level contract. Conner and Stephan are currently with the Iowa Stars, Dallas’ primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL), while Korostin is skating for the Texas Tornado in the North American Hockey League (NAHL).
Conner, 24, has appeared in 22 games with Dallas this season, registering three goals and two assists for five points with six penalty minutes. In total, he has skated in 33 career NHL games, posting four goals and four assists for eight points over the past two seasons. Conner netted his first career NHL goal on Dec. 27, 2006 at Colorado.
A native of Westland, Mich., Conner has played in 41 games with Iowa this season, recording 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points. Conner is currently tied for second on the Iowa club in assists and fifth in points. The 5-8, 180-pound left wing attended Michigan Tech University from 2002 to 2006, and ended his Huskies career as the school’s all-time leader in shorthanded goals (15) and ranked 19th among goal-scorers (69).
Stephan, 24, made his NHL debut on Oct. 13 at Chicago and stopped 38 of the 40 shots he faced in a 2-1 overtime loss. In 53 games with the Iowa Stars this season, Stephan has posted a 23-22-2 record with a 2.64 goals-against-average, a .907 save percentage and six shutouts.
The 6-2, 180-pound goaltender appeared in his first North American professional season in 2006-07 with Iowa and posted a 10-15-0 record, a 2.88 goals-against-average and a shutout in 27 games played. He also played in two of Iowa’s Calder Cup Playoff games last season, recording a 3.46 goals-against-average.
The native of Zurich, Switzerland, was originally selected by Dallas in the second round (No. 34 overall) of the 2002 Entry Draft. He played for the Kloten Flyers in the Swiss National League from 2002-06 and represented Switzerland at the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Championships, as well as the 2001 and 2002 World Under-18 Championships.
Korostin, 18, was selected by the Stars in the third round (No. 64 overall) of the 2007 Entry Draft, and in 17 games with the Texas Tornado this season, has recorded 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) and a +5 rating.
The native of Prokopievsk, Russia, played for Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Super League in 2006-07, and scored five goals as Team Russia won the gold medal at the 2007 World Under-18 Championships.
Here are some quotes from Steve Ott following today's practice about his three-game suspension for a hit to the head on Colorado's Jordan Leopold in Sunday's game:
Thoughts on the suspension "I was surprised. I thought I went in there to forecheck and make a good hit. My one foot was on the ice and I finished my check hard. It was unfortunate that it resulted in a very, very minor injury. Talking to the league, he was OK. He was dizzy afterwards. He's fine, so that is great news. I am very surprised that I got three games."
On no penalty being called "There were two referees and two linesmen out there. Any major penalty, a linesman can call it as well. The fact that all four missed it, I don't know. During the review that's the league's discretion on what they are going to do. I am just very disappointed that I am going to miss these next three games."
When asked if he thought he got away with something when he first landed the hit "No, not at all. I just finished my check. I didn't know he fell. I turned around and was engaged in a fight. I didn't see it until I got the review."
On the explanation he was given for the suspension "I was shocked. I really don't know the explanation, if it was charging or a high hit or what. I don't know what the explanation was."
On the role Leopold getting injured played in his getting suspended "The result in an injury of a player is never good and that's probably what they look at first. I still think it looked as if it was a pretty good hit. ... If he gets up and starts skating around, everything is OK. Fortunately, he did get up and got to the bench. He just didn't feel right. It's unfortunate that he did get injured on the play. I don't know, it's tough."
On whether this will affect the way he plays "It doesn't affect me one bit. I am still going to play the same way."
A couple of other notes from practice. Matt Niskanen is good to go for Thursday's game in Detroit. It looked like Joel Lundqvist had taken Ott's spot centering a line with Loui Eriksson and Jere Lehtinen in some of the drills. Coach Dave Tippett said after the practice that Toby Petersen and Stu Barnes were options as well.
The Steve Ott suspension is official. Here's the release from the league:
Dallas Stars' forward Steve Ott has been
suspended for three games, without pay, as a result of delivering a hit to
the head of Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jordan Leopold during NHL game
#1043 on March 9, the National Hockey League announced today.
The incident occurred at 12:31 of the first period. No penalty was
assessed on the play.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on
his average annual salary, Ott will forfeit $12,834.21. The money goes to
the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
Ott will miss Thursday's game at Detroit, March 15 against Vancouver
and March 19 against Anaheim. He will be eligible to return March 22
against Los Angeles.
Here is a quote from the league prior to the regular season hits to the head. This came after the league handed down the 20-game suspension to Philadelphia's Steve Downie for his hit on Ottawa's Dean McAmmond during the preseason. The NHL's Colin Campbell had a press conference and just before it there was a release read that spelled out the criteria for what will taken into account when handing out suspensions involving hits to the head. Here's the relevant part:
"Over the last several months, the League has met with players, coaches, general managers and owners on the subject of hits to the head," said NHL Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. "While all of the stakeholders in our League agree that hitting is an important part of the essence of the NHL game, all were also unanimous in the belief that where a player deliberately targets an opponent's head, the conduct should be subject to review and the possible assessment of supplemental discipline.
"Specifically, the following factors were identified as being relevant to whether a player should be subject to supplemental discipline when a hit to an opponent’s head is involved: (1) when a player targets an opponent's head; (2) when a player launches himself by leaving his feet to hit a player in the head area; (3) when the hit to the head is delivered to an unsuspecting opponent; and (4) the timing (lateness) of the hit. An additional factor in considering whether discipline is appropriate is whether the player is a repeat offender.
"When any or all of these factors combine to cause an injury to an opponent, it was agreed that a player would be subject to supplemental discipline in the form of a game-suspension. When all or substantially all of the factors are involved, it is clear that the suspension should be severe."
Trying to be objective here. I was surprised Ott didn't get a penalty for the Leopold hit on Sunday and I am not really shocked that he is getting a suspension. He left his feet and delivered a blow to the head. The league frowns on plays like that. Jordan Leopold was injured. Is it worth three games? My initial thought is no, but I'd like to see the explanation from the league before I totally discount it.
The most significant thing to come out of practice today was an update on Sergei Zubov. Coach Dave Tippett said Zubov will see a doctor this week and if the report is favorable, then Zubov could resume skating in the next few days. Possibly late this week or early next week. So, he is moving forward and we should know more later in the week. Tippett said he expects Zubov back before Philippe Boucher.
Matt Niskanen was back out on the ice practicing. He looked fine and should be fine for Thursday.
Practice lines looked the same as the last game. Morrow, Modano and Richards were a trio again as far as I could tell.
This was announced in September and after one of the practices last week Mike was asked about it. The Stars sent out a press release a little while ago about it too. Mike will be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame tomorrow in Waco. Here is the Stars' release:
Frisco, Tex. – The Texas Sports Hall of Fame Induction Committee chaired by Dave Campbell announced its 2007 class of inductees who will be inducted during the special enshrinement ceremonies on Tuesday, March 11 in Waco. The class includes Dallas Stars Center Mike Modano, former Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver Michael Irvin, former U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team forward Mia Hamm, former Baylor and Cleveland Browns Offensive Lineman Jim Ray, former Texas A&M and Houston Oiler Defensive Tackle Ray Childress, former Texas Tech Football Coach Spike Dykes, former North Texas State and Dallas Texans Running Back Abner Haynes and Granbury Girls Basketball Coach Leta Andrews.
“This is a huge deal to me and something that I am really excited about,” said Modano. “Being the first hockey player ever inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame is a special honor and something that I take pride in. My wife and my parents will be there and they are just as excited as I am about this.”
Modano, 37, is the Stars’ all-time leader in goals (525), assists (751), points (1276), games played (1,309), game-winning goals (86), power play goals (148) and shorthanded goals (29). The Livonia, Michigan, native became the all-time American scoring leader with two goals on Nov. 7, 2007 at San Jose. His second goal was a shorthanded tally that pushed him past Phil Housley for his 1,233rd career point.
“This is something that Mike has earned because nobody has grown the game of hockey in Texas more than Mike Modano,” said Dallas Stars Co-General Manager Brett Hull, who will attend the Induction Ceremony. “As good as he is on the ice, he is an even better guy off the ice and I feel very honored to have had the opportunity to play with him and still watch him over his illustrious career.”
That was a good win for the Stars. One of the better, more complete games they've played here recently. I think it was more a product of how they played as a team instead of a product of who was playing with whom. In other words, I think the line juggling was interesting but I don't think it was the reason they won the game. They won because they got an excellent effort from just about everybody out there. They started strong and they finished strong. It was a complete effort for 60 minutes. Let's face it, Colorado had just one shot (and I still don't remember it) in the first period. They did not have many quality chances at all in that game. The Stars were simply the better team from start to finish.
That's not to say the Morrow-Modano-Richards line wasn't a key. It was. The team needed some offense and that line helped produce a couple of goals. There was just a lot more to it than that. There were a lot of guys who had huge games out there. Stu Barnes had a strong game. Mattias Norstrom and Stephane Robidas were excellent. When you consider the injuries on defense and then Trevor Daley was in the sin bin for seven minutes, those two really stepped up.
No problem with Daley's time in the box either. He responded to the Sauer hit on Richards. Steve Ott, who I thought had a strong game centering Loui Eriksson and Jere Lehtinen, took two Colorado defensemen out of the game. He knocked Jordan Leopold out with a hit and then injured Ruslan Salei in the fight that followed that hit. The Stars got pushed around Saturday and they pushed back Sunday.
Krys Barch and Joel Lundqvist came in and had strong efforts on the line with Barnes. I thought that trio set the tone on the very first shift. It carried through to the last shift. There were few times in that game where I thought Colorado had much of anything going. It was a good effort all around.
But again, it is just one game. They've got to follow it up with another good one against Detroit on Thursday. The Red Wings are getting healthy again and appear to be getting back on track. After that it is back home for the Canucks and the Ducks. Big games against tough teams that are going to be desperate for points too.
The NBC game this week featured the Penguins and Capitals, and it was a great game. It just finished a few minutes ago. It's comes down to the last minute and Sidney Crosby centers the puck in front of the Washington net and Caps rookie Nicklas Backstrom goes to clear the puck away and shoots it right past Cristobal Huet and into his own net with 28 seconds left or so. Some of the reactions were incredible. Huet looks up at Backstrom. Alexander Ovechkin falls to his knees behind the play. NBC has audio on the replay as Crosby and Pascal Dupuis are celebrating and Crosby asks, "Did he shoot that into his own net?" Somebody else joins the celebration and Crosby shouts, "He shot that into his own net!" Jordan Staal scores into the open net later and the Pens win a big game 4-2. The Pens keep pace in the race for the top spot in the East and Washington's hopes for a playoff spot take a big, big blow.
I just watched the game as a fan of the game, and not either team. Didn't really care who won, but I really felt bad for Backstrom after that game.
Some of the games NBC has had this season have been top notch. The Flyers-Rangers game they had on last week was outstanding as well.
The Stars have recalled Dan Jancevski from Iowa. No real surprise there.
I don't think there is much that needs to be said about tonight's game. The Stars could use a win.
All three of the big three in the Pacific are in action today. The other games to be tracking today will be San Jose at Minnesota and Montreal at Anaheim. The Sharks game will be finished by the time the Stars and Avs hit the ice, while the Ducks game will be going on at the same time.
It wasn't long ago that the giddiness factor surrounding the Stars was very high. Now, after three losses in which the Stars could muster just one goal in each of them, the giddiness factor has dropped among some folks. You are going to have ups and downs and they are in a down cycle right now. Let's not forget that Detroit, Anaheim and San Jose have all gone through them. There is no magic shot to inoculate a team from something like this. It happens. The best you can hope for is that it doesn't turn into a prolonged slide.
That said, even this short losing streak is a concern because of how much the picture has changed in the Pacific Division. The Sharks are one issue, but Anaheim hasn't exactly gone away even though they've lost two in a row. They are only four back. That division title is big because the two teams who don't win it could be playing each other in the first round. That's a tough way to start the playoffs.
Anyway, on to Saturday's game. I thought the Stars started strong. I thought Marty Turco was excellent, especially in the first two periods. He came up with some big stops to keep Colorado off the board. But the Stars couldn't extend the lead and that was a killer. First goals are great, but getting that second one is big too. Extending leads is important. Jose Theodore made a big save on Loui Eriksson and Brad Richards hit a post. Those were two that stick in my mind from when the game was 1-0 and the Stars could have made it 2-0. Colorado made the big push in the third, got a pair of goals and the Stars couldn't get another one past Theodore.
Overall, the Stars seemed to fade in the third period. That desperation (the key buzzword these days) that was there early, seemed to be missing late. The offense, which was clicking a few games ago, has gone dry. They need to score some ugly ones to get back on track.
All these games are tight and come down to a few things. This one, I thought, turned on special teams in the third. The Avalanche kill off the Jeff Finger interference penalty (the one where Brenden Morrow's head hit the stanchion) and a few seconds later they score to tie. Huge momentum shift towards the Avalanche. A minute later Antti Miettinen is the penalty box and Colorado's 30th ranked power play delivers the game-winner.
We'll see how Matt Niskanen is tomorrow, but the Stars will probably be calling up Dan Jancevski from Iowa, which is playing in Illinois this weekend. They played in Chicago last night and then play in Rockford on Sunday.
The Morrow incident looked bad, but he returned an appeared to be OK. It was like old times with Mike Modano and Ruslan Salei getting tangled up there and Modano taking the worst of it. But Modano returned too.
This is a big home-and-home series with the Avalanche. Stars really need some points because the Sharks continue to push hard. The won their eighth in a row last night.
If you haven't noticed, Colorado has been hot lately too. They aren't a threat to the Stars in the standings, but they are another one of those teams that is in full desperation mode just to get into the playoffs.
The Avs have won 5-0-0 since GM Francois Giguere made a big splash at the deadline with moves to sign Peter Forsberg and trade for Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei. There was an article put out by Canadian Press yesterday detailing the Avs' recent run, which opened this way.
On the morning of Feb. 25, Colorado Avalanche head coach Joel Quenneville remembers waking up feeling a little gloomy about things.
Boy was that about to change. "We were four points out of a playoff spot and it was an ugly picture because we came off a really disappointing loss the night before in Edmonton," Quenneville recalled Friday. "All of sudden we're four points out and that's a lot of ground (to make up). But we did get a lot of excitement (from the trade deadline moves)."
Later that day the Avs signed free-agent centre Peter Forsberg, stunning many, including Quenneville himself. Less than 24 hours later they added veteran defencemen Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei.
By the time the Avs hit the ice for the next game Feb. 26 at Calgary, they were a different group. They responded by winning that night, and then the next night in Vancouver, and then again and again and again.
They're a perfect 5-0-0 since the trade deadline day heading into a key home-and-home series with the Dallas Stars this weekend.
The San Jose Sharks made it eight straight wins tonight, beating the Blackhawks 3-2 in Chicago. It looked like Rene Bourque had scored late to tie the game, but he knocked the puck in with his hand. No goal. Sharks hang on to win. That pulls the Sharks to within one point of the Stars and they still have two games in hand. Uh oh.
Oh, and I wanted to pass on another web site that does playoff probability stuff. This one is called Sports Club Stats was pointed out by Patty of the Penalty Killing blog.
Here are the updated standings and points percentage stuff.
The biggest news out of this morning's practice is that Philippe Boucher has a slight separation in his shoulder and is expected to be out about three weeks. That's a tough break for him, just coming back from surgery on the other shoulder.
The Ducks lost again Thursday night. They were shutout 1-0 in Denver by Jose Theodore and the Colorado Avalanche. That's two straight shutout losses for the Ducks. They wasted a pretty good effort by backup goalie Jonas Hiller.
Corey Perry got hurt late in the game during a collision in front of the Colorado net and it didn't look good when he left the ice. The only thing I have seen on it so far is this from the AP recap:
Corey Perry, the Ducks' top goals scorer, was carted out of the arena on a gurney after the game with a laceration above his knee.
"They took him to the hospital to get stitches," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said.
Carlyle still isn't sure how the injury to Perry happened, other than he skated to the bench with a cut after a collision near the Avalanche goal midway through the third period.
"He had a slit in his socks," Carlyle said. "I never saw it."
Here's how the Pacific looks now as far as points, points percentage and points pace. Ducks are slipping a bit here.
Team
GP
W
L
OT
Pts
PTS%
PTS Pace
Dallas
70
41
24
5
87
.621
102
San Jose
67
38
21
8
84
.627
103
Anaheim
70
38
25
7
83
.593
97
Big win for the Avs, who continue to play well. They are now within one point of the Northwest Division lead. The Canucks won 6-2 over Nashville. Canucks and Predators are now tied for eighth place with 76 points. Canucks own the tiebreaker, which is based on points percentage right now. Vancouver is only three points off the lead in the Northwest, which is shaping up to be a great race down the stretch with four teams in the hunt. Pretty wild finish in that game. Jordin Tootoo had a big hit on Aaron Miller, who got injured and when Luc Bourdon went to stick up for his Miller, Tootoo caught him in the face with a high stick. There was another major scrum after that.
One other note, Jussi Jokinen with a goal and an assist in Tampa Bay's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia.
Not much out of practice today. It was an optional skate, so there were not a lot of guys out there on the ice. Johan Holmqvist was the goalie. Loui Eriksson, Antti Miettinen, Mark Fistric, Niklas Grossman, Toby Petersen, Joel Lundqvist, Brad Winchester and Krys Barch were some of the guys out there.
The highlight was Sergei Zubov, still wearing the boot on his foot and a tennis shoe on his other foot, shooting some pucks around for a few minutes. Coach Dave Tippett said Zubov is still on schedule, which should put him towards the end of the month or so.
Nothing new on Philippe Boucher's latest shoulder injury. He went in for a scan of the shoulder today. Results will come later. All Tippett could say early this afternoon is that Boucher would definitely not be a player this weekend in the two games against Colorado.
A second straight clunker from the Stars. They were lackluster. After that great run they had in February, it's not a shock that they are going to hit a bump in the road here. Over the course of a long season there are going to be lulls. This is one of them. They are going to have to be a lot better this weekend. Colorado is playing well and is battling for a playoff spot. Their desperation level is going to be high. This desperation level talk may get tiresome, but it's reality. It's playoff intensity each and every night for these teams. The Stars just haven't been there the last two games.
On to the division race. The Stars got some help from Chicago, which beat Anaheim. The Sharks are, however, another story. They rallied to beat Ottawa and are now three points behind the Stars with three games in hand. They also pulled ahead of the Stars based on points percentage. San Jose leads in that department by a .627 to .621 margin after Wednesday night's games.
Here's how it looks through Wednesday's games in the Pacific Division. Teams are ranked by points.
The Stars have announced the recall of Toby Petersen. Here is the press release:
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has recalled center Toby Petersen from the Iowa Stars, Dallas’ primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Petersen, 29, has played in 63 games with Iowa this season, posting 21 goals and 30 assists for 51 points with six power play goals. He currently leads Iowa in goals, assists, points and is tied for second in power play goals. Posting his first AHL and second professional hat trick in a 4-3 shootout win vs. Peoria on November 6, he played in his second AHL All-Star Game this season as well. Winning the Fastest Skater Crown during the All-Star Skills Competition, Petersen also tallied a goal and two assists in the All-Star Game. His goal came on the first penalty shot ever awarded in an AHL All-Star Game.
The 5-10, 197-pound center split the 2006-07 season between the Edmonton Oilers and the AHL Iowa Stars. In 64 games with the Oilers in ’06-07, Petersen recorded six goals and nine assists for 15 points with four penalty minutes, while he posted eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) in seven games with Iowa. He also notched two goals and an assist for Team USA at the 2007 World Championships in Moscow.
The Minneapolis native has skated in 149 games with the Iowa Stars the last three seasons, recording 49 goals and 83 assists for 132 points and earning Most Valuable Player honors in the club’s inaugural season (2005-06). Petersen has skated in 155 career NHL games split between Pittsburgh and Edmonton, notching 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points to go with 12 penalty minutes.
Originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the ninth round (No. 244 overall) of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Petersen had a stellar career at Colorado College from 1996-2000 that saw him collect 128 points (59 goals, 69 assists) and 62 penalty minutes in 138 games.
Mike Ribeiro didn't practice, but he skated beforehand. He should be OK for Wednesday.
Brad Richards didn't practice because of illness. Tippett thought he would be a player Wednesday.
Matt Niskanen went through a full practice again, so he looks ready too.
Center Toby Petersen cleared re-entry waivers, so he should be on his way up to the Stars.
Anaheim and San Jose both won last night and both have six game winning streaks right now. The Ducks beat Ottawa 3-1 and the Sharks beat the Canadiens 6-4. I flipped between two but probably watched more of the San Jose game, which was pretty entertaining. I am glad I stuck with that one. I got to see Jody Shelley's first goal of the season. Brian Campbell is a nice fit for them on the blue line. He had a nice goal to secure the win and both Jonathan Cheechoo and Patrick Marleau are playing well. The Sharks look good right now. The Ducks are, well, the Ducks.
Anyway, both those teams crept a little closer to the Stars in the standings. The Stars, Sharks and Ducks now rank second, third and fourth in the league behind Detroit based on points percentage. I should note that the league is now calling this points percentage on its stats page and not winning percentage. Someone high up the food chain probably changed it after reading one of my standings posts from a few weeks back. (Yeah, right).
Here are the the big three in the Pacific and how they stack up based on points, points percentage and points pace through Monday's games. FYI, Detroit has a .687 points percentage and is on a pace for 113 points.
Mike Ribeiro did not practice today. He went in for an x-ray of his elbow. It's just a precaution according to coach Dave Tippett, who said Ribeiro's elbow is still sore.
Matt Niskanen was out there today and went through a full practice. Niskanen said after practice that his foot/ankle was feeling a lot better.
Krys Barch missed practice due to the flu.
Marty Turco was named the NHL's second star for the month of February. Evgeni Malkin was No. 1 and Thomas Vanek was No. 3. Here's the write up on Turco from the league release:
Turco posted a 9-2-0 record, 1.90 goals-against average, .926 save
percentage and one shutout in 11 games. He allowed two goals or fewer in
eight contests, including a 28-save performance in a 1-0 victory over
the Detroit Red Wings Feb. 17, his second shutout of the season. Turco
is tied for fourth among NHL goaltenders in victories (29-14-4), one shy
of reaching the 30-win mark for the fifth consecutive season.
The Nashville Predators in town tonight and they have some issues. They are on a long road trip, don't play well on the road and they are tied for eighth in points right now and technically in ninth based on the tiebreaker. Phoenix is right behind them. If they don't get their act together on the road they could be in a tough spot by the time they return home. They are winless in four, so this is a big game for them.
It will be interesting to see who Brad Richards and the Stars follow up Thursday night's game.
I was out out of the hockey news loop all day yesterday, so I was surprised to hear that head athletic trainer Dave Surprenant was let go by the Stars. He's been around a long time. Longer than anyone associated with the team I believe. No reason given and I am not going to speculate why.
I did get a chance to watch some hockey last night, including Sharks-Red Wings and Ducks-Flames. Both San Jose and Anaheim won, so they aren't going away. The Stars still have a big lead on them in points, but I still think both those teams, which are playing well right, are still in the picture as far as the division title. The Stars would be tough to catch the way they are playing right now, but one little slide and the picture can change. The Stars need to keep winning. They also still have one team ahead of them they can catch and that is the Red Wings.
The Sharks-Red Wings game came down to a controversial goal. A Craig Rivet shot deflected off traffic, went up high behind the net and then the puck rolled to the front of the net, where Devin Setoguchi knocked it home to give San Jose a 3-1 lead midway through the third. Replays showed that it hit the netting behind the goal before coming down and rolling to the net. Bad news for the Red Wings is that isn't a reviewable play. That goal stood up as the game-winner in a 3-2 Sharks victory. Detroit's bad luck continues. The Wings are 1-8-2 in their last 11 games. The Stars with a chance to pull to within one point of Detroit with a two points tonight.
The Ducks-Flames game was outstanding. It was intense and physical. Bertuzzi and Phaneuf dropped the gloves early. There were a lot of scrums and it was a tightly played game. Selanne scored a five-on-three goal late to make it a 3-1 game, but Calgary was around it all night and hit a couple of posts in the third. Anyway, the Ducks are 10-1-0 since Selanne got into the lineup. Chris Pronger is out at least a week with small fracture in his jaw. He was behind the bench helping out last night because head coach Randy Carlyle was out sick.
Didn't watch the game, but Tampa beat Toronto 3-2 in OT. Mike Smith got the win, Jussi Jokinen assisted on Dan Boyle's game-winner and Jeff Halpern picked up another assist. Smith had one of NHL Network's plays of the night with a spectacular glove save. Also of note, Junior Lessard was in the lineup for Tampa Bay as well last night.
