Around the NHL – March 21, 2011 Eastern Conference Edition

The latest installment in a weekly series from NHL Hot Stove correspondent David Strehle that examines teams, players, and issues from around the NHL.  In this Eastern Conference edition:  Matt Cooke Does it Again; The Islanders with a Bright Future; Goal Struggles in Tampa Bay; The Price is Right in Montreal.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent

Message needs to be sent by NHL

There was much talk at the recent GM’s meetings in Florida about making players take responsibility for head shots.  And Sunday provided a great opportunity for the NHL to put those statements into action.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ frequent offender Matt Cooke drilled New York Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh in the side of the head with an elbow early in the third period, and paid the immediate consequence with a five-minute major and game misconduct.

With such a textbook example of Rule 48 provided by Cooke, it’s time for the league to step in and put some teeth behind the talk – or it will all be the status quo, a bunch of jargon.

Cooke has been in and out of controversy for a bevy of hits over the past few years.  He has received three suspensions of varying lengths for his discretions over the past three seasons, and actually avoided any retribution for his shot to the head of Boston Bruin Marc Savard last year.  The Bruins’ star forward was shut down earlier this year with recurring symptoms from the concussion suffered from the Cooke blindside hit. 

In head coach Dan Bylsma’s post-game press conference, he seemed resigned to the fact that there will, indeed, be a lengthy suspension – and that it would be justified.  “I don’t think you can talk about eliminating head shots from the game, as we have as an organization, and not expect that to be examined, as there looks to be contact right to the head on the play“, Bylsma told the Pittsburgh Tribune.  “The league will look at it and treat it as such.”

Bylsma couldn’t have been pleased with Cooke’s actions or even the timing – early in the third period of a 2-2 game.  The resulting Rangers power play scored, and New York went on to post a 5-2 victory.

The guess here is that Cooke will go before disciplinarian Colin Campbell sometime early in the week - in person - and the suspension will probably be somewhere between seven and 10 games.

Anything less will make the NHL’s tough talk of the past week regarding protecting their assets and making players accountable for their actions look like a joke.

Bright Future on Long Island

For several years now, the New York Islanders franchise has been nothing short of a disaster.  On top of all of the wranglings concerning a new arena, this will be the fourth consecutive season that they will fail to qualify for the postseason.

But all is not lost, as there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel for the Isles.

The team suffered a horrific rash of injuries early in the campaign and were buried deep in the Eastern Conference basement by mid-December.  But since that time, they have had one of the best records in the East.

Several key factors have been:

• The play of Michael Grabner.  The 23-year-old Austrian was the 14th overall draft pick in 2006 by the Vancouver Canucks, but appeared to be on the way out after being placed on waivers by the Florida Panthers just before the season started.  All Grabner has done is bring an added dimension with his speed and offensive ability, and he hit the 30-goal mark this past week.  A player of Grabner’s skill set is rare to come across, and along with John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and Matt Moulson, Grabner should be a big part of the core of the team and any future success for years to come.
• The maturation of Tavares.  In the time that the Isles have turned things around, it’s no coincidence that Tavares has been better than a point per game – 18 goals, 28 assists for 46 points in 45 games.  The 20-year-old is playing with a confidence and efficiency that the organization expected when they made him the first overall draft choice in 2009.
• Jack Capuano.  With the club in dire straits in mid-November, Scott Gordon was fired as head coach, and Capuano named his interim replacement.  When the team went 1-8-2 in his first 11 contests, it appeared there was no hope for the Islanders.  But they have gone 24-15-6 since that time, which includes a 4-9-0 January.  That means that other than January, New York has recorded a 20-6- 6 mark.  Not too shabby.  Capuano has instilled a team concept that has seen them stand up for each other.  Though some of that has led to some ugly incidents and suspensions, there is no doubt that the Islanders have a unified locker room.  And that will be huge in building a winning atmosphere on the Island moving forward.

The Price is Right in Montreal

The Montreal Canadiens were heavily criticized by many when they dealt playoff hero Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues in the offseason, thereby annointing Carey Price as the number one by default.  Truth be told, the controversy of constantly pondering which netminder was the starter and which should be backup became a distraction in hockey’s Mecca city, and Price and the Habs have thrived in Halak’s absence. 

Price is currently tied with the Detroit Red Wing’s Jimmy Howard for the league lead in wins with 34.  That total is also tops in the Eastern Conference, and Price’s eight shutouts is second only to the nine posted by Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.  Price’s .922 save percentage is tied for fifth best, and has a very respectable goals-against average of 2.38.

While the regular season has proven Price to be a worthy starter, his true test will come in the form of this year’s playoffs and whether he can match Halak’s magical run last year – or even come up with a reasonable facsimile.

Goal Struggles in Tampa

There has been much talk of goal troubles in Tampa Bay this season, but it has centered on the earlier woes of the club’s crease area.

The team was cruising along this season and even began to challenge the Philadelphia Flyers for the Eastern Conference lead in the latter stages of February. 

But as the calendar flipped to March, the team’s success level has dropped off significantly.  With just a 2-5-4 record since February ended, combined with the red hot streak of the Washington Capitals, the Lightning now trail the Caps by five points for the Southeast Division lead.  Tampa does have a game in hand, but a finish in the top three is looking like it may be slipping away.

Head coach Guy Boucher pointed out what he felt was the key to their recent slump.  Secondary scoring.  Boucher juggled his lines in hopes of finding combinations that work to compliment Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, and Vinny Lecavalier in the goals department.  After Stamkos (43), St. Louis (26), and Lecavalier (19), Teddy Purcell (17) is the only other Bolt with more than 13 markers this season.

With Ryan Malone (abdominal), Steve Downie (knee / ankle), and Simon Gagne (neck) all on the shelf with injuries, the club is struggling to find offense from the wings. 

Purcell has been a revelation and had played his way onto the power play unit even when everyone was healthy.  Boucher will need more from the likes of Sean Bergenheim, Adam Hall, Dana Tyrell, and Mattias Ritola, especially in the absence of his injured wingers. 

But another issue has to be that Boucher must have expected more production from the blue line.  Pavel Kubina was brought back to Tampa as a free agent in the offseason and it was hoped that he would be a force on the power play, but he has only registered three goals in 69 games thus far.  Victor Hedman, the number two overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, also has three in 71 contests.  His numbers are pretty much on par with what he finished with as a rookie last year, but the Lightning had to have been looking for more in his development process.  Boucher has received more input than anticipated from free agent signee Brett Clark (eight, including six on the PP), but with the offensive slump will be awaiting contributions from all avenues.

When the Bolts rectified their ”other goal problem” by obtaining Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders, it appeared as if the team was on to something big. 

But no one expected the team’s offense to disappear the way it has over the past few weeks.  Gagne is day-to-day and could help give opponents more weapons to key on, but Malone and Downie are listed as out indefinitely.  (Although the Lightning may have some good news regarding Downie – this was posted on Twitter Monday morning).  It’s time for everyone to step up in Tampa Bay, or their aspirations of a long playoff run could evaporate much like their goal totals have recently.

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If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter - @David_Strehle.