Today is a sad day at NHL Hot Stove as we close up shop.

I would like to thank every one who has ever contributed, commented and read our site. It was a fantastic ride which unfortunately we can no longer keep up.

Myself and David Strehle are taking on bigger roles at RLDHockey.net while Dustin Leed and The Hockey Guys has been generous enough to give a home to our other excellent contributors. Please be kind enough to give both sites a read.

By Kathryn Uggerholt

The Edmonton Oilers have found themselves in a place they know all too familiar over the past few seasons — hovering around the bottom of the NHL standings. With only two wins in their last 10 games, the team has 33 points to place them 26th overall in the league, and 13th in the West. Their current placement in the standings is troubling after getting off to such a great start to the season.

The key to the Oilers offense has been their surprisingly successful power play. Surprising may not be the right word, but they did finish with the League’s 27th ranked power play (14.5%) last season, scoring only 44 power play goals. 

This year has been a different story, as only two teams have a better man-advantage percentage. Edmonton’s power play is ranked 3rd (20.7%), with only the Vancouver Canucks and the Nashville Predators succeeding on a more consistent basis. The Oilers are also third in power play goals scored with 30, the same amount as the Pittsburgh Penguins. The only teams ahead of them are the Canucks with 36 goals, and the Philadelphia Flyers with 32.

A fiery power play is due in part to the dynamic “Kid Line” of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Eberle. The trio, whose combined age is only 59, has combined for 16 of the club’s 30 power play goals.

Sophomore forward Eberle has scored the most man advantage goals of the three with seven, which also ranks him 5th in the league. He also has six assists on the power play to give him 13 points, or a third of his overall points, in his 3:40 average man advantage ice time per game. Eberle is also riding a six-game point streak, which dates back to the December 15th game against the Phoenix Coyotes. Prior to the current streak, Eberle had been on another six-game point streak that was snapped when the team was shut out by the Calgary Flames on December 9th. 

Hall is also in the NHL’s top 15 players in power play goals scored with six. The winger has actually recorded more power play goals than he has scored at even strength (four).

While his total of three power play goals doesn’t place him among the leaders, Nugent-Hopkins is second in the league in power play assists to Florida Panther’s defenseman Brian Campbell, and fourth in power play assists just behind the Sedin twins and Claude Giroux. The rookie has only three goals on the power play but 15 assists. Having logged an average of 3:39 of power play TOI per contest, Nugent-Hopkins has posted the team’s highest ratio of man advantage points at 51.4% (18/35).

The Oilers have many ingredients in place with which to win games, but they have not been successful as of late. The major difference in the team’s results has been the rise in goals-against average — from a microscopic 1.5 goals per game allowed over the first 14 games (21 goals), at which point they were 9-3-2, to the current 2.77 (100/36). That means over the course of the past 22 contests, Edmonton has yielded 79 goals, or an unacceptable 3.59 GAA. Not so coincidentally, the Oilers have gone 6-15-1 in the last 22 outings.

For Edmonton to get back on track, a more defensive-conscious effort is necessary, along with better play while five-on-five. Until those adjustments are made, one can only hope the power play continues to produce in the interim.

 David Strehle contributed to this story

By Christina Roberts

Well, it’s about damn time, Valtteri Filppula.

Right now, the first Finnish player drafted by the Detroit Red Wings is on pace for the best season of his career. He has ten goals and fifteen assists for 25 points in 30 games, and is rated a +10. He’s being projected to hit around 65 or 70 points by the end of the season, which easily trumps his career high of 40 points hit in the 2008-2009 season.

It is seriously about time for this 27-year-old.

I’ve been a fan of Filppula since he made it on the roster full time back in 2006-2007. I saw how much potential he had, and for seasons following that, I kept telling people how good he was going to be. And it was all because he had his sporadic moments of looking like the perfect cross between Pavel Datsyuk‘s mad deking skills and Henrik Zetterberg‘s ability to make a play out of nothing (and a wicked good wrist shot).

But season after season, Filppula never put up the numbers fans and the organization expected of him. And there were games where I was screaming myself hoarse at the television, hoping the Finn would hear me yelling, “STOP PASSING THE PUCK AND SHOOT!” Much like Datsyuk when he first started playing in the NHL, he had a knack for not taking the chances presented to him and instead continually passed the puck to linemates.

Filppula still has his moments of doing that, but this season, he is certainly more aggressive than seasons past. And it’s showing. Look at the numbers he’s been putting up so far. And it may also help that he’s found a rhythm with linemates Zetterberg and Jiri Hudler (who has been putting up better numbers than last season as well).

Everyone assumed last year was going to be Filppula’s breakout year where he would show his true potential. Toward the end of the season, when his numbers were pitiful with what everyone was expecting, there was a lot of chatter on my Twitter feed about trading Filppula for someone who would actually perform.

But the Red Wings organization was patient, much like they always are with their younger players and prospects. And for that, they are reaping the benefits of Filppula’s productivity. They can keep Datsyuk and Zetterberg on separate lines and not worry about whether the top two lines will perform.

This season, Filppula has definitely shot the puck more and taken those chances that I used to scream about. His numbers reflect that, too. 2011-2012 is the season I’ve been prophesying about for years now. And unless something drastic happens, the Finn is definitely poised to have the best season of his career.

Christina Roberts
NHLHS Detroit Red Wings Correspondent
Twitter: @franzenmuth
Email: christina.roberts@nhlhotstove.com

The Los Angeles Kings announced today that head coach Terry Murray has been relieved of his duties and that Kings assistant coach John Stevens shall act as interim head coach.

By Chris Van Deusen

It seems the Los Angeles Kings decided that it was time for a changing of the guard. On the eve of their four-game road trip, the Kings have decided to fire their head coach Terry Murray. After a disappointing homestand where the team lost five out of their previous seven games, Kings management made the call. For the time being, assistant coach John Stevens will assume the role of interim head coach.

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi spoke to the press during a conference call shortly after the announcement of Murray’s dismissal.  ”We hadn’t been playing up to expectations. The last homestand was the end, but there wasn’t one glaring moment. It built up,” said Lombardi. The Kings’ GM also added “Last year we had some sketchy periods too…” and that Murray’s work ethic and focus never changed, that he never quit trying, but this year the expectations were higher. The expectations of this year made things more about results than the team finding “victories within losses.”

Photo Courtesy LA Times

It is unknown at this time how long Stevens will serve as interim head coach. Stevens is unlikely to keep the position for long though since he shares a very similar coaching style with Murray. Lombardi would not go into detail on his list of possible coaches, preferring not to tip his hand and simply state “it’s fair to say it’s a very short list.” Three names that seem to top the lists of speculators are Darryl Sutter, Tony Granato, and recently-fired Anaheim Ducks’ head coach Randy Carlyle. It should be noted, however, that the Kings have stated they are unlikely to go after Carlyle.

While it is never a good sign when a team fires their coach, it seems it was time to part with Murray. For a team that has expectations of being a Stanley Cup contender, ranking 30th in scoring is unacceptable. While some of the blame does need to be focused towards the players, it is also the coach’s job to right the ship, no? Things are not alright in the kingdom when there are unnamed texts stating they’re dead.

Sadly, many will forget the good that Murray did do for the Kings. He led the Kings to the playoffs the last two seasons, with that first season being their latest appearance since 2003. Top-Line centerman Anze Kopitar was molded into the great two-way player he is today under Murray’s teaching. While we haven’t seen it lately in more than just flashes, Murray is credited with establishing the great defensive structure the team is known for.

Murray began coaching with the Kings in the 2008-09 season and held a regular season record of 139-106-30. Among the Kings’ all-time coaches, his win total ranks third, fourth in games coached at 275, and first in winning percentage at .560. Murray was just one win away from his 500th career win.

Chris Van Deusen
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent
Twitter – @TheCrazyWhls

This year seems to be the season the National Hockey League finally turns things around by way of suspensions and fines. And by around, I mean a complete 360.

Last season, during the 2010-2011 season, Colin Campbell handed out 37 suspensions and 18 fines. This season, new League disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan has taken it a step further handing out 22 suspensions and 10 fines over the course of three months.

Shanahan’s latest victim to fall to the Shanahammer is San Jose Sharks center Andrew Desjardins for his boarding of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Sami Lepisto. While it was reported he would face disciplinary action, Desjardins skated away with a $2,500 fine for the early first period hit.

To clarify, the NHL rule book defines Rule 43.1 – Checking from Behind as the following:

A check from behind is a check delivered on a player who is not aware of the impending hit, therefore unable to protect or defend himself, and contact is made on the back part of the body. When a player intentionally turns his body to create contact with his back, no penalty shall be assessed.”

Lepisto, who was racing for the puck, caught a cross check from behind. Assuming the NHL would adhere to the rules, Desjardins would’ve been awarded a cross-checking penalty. Instead, the referees slapped him with a boarding penalty, earning him a date with Shannahan.

Desjardins was in essence charged with breaking Rule 41.1 — Boarding, defined as the following:

A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who checks or pushes a defenseless opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently in the boards. The severity of the penalty, based upon the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee.”

Desjardins, who split his time last season between the Sharks and the Worcester Sharks, isn’t known for sending players crashing into the boards. While in Worcester, he had 69 penalty minutes which included a few fighting majors, the pivot was not suspended for any of his actions.

So far, in the 26 games played with the San Jose Sharks, Desjardins has 25 penalty minutes. At this time there was no video made available of the play in question.

By Alexander Monaghan
President 

In the NHL, injuries are simply a part of the game. Yesterday, the injuries piled up with such notable names as Zdeno Chara, Ilya Bryzgalov and Claude Giroux hitting the injured list. However, the two injuries we want to focus on were especially gruesome and thanks to Twitter we have screencaps of the proof.

Option #1: Derek Dorsett lower left leg injury

Dorsett looks to have snapped something in his left leg after falling over Tim Thomas and tumbling to the ice. The problem was, he didn’t really take a tumble as much as actually falling nastily on his leg. Take a look at the gruesome evidence as Dorsett is expected to miss a significant amount of time.

Below is a screencap, courtesy of @The6000LE:

Option #2: Ladislav Smid hit in the teeth with errant stick

At 8:23 of the second period, Olli Jokinen was called for a high sticking penalty as he hit Ladislav Smid in the teeth. The impact caused Smid to bleed all over the ice and miss the rest of the second period. Smid would later return in the third period, further proof that hockey players are the toughest athletes in the world.

Below is a screencap, courtesty of ChicagoSportsJD:

So now we ask you, the reader, to vote on the most gruesome injury of the night.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Edmonton Oilers d-man Andy Sutton just doesn’t get it. In an environment where NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan is trying to make the League a safer place, he continues to make boneheaded plays that warrant suspensions. As Jeff Marek and Greg Wyshynski pointed out during their phenomenal #MvsW podcast, he is quickly earning the distinction of this year’s Trevor Gillies aka the biggest bonehead.

Just over a month ago, Sutton was suspended five games for violating Rule 48.1 – Illegal Check to the Head. Not only was Sutton already a repeat offender before his clothesline on Gabriel Landeskog, he already violated the main rule that the League is trying to get rid of. Remember, Shanahan is issuing these suspensions not to punish but to teach players how to better play the game; how to better respect one another.

Apparently, the warning fell on deaf ears with Sutton, as it did in the past. Not counting his more recent suspension at the beginning of the season, Sutton was suspended on four other occasions while playing for several other clubs. Let’s take a look at the video, courtesy of NHL.com.

The above video will show some of Sutton’s past indiscretions. It shows hits from behind, blindside hits and the aforementioned clothesline. The bottom line is Sutton is a dirty player and the only way to finally get through to a player of his caliber is a lengthy, perhaps indefinite, ban from the NHL. Such a move worked for the now-reformed Matt Cooke. Todd Bertuzzi looks like a changed man as well. If he can’t then adjust his game, well there always is a chance to play for Vityaz Chekhov.

Eight games tied James Wisniewski for the largest ban the League has doled out. However, it does not necessarily mean that there is parity between the two hits. To be frank, Wisniewski made that infamous hit on Cal Clutterbuck because he is an idiot. He either thought Clutterbuck would still hit him or he thought he would get away with it with the ‘what did I do?’ excuse. Sutton, on the other hand, had oncoming forward Alexei Ponikarovsky lined up for a clean hit and simply delivered a leaping tackle to his face. Not only did he target the head but he sent Ponikarovsky’s head directly into the boards which could have caused a very serious injury.

In that same context, Wisniewski’s hit could have also caused major injury to Clutterbuck as the forward was not protecting himself whatsoever. However, the force was not as deliberate. He didn’t charge after Clutterbuck, he just laid into a player who was already heading in his direction. Again, it was dumb but not malicious.

Sutton is a rare breed and brings a physical presence to the Oilers defense that they have not had since Chris Pronger patrolled the blue line. Regardless, the veteran needs to adjust his game to play a hard-hitting style that does not hurt his team with penalties or in this case missing games. Adam McQuaid, Matt Greene and Ryan O’Byrne are examples of players with similar heights who can do everything Sutton does — hit everything that moves while maintaining a nasty presence in front of the net — and do it legally.

This instance was a great chance for Shanahan to teach Sutton a lesson on how the game needs to be played and for that I feel he did not do enough to the 6’5″ d-man.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

On Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche came into their away game against the Vancouver Canucks with a game plan. After diligently researching their opponent, they determined that playing a physical game will throw the defending Western Conference Champions off their game; after all, the ‘Nucks did seem somewhat out of sorts against the Boston Bruins when tested physically last Spring.

The Avs generally play an up-tempo game, reliant on their top two lines to provide adequate scoring. However, with Paul Stastny sidelined, they decided to alter their game plan in order to stay in the game. At least that was their original thought process.

By contrast, the result was terrible on both ends of the ice. The Avs were unable to solve both Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider en route to an embarrassing 6-0 loss. Perhaps more embarrassing than their performance was their actual conduct which included an absolutely brutal knee-on-knee hit by spare part Kevin Porter.

If you missed the play, let’s take a look at the video and exactly why Porter was suspended:

As far as Porter goes, you probably have to feel for the guy. He’s played in only 14 of the team’s 29 games and has only one goal to his name. The former Hobey Baker Award winner came through the ranks as a scoring line player but has been relegated to the fourth line or press box all season. Forced to adjust his game, the 25-year-old felt like he needed to make an impact and play the body.

But when David Booth was able to evade his hit, the Detroit native stuck out his knee in order to get a piece of the shifty winger. The rest is history — a dirty play, suspension-worthy and most likely debilitating to Porter’s future with the club. Porter is not a checking line player and playing out of his element clearly caught up to him.

Causing an injury also forced NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan‘s hand in making a decision. Politically, Shanny had to do something when considering the Canuck’s outrage and the injury caused on the play. Like it or not, Vancouver is a big draw for the NHL and bringing the Cup back to Canada would be a great thing for the sport.

By contrast, the Avs are in a tweener phase after finishing with the second-worst record in the League last year. Towards the end of the last season, the Denver Post didn’t even bother sending their reporters out on road games! Suspending a player like Porter is the popular decision, the right call and most importantly a move that won’t make him look bad.

When Shanahan chose not to suspend Milan Lucic for his now-infamous running of Ryan Miller by Milan Lucic, he put doubts in all of our minds. While running a goaltender is not the major crisis that Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier created, it was a controversial hit that injured another player. However, Shanahan would be suspending a poster boy of the current Stanley Cup Champions for playing within the current rule book. In short, he was in a no-win situation as his call, or non-call, set off whispers around the League.

Giving Porter four games is a victimless crime. It actually creates a benefiriciary in rookie Brad Malone and gives Booth and the Canucks some closure after the injury. Furthermore, it probably teaches the Avs to play their game. Or at least to play proper goons like Patrick Bordeleau and Cody McLeod when they decide to muck it up.

By Alexander Monaghan
President 

By Matt Boulton from Vancouver, Canada

…but they really should.

Roberto Luongo will have 10 years left on his contract after this season with an annual cap hit of $5.33 million. The 32-year-0ld is just a season removed from being a Vezina Trophy finalist, but none of that matters now.

During last season’s Stanley Cup Finals, he looked spooked and at times couldn’t track the puck. Much like the Olympics — another platform he was highly scrutinized — Bobby Lu fought off the puck, leading his doubters to pile on the jeers. The veteran was slumping, and continued to slump in this season’s early going, while his backup. Cory Schneider, simply looked much better. Something needs to be done, and, in theory, the worse goalie needs to go.

That exact thought process is why Ek****-esque rumor monger Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun claims the Vancouver Canucks have dangled their longtime goaler. While we agree that it would be proper asset management to get rid of such an expensive player when Schneider can handle the job at a much cheaper rate, it would also be poor asset management to give away an elite player for close to nothing.

In his 11th season as a starting goalie, the Montreal native is on pace for his second-worst career GAA with a 2.90 not to mention he could post a sub-.900 save percentage for the first time in his NHL career. Nevertheless, he will not finish with those totals, or anything worse than those for that matter.

This season, Luongo was especially bad in October — a month in which he is typically awful. This October, he posted an atrocious 3.54 GAA and .869 SV%, but still only finished the month with an even 3-3-1 record. Keep in mind he kept this team in the game without Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, and an otherwise awake hockey team. If the Boston Bruins had a hangover, then the Canucks were on life support with an IV in their arm. They were as close to lifeless as you could get, which led to an all-time low by Luongo.

By Iwona Erskine-Kellie from Vancouver, Canada

Since then, however, Bobby Lu has been just fine. He lost only two starts in November — with a tidy 2.30/.924 — before getting hurt, and only allowed one goal over his last two starts. He’s allowed three goals only twice over his last seven starts which started once the dreaded ‘O’ month ended.

Right now, the Canucks are back in a familiar situation. They have one of the better goalies in the League and arguably the best backup. While it’s fun to speculate whether he will go to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Vincent Lecavalier or to the New Jersey Devils as the heir apparent to Martin Brodeur, it simply does not make sense for the ‘Nucks to trade away a core member of their team while they attempt to win the League’s highest prize.

Luongo is on the upswing and with a miraculous run could challenge yet again for the Vezina Trophy. However, he will need to overcome injury concerns that knocked him out for six games last month and most recently the team’s 6-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Such concerns could keep both Luongo and Schneider in Green and Blue for the foreseeable future in order to ensure the team has a top-notch netminder in their crease at all times.

So yes, expect these trade rumors to continue in vein. In fact, Garrioch hedged his statement  and later tried to explain that Schneider would indeed be on his way out of British Columbia. While that may be a situation that eventually plays out (likely not this season), this one-two combination is simply carrying this team back to the top of the standings.

The Canucks are a fully working being at this point and GM Mike Gillis would be foolish to do anything but add to the NHL team, not subtract. Even though the Sedin twins may be the brain and Kesler is the heart, stable goaltending is the backbone of this club, and without it they simply will not survive.

The NHL announced tonight that they will change their current six-division setup into four conferences. For the first time since 1998, the League’s board of governors reached an agreement that not only alters the current outlook but also will allow every team to play a home-and-home series. The NHLPA will still need to approve the realignment but that appears to be a formality at this point.

These four conferences break down as the following:

Conference 1

Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
Phoenix Coyotes

Conference 2

Winnipeg Jets
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Nashville Predators
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild

Conference 3

Toronto Maple Leafs
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning

Conference 4

Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals

The current playoff configuration will also change with the first two playoff series coming within the Conference. However, eight teams will still make the show but there should be much more parity. For example, a team in a ‘weaker’ division would not be allowed to grab the third seed if they narrowly make the playoffs.

Furthermore, the schedule works out well for all teams. Home-and-home series should account for roughly 44-46 games with the remaining games getting played in rivalries within the conference. This change, as well as keeping natural rivals like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; Chicago and Detroit; Calgary and Edmonton; should pave way for more excitement and interest around North America.

Now that we have the details down, let’s get to the fun part. What do we name these conferences? Do they get the old names: Norris, Campbell, Adams and Patrick? Do we rename them something more current like Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe and Orr? Put your vote in below and give some write-ins into the comments.