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Blues Players Organize Food Drive for Joplin Tornado Victims

Proving just how classy the St. Louis Blues organization is from top to bottom, several players came together and organized a food donation drive for Joplin, Missouri Tornado victims. The event was held last Wednesday at Scottrade Center.

In three hours Blues fans and good samaritans alike contributed 13,192 pounds of food (roughly 10,554 meals) to feed those in desperate need.

Ben Bishop explains how the event came about on the teams official website.

“Being from St. Louis, I actually have a lot of friends that knew people from Joplin or have families there,” Bishop said. “I saw the devastation on TV and wondered what I could do. I talked to Tyson (Strachan) and T.J. (Oshie) during a workout one morning. Then we talked to the Blues and came up with this idea.”

A recurring theme with the two local boys, Bishop and enforcer Cam Janssen, is that they are always willing to give back to the community in which they came from. Kudos to Big Ben and all involved for stepping up and making a difference.

The EF 5 Tornado that hit Joplin was one of the deadliest in US history, killing more than 140 people.

Blues Fan Awards Winners Announced
The fans have voted for the top players and moments of the 2010-11 season..

Team MVP: David Backes
Best Forward: Backes
Best Defenseman: Alex Pietrangelo
Unsung Hero: Alex Steen
Biggest Surprise: Matt D’Agostini
Most Popular: TJ Oshie
Best Moment: Scoring 10 goals against Detroit.

There is little surprise in any of the selections.

Backes was a consistent presence all season. Playing a key role in all situations. He lead the team in goals (31), points (62) and Plus/Minus (Plus-32).

The emergence of Pietrangelo opened the door to the Chris Stewart trade and lead to further questioning of the NHL’s mind boggling rules for determining who is eligible for the Calder Trophy. He finished 20th in defensemen scoring with 11 goals, 43 points and a team second best Plus-18 rating in 79 games. He averaged 22 mniutes of ice time a game as well. Very impressive for his first full season as a pro.

Steen was a tireless workhorse in all aspects of the game. Giving up the body, but never giving up on a play. He finished third on the team in scoring despite missing 10 games. Registering 20 goals and 51 points.

D’Agostini was nearly written off at training camp as an AHL at best winger. He proved doubters wrong with a 21 goal and 46 point season. Filling in on the top two scoring lines as well as 4th line Center as needed.

Oshie is well known as the fan favorite. Scoring goals like this one…from his knees. Which, by the way, was the second highest voted “Best Moment”. With as much disdain as Blues fans hold for the Evil Empire, it’s very hard to top scoring 10 goals and utter trouncing a rival.
Polak Signs 5 Year Deal

The Blues announced a week ago that defenseman Roman Polak has agreed to a five year contract valued at $13.75 million.

The length of term is surprising. At least initially. Especially given the issues that came up during negotiations in 2009. Where a skewed value assessment on the player/agent’s part lead to delays in signing the recently expired two year deal. A five year term may seem excessive for a defensive defenseman. Upon further review the move is rational.

Finding a defender of Polak’s caliber, in his role, on the open market (or soon to enter it) would cost upwards of $3.5 to $4 million a year. At least looking at the type of deals given to the likes of Anton Volchenkov, teammate Barret Jackman, Eric Brewer, or Rob Scuderi. The five term effectively buys the Blues Polak’s prime years and his ability to seek a larger UFA contract in that time frame. A price Polak seemed willing to pay for security in a situation he is thriving in.

There will be reverberations through out the lineup.

The roughly 33% raise for 2011-12 comes at the same time as Carlo Colaiacovo’s 52% raise. While both fulfill different roles, the Blues clearly have committed to four defenseman. Alex Pietrangelo, Jackman, Polak and Kevin Shattenkirk. A cap floor budget team cannot easily afford a $2.5 million salary playing a 3rd pairing, 2nd power play unit role. Not when Ian Cole can do the same on an ELC and RFA Nikita Nitkin will likely sign for half or less of Colaiacovo’s salary.

A commitment to Polak also likely means are reduced even strength role for Shattenkirk which will likely be made up in power play time. Further complicating the Colaiacovo situation.

Sobotka and Blues Close on 3 Year Deal

As reported by Andy Strickland last Thursday, the Blues have agreed to a 3 year contract with forward Vladimir Sobotka which he is expected to sign within the next week.

Now a week after the report, the official announcement has not been made. It takes time for paperwork to travel across the Atlantic. In due time the deal will come as expected.

Junland KHL, Not NHL Bound

Blues super fan and Jonas Junland follower Rick Ackerman confirmed last week that JJ is leaving the SEL and heading to the KHL. Barys Astana to be exact.

It appears that the drama that started in April 2010 has ended for all intent and purposes. At the conclusion of the 2009-10 season the Blues offered the prospect defensemen and  one year deal that would most likely have him in St. Louis to prove his worth. Not languishing in Peoria. Instead of went home to Sweden. Taking a one year contract to play for Farjestads.

The Blues left the door unlocked, but Junland was not likely to open it.

There is little doubt that the organization has significant depth on defense, in terms of prospects, and could “afford” to lose a one. But Junland passed that stage of his career. He could provide legitimate NHL depth at a marginal cost. All the Blues needed to do was acknowledge that his efforts in the AHL opened the NHL door. The front office obviously didn’t feel that way.

Case in point, Junland was one of the last players cut and assigned to the Rivermen before the Blues departed for Sweden to open the 2009-10 season. They were to play Linkoping HC, Junland’s former club and hometown team, in an exhibition before opening the regular season play against Detroit.

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On the Injury Front

Roman Polak made a successful return to the lineup in a 3-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on December 20th. After missing three day short of two months thanks to a lacerated tendon in his wrist Roman hasn’t missed a beat. Posting a Plus-1 Rating with an assist while averaging over 19 minutes a night in his five games back.

TJ Oshie‘s broken ankle appears to be progressing ahead of schedule. Enough that the Blues GM Doug Armstrong said the target for evaluation is now around the All Star Game (January 30th) instead of a few weeks after in mid February. He has been seen skating prior to practice recently. Solo light skating and no contact of course, but no one is complaining about progress. His energy is sorely missed in all facets.

Andy McDonald‘s recovery from concussion seems to be coming along better than David Perron‘s. Rumors have been circulating that McDonald exercised on stationary bikes, but Armstrong wouldn’t confirm. The company line is that no updates will be announced till the forwards are symptom free for 48 hours and can take the required tests for clearance. Head Trainer Ray Barille is in contact with both players daily and reports to Army as needed.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Marek Svatos wasn’t a member of the Blues long. Just about 24 hours. The former Avalanche winger was signed and practiced at Scottrade on Tuesday, but had to clear waivers before it all became official. The Nashville Predators placed a claim and gabbled up the two time 25+ goal scorer to supplement their own depleted forward reserves. With the Preds without top scorer Steve Sullivan as well as Mike Lombardi and Martin Erat, their need was equally great to keep pace in the Western Conference.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained for the Note. If the roles were reversed, the Blues would do the same to a Central Division rival.

Would Blues fans like to see Ryan Johnson back in St. Louis? Could the Blues pay the waiver wire love forward on another division rival (Chicago Blackhawks)?

Healthy Horses

While some leading the charge to a 7-4-2 December to date record are not a surprise, one in particular is.

Vladimir Sobotka has been a diamond in the rough find. Since being granted permission to play his style of game (by virtue of his exit from Boston),  the Czech Center/Winger has been an impact player for Davis Payne. Being an assertive, aggressive, get under your skin energy line center till he earned a promotion to be the wing man to David “Inglorious” Backes. Since that time, basically the last 14 games, he has 4 goals and 12 points. Trailing only Alex Steen (7 goals, 13 points) and Backes (6 goals, 15 points) in offensive production over the same time frame.

Patrik Berglund may only have 3 goals and 6 points in his last month or so of games played, but in the last week to ten days he has been effective in all the ways a coach loves without making the scoresheet. Winning draws, finishing checks, controlling the offensive zone, commanding the puck and attacking the net. Once again it appears new Assistant Coach Scott Mellanby is really helping Bergie. At Wednesday’s optional skate, Patrik was out there with Mellanby working hard on plays in tight space around the net.

Grinding wingers Brad Winchester and BJ Crombeen deserve kudos for their play of of late as well. Using their size effectively on the forecheck and along the boards. Helping to create space for their respective lines play makers.

Matt D’Agostini and Brad Boyes seem to be coming around. After hitting a bit of a sluggish stretch, both are working at the level they should be. For what it’s worth, D’Ag’s hit on Hawks captain Jonathan Toews was not dirty.

Tweeting For Charity

A while back David Perron and Erik Johnson started a campaign on Twitter to hot “x” number of followers and then they would donate $5,000 to a charity. Perron, @DP_57, hit his goal of 20,000 today. As of very early Thursday morning he was at 20,111. EJ, @erikjohnson6, was looking for 15,000 followers and at last count was sitting at 14,800. Follow them both today and help out a deserving charity. They haven’t picked yet, but expect a worth benefactor to be named.

In fan news a wonderful little girl named Hailey, @IansBlueLiners, auctioned off an Ian Cole, @ICole28, autographed stick for Autism Speaks. She is Ian’s “official fan club” and was drumming up support on Twitter. The stick went for $150. She also gave away an autographed 8×10 of Cole to one of her 161 followers. Blues beat writer Lou Korac, @lkorac10, won the dice roll.

Prospects at WJC

The Blues have four prospects representing their native lands at the 2011 World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo. Jaden Schwartz (Canada), Vladimir Tarasenko (Russia), Sebastian Wannstrom (Sweden), Jani Hakanpaa (Finland).

Schwartz and Tarasenko had solid games in their head to head tournament opener. So far Tarasenko has just one assist, but Schwartz had a goal and two helpers in two games before breaking his ankle against the Czech Republic. According to the Blues he will be out at least six weeks. Wannstrom had a pair of assists in Sweden’s opener.

Check out this thread over at the Blues Forum on HF Boards for more info.

Armstrong did say Tuesday that the current plan is to talk to Tarasenko following the end of his KHL season (or end of World Championships) to see about getting the young scoring winger over the Atlantic. Sounds like they want him over for summer conditioning prior to training camp, but by training camp at the least.

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As always, you are invited to follow @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone on Twitter and on the  BlueNoteZone Facebook Fan Page for in game updates and Blues news. Please also check out the St. Louis Blues Blogs Facebook Fan Page for links to Blues blogs all over the Internet.

Doors opened at 9 am with the Gold practice. While most of the events were of standard fare,  but a few plays and players stood out.

- David Backes beat Ty Conklin multiple times in front in a 3 man drill with two forwards and Defensemen putting pucks on net from the point. Backes flashed a bright smile before heading back in line.

- Alex Steen brought his usual work ethic to the table. In the same drill he came hard down the wing with the puck and parked himself in front of Conklin. Russian import Nikita Nikitin takes the puck at the point and puts a firm shot on net, just off the ice. Steen deflects it straight up and over Conklin’s shoulder. More smiles as it pings off the crossbar and in the net.

- Nikitin is battling former young journeyman Tyson Strachan and former first round picks Alex Pietrnagelo and Ian Cole for the final two spots on the Blues defense. The 24 year old Omsk native did not look out of place. His level of play matched Cole, Strachan and two time Memorial Cup winner Mark Cundari.

The scoring stared early in the scrimmage.

Cam Janssen opened up an early lead for Team Blue when he scored at the 2:30 mark. Stefan Della Rovere would knot up the score five minutes later on a penalty shot. The penalty for an infraction was not a power play, but a penalty shot as the offending team skated sprints. At 2 minutes in to the 25 minute half Matt D’Agostini showed his scoring abilities by sniping the right corner on big Ben Bishop. Less than three minutes later Team Gold executed a two line stretch pass to break out of the zone. Phillip McRae found David Perron who found Brad Boyes open in the slot. A fantastic finishing shot ties the game at 2-2.

The second half started with less scoring as the first goal came nearly 10 minutes in. Patrick Berglund took a drop pass from Matt D’Agostini and hammered home a one-timer from the top of the left wing circle past Conklin. Roman Polak would tie the game at 3-3 and a few minutes later David Spina would put Team Blue back up 4-3. Peoria Rivermen forward Adam Cracknell tied the game at 4-4 with less than 3 minutes remaining in the game.

In the shootout Roman Polak and Andy McDonald traded misses while shooting on the own goalie. Nikitin flashed some offensive skill with a nice head fake and shot for the first goal of the shootout. D’Agostini missed his opportunity, leaving the door open for Boyes. While Boyes may have struggled in 2009-10 to light the lamp in the first 65 minutes of a game, he was lights out in the shootout. He finished off his attempt and gave Team Gold the win.

There were many positives to take away from Sunday’s action.

- The fans are ready to go. A scrimmage brought out 3,500 in the rain, on the same day as a Cardinals home game and a Rams game.

- The intensity level on the rise. Hits came from everywhere and everyone. There was a tense moment when Cole caught in the corner by Dave Scatchard. There was no injury on the play, but he was a little slow to get up. Nikitin and Johnson both made big hits on the blue line. Oshie lined up Perron along the bench only to have Perron squared up and Oshie was  “Oshie’d”.

- Line chemistry started forming. Both the Perron-Phil McRae-Boyes and Oshie-Berglund-D’Agostini lines produced several scoring chances and gelled together.

- There is capable depth, now and later. Whether that’s Scarchard, Nic Drazenovic, TJ Hensick, Della Rovere, Tyler Shattock, McRae or Brett Sonne. If you don’t believe me, take Darren Pang’s word for it.

- Jaroslav Halak is a fan favorite already. When Chris Kerber announced that Halak was coming in to the game he received as thunderous a response as Janssen or Oshie.  It is no secret what Halak means to the Blues organization. The fans are very happy to see a long term solution begin his career between the pipes in St. Louis.

While hopes ride high with Halak, he cannot carry the team alone. The five skaters in front of him must do their job as well. If Sunday was any indication, their heads and hearts are in the right place to make this season special.

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As always, I welcome you to follow me on Twitter – @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone.

There has been quite a discourse regarding the Blues perceived lack of inactivity on the free agent front. Angry Blues fans from the water cooler to message boards are chiming in that they are not so happy with Doug Armstrong’s alleged inability and unwillingness to bring in “upgrades”. I mean not to harm the feelings of my Blues brethren, but there is also a fan unwillingness to accept the reality of the situation the team is in.

Fans are emotionally involved with their teams. Its something that gives professional sports a great depth of substance. Often those emotions neglect to take in to account that their team is really a business. In business, at least in my experience, FAQs are often disseminated to explain “why” and provide background in to a process or event.

Here is my attempt at a Blues Free Agency FAQ. Questions I have seen on Blues sites, blogs, message boards, or just from co-workers and friends. I’ve paraphrased the questions to lump together the most common issues.

Q. Doug Armstrong said this would be an “ambitious summer”. How is one trade (Halak) ambitious?

A. Words have connotative meanings, a personal interpretation. When Armstrong said this he was going more creativity rather than going all in.

The reality of the Blues situation is that there is not a lot of available money long-term. Many of the best free agents want lover terms. This is more to do with the lack of a replacement for TowerBrook than it is about Barret Jackman‘s contract. They just can’t take on an inflated contract right now. What money that is available will be reserved for the homegrown talent. That means Erik Johnson and David Perron this summer and David Backes, TJ Oshie, Roman Polak and Patrik Berglund next summer.

Given those constraints Armstrong had to find scoring other ways. Hence the trade for a young energy line player with skill like Vladimir Sobotka. Acquiring AHL scorer TJ Hensick. Retaining Matt D’Agostini. Finding scoring from cheaper avenues.

Ambition from filling holes in unconventional ways. Not ambition in terms of spending a lot of cash.

Q. The Blues said they won’t spend money on free agents. How can this be?

A. This quote from an early off season interview has been largely misunderstood. The correct paraphrase of the quote from John Davidson is that the Blues wouldn’t spend over a certain amount per year on one free agent.

The example given was $8 million dollars a season or more on someone like Patrick Marleau or Ilya Kovalchuk.

As covered already this has to do with the loss of TowerBrook and the Blues lacking long-term financial backing with deep enough pockets to eat a salary like that. The Blues haev spent money in free agency. They have retained many of their own players and signed three players they traded for. Jaroslav Halak, Sobotka, and Hensick.

Q. The Blues are short on scoring, how can they not go after Kovalchuk?

A. Outside of the fiscal concerns there are team building issues at work. The Blues have said they believe in building strong from the back out. Having a stable netminder to grow with and a solid core of defensemen. You can argue that the Blues have that now with Halak, Erik Johnson, Roman Polak, and Alex Pietrangelo. At the same time there are still question marks surrounding each one of those players. The assumed core the Blues will rely on in the back end hasn’t been proven yet. It’s very hard to a team to justify spending what Kovalchuk wants when you don’t have the base of the team totally squared away.

Fans also shouldn’t forget that in the summer of 2011 the Blues have to re-sign David Backes, Patrik Berglund and TJ Oshie up front. Allocating $8 million or more just to Kovalchuk means that two of those players are gone come 2011-2012.

One final thought to take in to account. The Blues don’t feel like they are short on scoring. There is a real belief that players like Berglund, Backes, and Brad Boyes will recover and post seasons closer to their 2008-2009 totals.

Given what Kovalchuk’s New Jersey contract is rumored to look like he would addroughly $7-$8 million in salary to the payroll. With only Eric Brewer’s $4.25 million contract coming off the books, there would be very little wiggle room.

Q. Why did the Blues re-sign Brad Winchester?

A. I’ve seen this question a lot and I understand why its asked. Brad did well under Andy Murray, but seemed to be a pet project. As terrible as that sounds many fans have that feeling. After a successful run in the second half of the 2008-2009 Brad couldn’t find the mojo throughout 2009-2010.

When Brad is on he is skating with purpose, forechecking, taking the body and crashing the net. At $700,000 the potential to score 20 goals is an amazing value. Not many may believe he can do it, mainly because Murray said he could, but the potential is there. The Blues are hoping that a low dollar gamble can pay off big time.

Low Risk, High Reward ambition.

Q. Why re-sign Colaiacovo? That makes it harder for Pietrangelo to make the team.

A. On the surface this is a legitimate question and concern. One that I struggled with. If the Blues want to inject more home grown talent, why potentially pay inflated open market prices for Colaiacovo?

The Blues didn’t have to pay full open market price. Colaiacovo was allowed to shop his services and he didn’t find the price he wanted. Teams like Tampa, Buffalo, and the Islanders could have used his services, but they weren’t going to give Carlo the deal he wanted. His contract is very economical with an average of $2.15 million paid over the two seasons. Leaving room for a good sized Entry Level Contract like Pietrangelo’s to sit on the NHL roster.

Davis Payne is now the Head Coach. With a full season to twist and mold his team he could break away from the mold of a defensive defenseman paired with an offensive defenseman. The trend could easily become “who are the 5th and 6th best defensemen right now? Play those two”.

Until Pietrangelo comes to training camp and shows what he can do, the door is wide open. Mind you he is competing against Ian Cole and Tyson Strachan for one of the last two available roster spots on defense.

Q. Why did the Blues add “tweener” forwards like Matt D’Agostini, Vladimir Sobotka, and TJ Hensick?

A. I’ve covered this some already with the Armstrong brand of “ambition”. There is more to these three though.

D’Agostini scored 12 goals in 53 games as a rookie with the Montreal Canadians in 2008-2009. A projected pace of roughly 19 goals in 82 games. That’s only two behind the pace that Patrik Berglund gave the Blues in the same season. Matt can score and could greatly benefit from a full season under a coach like Payne. A more open system allowing players to rely on their talents instead of relying on the system.

Sobotka brings a good amount of experience at his young age. He was an important part of Boston’s playoff run this spring. There is a skill level he has that Blues energy line players haven’t had in a while. Not to mention his speed compared to Keith Tkachuk’s in that role last season.

Hensick has all the skill needed to be an every day NHL player. It just hasn’t happened yet. If he doesnt catch on in the NHL, you know he can bring you experience and a scoring punch at the AHL level to a very young Peoria roster.

Q. Did the Blues overpay for Alex Steen?

A. Not yet. Players like Steen do not grow on trees. There are not many who can play all special teams situations, serve on the top line or shut down line and pace to score 25 goals and 50 points. That is exactly what Steen did in an injury shortened season.

Q. If the Blackhawks could add a big name to their young core of players, why can’t the Blues?

A. The Blackhawks are a money making machine right now. Even before their Cup victory they were the darlings of the second most important city in America. They were all over TV and selling out every game. Real sell outs, not the Blues version of sellouts. Their ownership is stable. Yes, they rolled the dice big time. However, they made sure money was left to secure their core. That means protecting guys like Keith, Kane, Toews, Sharp and Seabrook. Cap management has not been an easy task for them, but the money was there for the guys who matter most. Once they had the funds and scenario secure to make a move, they did.

Are the Blues racking money in hand over fist? Nope.
Is their future core secure? Not yet.

The two teams aren’t on even ground for the Blues to make that kind of move…yet.

Q. Are the Blues making a mistake if they don’t lock Perron and Johnson down long term?

A. That is perhaps the most open ended question I’ve seen out in Blues nation. Neither player has really had that “break out” season yet. Erik was hampered by his golf cart injury forcing him to miss all of the 2008-2009 season.Perron hasn’t been able to sustain a consistent level of effort over long stretches his whole career.

Which begs the question, have they proven that they deserve the long term deal yet?

No, they haven’t. Which is why the speculation persists that before either player can sign long term the Blues want to see what they do over the course of a shorter deal. This puts both players in the ball park of two years and much less than they likely wanted.

If they take one year deals then their backs are against the wall. Having to prove their worth over the other four free agents I mentioned earlier. Survival of the fittest brings out the best in players? We shall see.

Jeff Quirin
NHLHS St. Louis Blues Correspondent
jquirin@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @MuSigma45

Roman Polak is neither Italian nor Polish.  Discuss.

He might not be either, but this 6’1″ Czech Olympian has emerged as the St. Louis Blues’ top defensive defenseman.  With 21 points on the year (4G, 17A), he’s offensively solid, though not a powerhouse.  His +7 is second on the team behind the Blues other solid defenseman Mike Weaver and his +9. When you consider that the Blues are near the bottom of the league in GF, a +7 is better than average.

Always willing to place himself in the line of fire, though hesitant to take a penalty (only 59 minutes for the year)  Polak is a bane in scorer’s sides.  Best known for last season’s hit on Marian Hossa that took him out of the game for a couple of weeks, and some individuals saw as unclean, Polak is not a dirty hitter by nature.  He will, though, give a hard check when needed, and the oppositions’ players do tend to stay clear once they’ve learned that he is practically fearless – he has 138 hits for the year, and is built like a house.  People move.

Named one of the Blues’ core players by press members who cover the team, Polak’s becoming an untouchable asset.  Signed for this upcoming season at $1,200,000 and an RFA afterwards, he’s primed to be locked in for a long term deal.  Any player who can work hard and raise his +/- from a -15 to a +7 while having his TOI decrease about 2 minutes between last season and this season is a hard worker.

Polak flies under the radar outside of St. Louis.  A quick search for him on Google News doesn’t dig up many articles that sing his praises outside of the metro area, if any.  He probably won’t be nominated for the Norris, let alone win it – nor will the league and the journalists who follow hockey give the lumbering defenseman his due.  But as a key member of the league’s best penalty killing team, Polak deserves it.

At the very least, he deserves recognition for the greatest Twitter account of all time, even if its authenticity is questionable.

Laura Astorian
NHLHS St. Louis Blues/Atlanta Thrashers Correspondant
lastorian@nhlhotstove.co
Twitter: @hildymac

Down 3-2 early in the third period, the New York Rangers had a glorious opportunity to tie the game, when they were on a 1:17 two-man advantage. But being that this is, infact the Rangers we are talking about here, the end result was as typical as it was painful.

Not only did the Rangers fail to score, they didn’t even produce a single quality scoring chance. And while they did briefly tie the visitng St. Louis Blues, with a blueline softie from Wade Redden (this isn’t a typo), the Rangers did inevitably fall victim at home, yet again, by the score of 4-3.

The game winning Blues goal came from the stick of Paul Kariya, the 400th of his National Hockey League career. Pardon the Rangers fans in attendance for not congratulating the 16 year veteran on this outstanding achievement, they were too busy lustily booing the team that has failed them time and time again this season. This now puts their Madison Square Garden record at a dismal 15-17-6. Not exactly home cooking on 33rd Street and 7th Avenue.

The contest started off on the wrong foot, when Brad Boyes scored, just a little over a minute into the first. To their credit, which is something they don’t deserve  much of, the Rangers responded with a power play goal by Ryan Callahan knotting the game at 1-1. Marian Gaborik, who by game’s end notched his eighth three point game of the season, put the Rangers up 2-1 late in the first period. That goal put him three shy of the impressive 40-goal mark.

In the second period though, the misery began.

Despite the Blueshirts escaping the first period with a lead, they were sloppy in their own end and allowed too much open space for the visitors to skate with. And since the Rangers were never known for having luck on their side, they lost the lead and in a hurry.

When you think of Mike Weaver, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Okay, like me, you must have answered a good stay at home defenseman that couldn’t shoot the puck into the wide side of the ocean from the edge of a pier…right? Well, on this night, we would have all been wrong, as he tied the score at 2-2, with his first goal since the invention of the automobile, pouncing on a Chris Drury defensive zone turnover. Erik Johnson, the standout United States Olympian, gave the Blues the lead that they would maintain until almost midway through the third period.

Early in that third period saw the turning point and the eventual downfall of the Rangers on this night.

With Johnson and fellow Blues defensemen Roman Polak both in the penalty box for delay of game calls, the Rangers, as I alluded to earlier, had a glorious chance to not only tie the game, but take momentum back from St. Louis. But these are the Rangers, don’t you know, why in the world would they want to make life easy for themselves? Inexplicably unable to find a good shooting angle, even being up two men, the Rangers managed just one feeble shot on goal and infuriate the loyal fans in the process.

That wasn’t the only thing angering the crowd. Henrik Lundqvist, who is usually the anchor on this team, sunk the Rangers on this night with probably his worst performance of the season. On just 16 shots on goal, Lundqvist allowed four pucks to find the back of his net. That kind of save percentage is good…if he were an indoor lacrosse goaltender. Not to say every goal was his fault, but there is absolutely zero margin for error for the man known as King Henrik. On this night, he let them down, but he knows he did and he is not making any excuses for himself.

“I don’t know what to say except that it’s really frustrating and disappointing not to get the two points tonight,” said Lundqvist, who finished with 12 saves. “I know that I have to play better.”

On this team Hank, you are not alone!

Brandon Augienello
NHLHS Senior Writer
brandon@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_B

Central Division:

• Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune thinks Jonas Hiller‘s compete level simply would not allow the Hawks to win.  A stark contrast from the efforts of Jean-Sebastien Giguere.  Two losses in a row means sinking ship to fans in Chicago.
• “That’s when it started feeling right to me, finally. That’s when it started feeling like last season,” said Jan Hejda. The Blue Jackets still sit pretty far out of the playoff picture despite this recent three game winning streak.
• Could Jimmy Howard be the next Chris Osgood? Or is his revelation between the pipes a similar situation to Ty Conklin last year.
• The Predators prepare for 7 out of their next 8 games on the road. “We’re going to need real good focus,” Coach Barry Trotz said.
• Defenseman Roman Polak knows Blues interim coach Davis Payne better than most, playing for him in Peoria.  Polak proved to be a valuable dman this yea, playing against top offenses and even receiving an Olympic invitation.  “You look at the guy now and you see this grown man, and you don’t realize that he’s 23,” said teammate Barrett Jackman.

Northwest Division:

• John Down with the Calgary Herald further analyzes the Vancouver laser pointer scandal.  “It was going on all night,” said Calgary coach Brent Sutter.  In other news, the fight between Rick Rypien and Brandon Prust could be the fight of the year.
• The Denver Post’s Terry Frei takes a deeper look at coach Joe Sacco’s success with his former players.  Chris Durno, T.J. Galiardi, Cody McLeod, Chris Stewart, Kyle Cumiskey, Matt Hendricks, David Jones and Derek Peltier fit this mold.
• The Oilers seem poised to sink deeper and deeper in the standings, but John MacKinnon of The Edmonton Journal thinks youth is overrated.  He notes the Oilers success during their cup run, in which the team carried mostly free agent signings.  The writer also speculates Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson and Jordan Eberle could bust and at this point in their development are no sure thing.
• Pierre-Marc Bouchard broke the first and oldest rule in journalism, no cheering in the press box.  The often injured forward simply could not contain himself following Saturday’s dramatic comeback victory.

Pacific Division:

• “Hillsy stole the game for us,” said Corey Perry following a 42 save near shutout. “Simple as that.”  “[Hiller] didn’t give up any loose stuff around the net,” Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville said.
• The Stars scratched Matt Niskanen last night, before eventually falling to the Blue Jackets.  “He has to decide if he wants to play and play in a fashion that’s going to make him successful out there,” said coach Marc Crawford.
• Terry Murray and the Kings continue to play through injuries, with Davis Drewiske and Matt Greene the latest casualties.
• The Coyotes received a jump start from rookie Paul Bissonnette, as they rallied back against the Islanders Saturday.  Jim Gintonio of The Arizona Republic notes the team boasts a 1-12 record when they allow four or more goals.
• Conditioning drills for the Sharks following two straight home losses.  Perhaps it was the team getting outscored 10-3 which forced coach Todd McLellan to hold a practice with meaning.

Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Editor
amonaghan@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @NHLHotStove

The title says it all.  This article will be no more than a comprehensive list of NHL (and some other players owned by NHL teams) players set to participate in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

For the sake of clarity we have sorted players by team.  Minor league players in red, injured players in blue.

Anaheim Ducks (8) – Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Jonas Hiller, Bobby Ryan, Luca Sbisa

Atlanta Thrashers (5) – Ilya Kovalchuk, Maxim Afinogenov, Ondrej Pavelec, Pavel Kubina, Tobias Enstrom

Boston Bruins (6) – Patrice Bergeron, Marco Sturm, Tim Thomas, David Krejci, Zdeno Chara, Miroslav Satan

Buffalo Sabres (4) – Toni Lydman, Ryan Miller, Henrik Tallinder, Andrej Sekera

Calgary Flames (3) – Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, Olli Jokinen

Carolina Hurricanes (3) – Eric Staal, Joni Pitkanen, Tuomo Ruutu

Chicago Blackhawks (6) – Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky

Colorado Avalanche (3) – Paul Stastny, Peter Budaj, Ruslan Salei

Columbus Blue Jackets (6) – Rick Nash, Jan Hejda, Samuel Pahlsson, Fredrik Modin, Milan Jurcina, Fedor Tyutin

Dallas Stars (4) – Brenden Morrow, Jere Lehtinen, Loui Eriksson, Karlis Skrastins

Detroit Red Wings (7) – Valtteri Filppula, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall, Nicklas Lidstrom,  Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom

Edmonton Oilers (2) - Lubomir Visnovsky, Denis Grebeshkov

Florida Panthers (2) -  Dennis Seidenberg, Tomas Vokoun

Los Angeles Kings (5) – Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Jon Quick, Dustin Brown, Michal Handzus

Minnesota Wild (5) – Niklas Backstrom, Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen, Marek Zidlicky, Martin Havlat

Montreal Canadiens (6) – Tomas Plekanec, Yannick Weber, Jaroslav Halak, Andrei Markov, Sergei Kostitsyn, Andrei Kostitsyn

Nashville Predators (6) – Alexander Sulzer, Shea Weber, Marcel Goc, Ryan Suter, Martin Erat, Patric Hornqvist

New Jersey Devils (6) – Martin Brodeur, Paul Martin, Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner, Patrik Elias, Johnny Oduya

New York Islanders (1) – Mark Streit

New York Rangers (5) – Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Henrik Lundqvist, Andres Ambuhl, Marian Gaborik

Philadelphia Flyers (5) – Chris Pronger, Mike Richards, Kimmo Timonen, Oskars Bartulis, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen

Pittsburgh Penguins (5) – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc Andre Fleury, Sergei Gonchar, Brooks Orpik

Phoenix Coyotes (3) – Sami Lepisto, Zbynek Michalek, Ilya Bryzgalov

Ottawa Senators (6) – Jarkko Ruutu, Filip Kuba, Milan Michalek, Daniel Alfredsson, Kaspars Daugavins, Anton Volchenkov

San Jose Sharks (8) – Dan Boyle, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, Douglas Murray, Thomas Greiss, Joe Pavelski, Evgeni Nabokov

St. Louis Blues (3) – Eric Johnson, David Backes, Roman Polak

Tampa Bay Lightning (5) – Antero Niittymaki, Ryan Malone, Mattias Ohlund, Martins Karsums, Andrej Meszaros

Toronto Maple Leafs (6) – Jonas Gustavsson, Mikhail Grabovski, Phil Kessel, Tomas Kaberle, Mike Komisarek, Niklas Hagman

Vancouver Canucks (7) -  Roberto Luongo, Sami Salo, Christian Ehrhoff, Pavol Demitra, Ryan Kesler, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin

Washington Capitals (4) Tomas Fleischmann, Nicklas Backstrom, Semyon Varlamov, Alexander Ovechkin

-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
amonaghan@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @NHLHotStove