The future of the NHL at the Olympics

The future of the NHL at the Olympics

 

A lot of reporters stuck in Canada or the US, with not much to report during this short period without NHL action, have been shopping around the fact that the NHL and NHLPA have no agreement with the IOC to allow it's players to play beyond the current Winter Games. An argument that may have gained serious weight when New York Islanders captain John Tavares left Canada's quarter final with Latvia after receiving a knee-on-knee contact from winger Arturs Kulda.

 



The incident happened during the 2nd period. Tavares went away for examination, he never returned. That evening it was revealed that after an MRI on his knee that not only would John miss the rest of the Olympics, he would miss the rest of the entire season. Something that puts the idea of pulling NHL participation away in the future firmly in Islanders GM Garth Snow's mind.

 

The 23-year-old Canadian's season isn't the only casualty, the Florida Panthers lost rookie Alexander Barkov to a knee injury playing for Finland, and veteran forward Thomas Kopecky to a concussion playing for Slovakia. Also, the Detroit Red Wings lost captain and Sweden player Henrik Zetterberg to a back injury. Although this was already a niggling issue with the bearded centre. Diagnosed with a herniated disc, Zetterberg had surgery today (Friday 21st February) and could return in time for the playoffs should Detroit qualify.

 

A few injuries, which are to be expected in such a sport, coupled one pre-existing injury rearing it's head again shouldn't be enough to make anyone come to a rash decision. The Islanders and Panthers can seek solace in the fact that, with or without their fallen stars in their line-ups, their season was already over.

 

The NHL and NHLPA like to give us some spiel like "There are potential negative impacts with participating midseason in the Olympics and that factors into the overall analysis of whether it's a good idea for us to go or not," which was said by NHL Deputy Commissioner and chief legal officer Bill Daly.

 

USA & Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane has been quoted that he would like to go to the next games, what would be the NHL's 6th games, in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Patrick also said on the inclusion NHL players at the Olympics "It's pretty obvious to say it's good for the game," and universally the players want to continue with this way. The players that go love the chance to be able to represent their countries, as players like Kane are busy with the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the IIHF World Championships come around, and the players that don't go love the two week vacation.

 

I believe the players will compete in the Olympics as long as they want to. As we know, once the players want something they can be really stubborn. The last time the NHL and NHLPA butted heads we lost half a season.

 

And here's a little secret, that pretty much everyone knows. The NHL and NHLPA didn't agree to send the players to these games until eight months ago.

Stars - best of Friday 29th November

Stars is our daily look at the previous night's action in the NHL and who stood out amongst the rest.

FIRST STAR

 

Brent Burns - SAN JOSE SHARKS vs St Louis Blues

Burns picked up his first career NHL hat trick in the 6-3 win over the Blues. He also picked up an assist on Tomas Hertl's late empty netter.




SECOND STAR

 

Braden Holtby - WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs Montreal Canadiens

Holtby had a surprise start at the Verizon Center when Michal Neuvirth hurt himself pre-game. He saved 35 shots in the 3-2 shootout win.




THIRD STAR

Darren Helm - DETROIT RED WINGS vs New York Islanders

Darren scored the opening two goals in the 5-0 demolition of the New York Islanders. Ending the Wings losing streak against the Isles.



Honourable Mentions

Mikhail Grabovski had a goal, an assist and the shootout winner in the Caps-Habs game.......



Tomas Plekanec also had a goal and an assist but his miss in the shootout gave the winner point to the Caps......



The man mountain that is Zdeno Chara got himself a Gordie Howe hat trick. He fought with Brian Boyle, assisted on Brad Marchand's goal, and then scored the game winner in the Bruins 3-2 win against the New York Rangers......

 

Rick Nash also scored in that game. It was easy on the eye......

Stars - best of Wednesday 27th November

Stars is our daily look at the previous night's action in the NHL and who stood out amongst the rest.

First, Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans. Enjoy the day whilst the rest of the world go to work.

Back to a full program in the NHL last night with 13 games played, and for the joy of fans, after the last few days of dominant goaltending it was literally raining goals last night.

And it was an emotional night in Florida, as the Philadelphia Flyers visited the Tampa Bay Lightning with Bolts legend Vinny Lecavalier and another former Bolts favourite in Steve Downie on the team.

FIRST STAR

 

Evgeni Malkin - PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Another two goal, one assist performance here. Malkin's effort came as the Pens fought back from 4-1 and 5-3 down to beat the Leafs 6-5 in a shootout. His assist and 2nd goal were the Pens 4th and 5th goals. He also scored the game sealing goal in the shootout.



SECOND STAR

 

Victor Hedman - TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING vs Philadelphia Flyers

Hedman had a point on each of Tampa's first three goals, scorer of the 1st & 3rd, plus an assist on the 2nd.

Here's his first goal. Ray Emery and goalie's everywhere, watch with caution. This may cause harm to your health.



THIRD STAR

Patrick Kane - CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS vs Calgary Flames

Kane played the hero with the game winner on a clever backhand shot. He scored the first Blackhawks goal in what turned out to be a two goal night for him.




Honourable Mentions

Tomas Tatar did this.....



Sean Monahan continues to impress and had a nice goal on a wrist shot.......



Brendan Gallagher is now one goal short of hitting double digits for the 2nd consecutive season. This ripper on the PP, the number one PP on the road, was his 9th of the campaign....



Brad Richards scored a long range goal for the Rangers on Tim Thomas.....




MY PICKS

3-2 for me last night. Pittsburgh, St Louis and San Jose with the wins.


NOTE: Yesterday's "The Night Ahead" will be the last one for the foreseeable future. Unless somebody else would like to write it everyday.

The Night Ahead - Wednesday 27th November 2013

In "The Night Ahead" we take a look at a selection (well, five) of the upcoming games for the evening (early hours here in the UK) and add a preview and opinion on the match ups.

Twice this week we have had a night of very little games to a night of many many games.

BOSTON BRUINS @ DETROIT RED WINGS

Detroit have won two of the last three, after losing seven in a row, giving them eight losses in ten. Boston have won eight of their last ten. But, Detroit only find themselves as the Atlantic's 4th seed, only 5 points behind the division leading Bruins.

Carl Soderberg, Reilly Smith and Torey Krug continued their great form, I mentioned here, on Monday night in the B's 4-3 OT win over the Penguins.

The usual guys are doing it for Detroit right now, Nyquist, Zetterberg, Franzen, and the magic man, Pavel Datsyuk have all been picking up goals and assists. But there seems to be something missing.

The Bruins are my pick.


TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS @ PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Toronto have navigated a difficult November admirably despite being with Bozak, Bolland and Kadri out for periods. Although with all two of the three in the team they got thumped 6-0 at home to Columbus on Monday.

After dismantling Anaheim and Washington before narrowly dispatching the Islanders, the Penguins have lost two in a row against Montreal and Boston.

Both teams have issues at the moment and I'm picking Pittsburgh.


ST LOUIS BLUES @ COLORADO AVALANCHE

Two of the best go head to head. Alex Steen, David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo go against Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, Gabriel Landeskog and Nate MacKinnon.

The Blues are on a four game winning run, 8-1-1 in the last ten. Colorado are 6-4-0, on a three game win streak.

I've got the Blues.


PHOENIX COYOTES @ MINNESOTA WILD

Phoenix are enjoying life under new ownership, and steady management leads to steady performances on the ice. Currently 14-6-4 on the year and 5-3-2 in the last ten. It's not surprising that the foundation for this form starts with Mike Smith in net and impressive defenseman, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The scoring leaders for the team are Vrbata, Doan, Hanzal and Ribeiro. 

The Wild are very quietly going about their business recently. Whilst other teams in the West get all the headlines, Minnesota have found themselves in a lower seeding position but have pulled away from the teams behind them. Josh Harding has a .939 SV%, and Parise, Koivu and Pominville lead the way offensively. The Wild young players have emerged as great talents too. The quartet of Brodin, Coyle, Granlund and Niederreiter accounting for 40 points.

I'm taking Minnesota.


LOS ANGELES KINGS @ SAN JOSE SHARKS

LA come into this game having won five of the last seven. The only defeats coming in OT to Colorado and New Jersey. The injury to Jonathan Quick hasn't been the hinderance many thought it would be. Ben Scrivens has stepped in and has a .947 SV% in 12 games.

San Jose aren't doing too shabby either. They've won six of the last seven. The defeat coming at the hands of Chicago with a score of 5-1. Along with the big names, players like Vlasic, Wingels and Demers have really impressed me. Combining for 10 goals and 27 assists.

I like San Jose in this game.


Tonight's picks: Boston, Pittsburgh, St Louis, Minnesota, San Jose.

Stars - best of Sunday 24th November

Stars is our daily look at the previous night's action in the NHL and who stood out amongst the rest.

Thanks to there only being two games tonight and they both started at a reasonable time this post is coming to you about 9-10 hours early.

FIRST STAR

 

Eric Staal - CAROLINA HURRICANES vs Ottawa Senators

Two assists and an empty netter for Eric Staal as the Canes rout the Sens 4-1. His first assist was a beauty of a feed pass to Toumo Ruutu who found himself in front of goal with just the goalie to look at. His 2nd was a straight forward pass down the wing and rookie Elias Lindholm did all the work.




SECOND STAR

 

Cam Ward - CAROLINA HURRICANES vs Ottawa Senators

The Senators took the lead 1:07 in to the first period. It was the 2nd shot of the game and for the Sens. So after giving up goal on two shots that early Cam Ward decided to turn into a brick wall. He saved all 34 or .972% of the rest of the shots Ottawa fired his way as captain Eric Staal led the team to the 4-1 win.

THIRD STAR

 

Jonas Gustavsson - DETROIT RED WINGS vs Buffalo Sabres

Like Cam Ward, Gustavsson gave up a goal in the first period and went on to slam the door in the face of the Sabres attack. Jonas finished 21/22 with a .955 SV%.

The goal, on otherwise a solid night.




Honourable Mentions

Ryan Miller once again did his best to shine bright like the diamond he is behind the turd known as the Buffalo Sabres defence. Going 31/33 with a .939 SV%.

Justin Faulk had two assists for the Hurricanes.

Elias Lindholm's nice finish for his PPG.



MY PICKS

1-1. Detroit won. Ottawa lost.

The Night Ahead - Sunday 24th November 2013

In "The Night Ahead" we take a look at a selection (well, five) of the upcoming games for the evening (early hours here in the UK) and add a preview and opinion on the match ups.

Only two games on after a hectic last few days in the NHL.

DETROIT RED WINGS @ BUFFALO SABRES

In yesterday's The Night Ahead I mentioned the Red Wings seven game losing streak recently ended with a win against Carolina. Well, that streak stayed at one as the Ottawa Senators went in to "HOCKEYTOWN" and left with all the points.

The upside in the last two games for Detroit is that Gustav Nyquist and Darren Helm each have two goals whilst Henrik Zetterberg has four assists. Luckily for the Wings they get a great opportunity to get back in the "W" column as they now head to league's bottom team, the Buffalo Sabres.

Since firing Ron Rolston and Darcy Regier, the Sabres won their first game under new management, at home to Toronto. But, have hit a three game losing streak since, conceding 12 goals and scoring only four in the run.

No surprise in my pick. Detroit.

OTTAWA SENATORS @ CAROLINA HURRICANES

So the two most recent opponents of the Red Wings do battle in Carolina tonight.

Ottawa off of a victory look to make an assault on the Atlantic Division playoff places, although they currently sit five points back. Carolina find themselves in a tougher position in an, on paper, easier division. They're six points off a wildcard place, but, are only two points back from a top three division seeding. Since beating Colorado and Anaheim the Canes have hit a four game skid. Including two losses at the hands of the Bruins.

I'll take the Sens here.


Tonight's picks: Detroit, Ottawa.

The Night Ahead - Saturday 23rd November 2013

In "The Night Ahead" we take a look at a selection (well, five) of the upcoming games for the evening (early hours here in the UK) and add a preview and opinion on the match ups.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS @ MONTREAL CANADIENS

Both teams picked up wins last night. Sidney Crosby picked up his 250th NHL goal on the game winner against the Islanders whilst the Habs won in Washington. A win that included a first goal in 26 regular season and playoff games for David Desharnais.

It's the first meeting between the two this season. Back in March they fought out an epic 7-6 OT game at the Bell Centre with Pittsburgh coming out on top thanks to a Chris Kunitz goal.

The in form Penguins look amazingly strong right now. The Habs win last night was only their 4th in November.

I'll go Pens win.

OTTAWA SENATORS @ DETROIT RED WINGS

Daniel Alfredsson welcomes his former team to his new home in first meeting since free agent departure.

Alfie signing with Detroit and then saying he has a better chance at glory now probably takes silver for "departure that really hurt the fan base" in the 2013 offseason. Ilya Kovalchuk, I'm looking at you buddy. Alfie is doing fine in "HOCKEYTOWN" with three goals and two assists in 19 games this season. The Red Wings, like the aforementioned Canadiens, are having a November to forget. They narrowly beat the Carolina Hurricanes to snap a SEVEN game losing streak. Luckily for them five of those were either in overtime or a shootout which means despite the dip they still find themselves in a playoff spot, five points (see) ahead of the New York Rangers, currently the best team looking up in the East.

Ottawa are also on the outside looking in, which is strange when you consider what they did with so many injuries last year. Now Karlsson, Michalek and Spezza are all having solid minutes and playing every night they seem like they can't click. Is that the effect of the Alfredsson loss? They also lost veteran defenseman Sergie Gonchar to the Dallas Stars. Can two veterans leaving usurp the progress of the "pesky" Sens?

I'm taking Detroit in this one but should be wary that back in October the Sens routed them 6-1 at The Joe.

ANAHEIM DUCKS @ PHOENIX COYOTES

With the Ducks OT win against Tampa Bay last night they moved into 1st place in the West and the entire league. Phoenix have quietly gone about their business as the one of lesser covered teams in the league. Led by Martin Hanzal, Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata and Keith Yandle, on 19, 17, 17 & 17 points respectively, they have gone 8-1-2 in their last 11, the one regulation defeat? 5-2 to Anaheim......

This is the sort of game that screams overtime and I'm taking the Ducks.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS @ VANCOUVER CANUCKS

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks go into enemy territory tonight. A rivalry born from recently intense playoff match ups. They head to the Pacific Northwest on shaky form. Sweeping away most teams that come their way, led by Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa, they have also suffered thrashings at the hands of division rivals Nashville and Colorado.

Vancouver had an impressive win when they welcomed the Blue Jackets last night but before that it's not been a great time for them losing five in a row.

The Canucks might be back on form and depending on how the Blackhawks play this could be a tight fought classic or a rout. I'm going with the champs here.

COLORADO AVALANCHE @ LOS ANGELES KINGS

LA go into tonight having gone 7-1-2 in their last 10. The losses coming in regulation to Nashville, in a shootout to Buffalo, and in overtime in their last game at home to the New Jersey Devils.

It's the first meeting between the two this season. Colorado have been one of surprises this year and under new coach Patrick Roy, have enjoyed great defensive play and fantastic performances from their goalies.

They both have over 30 points this season and find themselves amongst the lower seeds in the playoff picture. A testament to the sheer strength of that conference this year.

Colorado's attack is led by Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny and captain Gabriel Landeskog. Number one draft pick Nathan McKinnon has also contributed well with three goals and ten assists. You wouldn't be surprised to here Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Mike Richards and Drew Doughty lead the way in goals and assists for LA.

Gotta take a home win in this one. Unless they get a stellar goalie performance Colorado seem to come unstuck against some of the leagues better teams.


Tonight's picks: Pittsburgh, Detroit, Anaheim, Chicago, LA.