Shutdown Pair

Tag: Montreal

  • Expected Results

    Two more pre-season games, two more wins for the Sabres.  Buffalo got a 2-1 win over ‘Ottawa’ in the Hockeyville game, wherein the Senators didn’t dress their whole top two lines.  Way to show off the game, guys.  The Sabres lineup included Myers, Vanek, and Miller, with the goals scored by Rob Niedermayer on an embarrassing misplay of the puck by 8th string Sens goal Robin Lehner, though he actually played a good game after that.  Especially considering the lineup in front of him.

    Last night saw a 5-3 win for the Sabres over the Canadiens, which you sort of expected when seeing ‘Alex Auld’ pencilled in as Montreal’s starter.  Luke Adam is making his case to be the first forward called up, scoring twice, which follows a two assist effort in the Hockeyville game.  Vanek, Connolly, and Drew Schiestel had the other Buffalo goals, with Myers adding two assists.  A bit of a penalty fest, with fourteen power play chances between the two teams, Buffalo scored twice, Montreal, none on six chances.

    Next game is tonight at Philly.  Regular season is that much closer.

  • Top 10 Goalies of the Northeast Division

    We looked at the defensemen, so let’s follow that up with a look at the goalies of the Northeast division.  The goaltender situation in the Northeast is interesting, with surprising changes (Halak out) and a whole mess of veterans running out of time to regain form.  All stats are from last season.

    10.  Pascal Leclaire, Ottawa Senators (3.07 GAA .877 SP)

    Leclaire was brought in by Ottawa to compete for a starting job with Brian Elliott, but inconsistent play and some hard luck injuries have relegated him to the bench.  Even the bench wasn’t safe for poor Pascal, as a stray puck nailed him in the jaw while he was chatting idly.  At least he had a sense of humor about having surgery for it:

    “I don’t know I might try to get calf implants or abs or something. We’ll see what the prices are.”

    9.  Alex Auld, Montreal Canadiens (2.96 GAA .895 SP)

    Auld was brought in to back up Carey Price after Client Jaroslav Halak moved on to the Blues.  Auld is a journeyman who is not a threat to take Price’s job, which is good for him, I guess.  He’s played well for short stretchs but has never been able to turn in a season that could win him a job.  If he sees significant time this year, Montreal is in trouble.

    8.  Patrick Lalime, Buffalo Sabres (2.81 GAA .907 SP)

    Ryan Miller was pushing for Lalime to be back as his backup, and he got his wish.  He’s a great guy, and Miller likes him, which is good enough for me.  He hasn’t always gotten goal-scoring and defensive support the way Miller has, but Lalime plays better with more playing time.  I would expect a few appearances by Jhonas Enroth, and if Miller were to go down, I bet they’d split time.

    7.  Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Toronto Maple Leafs (2.85 GAA .907 SP)

    Giguere is basically in a dead heat with his partner, both are solid goalies on a team that was bad last year.  Improved play around them could see one of the two jump up the list, though I give the edge to Gustavsson because of his youth.

    6.  Jonas Gustavsson, Toronto Maple Leafs (2.87 GAA .902 SP)

    See the above, I guess.  Jiggy has the name recognition, but Gustavsson should get a solid shot at being the goalie of the future.

    5.  Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens (2.77 GAA .912 SP)

    The former Jesus Price lost playing time to Jaroslav Halak last year, before getting handed the starting gig by default for this one.  He only won 1/3 of his games last year, on a team that went on a decent playoff run.  Pretty shaky situation for a team under a ton of scrutiny.

    4.  Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins (2.56 GAA .915 SP)

    His unorthodox style and the wild saves that come with it make for some fun video, Tim Thomas gained popularity quickly once he finally earned a starting job in Boston.  It comes as quickly as it goes, though, with Tuukka Rask taking over from the former Vezina winner and starting every playoff game.  Still, he can make plays and can rebound if Rask falters under the heavier load of a full season.

    3.  Brian Elliott, Ottawa Senators (2.57 GAA .909 SP)

    This guy absolutely KILLS the Sabres, going 4-0 with a 1.81 GAA against our hometown club last year.  He also went 4-0 against the Sabres the year before that.  He never seems to be playing that well, just always well enough to win versus Buffalo.  It’s good enough to put him below the top two.

    2.  Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (1.97 GAA .931 SP)

    As I mentioned above, Rask took the reins and the Bruins rode his success into the playoffs and past the Buffalo Sabres.  I’d want to see him in for 60+ games but he was great for a team that dropped off offensively from the previous season (Boston was the only team to score fewer than 200 goals).

    1.  Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres (2.22 GAA, .929 SP)

    Did you have any doubt that I would put the reigning Vezina champ (and Olympic Silver Medalist) at the top of this list?  Sabres fans will again sound like a broken record in asking for Miller to not play quite so many games, but he dealt with an intense workload last year and threw down his best numbers.  Though he can flash the leather when needed, Miller is at his best when the saves look routine, relying on excellent positioning, rebound control and anticipation to be in the right place at the right time.

    There you have it.  Agree?  Disagree?  I’m a nutjub?  Fire away!

  • Top 10 Defensemen of the Northeast Division

    Japers’ Rink has a list of the top 10 D-men in the Southeast, and I was curious about who we would have on a similar list here the Northeast, so I decided the best way to find out was to compile the list myself.  All stats unless otherwise noted are for last season.  I also reference GVT (explained beginning here) which is a decent way to compare the dropoff from a particular guy to an average replacement.

    10.  Jordan Leopold, Buffalo Sabres (11G 15A 26pts -2 21:55 TOI)

    The newest Buffalo Sabre split time between Florida and Pittsburgh last season, tagging along with the Pens into the second round of the playoffs.  He played against top competition for them in his short stint in Pitt.  Leopold has never seemed to take hold in a city, despite quality if not spectacular offensive numbers.  Is there something we’re missing on him?  Aside from the usual ‘doesn’t like contact’ rap that big-ish puck movers get.  Easily off the list if he goes for 3 goals this season.

    9.  Mike Komisarek, Toronto Maple Leafs (0G 4A 4pts -9 19:56 TOI)

    Komisarek missed the second half of the season with shoulder surgery, but you wouldn’t expect too much from his offensive numbers.  He’s a bruising stay-at-home defenseman who can block shots.  It ain’t pretty, but the job gets done.

    8.  Jaroslav Spacek, Montreal Canadiens (3G 18A 21pts +9 21:47 TOI)

    Former Sabre Jaroslav Spacek is still my favorite square-headed defenseman, who I wish we still had if only for his epic accent during interviews.  Also, he likes to throw the occasional hip-check which is old-school and awesome.  He contributes at both ends of the ice, and is a good power play point man.

    7.  Francois Beauchemin, Toronto Maple Leafs (5G 21A 26pts -13 25:27 TOI)

    A cup winner in Anaheim, Toronto imported him in last season to add a little ‘truculence’.  Noted for an excellent shot, he used it often, piling up 170 of them.  He generates scoring chances quite well.  Francois will be a good example for the youngsters the Leafs are rolling with, especially if he can reduce the turnovers.  A goalie that can bail you out helps with that too, though.

    6.  Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens (6G 28A 34pts +11 23:48 TOI)

    Markov’s numbers are solid considering he only played 45 games.  He’s had double-digit goals four times, and his Defensive GVT of 4.1 shows he cares behind his own blueline.  Gets dinged for not using his size more, but he does well against the best competition.

    5.  Chris Phillips, Ottawa Senators (8G 16A 24pts +8 22:20 TOI)

    Solid performer, if in the second tier of defensemen in the Northeast.  8 goals is nothing to sneeze at, with 2 game-winners.  With Volchenkov gone, he’s the only D-man on the Sens who had a positive plus/minus last season.

    4.  Sergei Gonchar, Ottawa Senators (11G 39A 50pts -4 24:23 TOI)

    While on the downslope of his career at age 36, Gonchar still gave the Penguins great offensive production, 6th in points amongst D despite only playing 62 games.  Injuries will be an ongoing concern, his power play prowess.

    3.  Tomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs (7G 42A 49pts -19 22:21 TOI)

    Kaberle is a consistent, high-level performer for Toronto, so of course he’s been the target of trade rumors for years.  But he’s still there, and chugging along.  He was second on the Leafs in points to Phil Kessel’s 55.

    2.  Tyler Myers, Buffalo Sabres (11G 37A 48pts +13 23:44 TOI)

    Trying not to be a homer here, but those numbers don’t lie.  He and Hank played against the best competition as the top D pair, and Myers still managed a Defensive GVT of 6.9.  He’s a great skater that can push the play offensively and yet still get back to cover if that play fizzles.  Tyler is working on getting stronger this offseason, which might just improve his ranking.

    1.  Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins (7G 37A 44pts +19 25:22 TOI)

    An off year for Chara goal scoring-wise, nevertheless big Z stands tall at the top of this list (pun intended).  He’s a beast to play against behind the net and along the boards, where his massive frame (and ‘incidental’ elbows) often stop smaller forwards in their tracks, if they don’t end up on their asses.  His defensive GVT is 8.9, matched only by Chris Pronger.

    Well, there you have it.  I’m sure there are some slotting changes, and if I’m lucky I just offended the rest of the Northeast, and maybe even some Sabres fans.  It was hard to make, but I feel like I learned a bit more about the enemy.  Guys who just missed the list:

    Dion Phaneuf, Toronto Maple Leafs (2G 8A 10pts -2 26:21 TOI)

    The above numbers don’t count Dion’s contributions in Calgary (10G 12A 22pts +3), but it remains to be seen whether or not he can continue with those types of numbers as Captain of the Leafs.  I waffled on him making the list, but his goal totals have been declining, not increasing (20, 17, 17, 11, 12).  A rebound year can put him right back in.

    Roman Hamrlik, Montreal Canadiens (6G 20A 26pts -2 23:26 TOI)

    I edged him out in a comparison with Spacek – who I feel gives you a bit more on the defensive side.

    And a special note for Steve Montador, who doesn’t show up on the scoresheet or the advanced stats, but who played well with Lindy’s musical partners.  We noticed you, Steve, and appreciate it.

    One final thing:  I get the feeling this list is WAY different next year.  Kaberle is probably out, Gonchar is an injury away from falling off, probably at least one or two new guys via trade, and some young players who will be pushing.  Especially in Toronto, where things have been bad long enough that no job is safe.  Let me know how I screwed up, and if you make a strong case, I’m down with changing it up.

  • Hartnell

    Curious to see if Scott Hartnell gets any ‘supplementary discipline’ from the NHL for his attempted beatdown of Roman Hamrlik at the end of last nights loss to the Habs.  He got 5+2 (but for roughing, not instigating) and it seems an obvious case of message sending in a game that was out of hand.  There was a lot of jabbing and prodding and bumping from both sides…say what you want, though, it DOES make the next game must-see TV.