Sacco's Sports Blog is a tumblelog.

Blocked shots, lack of conditioning bring Habs to 2-5 

Habs vs Sens, always a good rivalry, the team i love the most vs. the team that i dislike the most (I don’t have to be unbiased, yet). The Habs showed many things this game.

1. They showed that they could compete with the much improved Sens. This was proven in the first period when they exploded out of the gate and outshot Ottawa 13-3. Montreal would have had double that if 13 of their shots didn’t get blocked, including the 6 at least that were blocked on the 2 man advantage. Montreal dominated the first period, using their speed and grit to forecheck and draw penalties, but eventually falling to 1-0 on a snipe by Chris Neil, on only the Sens 3rd shot.

2. They showed that they have inferior conditioning and defence. No matter how tough you compete, or how talented you are, what really wins games is your conditioning. I don’t think that there is any point in questioning the heart that any of the Habs players have, they all want to win, it’s just tough when you can’t play consistently for 60 minutes because your conditioning is poor. The Habs played a solid 20 minute game. The effort was there, you could tell by watching them, but frustration and tired legs overwhelms effort every time no matter what you say. The Habs defence is slow, and lacking Markov, in need of a puck mover. They also need Hal Gill to start playing like an NHL player, or at least maybe an OHL player, enough of this peewee garbage.

3. Kovalev is a betrayer, a talented betrayer. Potting 1 goal and a beautiful assist on the Alfredsson goal, he proved what he can do and made every Habs fan green with envy.

4. The reffing was again inconsistent, although it was better than a few nights ago against Colorado, they didn’t show anything close to the leniency they did in that game, and that frustrates me as well. Call everything or call nothing, it’s pretty simple.

First post of the season…

My first post of the season comes after watching the Montreal Canadiens home opener against the Colorado Avalanche thursday night. I sat down to watch this game pretty content with the state of the habs and of the nhl, but after the game, when I sat down at my computer to write this post, I was full of questions, and I’ll admit, a lot of anger.

I ask my first question, not as a Habs fan, but as a hockey fan, and someone who wants to see this league do well. My question is: what is a penalty? Every hockey fan wants to see consistent reffing for every team, but that was not displayed tonight. It’s the third period, tied 2-2, Gomez goes for the puck in the corner and Cody McLeod comes out of nowhere and unleashes himself on Gomez’s head along the boards. Now, Gomez didn’t get hurt or anything. He wasn’t even dazed. But why should this mean anything?

Everyone always talks about hits to the head, and the impact they have on players and games. This one had a large impact, because Mcleod proceeded to pass the puck to a wide open Ryan O’Reilly in front of the net (left wide open because the person covering him was irate that there was no penalty called) and he proceeded to put one past Price, giving the Avs a 3-2 lead. At this point, there was still about 5 minutes left in the period, and on the next sequence, Pacioretty came racing down the wing, getting held up by an Avs player the whole time and getting forced offside. No call on the play. There is nothing legal about holding a player up through a whole zone, I don’t care what you say. People might see this as the ranting of a Habs fan who is mad to see their team lose, but it really isn’t. I like to see consistency with the refs, as I’m sure every hockey fan does.

The Avs went on to win this game, and I congratulate them on their 5-1-1 start, but the outcome could have been very different had the refs stuck to the rulebook.

Back to school blues nothing compared the NHL’s summer blues

No, I’m not talking about St. Louis.

First it was the Phoenix Coyotes, then (and still) it was Dany Heatley, and now the firing of Paul Kelly. The summer for the National Hockey League has been mired in scandal and feuding between supposed “professionals”. 

The Phoenix case could have easily been resolved 3 months ago if Gary Bettman and Bill Daly possessed the ability to see reason. I’m sure that there is something deeper to this whole thing that’s getting past this particular 15 year old, but much older, more educated people than I have seen the exact same things that I have. Bettman and Daly figure that an owner willing to keep the team in Phoenix for about 100$ million less that the proposed bid which would move the team to southern Ontario could be considered a franchise saviour. Then MLSE adds more fuel to the fire, saying that another team in southern ontario would be infringing on the Leafs fans territory, and Eugene Melnyk comes out at questions Jim Balsillie’s integrity, when all he is trying to do is save the NHL an extra 67$ million dollars. Really, this whole situation, franchise and league are in shambles. Let’s hope this gets resolved on the September 12th auction, please.

Now, onto Heater. I think mostly everyone knows about all this, seeing as Heatley was beloved in Ottawa by most Sens fans, but probably disliked everywhere else. Personally, I think Ottawa would be better off without him, with some more young talent coming back their way via trade, but this looks very optimistic going forward. So far this summer, nothing has happened on this front. Just an endless loop, with the frequent refrains of “we’re getting there” and “it’s a matter of time” then finally, “talks are almost dead.” I won’t be surprised to see Heatley back in a Sens uniform, but how will it go over in hockey country? A question I cannot wait to see answered. 

As kind of an insult to injury, another issue with the brass of the league has arisen, with Paul Kelly being fired from the position of Executive Director of the NHLPA. 

This has basically been a cataclysmic summer for the league, a summer of creating hype, then going nowhere. Let’s hope that the actual players performances during the games of the sport of hockey, which is what we’re supposed to be concentrating on, funny enough, make up for the lack of anything positive since the Penguins hoisted the cup all the way back in June. However, if the summer is just a sneak peak at the future of the NHL, then dark times are approaching. 

Nick’s predictions (western conference)

Same deal as the eastern conference basically. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1: Detroit Red Wings - 51-20-11 - 113 points

2: San Jose Sharks - 49-25-8 - 106 points

3: Calgary Flames - 45-30-7 - 97 points

4: Anaheim Ducks - 47-27-8 - 102 points

5: Chicago Blackhawks - 49-30-3 - 101 points 

6: St. Louis Blues - 41-26-15 - 97 points

7: Vancouver Canucks - 41-29-12 - 94 points

8: Columbus Blue Jackets - 40-30-12- 92 points

A few things to notice: 

The Wings are still dominant, no matter what people say, they will finish first and win 50 games. Anything less is disappointment for them. San Jose is going to fall off the pace a bit, but still a second place finish is good, hopefully they’ll make it out of the 1st round.

The West is the weaker conference now in my opinion. The exact same teams from last year will make the playoffs, look for St. Louis to make it past the 1st round. 

Nick’s predictions

What’s the fun of following an entire 82 game schedule in the NHL without at least making some predictions about how it will all unfold? Here’s my take on the standings for the upcoming season:

EASTERN CONFERENCE 

1: Philadelphia Flyers - 49-20-13 -111 points  

2: Washington Capitals - 47-23-12 - 106 points  

3: Boston Bruins - 44-25-13 - 101 points

4: New York Rangers - 44-29-9 - 97 points

5: Montreal Canadiens - 42-30-10 - 94 points

6: New Jersey Devils - 44-32-6 - 93 points 

7: Pittsburgh Penguins - 43-34-5 - 91 points

8: Buffalo Sabres - 41-36-5 - 91 points

To summarize: this is basically my opinion on how it will all shake down. I will be astounded if the records are anywhere close to as i see it but hey, anything can happen. A few things to note that differ from last year and recent years:

No 50 game winners. The talent throughout the league is now more widely spread than it was in years past, which will lead to closer games and more overtimes, thus lowering the win totals for each team. I just think that it will be very tight.

Close bottom 4. It’s always close as you get farther down, towards 8th spot, but the point totals here are much more diminished then they were last year or the year before. Again, more evenly matched teams contribute to this phenomenon. It used to be that you needed at least 92 points to be able to make the playoffs in the east, but this will decrease. 

So, you’ve seen my predictions, and hopefully you do not agree with them. I’m interested in knowing how others see it all going down. 

What are your predictions for this year’s eastern conference? 

Dany Heatley finally speaks out?

Dany Heatley says that he is finally going to speak out about his trade request. The one question is what will he say? Will it be anything pertinent or relevant? Or will it just be the meaningless dribble that has come out of everyone recently? I am not a Sens fan, but I am an avid sports fan, and because of this the Heatley situation is very irksome. I - and most likely every other hockey fan - am hoping that something of value comes out of this guys mouth for once. 

30 teams in 30 days: Washington Capitals

Finished: 2nd eastern conference

Playoffs: Lost in 2nd round to Pittsburgh

Leading scorers: Alexander Ovechkin 110, Nicklas Backstrom 88, Alexander Semin 79, Mike Green 73

Who did they add?: Brendan Morrison, Mike Knuble

Who did they lose?: Donald Brashear, Brent Johnson

Overview: The Washington Capitals have enjoyed limited success in their time in the NHL, but some of that success has come these past couple of years. Since the arrival of Alex Ovechkin in Washington, there has been a new vigor around the Verizon Center, and every other arena around the league actually. The trick was to surround one of the most offensively gifted players in hockey with talent that he can complement and feed off and they have done pretty well in that respect. Skating alongside Alexander the Great are Nicklas Backstrom and new addition Mike Knuble, which is a great signing for the Caps because they were in need of a big body presence in front of the net. Alex Semin, yet another talented Russian player, adds depth to the offense and will post huge numbers if he is able to stay healthy for a whole season. Tomas Fleischmann, Brooks Laich and Brendan Morrison add points and grit to a very underrated offensive group. The defense is led by Mike Green, who led all NHL defensemen in scoring with 73 points and had 31 goals. There aren’t really any stand outs behind him, but all the guys on the Caps blue line know their roles and execute well. Following him are Shaone Morrisonn, Milan Jurcina, Tom Poti and Brian Pothier. Nick Schultz and John Erskine are there to fill in in case of injury and are both competent as well. The goaltending is the one thing about the Capitals that has really always been a question mark. Last season it was in good hands thanks to the surprising Brent Johnson, who carried the team through the regular season before suffering an injury late, and handing over the playoff reigns to Jose Theodore. This failed, so the reigns were passed off once again, this time to Simeon Varlamov. This was somewhat a success, but he is still young, and may not be ready for the starting job in Washington just yet. However, it will be up to him in Theodore falters, which is a high possibility. The Caps have a solid team, and will make the playoffs. Look for a dog fight at the top of the southeast division involving them and the Hurricanes, but Washington should win outright. They have the tools for a cup run, they just need stellar goaltending.

Winners or losers?: Winners, except it wouldn’t hurt to add a goalie. They’re also in need of a veteran tough guy because of the loss of Donald Brashear, but this isn’t priority.  

30 teams in 30 days: Vancouver Canucks

Finished: 3rd western conference

Playoffs: Lost in 2nd round to Chicago

Leading scorers: Daniel Sedin 82, Henrik Sedin 82, Ryan Kesler 59, Pavol Demitra 53

Who did they add?: Mikael Samuelsson, Andrew Raycroft, Aaron Rome

Who did they lose?: Mattias Ohlund, Jason Labarbera

Overview: The hockey gods smiled on the Vancouver Canucks last season and rewarded them with Mats Sundin and a 3rd place finish in the west. The team didn’t look very promising coming into the season, with a lacking offense save for the Sedin twins and an injury prone defence. They put these observations to bed, however, and proceeded to finish 3rd place, winning the division and sweeping the Blues in the first round but eventually falling to the Hawks. The Canucks offense is led by the Sedin Twins, who are big threats and great complements to eachother. The trick is finding someone to play with them. They tried a bunch of different combos and eventually found success with Alex Burrows. If this combo doesn’t succeed this year, they have insurance in the form of Mikael Samuelsson, who they added for the purpose of joining the Sedins. The Canucks also have Pavol Demitra who is still quite able to produce on a quality second line, he just needs to step up. The defense in Vancouver is quite dependable and durable, with only Sami Salo missing a good chunk of time. It’s led by young guns Kevin Bieksa and Alex Edler, now that Mattias Ohlund is gone. Following him are Sami Salo, Willie Mitchell, Shane O’brien and Aaron Rome. This is a good defensive group, but I’m not using more inventive adjectives because good is probably the best that can be said. They need someone to round it out, make it just a little better and add some depth. Roberto Luongo, one of the best in the game, is between the pipes for Vancouver while former rookie of the year award winner Andrew Raycroft backs him up. This is a Canucks team that is capable of winning the division, although it will be tough in the always competitive northwest, and perhaps making a playoff run. They just need a few more pieces, and the pieces that they possess to produce.

Winners or losers?: Losers. Yes they found someone to HOPEFULLY play full seasons with twins for years to come, but they lose a vital piece to their blue line. The Canucks should be looking to replace that piece and add some forward depth. 

30 teams in 30 days: Toronto Maple Leafs

Finished: 12th eastern conference

Leading scorers: Jason Blake 63, Alexei Ponikarovski 61, Matt Stajan 55, Mikhail Grabovski 48

Who did they add?: Colton Orr, Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Wayne Primeau, Garnet Exelby, Jhonas Gustavsson, Joey MacDonald, Rickard Wallin, Colin Stuart

Who did they lose?: Pavel Kubina, Tim Stapleton

Overview: The Leafs have been stuck in a recent funk that has landed them consistently out of the playoffs, but not low enough to get very high draft pick. Because of this, and other inconsistent GMing, they brought in Brian Burke, to try and make some signings and trades to make the Leafs better. It was quiet when he first came in, only making a few moves leading up to deadline day, but when the offseason rolled around, you knew Burkie wouldn’t hold his silence for much longer. Burke signed and traded and completely retooled the Leafs blue line, but left the offense basically the same. Leading the charge is Jason Blake, who came in to Leaf nation with lots of pressure on him to produce, and he hasn’t really lived up to expectations yet. Behind him are Mikhail Grabovski, Alex Ponikarovski, Matt Stajan and a bunch of other young, talented players. The one drawback with the Leafs attack is that they don’t have one prolific scorer or playmaker. They need one big offensive threat to try and rejuvenate the offense and bring it back to what it was when guys like Mats Sundin still wore the blue and white. The retooled defense is much better than it was last year. The addition of Mike Komisarek gives them a legit shutdown pairing with him and Luke Schenn. Following them on the blue line are Garnet Exelby, Francois Beauchemin, Tomas Kaberle and Ian White. This defense is good, albeit big, but will produce and help the Leafs immensely. The one thing they have to keep an eye on is penalties, and will have to make a big effort to stay out of the box. The goaltending looks to be in good hands, with Vesa Toskala starting between the pipes and Swedish sensation Jhonas ”Monster” Gustavsson backing him up. With Joey MacDonald brought into the fold, it should be tough to get pucks into the Leafs net. Toronto has a young and talented team, but I don’t think they have enough offense to be able to make a playoff run. The northeast will be tight this season and the Leafs MIGHT be able to make the playoffs, but don’t be too hopeful.

Winners or losers?: Winners. Winning teams are built from the net out and Burke seems to know what he’s doing. They just need to upgrade their offense and they should be fine. 

30 teams in 30 days: Tampa Bay Lightning

Finished: 14th eastern conference

Leading scorers: Martin St. Louis 80, Vincent Lecavalier 67, Steven Stamkos 46, Ryan Malone 45

Who did they add?: Mattias Ohlund, Matt Walker, Stephane Veilleux, Kurtis Foster, Antero Niittymaki

Who did they lose?: David Koci

Overview: Second last in the east, in front of only the Islanders, is definitely not what the Lightning had foreseen for the 2008-09 season. A stellar offseason, where Tampa restocked and retooled, and had Steven Stamkos coming up, things looked to be getting back to what they were when they won the Stanley Cup in 2004. The season began, and the Lightning came back down to earth, and realized that the signings were all mediocre players who didn’t produce and were all injury prone. This offseason, they did basically the same thing, only they signed younger guys and restocked their blue line. The forwards are led by Vincent Lecavalier, who had a down season last year only scoring 67 points, but look for him to improve on that thing season. Leading with him are Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos. This trio is basically the only source of offense for the Bolts, who are loaded with grinders and will need Ryan Malone and Jeff Halpern to step up and produce for Tampa. The defense is retooled and is looking very good. Mattias Ohlund was brought in to help a young and up and coming defense corps that included Andrej Meszaros, Victor Hedman, Kurtis Foster, Matt Walker and Paul Ranger. A defense that is young and stacked, in my opinion, can shut down opposition and put up points. The latter will be a necessity in Tampa this year, as they will be hard-pressed to find scoring. The goaltending is in better hands than last year, with Mike Smith starting and Antero Niittymaki coming in to backup replacing Olaf Kolzig, or maybe share starting duties with Mike Smith. Tampa’s defense is much improved this season, so look for the goaltending to feel some of the effects and improve as well. The Bolts still need time to improve, and to find some scoring, so they will miss the playoffs this year. If they can keep the core of the team intact for the next few years and add some snipers in support, then they should be set for the future.

Winners or losers?: Winner, in my opinion. Winning teams always start at the back end, and Tampa is heading in this direction. They’re far from being contenders, but it will come with time. They also need to add a veteran scorer.