Ducks Gameday: Round-by-Round BryzgaLove

Phoenix Coyotes (9-10-0, 1 point ahead of L.A.) at Anaheim Ducks (10-9-3, 2 points behind S.J.)

When I reflect on Ilya Bryzgalov, of course I think of the affable goofball, one who is unable to get through a single interview without me falling off my couch laughing. But there is of course another side to the guy—the capable netminder who's stepped in each of the last two playoff years to save the Ducks when Giguere was suddenly unavailable. In total, Breezy has a 9-5 playoff record in 926 minutes, with a stellar 1.68 GAA and a .937 sv%.

To put that into perspective, he's got more playoff wins and minutes than Roberto Luongo, Henrik Lundqvist, Rick Dipietro, Tomas Vokoun, Vesa Toskala, Andrew Raycroft, and three-time cup finalist Martin Gerber, just to name some more expensive options out there.

But let's take a look back at how he got there:

2006 Round One: Calgary Flames
2-1, 3 GA on 93 shots in 226 minutes. 0.80 GAA, .968 sv%

Breezy's start in this series was a complete surprise, because Giguere had just beaten Calgary in the last regular season game just four days before. Somehow, though, Giguere had suffered a hip injury and was a shocking scratch for G1, and Bryz lost his debut 2-1 nearly 10 minutes into overtime. Giguere came back for the next four starts, winning two, but clearly was not recovered—he ended the series with a 3.87 GAA and a .845 sv%. So with the team facing elimination, Bryzgalov started the last two games, allowing only one G6 goal and silencing the Red Mile in G7.

2006 Round Two: Colorado Avalanche
4-0, 4 GA on 121 shots in 256 minutes. 0.94 GAA, .967 sv%

Sweeping Colorado was an incredible feat in of itself; in 25 series since moving from Quebec, the Avalanche had won at least two games in every best-of-seven they had played in. To add to that, Bryzgalov kept the high-flying Avs off the scoreboard until G3, setting the post-1930 playoff shutout streak record at 249:15, more than four regulations without a goal-allowed. It was really a huge win for the franchise, as it meant that the Ducks had toppled the typical "big three" in the west (along with Detroit and Dallas in '03), a fairly incredible triple-feat. You can see some more fun facts about that series in my second-ever BoC post.

2006 Round Three: Edmonton Oilers
0-3, 9 GA on 71 shots in 177 minutes. 3.06 GAA, .873 sv%

The stats line on Breezy looks bad here, but really mostly this is a result of a crazy third period in G3. In G1 and G2 Bryzgalov limited the Oilers to 2 goals in each game, but on the other end the Ducks only managed 1 goal in each game. In the 3rd period of G3, with Anaheim trailing 1-0, things exploded on both ends. By the end of regulation the scoreboard would read EDM 5 - ANA 4, and Bryzgalov's postseason was over. Giguere came back and won a G4, but lost when the Ducks were held to one goal again in G5.

Yeah, that series was a tragedy, as the Ducks lost a lot of momentum with the long layoff after sweeping Colorado. However, I do believe I was the first person to predict Anaheim's cup championship when I wrote this drunk blog-title on 3/27/06: "I didn't say Ducks in seven; I said Ducks in '07!!!"

2007 Round One: Minnesota Wild
3-1, 8 GA on 113 shots in 230 minutes. 2.09 GAA, .929 sv%

Another playoff year, another surprising non-start by Giguere. Here Bryzgalov re-established his clutch postseason play, outdueling Backstrom and the Wild through the first three games of the series, all one-goal wins. He got pulled for good in G4 (through no real fault of his own), and only made one relief appearance after that. Not only was Breezy crucial for advancing past the first round, but in the larger scope of things, how important was it that Giguere was able to deal with his family issues and get a fresh late start in the playoffs?

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I guess my main point is that it's wrong to underestimate the contributions of Breezy; I don't know whether the Ducks would have advanced past the first round in either of the last two playoffs without him. He was the victim of a logjam behind $6 M Giguere, and as a result the Phoenix Coyotes got an absolute gift off the waiver wire (see my latest Fanhouse cartoon for a visualization of that).

It's fair to condemn Burke for not getting anything in return for the valuable netminder, but it is true that the trade market for goalies is fairly dead, and I doubt Burke is well-liked enough in the GM community to get any trade favors. So far, Jonas Hiller seems to be an adequate replacement, so I don't think it's hurting the team any, but we'll have to see what happens if Giguere pulls up lame for another playoff round.

I'm actually kind of expecting Hiller to get the start today. I have no inside information or anything, but I read Carlyle as a guy who won't push the "Giguere v. Bryzgalov" storyline just for its own sake. Besides, it's important that Hiller get a start fairly soon to show why Breezy was suddenly expendable, and a home game against Phoenix may be just the ticket. That said, I'm fairly mediocre at predicting Carlyle's moves; don't put much stock in my predictions, either.

Prediction: Ducks 4, Coyotes 1. Hiller makes good on his backup start; goals by Beauchemin, Bertuzzi, Pahlsson, and Sutherby.

Go Ducks.

What are you thankful for?

Just thought I'd get a bit into the Thanksgiving spirit and reflect on one of the main things this Ducks fan is particularly grateful for on this holiday. Feel free to leave your own thanks in the comments, hockey-related or not.

• Thank you, Ottawa Senators:
  Outside of the cup finals, the Sens have had quite a calendar year 2007. They ended their 06-07 regular season by winning 40 of 62 games after January 1st, won 12 of 15 games in the first three rounds of the playoffs, won all seven of their preseason games, and now have won 16 of 20 games to start this season. All told, that comes to 75 wins in 104 games (72%), with an impressive goal differential of 296 - 190, better than a goal difference per game.
  
  Suffice to say that there are a lot of stretches over 2007 where the Senators would have killed last year's Ducks in a seven-game series; fortunately May 28 - June 6 wasn't one of them. Outside of the Ducks (who did it twice in five games), the Sens haven't suffered consecutive regulation losses this entire calendar year.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Kings Gameday: What Worries Me

Los Angeles Kings (8-11-1, 4th in Pacific) @ Phoenix Coyotes (8-10, 5th in Pacific)

6:30 PST, FSN West

Kings' Record in November: 2-4-1

A lot of people are currently lamenting the state of the Kings after their two-game-shut-out-ohgodwhy-streak. To be honest, it doesn’t bother me too much; I don't think the Kings' recent inability to score goals is going to be a long-term problem. I’m not happy with how the Kings have been playing, but I’m optimistic they can turn it around tonight against the Coyotes. That doesn’t mean I don’t worry about the Kings sometimes, though. I had trouble getting to sleep last night because I was thinking about Anze Kopitar.

Over on Inside the Kings, Dean Lombardi mentioned how he plugs people in boxes to set up how the Kings are looking in the future. As an intellectual exercise, I did this with the Kings, and the first thing I did was pencil Kopitar in as our top-line center. Right after I did that, though, I began to vacillate. I mean, right now Kopitar is our top center and best player, but will that always be the case? What I mean is, can he be the guy on a Stanley Cup winning team?

I’m a big believer in what Lombardi is doing with the Kings; I've always felt that the way to build a Stanley Cup team is by building from within and then getting complementary pieces through free agency. But that strategy doesn't work unless you develop that elite-level player. The only Stanley Cup champion I can think of that didn’t have an elite offensive player over the last 10 years were the Devils, but they had Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, and Scott Stevens’ elbows. On the other side of things, look at the Sharks. I mean, yeah, they were good because of their excellent farm system, but they didn’t really become Stanley Cup contenders until they got Joe Thornton. That’s what worries me: do the Kings have that player? Even if Kopitar becomes the next Mats Sundin, is that enough? I don’t know.

Prediction: Kings win, 4-2. Goals by Cammy, Moulson, Willsie and Stuart. 3 assists by Kopitar.

Update: Alright, I just read this in the Kings Report over at latimes.com and it pissed me off. Crawford had a quote about how a penalty kill goal allowed by the Kings was the result of a miscommunication between Patrick O'Sullivan and Matt Moulson:

"The goal . . . was a young mistake made by two young forwards," Crawford said. "They both went to the outside and the inside needed to be protected. It wasn't much of a mistake and [the Stars] took advantage."

Huh, does that quote strike anyone as odd? I'll give you a hint: Who is usually partnered with O'Sullivan on the penalty kill? Give up? (Quitter.) Moulson was out there because O'Sullivan's regular linemate on the penalty kill, Michal Handzus, was in the box. (Of course, it can't be Handzus' fault because he's in the league for 10 years and was therefore "doing too much to try and help his team," right?) They could have been 10-year veterans and still made that mistake because they'd never been on the penalty kill together before. And why was Moulson even out there anyway? Frolov played excellent on the penalty kill last year, why not him?

There's been a couple of quotes like this, where Crawford excuses a problem with the team by waving his hand and claiming, "Ahh, they're young." (He did it the other day when discussing the top line, saying that they were trying to score on every shift. Those selfish sons of bitches.) The problem on this team isn't the young players. Don't use them as a scapegoat just because you didn't do your job.

Ducks Gameday—Five year extension for Getzlaf

Anaheim Ducks (10-8-3, t-4th in west) at Dallas Stars (9-7-4, t-7th in west)

Man, there is just so much news to cover I don't know where to begin. I guess the lesson is don't take a vacation; Burke likes to break the big news just when your back is turned.

First off, let's take a look at Getzlaf's megadeal extension: 5 years averaging $5.33 M a year. Matt at BoA put together a nice table that puts it in line with a few other extension deals, and I'm more than comfortable with this dollar amount. It's not the 15 years I had been advocating earlier in the summer, but Getzlaf is really a kid you can build an offense around--good size, range, and creativity, plus a pretty wicked shot. He'll be a talent no matter what sort of tight-checking or free-flowing hockey the league develops into. He's grown up in sheltered minutes, sure, but last postseason he did lead the Ducks in scoring and in power play scoring, and he's leading the team in scoring this year as well.

We'll see what this means for Corey Perry's extension, who was 2nd in playoff scoring and is currently 2nd in team scoring, but I'm not averse to throwing big money at the kids; it's at least consistent with the marketplace. Next year should be very interesting, by the way. It'll be the year when most every contract comes to an end; the Ducks seem designed with a built-in "out strategy", which seems like a reasonable notion coming out of the lockout. Here's the list of contracts that come to an end next year: Scott Niedermayer, Mathieu Schneider, Todd Bertuzzi, Andy McDonald, Todd Marchant, Rob Niedermayer, Francois Beauchemin, Sammy Pahlsson, Travis Moen, Shane Hnidy, Kent Huskins, Brad May, George Parros, and even Randy Carlyle and Brian Burke. So far only Chris Pronger, J.S. Giguere, Ryan Getzlaf, and Chris Kunitz are signed beyond 2008-09; with Perry that seems like a pretty solid core to build around.

You can leave a comment on that, or any of this other news I'm brushing over.


Also this weekend: Ducks trade a 2009 2nd round choice to Washington for center Brian Sutherby. My inital response: who? Two things about Burke, though: he loves checking centers and hates second round picks. More to come on that I'm sure.


Also this weekend: Ilya Bryzgalov is a Coyote! I wrote a bit on that while on vacation, and I'll have more to say on that come Friday's post.


Also this weekend: The Ducks win their fourth shootout in a row! Sure it was a battle between the Ducks (the team with the most franchise shootout losses) against the Sharks (the team with the fewest franchise shootout wins) but that doesn't mean I didn't make a Fanhouse cartoon post about it.


Tonight's opponent, the Dallas Stars, is the team that's benefited the most from shootouts (22-6); since the lockout they lead the league in shootout wins and winning percentage. I guess it's interesting to note that both the Ducks and Sharks have beaten the Stars in a shootout (without even using a third shooter!), though it took each teams four tries to do it.

The Stars are 12-4-2 against the Ducks since the lockout, including 2-0 this season. They've outscored the Ducks this season 8-1, with the only ANA goal coming on a 5-on-3. Still, I'm optimistic. The Ducks seem to play well when I'm unable to watch, which will be the case tonight.

Prediction: Ducks give me something to be thankful for and win it in a shootout. Regulation goals by Pahlsson and Kunitz; shootout winner by rich man Getzlaf.

Go Ducks.

Meg Post: Where's the Curling?

No team-building curling tournament for San Jose this time - the team is using their second extended break of the season for something a little bit more useful: practice.




I know, I know, it sounds crazy. Practicing hockey? But why?

Because they need it, that's why. The team put together a few impressive victories, but it was clear in the game against Anaheim that this is not a team that can win a seven-game series against the western conference powers. They kept it close against the Ducks by virtue of great goaltending and some lucky breaks (Ozonlinsh, you magnificent bastard!), but the Sharks spent way too much of the game trapped in their own zone. You have to imagine that the team that comes out of the west is going to have to beat either Anaheim or Detroit, and right now the Sharks just don't seem to have the power to do that.

I know I already put this, but Meg came up with a better caption: "Meerly Chillin'."

So, it's practice time! As reported on the team's website, the Sharks engaged in an extended skirmish where the veterans faced off against the younger players. They had everything from four-on-four hockey to a final shootout (finally! A shootout the Sharks can win!). The veterans obviously had the proven talent, with Thornton, Marleau, and Nabokov in goal. It was the younger players that won the day, however, with Michalek leading the way in front of Thomas Greiss in net and superstar Douglas Murray patrolling the blueline.

A few short-takes from the long break...

-Kyle (where did the yellow visor go?) McLaren remarked that Greiss was "good in the shootout, just like he was in training camp." Does that mean we can expect a crazy goalie-swap just prior to the shootout some time in the future, straight out of Mighty Ducks II (I think)? Probably not. But still, if it's true, the option is on the table as long as Greiss stays with the team.

-Shaved Ice has an interesting post discussing a quote by GM Doug Wilson. Wilson told the local paper "we're certainly not satisfied with where we're at" regarding the team's chances for success at the end of the year.

-Michalek is expected to return in the Sharks' next game against the Kings. In other Milan news, the victory celebration following the skirmish led to this quote: “I love the guys and I love their hugs.” I'll just let that one speak for itself.

Bowlby!

Rob Blake's full name is Robert Bowlby Blake.

Bowlby.

His middle name is BOWLBY. B.O.W.L.B.Y.

"Hey, nice stop out there Bowlby." "Good ol' Bowlby, how's it going, Bowlby?" "Been bowling lately, Bowlby?" (This is the point where he'd kill me, and my dying words would be, "Damn you... Bowlby...")

This is another reason I couldn't be an NHL GM:

"Hey, this Rob Blake guy seems pretty good, let's take hi- wait, his middle name is Bowlby? What the hell? Screw that nerd, let's take Scott Luik instead."

Bowlby. I can't say it without laughing. Imagine if that was his first name. His name would be Bowlby Blake.

Hehe. Bowlby.

(This is how I choose to deal with my anger when my team gets shut out 2 games in a row.)

Kings Gameday: On Line Changes

Los Angeles Kings (8-10-1, 4th in Pacific) @ Dallas Stars (8-7-4, 3rd in Pacific)

5:30 PST, Fox Sports West

Kings Record in November: 2-3-1

Marc Crawford is a lunatic. We’re all used to it by now. He’s constantly tinkering with his lines, moving Frolov up then down, putting Handzus on the 2nd line and then the 4th, throwing out lines like Nagy-Kopitar-Willsie (that’s 3 guys from 3 different lines, mind you), and treating poor Patty O’Sullivan like it’s the 1840s. (“Want to be on the 2nd line? No Irish allowed! Back to the 4th line with you!”) I finally said, “Eff this,” during the 2nd Ducks game, when Crawford was desperately trying to get the upper hand on Randy Carlyle and I swear Carlyle was pulling his lines off right after the whistle just to fuck with Crawford. I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure there was one point where the Ducks went to the bench and then just skated back out. (Note: This didn’t actually happen, but you believed it , didn’t you?)

That's the same look I have on my face when I watch the Kings.

This mania has been exacerbated by the injuries to Kyle Calder and Raitis Ivanans; both guys were pretty much set in their lines (Calder on the 3rd, Ivanans on the 4th), but their loss has given Crawford free reign to throw everyone around. Also contributing to the problem has been Crawford’s phobia of Nagy. Nagy is getting 10:03 minutes of even strength ice time per game, below Matt Moulson, Michal Handzus, Derek Armstrong, Brian Willsie. This seems weird to me, because it doesn’t seem like Nagy has been playing poorly at all.

Still, through all this, I haven’t said too much. I figure, Marc Crawford is an NHL head coach and I’m sure he has a reason for everything he does that is probably above my hockey knowledge. It seems weird to me, but nothing more.

Then he split up our top line in the last game.

No offense to you, Marc, but how fucking stupid do you have to be? That’s retarded. That's dumb. If this was the Old Testament, Yahweh would cover your house in locusts for such stupidity. Thor would strike you down for such an offense against the gods. Vishnu himself would do something Hindu-y in retaliation. Your excuse was bullshit, too:

"We're looking and saying Fro is playing so well right now, we put Cammy and Fro together and opponents will have to decide do we shut down Cammy and Fro or try to play our top people against Kopitar. That's the notion. Yesterday, we didn't get enough from anybody.''

Oh, really? I thought the whole point of "Alexander Frolov & Incompetents" was that Frolov would provide secondary scoring by himself while our top line was studly as fuck; now that Frolov is doing what he’s supposed to, your response is to change it so Kopitar is on his own? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever read, and I’ve read my writing. Do you not understand that you're left with the same situation that you had before, but with Frolov and Kopitar now switched? Seriously, what the hell?

You don't even want to know what that goat is going to do.

You know who the Kings need as a coach? They need a more even-keel guy, maybe someone who puts video into his pre-game rituals. You know, a guy who wears golf shirts, and who knows how to get teams into the playoffs, and who’s about to be fired for no other reason than he’s been with the same team for a while and there needs to be change. You know anyone like that?

Prediction: Kings win, 3-2. Goals by the dynamic Kopitar-Cloutier-Santa line, which will be broken up by the middle of the 2nd.

Do not adjust your monitors

Hell hath frozen over:

Save Sandis Ozolinsh, save the world

Normally after a 2-1 shootout loss to the Ducks you would have to point to the exceptional play of Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray or Anaheim forward Sammy Pahlsson, big game performances by goaltenders Evgeni Nabokov or Jean-Sebastien Giguere, or the shootout goal by public enemy #1 Corey Perry, but without a doubt the highlight of the game came on the above goalline sequence from Sandis Ozolinsh.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the third, Ozolinsh sees that the trajectory and the momentum of the puck will carry it over the line. He makes a diving stab with the blade of his stick with about an inch to spare. The puck barely trickled wide right of the far post. The Sharks pressure Anaheim for the remainder of the third period, and a scoreless OT preceeds a shootout loss to the Ducks. Without this play, the Sharks would have had a monumental task evening up the score given how tight Anaheim was playing in its own zone.

Losing to Anaheim is about as painful as listening to slam poetry on ESPN Sportscenter, but salvaging a point in the standings could play a factor in the final days of the Pacific Division playoff race. More notes and photos from the game will be posted here shortly.

Above photos are a little blurry because I took a photo of kids with a Pronger sign seconds before this play. Every time Pronger touched the puck, the crowd joined together to boo as loud as possible. A couple of times when a player fainted a pass to Pronger, the crowd boo'd prematurely. With the retirement of Theo Fluery, with Ed Belfour plying his trade in Sweden, Chris Pronger may be the most hated opponent ever to play at HP Pavilion. The displeasure has traveled with Pronger as he moved from St Louis, to Edmonton, to Anaheim, but after the game Sharks fans lined up 3 deep to ask him for an autograph on his way off of the ice. In San Jose, the Sharks are marketing games with the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings as California Cup games.

Boom goes the Bryzgalomite

Ilya Bryzgalov 1, rest of the world 0.

BoC Gameday-Ducks/Sharks: Live in the Now

Anaheim Ducks (9-8-3, 2nd in Pacific) @ San Jose Sharks (11-7-2, 1st in Pacific)

(Surprise, Cockfags! Earl’s gone this weekend so I, Rudy Kelly, am valiantly picking up the torch and writing about the Ducks. Don’t worry, though, I'll keep my hatred to a minimum, and I’ll even refrain from making fun of Corey Perry.)

This season’s edition of The Office is hilarious. Dwight has taken his character to a new level this season and I enjoy seeing Jim struggle to grow up. Still, you can’t go on a message board or talk to an ardent fan of the show without being inundated with cries of, “The show is over the hill!” or, “They should cancel it before it gets worse!” or, “I’m a virgin!” People constantly do this; they refuse to recognize what they have because (in their minds) it’s not as good as it once was. What does this have to do with hockey? Well, since you asked, this phenomenon is right now occurring in Anaheim.

The Ducks are a good team this year. Sure, they’re having a little trouble scoring, but they still have one of the best defensemen in the game, a very reliable goaltender, three forwards in their early 20s who are all talented in different ways, the best defensive forward in the NHL, a great GM, and an excellent back-up goalte… wait, scratch that last one. But still, the Ducks should easily make the playoffs. And yet, nobody can talk about this year’s Ducks team without somehow referring to last year’s. Sure, Schneider’s good, but he’s not Niedermayer. Yeah, Bertuzzi played well before he got hurt, but Selanne scored over 40 goals last year! And Shane O’Brien… well, nobody gives a fuck about Shane O’Brien, but you get the idea.

Anaheim, I don’t like you and you don’t like me, but I’m going to give you some free advice: forget about last year. The picture on the right ain't happenin' again. If Niedermayer and Selanne come back, great, but until then maybe you should be focusing on Drew Miller. I know last year was amazing and you’d give anything to go through that season again, but you can't relive the same moment twice. Even if those two old guys come back, there’s no guarantee you’ll be just the same as last year; in the salary cap era, shit changes real quick. Forget what you had and focus on the damn good team you have now.

Prediction: Ducks win, 4-1. Goals by Kunitz (x2), Pronger, and (why the hell not?) Pahlsson.

(Oh, I guess I should have a drawing in honor of Earl...)

Damn, so close.

Kings Gameday: Manic Depressive

Los Angeles Kings (8-9-1, 4th in Pacific) vs. Phoenix Coyotes (7-10, 5th in Pacific)

1:00 PST, Fox Sports Prime Ticket

Kings Record in November: 2-2-1



If hockey players could be mental conditions, Alex Frolov would be manic depression. (Quick rundown: Joe Thornton is agoraphobia, while Darcy Tucker would be penis envy.) He’ll go from being the worst player on the ice (unless he’s playing with Derek Armstrong) to being the best, seemingly within days or even minutes. Kings fans were gnashing their teeth at his play early in the season (when he was overcoming a groin injury), but now they’re feverishly trying to get a write-in campaign for the All-Star game on his behalf. It’s still early in the season, but could this be the year that Frolov finally figures it out? Yes, I think so.

He'll pass it eventually...

So, what really has changed about Frolov’s game this year that makes me think that? Well, he’s creating scoring opportunities, not finishing them. He has 4 goals and 15 assists on the season, a ratio way out of whack with his almost 1:1 ratio last year. I don’t have a magical answer to solve this little puzzle, but if I had to guess I’d say this was because he’s not playing on a line with Mike Cammalleri anymore. Frolov has to do a lot of the playmaking this year for his line (which has included Derek Armstrong, Ladislav Nagy, Kyle Calder, Matt Moulson, Brian Willsie, Michal Handzus, and Patrick O’Sullivan), so that means that he’s probably not going to be in the position to score as many goals. Instead, he's carrying the puck in and dishing it off.

I'd say this speaks well of Frolov's chances to keep his point production up. I don't have any concrete evidence of this, but I think it's fair to say that guys who are primarily goal scorers are more inconsistent than guys who get assists. Why? I assume it's because goals are a lot harder to create on your own, while you get another guy to work with (ha!) when you dish the puck off. This made more sense in my head, but you get what I'm saying.

I’ve been rooting for Frolov since his first year back in 2002. He’s a very gifted player who can completely take over a game when he’s on the ice. Even when Cammy passed him up in terms of production last year, I still would have picked Frolov if I could only keep one. It’s nice seeing Frolov up at the top of the King’s stat totals; the key is seeing if he can stay there.

***

That dude in the background is totally laughing at his shirt.

The Coyotes picked up Ilya Bryzgalov today; no word on if his helmet will be covered in famous coyotes or not. ("I like this coyote, is wily.") He would have been nice to have on the Kings, but Phoenix really needed a goalie and were higher on the waiver wire, so they snared him. I was worried that Ilya is in net tonight against the Kings, but then I remembered they were still the Coyotes. (This is going to bite me in the ass, I know it.)

Prediction: Kings win, 4-3. Goals by whoever Frolov is playing with, plus one by Kopitar.

Ilya Bryzgalov is a Coyote

Here's the TSN link.

I'm going to have more on this next week, but for now there's just a few things worth saying.

I've read a lot of people that talk about how much money the Ducks are saving against the salary cap, freeing up space for the possible returns of Scott Niedermayer and/or Teemu Selanne. The problem I have with this story is that it's got to be recognized that Bryzgalov is playing for dirt-cheap this year. His salary (per NHLSCAP) is $1.36 M, with a cap hit of $1.18 M. With the season about 20% done, let's just say his cap hit for the remainder of the year is something like $900k. Meanwhile, his replacement Jonas Hiller will be paid $850k this year, but for a whopping cap hit of $3.20 M. I'd assume that whatever bonuses are in that latter number are unattainable for the Swiss goalie, but let's call the rest of the year $640k. That's a whopping savings against the cap of $260k, which doesn't buy much at all against Scott's $6.75 M contract or Teemu's TBD contract (last year he made $6 M with bonuses).

Also, it's important to note that Bryzgalov was in no way a liability to the team; he was the emergency-starter for each of the last two playoff years, and has more or less been the main goaltender for four of Anaheim's last seven playoff series (depending on how you want to define "main goaltender"). He definitely was the opening goaltender for four series, and closed out two of them. He has the longest postseason shutout streak in my lifetime (beating out J.S. Giguere's '03 number), largely built against the high-flying Avalanche. It seems absolutely amazing to me that a goaltender with the lowball salary and highball postseason success couldn't be traded in today's league, but I've had low expectations ever since the seemingly poor returns for Tomas Vokoun or Vesa Toskala last summer.

As much as it might pain rival fans to admit it, I think the departure of Bryzgalov has very little to do with Scott and Teemu, and really has more to do with Bryzgalov trying to be a #1 and Hiller being promoted to the big leagues. Apparently I am being rushed out the door right now (go Irish?), but for a really interesting take, go read Lowetide's take. I mean, right now!

Guest Post: The Phoenix Coyotes Are Great Self-Esteem Boosters

(My good friend and fellow meerkat enthusiast Megalodon wrote an incredibly long write-up about the Sharks heading into tomorrow night's game. I'm sure P.J. or Cheechew or Mike will come up with something tomorrow, so I figure I'll put this up today. Enjoy!)

"Shouldn't one of us keep watch?" "Nah, it's just the Coyotes."

A lot is still up in the air about the Pacific Division, sure. But after this past week, we can say one thing for certain: the Sharks are way better than the Coyotes. No matter what else happens, nobody can take that away from us. The Sharks seem to have their game back now. I was pessimistic, but what turned things around for me was, strangely, the recent game against Dallas. The Sharks played great in the first period, then they decided to try sucking for a while. That didn't work very well, and Dallas came back in the third. Earlier in the season, the Sharks would have completely folded, and Dallas probably would have gotten another goal in regulation. This time, the Sharks managed to wake the hell up and win in style in the shootout. The team showed perseverance and confidence that was lacking earlier in the season.

Bragging about beating the Coyotes is like Rudy bragging about having a bigger dick than Megalodon.

No team is going to play at their best every minute of every game (except Ottawa, your 2008 Stanley Cup Champions). Against Dallas, the Sharks finally demonstrated an ability to rebound.

That's definitely a good sign.

Douglas Murray, Teal Jesus.

What we are finally seeing now is the team that everyone picked before the season to win the Stanley Cup. Thornton and Setoguchi are doing exactly what Thornton and Cheechoo did - but Setoguchi is a way better player, so the sky is the limit for them. Marleau came out of his coma, Roenick is surprisingly productive, and all the rest of the offensive cast is finally producing like they should. Nabokov is looking like he wants to play 83 games this season if possible. Defense, which worried me before the season, now looks like one of the top squads in the league. Rivet is always amazing, Ozolinsh has been a great spark out there, Vlasic is playing Pronger-like minutes (minus the elbows and the muggings), and Douglas Murray is my new Jesus. (Ed. note- I wanted to change his name to "Doglas," but Meg pointed out that made it sound like he didn't have a dog, and that was sad.) All of a sudden, the Sharks look great wherever you look.

Even when tragedy strikes, they manage to make it a positive. This was in the San Jose-Phoenix game summary:

" FROM THE BENCH Sharks defenseman Craig Rivet, who missed tonight's game with a leg injury, spent the entire game on the bench as a coach. Following the win, his teammates awarded him the game puck."

This definitely shows that Rivet is a great leader on the team. You don't hear a lot about him, but this kind of thing gives you a glimpse of what's going on under the surface. He's been around longer than guys like Vlasic, Carle, or his usual line-mate Murray, and it's clear they're learning a lot from him. I hope he sticks around for a long time.

"INJURIES Milan Michalek (elbow strain), Marcel Goc (back spasms) and Craig Rivet (leg) are all listed as day-to-day."

The Sharks have won their past few games without Michalek. It's great that they can afford to give him time to really heal up, and when he comes back that just makes the team that much better. It's hard to know where to stick him, because the current lines are producing so well, but even on the fourth line he is always a threat.

Goc is a great kid, and his blog rules, but I don't really think he's good enough to be on the team consistently. Maybe that will change.


"LINES
Cheechoo - Thornton - Setoguchi
Rissmiller - Marleau - Bernier
Grier - Mitchell - Roenick
Brown - Pavelski

Ehrhoff - Semenov
Ozolinsh - Vlasic
Murray - McLaren
Carle"


The Thornton line is really interesting, since Setoguchi and Cheechoo are basically the same player (they even look alike). We'll see if it stays like that.

Semenov is clearly San Jose's worst defenseman, and when Rivet comes back it should probably be Ozolinsh - Vlasic, Murray - Rivet, and McLaren - Carle. Ehrhoff will get some playing time at the expense of Murray, but the intensity and physical presence that Douglas brings is missed when he's not there.

***


Expect this in the Ducks game, but with a punch to the groin thrown in.

The Ducks will be first or second in the Division at the end of the year. They've put together some good games recently and seem to have found what makes them win. They're playing physically and the top line is really producing. If the Sharks and the Ducks both keep it up, the battle for the Division championship will be intense.

The way I see it, the Pacific Division has three tiers. First, there are the Sharks and the Ducks, who should both be going for first place. Then you have the Kings, who are a team on the rise, and Dallas, who are definitely declining. It's likely that only one of those teams will make the playoffs at the end of the year, so it will be interesting to see who comes out ahead. The third tier is Phoenix. The third tier is also known as the "Shitty Tier."

A lot of Anaheim's skill comes from their physical play. They can push the Kings around because the Kings have a lot of skilled guys who aren't that big and then some guys like Scott Thornton and Raitis Ivanans who can play physical but who suck at hockey. The Sharks are the team you would design if you wanted to counter Anaheim - everyone is big, everyone can play physical, and you can't push anyone around. Tomorrow, I'm looking for Anaheim's top line to probably score a couple, countered by Joe and Setoguchi continuing their streak. The Sharks have the edge in secondary scoring, though, and Roenick will get a garbage goal to give San Jose the win, 3-2.

Oh yeah, and I sure hope somebody in San Jose is in charge of watching Ducks games, because that top line just keeps trying that "off-the-boards" move. It worked against the Sharks last time and it worked against LA on Thursday. Let's figure out something to do to stop that play, okay guys? And why don't we try that sometimes, too?

That is all. Go Sharks!

Drinky Linky Friday

It's Friday morning, and I'm on vacation (hung over) in pretty little South Bend, Indiana. So what is possessing me to post this lazy morning? I gotta link to two posts that impressed the hell out of me--lofty topics and dedicated research aren't things I tackle very much.

Andy Grabia at Battle of Alberta put in a lot of legwork and has put together a great post looking at the mainstream media blogs throughout the major cities of Canada. It's a fascinating take on what is being done well and maybe not so well in the MSM's attempt to latch onto blogfever, and what separates them from the non-MSM efforts.

Meanwhile, Christy Finn at Girl With a Puck has also put a lot of effort into her post on the role of hockey blogs in today's modern coverage. It's been a big undertaking--collecting reactions from independent bloggers, MSM members, and team representatives (including Brian Burke and Ted Leonsis -- wow!) on what credibility and relevance blogs bring into hockey coverage today.

Very impressive posts, both of them. If you're interested in the subject matter and have some time to kill, I recommend them both. If, on the other hand, you are interested in a powerful headache and a nice case of zombie's breath, I recommend a heavy dosage of Jack Daniels.

I can only speak for my own perspective here, but I hope none of you readers mistake me for a journalist; this is pretty much a fan's perspective blog. I've never really shown any interest in things like media credentials, or player or team access, or breaking news or rumors, or even reporting under my god-given name. As I've said before, "I know what side of the glass I sit on," and I'm not entirely sure that I have much more in terms of aspirations for this blog--I'm very happy with what we do and don't provide.

Anyway, anyone clear-headed enough to throw some thoughts on the subject? What is the role of blogs in hockey coverage today? What distinguishes a good blog from a bad one, or sites you read from sites you ignore? Where do you see this internet heading, two or five years down the road?

p.s. Per Kukla, crazy Russian Ilya Bryzgalov has been put on waivers, in an effort to find him a team that will play him more. Between this and Maxim Kondratiev fleeing to Russia, that means that Sammy Pahlsson is the only non-North-American-born Duck. Hooray for racism!

Thoughts From Tonight's Game

-J.S. Aubin is terrible. I don't care how good his stats ever look, I can't stand to watch the guy play. It's like his hamstrings are made of wood or something. And his rebound control, my God, his rebound control.

-J.S. Giguere also has trouble with his rebounds. Was it just tonight, or his he always like that? I think it may be a function of being a position goaltender, where if you get caught off guard you don't know how to deflect the puck properly. Or maybe it's just if your name is Jean-Sebastian.

-Ryan Getzlaf is really good. I can't tell you how depressing that is.

-Why does Andy Macdonald spin all the time? Either it's his favorite move, or one of his legs is longer than the other.

-Dustin Brown's goal was either the most amazing or luckiest goal I've seen in a while. I'm not sure which.

-The Ducks (and Brian Hayward) really hate John Zeiler for some reason, and I have no idea why. I asked my roommate, a fairly passionate Ducks fan, why this was the case, and he replied, "Who's John Zeiler?"

-Overall, this game wasn't that big a deal. The Kings and the Ducks played it fairly evenly, the Ducks were just better at getting the bounces in front of the net. If the Kings don't beat the Coyotes on Saturday, then I'll be worried. What did you guys think?

Earl Post: Movie+Movie= Rivalry

(Hey folks, Rudy again. Earl didn't quite have time to get this posted up; he mentioned something on the phone about "CTU" and a bomb being in play or something, blah, blah, blah. What am I, a stenographer? Anyway, here's his look at the game tonight. Go Kings!)

As this is L.A.'s home game, I'll let Rudy handle the heavy lifting on discussing tonight's game. Besides, I'm out the door on a long-weekend vacation to visit my kid brother at college and celebrate the worst football game in history: Duke (1-9) at Notre Dame (1-9). We'll see whether I post anything from there; I may be incapacitated.

As for the Ducks and Kings, is this what we've been reduced to?

Prediction: Ducks 3, Kings 2. Goals by Pronger x2 and Pahlsson.

Go Ducks.

Kings/Ducks Gameday: Bizarro Rudy

Los Angeles Kings (8-8-1, 4th in Pacific) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8-8-3, 2nd in Pacific)

7:30 PST, FSN West

Kings Record in November: 2-1-1

I’d say I’m a fairly consistent guy; if I told you I was going to write about Lubomir Visnovsky, you’d know there’d be a joke about him being a baby in there somewhere, and if you heard I was going to write about Dustin Brown you would assume I was going to insult his intelligence within three sentences. (Dustin Brown looks like how I think Lenny from Of Mice and Men looks.) And if I told you I was going to write about Rob Blake, Sean Avery, and Chris Pronger, you would probably figure there would be a lot of cursing and libel thrown around. I’m not going to do that today, though. Today, I give props.

Props to Rob Blake:

For this hit on Corey Perry:

Now that’s the Rob Blake I’ve wanted to see for the past two seasons. (Kudos to the good researchers over at The Institute of Skate Tectonics for the video. You’re doing God’s work.) Those hits of his don’t get the headlines like Tootoo’s flying elbows or Darcy Tucker’s fists of fury (why is not okay to get your elbow up but it’s perfectly fine to throw your fists at the guy?), but I’d imagine a Rob Blake hip check hurts more than any of those. It’s like… have you ever run into the side of a table? You know how it hits that nerve that runs right down the center of your leg and it hurts like hell? Okay, now imagine that you’re going 20 MPH into that table… and the table is going 15 MPH towards you… and the table is 225 lbs.... and instead of a table, it’s an ass made of steel. Ouch. And, contrary to the insane ramblings of Brian Hayward, that hit wasn't directed at Corey Perry's legs. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???

The fact that this hit took out Corey Perry was icing on the cake. I despise Corey Perry. Say what you want about Chris Pronger or Brady May, but at least they'll stand and fight like men. They don't wait for an opponent to take off their helmet and then attack them, or try to talk shit to a rookie because he's happy he got a hat trick. My brother's currently working on his dissertation about this miserable human being so maybe I can get him to expound on this, but all I will say is that I'd rather see this hit than have a birthday.

Props to Sean Avery:

Were people expecting him to be sensitive about the whole thing?

For allegedly triggering a pre-game altercation with the Toronto Maple Leafs by making fun of Jason Blake’s leukemia. I was ready for Sean Avery to be dumped in a pit of acid after Georges Laraque claimed Sean Avery called him a “monkey” during a game (I still believe he said that), but I have to admit, making fun of someone’s leukemia is pretty… smart. Avery is a pest. His job is to get people off their game. I can’t imagine Jason Blake was too willing to play in a hockey game because he was too busy imagining ways he can kill Avery and make it look like an accident. And I mean, c’mon, people, it’s a highly treatable form of Leukemia, it’s not like Jason Blake is going to die or anything. I feel like a Larry David episode, where someone has cancer but I don’t think it’s that big a deal. Shit, I just compared myself to Larry David, that cant’ be good.

Also, does it make me a bad person for wondering what Avery said? Since he’s an idiot, he probably just said, “You have cancer!” like Blake didn’t know or something, but I like to think he got creative with it.

“I’m going to score faster than the rapid proliferation of your immature blood cells!”

“You’re going to need chemotherapy when I’m done with you… oh, wait.”

“Hey, Blake, at least now you have an excuse for looking like that!”

Props to Chris Pronger:

Umm...

“There are a hundred and ninety ways to be a bastard, and he knew every one of them.”

Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye

I thought Chris Pronger only knew 189, but I guess I was wrong. When I saw Pronger beating poor Michal Handzus about the face, I was furious but also took comfort in knowing that Pronger was going to be suspended for the next game. He got an instigation penalty and that’s the rule, right? Wrong. The NHL makes exceptions in cases when the score is close and the player in question is someone who should be out there; Pronger, being the best defenseman on the Ducks, easily fits that bill. Now, I know it sounds crazy, but I personally think Pronger knew this rule and figured he wouldn’t get suspended. Pronger’s no idiot. He may be a rake, a vagabond, a fucknut, a rapscallion, an asshole, a thief, a son of a bitch, a moon face, a ninny, a fuckwad, a bastard, an idiot, a tomfool, a simpleton, a fuckhead, a son of a bitch, a moron, an ass, a fuck, a schmuck, a dweeb, a jackass, a fucker, and an all-round piece of shit, but he’s not an idiot. I will believe until the day I die that Pronger knew he could fight Handzus and get him kicked out without suffering any consequences whatsoever, since he would never shoot in a shoot out. It’s kind of genius, in the same way Lex Luthor or the guy who invented AIDS are geniuses.

Prediction: Chris Pronger leaves the game in tears when Sean Avery brings up the death of his grandmother. Rob Blake hip checks two pucks in and the Kings win, 2-0. Oh, and either Dustin Brown or Jack Johnson bring down the hand of God on one of the Ducks' skill players.

Who Would of Thunk It?

Everything was going so well for the Sharks tonight. Dominating play versus a dysfunctional Dallas team who fired it's well respected GM, reassigned it's team president and made Brett Hull a co-GM. Going into the 3rd period, they did what I always despise....a defensive shell. Sure enough Dallas picks up the big MO and tie the game with 2 quick goals. The Sharks were lucky just to get to OT. Then the unexpected happens. Dallas is 22-5 all-time in shootouts while the Sharks are 3-9 (0-2 this year). A sure win for the Stars right? Just like that, goals by Setoguchi and Marleau and the Sharks escaped with 2 pts. 3 wins in a row and a rematch with Phoenix tomorrow. This will be the Sharks/Coyotes 3rd game in the last 6 days and the Coyotes 3rd straight versus the Sharks.

When the season started, if I asked you who would be the Sharks 2nd leading scorer at this point, what would you say? Obviously Thornton would be #1, but who be 2nd? Marleau? Michalek? Cheechoo? No one would of guessed Roenick but with an assist tonight, he now has 11 pts. Even more amazing, who do you think leads the team in +/-? Keep guessing cause you will never would of known that Doug Murray leads with a +12 (after another impressive +3 tonight). This is a sign of a good team where you don't have to rely on your big guns every night. Now only if they can stay consistent.

Scoring, Rule Changes, and Incentives: Sleek says a lot

So the league isn't scoring enough, says the Buffalo News. Teams are adjusting to the new rules and the resulting style of play is as stifling as ever. Goal-scoring has continued its decrease (mostly because of declining power plays), and a lot of hockey gets played rather eventlessly. And as the article notes, it's not just the raw goal count that's troubling; it's the general style of play that has resulted. I participated in a blogger roundtable discussion on this at Fanhouse, but I thought I'd talk through some ideas a little more in this post.

Bigger nets (as has been suggested several times) might be an answer that generates more raw goals, sure, but it's important to think about what the aftereffects might be. Are coaches going to pull back even more tightly because now there's more shot areas that need closer coverage? Will the preferred scoring play be a shot from the point with more bodies to bounce off in front, and a phase-out of odd-man rushes? Will the end result be any more entertaining, more creative, or more watchable?

It's like the two-line pass. Sure the concept seems sexy—every once in a while you do get to see a cool long-bomb pass that leads to a great scoring chance. But what you might not notice as glaringly is the inherent cost of these occasional moments. For sixty minutes now both teams are defending against the long-bomb pass; a defender can't support his team's rush for fear of the cherry-picker. It's a steady cost to weigh against an infrequent benefit. It would have been nice to have observed this rule change's effect on scoring on its own, but unfortunately we have been stuck with a slew of simultaneous untested changes so it's impossible to isolate what effect the two-line pass has on scoring.

If there's one common theme to all these rule changes, it's that they seem designed to make it more difficult to defend. The thinking being that if it is more difficult to hold a one-goal lead, teams should change their behavior. What has not been addressed, though, is the motivation of an NHL coach. A coach gets fired if he does not win, pure and simple; there is no incentive to score more than is necessary to secure a winning record. It's not that goals are valueless, but when given a one-goal lead, the more pressing urgency is to prevent a tying goal. If rules are created that hamper defending a lead, then a coach will find an even more conservative approach to adapt to that. More skaters will hang back, more pucks will be chipped, more bluelines will be held, more minutes will tick off the clock.

The league needs to stop trying to "trick" teams into more offense and instead work on its motivations. Here's a crazy idea. What would happen if postseason seeding was determined by goals-scored? Or better yet, what would happen if the playoffs were reserved for the top-16 scoring* teams in the league?

* Must have more goals for than goals allowed. Gotta keep goalies in the net.

Then you wouldn’t need bigger nets. You wouldn’t need phantom calls to generate more power plays. You wouldn’t need goalie restrictions or 4-on-4 or perfect ice or slimmer jerseys or breakable sticks. You needn’t trick teams into scoring more—instead you’d provide the incentive to gamble more.

What might be the result? End-to-end hockey? Odd man rushes? Gambling pinches and desperation play? Creativity? Consecutive passes? Jaw-dropping goals? Eye-popping saves?

The solution’s probably too radical for sure—there’s dozens of drawbacks I’m not really bringing up, but the game theorist in me says the best way to increase scoring and to increase scoring chances isn’t about handcuffing teams’ ability to defend—they will always find a way to adapt, usually by behaving even more defensively. Instead it’s to actually reward scoring. The league needs more gamble, not more net. The ice is plenty big enough, the players are plenty skilled enough, and the internet is YouTube-prepared enough. Make it in the coach’s interest to generate goals as well as wins, and I think you’d see some exciting results.

And with exciting results, the sky’s really the limit, isn’t it? Hockey could be on ESPN. The Preds could stay in Nashville, and Las Vegas and Hamilton could get teams as well. The owners and players could become bazillionnaire friends, and a dumbass guy like me could quit my day job and get paid to sit around and draw hockey cartoons.

It’s just crazy talk. Right?

One Small Example...

...of the homerism of Brian Hayward:

End of overtime. Michal Handzus has the puck with the clock winding down and shoots it on net with no time remaining. Now, did Handzus shoot the puck after the horn blew? No, he didn't. Did he shoot it when he had no chance to score? Yes, he did. Still, Chris Pronger, because he's protecting his goalie and also being a dickhead, decides to run Handzus into the boards. Then Jack Johnson tries to get in there and separate the two because he knows Handzus isn't a fighter (he's been in 2 fights in his life), but Beauchemin grabs him and prevents him from getting involved. (Lubo and Andy Mac just kind of hold each other while the whole thing is going on. They're like Tony and Maria.) Pronger shoves Handzus in the face, which causes Handzus to return in kind; Pronger then proceeds to drop his glove and rail Handzus in the face 3 times before the ref can separate them.

Hayward's reaction (and I'm paraphrasing here because I'm too angry to process my memory)? "Well, Handzus is asking for trouble there, taking a shot at Pronger."

NOW.

What would his reaction had been if it had been Pahlsson and Blake instead?

BoC Gameday: Decisions, Decisions...

On the one hand sits the traditional broadcast on FSN Prime Ticket, with clear views of what is going on and all the little stats and observations that you may miss when just watching the game without sound. But there's also Brian Hayward, known hump and professional piece of shit, and I can't stand the guy.

On the other hand sits the rinkside view broadcast on FSN West, which sounds interesting for about 5 minutes but I imagine I will soon tire of it. Although, they say it won't have traditional sound and will thus not have Hayward.

Hmm...

Update: Holy shit, the Kings got a GM fired! Woohoo! (Thanks to Earl for pointing this out)

Immediate Update #2: Holy shit, does this mean Dave Taylor is going to become Dallas' new GM? Oh no!

BoC Gameday—Ducks/Kings: Draw the Rivalry

Los Angeles Kings (8-8-0, t-10th in west) at Anaheim Ducks (7-8-3, t-8th in west)

Tonight FSN will be unveiling the winner of its long-advertised "Name the Rivalry" contest. I warned that this contest was doomed to produce stupid results, and here are the four finalists to demonstrate that: Freezeway Series, Freeway Faceoff, Ice-5 Series and Crosstown Showdown. Don't even tell me which one you prefer; instead just put a bullet in my head if I ever refer to the Ducks-Kings rivalry using any of those.

Instead, why not enjoy a few submissions for a contest that doesn't exist? "Draw the Rivalry" (uh, yeah, I got a little cartoon-happy this weekend):

Portrait style:


Popeye style:


Simpsons style:

For a bonus Kings cartoon, you can check out my latest Fanhouse contribution. Vote for your favorite in the comments, or give me a better idea.

Prediction:
Webbed foot kicks its way out of a king's stomach.
Strong kick by Pahlsson.

(Hey, it worked last time.)
Go Ducks.

Jeremy Roenick's 500th goal, post-game interview

Jeremy Roenick spoke with reporters after scoring his 500th goal in a 4-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday Night, the youtube video is here. Roenick trails Mike Modano (511) and Joe Mullen (502) in the number of career goals scored by a U.S. born player.

More from the game will be posted here soon.

Of All the Games to Miss...

...I miss this one. Argh. I did this last year too, when I missed the Dodgers' 4 home run game against San Diego because I watched the series premiere of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. (Thanks a lot, Sorkin.) Earl did a quality job recapping the game already (read that here), although I'm a little concerned about his fetish for taking secret pictures of men's asses.

Was the game as amazing as it seems in my head?

The Kings have a dynamic offense, porous defense, and average goaltending; I'm not a chef or anything, but those seem to be all the ingredients for a heart-attack team. So far this year, I'd say they've played 4 games that could be classified as "ridiculous." (STL, BOS, CGY, and now DAL) A part of me likes watching this team because they're exciting as hell, but another part of me wishes they were a little more boring. You know, a 3-1 game every once in a while, that's all I ask.

Oh, and the legend of Anze Kopitar continues to grow.

Turning point?

Let's put all of the "Jeremy Roenick's 500th goal" stuff aside for just a moment; from a pure hockey perspective, last night's win against the Phoenix Coyotes had all the makings of The Big Turning point in the season. Doesn't mean that Jonathan Cheechoo or Patrick Marleau put in three-point nights, but I think there are a few things that stood out that showed that this Sharks team is finally getting on the right track.

-The power play: Having Sandis Ozolinsh out there definitely makes a difference. Ozo's still got his maverick instincts and great shot, but it's tempered by a certain level of responsibility that wasn't there during his first Sharks tenure. With Ozo on the power play, it's definitely less static, and even though that hasn't turned into a ton of conversions yet, it's starting to look a lot better than the old "Give it to Joe and stand still" tactic.

-Patrick Marleau: Despite killing countless fantasy teams across the world, Marleau's shown smarter, more dedicated play over the past few games. While Devin Setoguchi's goal was notable due to the crisp passing, a big, big difference over previous games was the fact that Marleau was battling and screening in front of Alex Auld. That shows two things -- 1) a team realization that peppering 40 shots on goal produces more goals when someone's screening the goalie and 2) Marleau's breaking out of his "I'll fail at deking past everyone" mold and willing to do more to help his team out.

-Secondary scoring: Goals from Roenick and Torrey Mitchell, a goal from the defense -- if your big guns (Marleau, Cheechoo, Milan Michalek) are shooting blanks, someone's gotta pick up the slack to win.

-Karma: If you've watched the Sharks this season, you'll know that they've hardly had any bounces go their way so far. Roenick's goal was one of those really fluky things that could only happen once a season; maybe, all of those posts, crossbars, and close calls will finally start going the Sharks way.

Monday night seems to be a reasonable to actually start Dmitri Patzold, but who knows what's going through Ron Wilson's head at this point. Having Joe Pavelski center Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo produced an interesting side effect -- during overlap periods, Joe Thornton was out there with Marleau and Cheechoo.

Still, the jury remains out on whether or not this will produce the consistency that's so desperately missing. There've been several "Is this the turning point?" games so far this season, and they've all been followed up by a clunker. Even if the Sharks put in three or four games in a row, there's still the possibility of a dropoff and a lengthy lull after that. It's not just about getting Marleau, Cheechoo, and Michalek rolling, it's about getting the whole damn team playing like a team. If they can do that instead of being just a handful of freelancers out there, then things will start to fall into place. Still, Saturday night was a good first step.

Kings celebrate Thanksgiving early with roast Turco

Remember back to opening day after the lockout, October 5, 2005. The Kings build a first period 4-0 lead in Dallas, only to see the Stars score 5 consecutive goals to win in regulation.

My how times have changed. Cut to November 10, 2007. The Stars build a 4-0 late in the third period in Los Angeles. The Kings score 5 consecutive goals in a franchise record 5:07 to pull ahead, still allowing time for Modano to tie the game before Kopitar ends it 2:34 into overtime.

Here's the best part. With 7:15 left in the 3rd period and the score at 4-0, Marty Turco made his 28th straight save of the night. Incredibly, he didn't make another save the rest of the night; the next six Kings shots on goal went in.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! (breath) Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Pronger gives advice in the form of an autograph

So the game last night was really a lot of fun, but being the drunkard that I am, I only ended up taking one photo (I'm fairly new to the concept that there's a camera on my phone). I took a shot of the back of an autographed Pronger jersey I saw in the concourse that cracked me up.

That's right, Chris. Hit 'em high and hard. Hilarious.

(Also hilarious was my pal who was behind me. "Did you just take a shot of that guy's ass?")

I'm not a guy who collects autographs, but in my dream scenario I'd like to get a long-sleeve shirt signed by Pronger. I'd have him sign each of the elbows, making one out to Tomas and the other to Dean. The shirt would say "Oilers 4 Ever" on it and it would hang proudly in my hall of irony. I doubt he'd actually sign the thing, but the look on his face before he clobbered me would be priceless.


--------------------------
Oh, and as for the game? Well, we didn't get to see Roenick's 500th goal (I kept urging his teammates to pass to him, even when he was on the bench), but we did get to see Torrey Mitchell's first. At first when the Sharks fished the puck out of the net (I swear I meant no pun there) I thought they were going to bogusly award the goal to JR, like they tried with Mike Modano a week ago, but congrats to the kid anyway.

The Ducks at that point fell into their crippling routine of allowing a one-goal deficit to be fatal; they refused to get a shot on goal (or really exit their zone) for the rest of the first. The later two periods they seemed more in control, and finally they found a less competent opponent in the shootout. That was the 28th shootout in Anaheim's history (9-19), and marked the first time ever that they'd won two in a row. It was San Jose's 14th shootout (3-11); they've never won consecutive shootouts.

I understand griping at shootout suckage. Lost shootouts certainly represent standings points left on the table. But imagine if the Ducks and Sharks were average teams, winning half their shootouts. That would mean an additional 5 standings points for Anaheim and 4 more for San Jose--over the course of more than two seasons. It just doesn't seem like a lot to fuss over, though certainly it could be improved on by both teams.

Hey, if even for a day, the Ducks are on top of the Pacific. Not bad for a team that over its last five home games has had a lead for less than 8 minutes.

Does anyone in California care about Hockey?

I spent the last 3 days in SoCal for work and trying to find hockey scores is harder than a Scott Stevens open ice hit. I am used to minimal hockey coverage in the Bay Area but in SoCal you have the best team in hockey (last year at least) and the only sports news in LA is when/if Kobe will be traded. I don't know about SoCal but the joke here in San Jose is that there are only 17,496 (capacity of the Shark tank) hockey fans in the Bay Area and the fringe fan will never embrace the sport because they didn't grow up with it. A winless basketball team gets twice the coverage the Sharks get. It has been said that the Sharks would have to win a Stanley Cup (or at least get to the finals) to get full-fledge media coverage. My short experience in SoCal shot down that theory. You have the Stanley Cup Champs and I have to check the bottom line of Sportscenter just to get any hockey scores. I used to hate all the bandwagon fans who would show up at the Tank just for the playoffs and pretend they have been fans for life. My friends and I always hated intermissions during playoffs games as the concourses were packed and playoff games were "the place to be." I always disputed the fact that the Bay Area was an "event town" and thought the Sharks could draw these rabid fans throughout the season. Now I don't know if hockey will ever be more than the 4th major sport. Does it really matter though?