CBSSports.com's Wes Goldstein and Erin Brown provide analysis on three topics.
| 1. RedWingedRam asks: How can the NHL justify not handing down a heavy suspension to Chris Pronger, who is a repeat offender of dirty hits and plays? | |
| Wes Goldstein | Erin Brown |
 It's really quite simple. Pronger is a star player, while someone like Chris Simon, who got 30 games for a similar stomp earlier this season, is not. So the same rules don't apply. League disciplinarian Colin Campbell won't say it in so many words, but there were plenty of surrogates on various national broadcasts this week who did it for him. For his part, Campbell claimed Simon's transgression was premeditated while Pronger reacted to what he described as a "hockey play." Under the old-school mentality that still permeates much of the NHL and admires those who play the game on the edge the way Pronger does, that's enough justification for leniency. Especially for those who argued that someone like Vancouver's Ryan Kesler, the victim in this instance, is a super pest who had it coming. Does that make sense? Of course not -- but when it comes to the NHL, it doesn't have to. |  Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin might as well get their violent cheap shots in now, because the NHL has established an unsettling precedent in handing down suspensions to star players. I have yet to come across a reasonable explanation for why the Ducks defenseman received a lighter penalty for an action identical to what Minnesota's Chris Simon received 30 games for. Both are repeat offenders, too, with each receiving eight suspensions over the course of their careers. Sure, Simon has been involved in some pretty ugly incidents. But has Colin Campbell forgotten about Pronger's crushing hit on a vulnerable Tomas Holmstrom or the elbow to Dean McAmmond's head during last season's playoffs? About the only thing the NHL could say to rationalize Pronger's short layoff is that he's a fan favorite in a growing hockey market and a former Norris and Hart Trophy winner. But most fans already realize this without any admission from the league. |
| 2. pittsports85 asks: Which two teams right now do you think have the best rivalry? | |
| Wes Goldstein | Erin Brown |
| With apologies to those who swear by the battles of Ontario and Alberta, I love New York-New York. The truth is the best rivalries have always been formed through repeated playoff meetings -- think Montreal and Boston in the 1970s and Detroit and Colorado a little more recently -- but the nature of the NHL business today isn't really conducive to the kind of passions those matchups created. Free agency and salary cap-driven annual player movement and scheduling schemes have a lot to do with that, as well as the changing fortunes of teams from year to year. But regardless of what their teams actually look like on the ice in any given season, Islanders and Rangers fans continue to remain the NHL's version of the Hatfields and McCoys. And it's something that translates to the competition between the teams, which makes their games tremendously intense and competitive regardless of which team seems to have the clear advantage on paper. | To me, a good rivalry should include two winning teams, a close season series and a lot of hate. I'm not sure we've seen that perfect combination this year, but I think Pittsburgh and Washington come close. Although the Capitals won only one of the four games, all were closely played, with three of the four being decided by one goal. The ultra-competitive personalities of Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin were also on display. A couple of classic rivalries have also been worth watching. Calgary and Edmonton haven't played too many close games but managed to put on a good show over the course of the season. Despite Toronto's struggles, games between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens are always worth watching. I was also pleased to see Detroit and Chicago play a more competitive series this year, unlike the 7-0-1 beatdown the Red Wings put on the Blackhawks in 2006-07. |
| 3. Which team will win the Northwest Division? | |
| Wes Goldstein | Erin Brown |
| Isn't this a question that comes up every year around this time? It proves that this is absolutely the NHL's most competitive division. Even the Edmonton Oilers have somehow gotten back in the playoff race in the past few days, although they are not a serious threat in a race that could easily go down to the final weekend. Look for the Colorado Avalanche to come through when all is said and done. Minnesota and Vancouver lack the offense, while Calgary has yet to find the consistency necessary to pull this off. Colorado, meanwhile, has flown under the radar all season but has stayed in the race despite missing key players like Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth and Paul Stastny for extended periods. They're all back now with deadline pickups Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote joining them. Combining that with a favorable home schedule where Colorado is very tough gives the Avs the edge. | Considering how close the race is, I probably have a better chance of winning an NCAA tournament blind draw than predicting this accurately. This season, it is extremely hard to pick a team out of this division, because it doesn't seem like one team has any edge over another. Of those in the hunt, each has a respectable home and road record and manages to post winning records against two of the other contenders while struggling against the third. What it will probably come down to, though, is which teams survive their final bouts with Edmonton, a team that has stolen a number of points via shootout. Minnesota and Colorado have the best shot because they have the most balanced lineups out of the four. Vancouver has the goaltending, but its offense runs terribly hot and cold. Calgary has offensive threats, but Miikka Kiprusoff's play has been erratic this year. |
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