For most, Santa Claus visits just as you're entering into your slumber
on Christmas Eve. For Tom Fenton, good
'ole Santa came early when Phoenix G Ilya Bryzgalov (flu) became ill Thursday afternoon. With Bryzgalov
unable to suit up for the game against the New York Rangers at Madison
Square Garden, the Coyotes, desperate for a warm body to backup Jason LaBarbera, signed the 26-year-old former goalie Fenton to a
1-day contract. Of course the very next morning Phoenix recalled Matt Climie, who was 13-5 with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL,
and Fenton was out. But hey, it still makes a good story. Rather than
goalies, let's focus on a few teams anxiously waiting with milk and
cookies hoping the jolly old feller will bring an offensive breakout.
Though
Nashville (17-9-6) is keeping pace with first place Detroit, it has
little to do with their offense. After collecting four goals in the
first three games of the season, Steve Sullivan
is managing to lead the team with just 10 goals. If the Preds are to
continue their persistence in the Central division, Sullivan, (ten
points in the last 12 games) is going to have to find the back of the
net more. Some good second-line center Cal O'Reilly has pitched in a bit with 12 assists (18 points) this
season, but if he is to stay in Nashville all season, he needs to shake
his streakiness. Though a plus-4 in his last five games, he is pointless
over that span.
Until their embarrassing 6-1 home loss to Los
Angeles, Nashville had been on a roll. Even after watching number one
goalie Pekka Rinne head to the injured
reserve, the Preds had been undefeated in ten games. Rookie backup
goaltender Anders Lindback posted two
shutouts and went undefeated in seven games. Reports say Rinne, after
undergoing arthroscopic surgery earlier this month is back at 100
percent. However, just as you could hear the zippers of Mark Dekanich’s
travel gear heading back to Milwaukee (AHL), Lindback gave up three
goals on nine shots against Los Angeles and Dekanich came in to clean
up. All of a sudden … it's Rinne's job to lose again?
Under
the AHL tree:
RW Chris Mueller in 30 games played is a plus-8 and
has 12 goals (18 points)
LW Linus Klasen
in 27 games played has 13 goals (24 points)
D Teemu Laakso in 27 games is a plus-4 and has 11 points
D Jonathan
Blum in 29 games has 16 points
This week: @ CHI vs. OTT, @ STL
After
a relatively terrible 2009-10 campaign for Cam Ward, it seems he is back to his old self with a 14-9-3 record
and 2.54 GAA. Problem is, if his record is to ever reflect that change,
the Carolina Hurricanes (15-12-4) have got to get their offense going.
Despite the fact that Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner have combined for merely five points in the month of
December, the Hurricanes are winners of their last four games. And now,
GM Jim Rutherford has decided to unwrap his gift(s) a little early this
season.
Last week, Carolina called up D Bryan Rodney and Zach Boychuk.
Rodney, who has appeared in three games since his recall, has 18 points
in 28 games with Charlotte of the AHL. Boychuck is second in the AHL's
scoring with 32 points (10G, 22A) in 28 games. Though an uneventful,
5:51 of ice time, I believe the moons are aligning here for Boychuck.
Having already tapped the system once, here's what's left for the NHL's
All-Star game hosts.
Under the AHL tree:
C Zac Dalpe is averaging a point a game (12 goals, +10) in just 19
games played
RW Jerome Samson who
had 37 goals (78 points) with last season, is a plus-11 with 31 points
this season
D Brett Carson is a
plus-4 and has seven assists in just 19 games
RW Jared Staal won't be getting a call to Carolina anytime soon, but he
was recently promoted to the AHL. So far, the youngest Staal is
pointless in ten games this season with Charlotte.
This week:
@TB, vs. MON, WAS
Let's play four: ATL, PIT, STL, TB, VAN
Let's
play two: BOS, BUF, CHI, COL, OTT, SJ, TOR
A few other gifts
unwrapped early (link) this holiday season
Montreal,
desperate to jump start their veterans, called up LW Max Pacioretty. Pacioretty, only 22, proceeded to collect a goal
and an assist in his second NHL game.
This week: @ DAL, CAR, NYI
Losers
of their last eight games, Washington will try to scare its team back
into production. As suggested earlier in the year, RW Andrew Gordon got the call Friday. Though he had 16 goals (points)
with AHL Hershey before being called up, reportedly head coach Bruce
Boudreau will ease him into the Capitals lineup with a few spot starts.
He quickly got a chance last Saturday night. Gordon was a minus-1 in a
modest 12 minutes of ice time.
This week: @ OTT, vs.NJ, PIT, @CAR
Relaxing
for the Holidays:
-Toronto (12-16-4) starts off the week
hosting Atlanta (18-11-5), takes five days off and heads to the
Meadowlands to take on the New Jersey Devils (9-21-2) this Sunday.
-As
hot as your talent from Philadelphia (22-7-5) is, you may want to sit
them. After hosting the Florida Panthers (14-16-0) to start the week,
the Flyers won't play again till next Tuesday.
-The New York Rangers
(20-14-1) schedule this week is separated only by a clash with the Tampa
Bay Lightning (18-10-4) at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
No
fairytale, this is assured
The Calgary Flames are beginning
to defrost, and Mark Giordano is a big
part of it. He has a colorful 40 PIM total and nine points in his last
10 games. A 15-goal, 35 assists season is possible this year.
This
week: @ MIN, CLB, DAL
Are the New York Islanders (6-18-6) on
your opponents’ schedule?
They have been very giving
this holiday season, with a 65/104 GF/GA ratio. Most of their gifts have
come on the road (2-11-3); so with two of their three games this week
away from Nassau Coliseum, I'm sure your opposing players will be marked
as "nice" on Santa's list.
This week: vs.TB, @NJ vs. MON
Team | Away | Home | Total |
Atlanta | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Pittsburgh | 2 | 2 | 4 |
St. Louis | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Tampa Bay | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Vancouver | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Anaheim | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Carolina | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Calgary | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Columbus | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Dallas | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Detroit | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Edmonton | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Florida | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Los Angeles | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Minnesota | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Montreal | 3 | 0 | 3 |
New Jersey | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Nashville | 1 | 2 | 3 |
N.Y. Islanders | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Phoenix | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Washington | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Boston | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Buffalo | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Chicago | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Colorado | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Ottawa | 1 | 1 | 2 |
San Jose | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Toronto | 1 | 1 | 2 |
N.Y. Rangers | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Philadelphia | 0 | 1 | 1 |