New Jersey on an Incredible Run

If one were to look at the New Jersey Devils this year it would be a tale of two seasons, the pathetic one before Jacques Lemaire took over as coach, and the current one that has been the hottest team since then. To think that the Devils would have been in contention for a playoff spot back on January 15 when they were like 13-30 truly boggles the mind as they have loss just three times since then! Whether or not they continue at this torrid pace is questionable but their turnaround has to be one of the most amazing in hockey history. While they are still a long shot to make the playoffs having so many teams to jump over with a month to go, if they manage to accomplish it, Jacques Lemaire and the 2010-2011 team will have earned their place In Devils history regardless of what happens in the postseason. I know that there are more than a couple of teams at the top of the standings that are hoping that the Devils don't manage to reach the playoffs, as they would be one tough team to have to face in the first round.

6 hours until the deadline

Here we are six hours until the deadline, and things should really start heating up now. The thing that makes this year interesting is that there are so many teams on the bubble, that it's hard to say who is going to be sellers and who buyers. In the Western Conference, there's only six points separating the 5th place team from the 12th. As we saw last year with Montreal and later Philadelphia, the whole idea is to just make it into the playoffs, and from there anything can happen. With so many teams competing for playoff spots, will it make teams more hesitant to make the big trade or push many to try and add the key player or two to propel them into the playoffs?

In the Eastern conference, Atlanta and Toronto have already started the process by becoming sellers but these two teams are also within playoff contention only being out of the 8th spot by 4 points. Meanwhile the New Jersey Devils just a month ago looked to be a sure bet to unload some players come the trade deadline, but they have been on an incredible run since changing coaches, and have an outside chance of squeezing into the playoffs and from this perspective will most likely stand pat. As always, it will be interesting to see which teams pull the trigger and make the big trade, and which stand pat. We'll all know shortly.

Ongoing issue with concussions

With the problem of concussions becoming more in the spotlight with each injury, one wonders how far the NHL league office will go in trying to curtail the kind of injuries that are putting players out for extended periods and in some cases ending careers prematurely. With the NHL poster child, Sidney Crosby having been out for a couple of months, this could be the impetus for the NHL to take a much tougher stance on what they consider to be blatant hits to the head. The problem is however, that the meting out of penalties has been so subjective, with some players given suspensions and fines while other players escape punishment completely for questionable hits. It seems as if there will always be this element of subjectiveness as there is no cut and dried standard as with offsides, icing, etc.

Hockey, by its nature, is a very physical fast moving game, and things like this are bound to happen. With marquee players such as Mark Savard and now Sidney Crosby sitting on the sidelines, it behooves the NHL to be more pro-active in trying to limit these types of hits and injuries. Still, if the league goes to what may be considered an extreme in issuing suspensions and fines, will it have such profound impact that it might change the very nature of the game?

Beauty and the Beast Series Begins Today

Hockey Talk

This is the type of series that the NHL and hockey media love. On one hand, you have Sidney Crosby, the media's darling going up against the beast, Alexander Ovechkin. It also happens to feature some other pretty good players such as the league's potential Hart trophy winner, Pittsburg's Evengi Malkin and Washington's other great Alex... Alexander Semin who just happened to make some unflattering remarks about Sidney Crosby, and then throw in two teams that don't like each other a little bit, and you have the making of a great series, and the type of series that the NHL will be focusing on in the next week or so. While the NHL has decided to use Crosby as their poster boy, he does possess incredible talent as does Ovechkin who is the rare player that brings incredible talent, and passion along with a physical style of play rarely seen in superstars, and even less from someone that hails from Russia, where the players are known more for their skill than physical play. The Penguins and Capitals had some great playoff series back in the 90's in which the Penguins usually won, but always payed a heavy price physically as the Capitals were known for their physical style of play back then. However it turns out, it should make for some incredible hockey and a great boost for the NHL.

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Teams that Can't Get Over the Hump

Hockey Talk

Watching San Jose making another early playoff exit can't help but make one empathize with the futility of the fans that support and follow the Sharks. While San Jose had a great regular season winning the President's trophy in the process, this team couldn't even get past the first round losing to its arch rival Anaheim in six games. I knew when the seedings came out that San Jose had the worst possible matchup for a number one seed but I still figured that they would be able to defeat Anaheim in 6 or 7 games. Alas, San Jose again showed that the regular season means little other than it gets you into the playoffs. However, once the playoffs begin, your regular season record means nothing, and you have to prove yourself all over again. It seems that some teams are just not able to get over the hump and gain hockey immortality by winning a Cup. San Jose may just be one of those teams. They are a team loaded with stars and veterans, and much was expected of them this year. With free agency and the salary cap, it's hard to keep a nucleus of players together for long, and this may have been their best chance to win a cup. The Ottawa Senators are another team that had some great teams in recent years, but were never able to complete the deal, although they did at least make it to the finals two years ago. While many are called, few are chosen, and it makes one appreciate even more the teams that are able to win hockey's biggest prize. Unfortunately, San Jose will not be one of those teams again this year.

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Home Ice Advantage?

Hockey Talk

I used to believe that home ice was more of an advantage in hockey than other sports but watching this years playoffs makes me wonder if that is really the case. The latest statistic that I saw showed that home teams had won just over 50% of the games so far making home ice a virtual non factor in most of the playoff series. For instance, the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals both lost both of their first two games at home, and won their first game of the series on the road. Other teams such as the Red Wings, Canucks, and Bruins won all their games at home and on the road so I guess the point is, if you are a championship caliber team, you're going to win whether at home or on the road. While the fans can bring a lot of excitement to a game, it still comes down to the players on the ice and while fans and others that follow the game like to believe there's a big advantage to getting home ice in the playoffs, the benefit of home ice is probably overstated.

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Do Seedings Really Matter?

Hockey Talk

The structure of the NHL playoffs seem to be about as fair as you can make it, with the 1st seed playing the 8th seed, the 2nd playing the 7th, etc. The idea is that teams with the better records throughout the regular season play the playoff eligible teams with the worst record, providing incentive for the teams to get the higher seed. The higher seeds also get home ice advantage in that they get to play the first two games at home, and the deciding 7th game at home as well. While playing at home may give a slight advantage to the home team, I believe in general home ice is not as important as some would make it out to be. Playoff caliber teams win at home and on the road, and while most have a slightly better record at home, there are teams such as Anaheim that have a better road record than home. The other thing that can negate the seeding matchups is that many teams heading into the playoffs make significant roster moves picking up key players that make them a different and in many cases better team than the record indicates. Overall, while the higher seeds win the majority of the time, it seems that every year, there is a lower seed or two that makes it to the Conference or Stanley Cup Finals, and some favorites get bumped out early. That's what makes the playoffs so interesting and unpredictable. The key thing I believe is just to get into the playoffs, and after that, anything is possible.

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