Bettman's 5 Step Approach

   Its been hard to focus on hockey right now seeing all the world issues, continuing  to have a major effect on so many lives. With the devastating, natural and man made disasters in japan,  I wish the people the best of luck in the coming days. Unfortunately hockey can't stop so here's my look on the Bettman 5 step plan.

      Gary Bettman has been under fire lately from some major sponsors and also Mario Lemieux forcing him to come up with his 5 step approach to reduce the number of head injuries. Facts prove that 17 % of the head injuries are from "illegal hits" so my 3 strike system only applies to that small percentage. That leaves us with 78% of injuries to the head injuries falling under different categorizes.(the NHL left out 5% because they couldn't find the video). This leaving Bettman to come up with a much more complex plan to try and conquer the issue. His plan is as follows; 1st Bettman is acquiring the services of Brendan Shanahan to review the equipment and make the proper changes. I believe this is the main issue. The elbow and shoulder pad seem to cause the most problems on the ice. This has to be examined under a microscope. A lot of people say we need to go back to the old style of pads. This could pose a major problem, the game is bigger, stronger, and faster, if Shanahan can come up with a way to not jeopardize the safety of the player and reduce the amount of hard plastic then this could help.This can not be done over night so maybe look for the effect of this first step in the next season. Secondly, the NHL will be revising the concussion protocol   If player is suspected to have suffered one, he must be removed from the bench for an assessment in a quiet area. I feel this will have no effect. 3rd, is part of the idea I had come up with, seeing a team receive fines and other types of consequences for having a player dishing out head shots. 4th step is the second most important step that is going to take place (aside from the equipment), having safety engineers review the arenas and find a design for the glass. They may even suggest to make the rink larger, not Olympic size but maybe just to adapt to the size of the new NHL. The last step Bettman says the NHL will take is to gather a special group of players (Shanahan, R Blake, Yzerman, Niuewendyk) and have them further review the various injuries and devise any other ways to attack this problem.


    

3 Strikes You're Out

      It has been a crazy week in hockey, seeing the unrest of the head shot in the forefront. After many debates, I believe the most logical way for the NHL to finally get a strangle hold on the head shot problem is a 3 strike system. This idea I have come up with was derived from the proven criminal system used in California, and also some simple psychology. If they threaten to take something from a human it’s instinct to apply every means possible to protect what they have. That being said, the best possible way for this system to be rolled out is the following: If a player is given the questionable 2 minute penalty for a head shot, he will automatically be put in front of a panel of ex NHL hockey player's with a minimum 5 years retired from the league. From there the panel will decide unanimously if the player in question was guilty of a direct head shot. For argument’s sake, we will use the most recent act resulting in a suspension, Pavel Kubina. So at this point Kubina would have received a 20 game suspension - STRIKE 1 - and the team would be responsible for a fine. Now, if Kubina gave another head shot he would earn STRIKE 2, serving an 82 game suspension (full season) as a result. At this point if Kubina returns to hockey after the 82 game suspension and delivers another head shot that would be STRIKE 3, a complete ban. That’s it. He’ll never play professional hockey again. Let’s see how fast Matt Cooke and Trevor Gillies for example, either learn their lesson or never lace up again. This plan of mine could be picked apart if common sense isn't the first thought from the people in charge. For example, will the referees be hesitant to call a penalty that will result in the player be removed from hockey? I say no. The referees will not be the determining factor, it will fall in the hands of the panel. They will be the bad, or in my eyes the good guys in the whole deal.

Zdeno Chara Hit Pt 2

(after the hit-Gomez talks with Chara)

      In part 1 of this post, I explained why I believe the Chara hit was dealt with accordingly. The decision made by the heads at the NHL just wasn't good enough for  the Montreal Canadians fans, who flooded the Metro Police lines with calls for an inquire on Chara. Another Group who have had very strong words for the NHL is major sponsor Air Canada stating "Its becoming extremely difficult to associate our brand with this sport".  Also going on to say "If no action is taken on the matters at hand, we (Air Canada) will be removing our brand from the game".

     The fans in all respect have the right to be infuriated by the hit to the home town player, but to flood the police lines is kind of ridiculous. 911 and other police lines are used for EMERGENCIES only. On the 7 year anniversary of the controversial Bertuzzi hit on Moore, the Chara hit is looking to follow down the same path  in history. As in, the police investigation in Colorado that follwed the Bertuzzi hit. I feel the only reason the police should opening an investigation is because someone filed a complaint of assault. The police force is obligated to investigate any complaint, that being said, the result of the investigation should follow suit with the Bertuzzi hit. The police will see the hit as Mike Murphy (a very intelligent representative of the NHL) did, a strong hit with no intent to injury. So hope you feel good wasting more tax payers money.

     National Hockey League Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations was left in a very tough spot being the one to hand down the "No suspension" to Chara. The league has been under a lot of pressure lately to make some sort of structured punishment for shots to the head. This issue will be debated until the number of head related injuries decrease. People taking personal attacks at Murphy need to give their heads a shake. Remember he played  and coached in the NHL and also holds the Title of  NHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. He has a very good view of the game hence his job.

 

     How do we move forward? The 3 ideas I have come up with are the following; Bigger Ice; 3 strike rule; and Respect. Bigger ice is a format used in international hockey and seems to work well for the speed game. Having the extra ice surface allows players more space to showcase their talents.That's what the NHL was looking for taking the clutching and grabbing out of the game. 3 strike rule sits well with me. The way I feel this system could  work the best, is to start now. The NHLPA should vote on a player to be put in the 3 strike program. If after a game the league feels a hit was worth reviewing send it to the NHLPA and have a unanimous vote and deem if this player delivered a head shot. If the player in question was seen by his peers to have delivered a head shot, then strike one. With each strike the penalty should increase until a max of 3. After being viewed by your peers as a repeat offender you should never be allowed to play hockey again. That brings me to just plain old RESPECT. No one will ever know whats going on in someones head before an incident like this, so the "players" are responsibility for their actions prior to stepping on the ice. The game is bigger stronger and faster then ever and I see the least amount of respect for one-another. There has been just too many head shots to ignore the "respect" issue.

      The last issue I would like to cover, is Air Canada saying they will "withdraw their sponsorship, if no action is taken". I understand the NHL is a representation of Air Canada but to get involved that soon after the hit seems quite fishy. So I dug a little deeper and came across some interesting facts about Air Canada. The Head Office is located in Montreal Quebec. Could some "head" Air Canada representatives been present at the game? In turn having an almost immediate reaction from Air Canada. The potentially bias Air Canada, may have bitten off more than they can chew, threatening the NHL so fast. Rogers Entertainment has shown interest in the purchase of the ACC in Toronto and also the Maple Leafs. The NHL doesn't look as if they will be reversing the call so in the near future you might see a swing in sponsorship.

Zdeno Chara Hit On Max Pacioretty

(An example of Chara's strength)

      On March 8th the most controversial hit of the season was delivered. With all of the head shots lately, the NHL was going to be examined under a microscope for the decision on the hit.  Max Pacioretty was hit into the turn buckle that separates the glass from the boards in between the benches by Chara. At no point do you want to see anybody injured but with the nature of contact sports, injuries occur. Although the controversial hit left Pacioretty  life-less on the ice, I am going to side with the NHL as I usually do. Upon further review Colin Campbell & Mike Murphy deemed the hit  "A  hockey play, with a bad outcome", and no suspension was handed out. Zdeno Chara and Max Pacioretty have had a competitive rivalry during the games between the two, original six teams. So it is fair to say that Chara was trying to hit Pacioretty through the boards with his shoulder. The out come, in my eyes, wasn't what anyone would want on their shoulders. Pacioretty followed the boards and unfortunately ended up hitting his head on the partition. If Chara wanted to injure Max he could have done it in so many other ways. Its not as if the puck was no where near the play and Chara took his head off. The CORRECT call was made on the ice. Interference.  When engaging in a physical battle with Chara you need to be prepared,  I am sure nothing could have prepared Pacioretty for the outcome. It was a unavoidable freak accident involving two hard working hockey players. My best regards go out to Max and his family. The whole hockey world is on your side and wish you a speedy recovery.      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jimZ1tSdPY0

The Concept of Expansion In The NHL

The Concept of Expansion

Winnipeg Jets. Quebec Nordiques. Hartford Whalers. Toronto Legacy? There are too many ideas floating around. Too many questions. Too many ideas for the NHL to move forward. Too much that is unknown. What is known, is the success of the 30 current NHL teams; or lack there of. Everyone hears common discussions about failing teams like Atlanta, Nashville, and Phoenix. Each team is having their own problems, which relate back to the franchise profits.

In the 2009-2010 seasons, there were 7 teams that did not make a profit. The Flames, Thrashers, Predators, Oilers, Lightning, Senators and Coyotes were the only teams to not make a profit in the season. What makes it worse is that 3 of those teams made the playoffs. As the most talked about topic now – the relocation of the Phoenix Coyotes – continues, the primary idea is relocation. Many people are thinking that it would be best for the NHL if they relocated all the struggling teams to new markets. The only problem is who gets them? And how do you decide where to locate a team; without showing bias to a Canadian or American market? That seems to be an ongoing debate.

With the option of relocation looming, and more markets liking the idea of bringing an NHL franchise in, relocation might not be the only way to accomplish that. The other idea that the NHL could entertain would be league expansion. This could create other problems, as they would have to re-configure the league and find a fair way to introduce the new teams and their players. The NHL will likely never release talks about expansion however there are some aspects that you would have to consider in order for expansion to take place.

If the NHL were to expand, the most likely scenario is to change the league from a 6-division league to a 4-division league, and by doing so; they would include 8 teams in each division. In all likelihood, the league would remain with an Eastern and Western Conference; however introduce South-West/South-East, and North-West/North-East divisions. By following this method, it would allow for 2 additional teams into the league. If Phoenix were to be relocated back to Winnipeg, it would leave the opportunity for adding an additional 2 American market teams, or possibly an American and Canadian Market team. In all likelihood, the leading markets for an expansion team would include a second franchise in Toronto or a return to Quebec for the Nordiques. As for the American markets, the leading candidates would be Kansas City, Las Vegas or even another return of sorts, back to Hartford. With the addition of these teams, changes would be made, and it would finally allow the Detroit Red Wings to join the Eastern Conference. The two most likely markets; Quebec and Kansas City.

With these scenarios, the re-structuring of the divisions could look very different.

Western Conference

North-West	South-West
Vancouver Canucks	San Jose Sharks
Colorado Avalanche	Los Angeles Kings
Edmonton Oilers	Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames	Dallas Stars
Winnipeg Jets	St. Louis Blues
Kansas City	Nashville Predators
Minnesota Wild	Columbus Blue Jackets
Chicago Blackhawks	Atlanta Thrashers

Eastern Conference

North-East	South-East
Toronto Maple Leafs	Florida Panthers
Montreal Canadiens	Tampa Bay Lightning
Quebec Nordiques	Washington Capitals
Detroit Red Wings	New Jersey Devils
Ottawa Senators	Carolina Hurricanes
Buffalo Sabres	New York Islanders
Boston Bruins	New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins	Philadelphia Flyers

The most interesting part about the possibility of expansion is this restructuring of the teams. It could create more rivalries and it would allow more teams to be competitive due to the battles ongoing in each division. With all the possibilities, there still remains many things to be figured out by the league. It definitely creates some interesting thoughts and ideas going forward, however it also could never happen. Regardless of who your team is, it could make for a better and stronger league.

Written by: Duck4Puck1989

Never Say Never Leaf's Nation

     The Toronto Maple Leafs currently sit 22nd over-all in the NHL. So, do they have a chance to make the play-offs? Lets just put it out there and say, its a good thing the Leafs are not in the Western conference. Yes they have a slim chance. The Leafs currently sit in a battle with 2 teams (Carolina, Buffalo) for the final play-off spot.  Over the weekend the Sabers "leap-frogged" the canes to take hold of the 8th spot with 72 points. Buffalo has a game in hand on Toronto and Carolina at the moment, and is looking "OKAY". 
      The next five games will be very important for the Leafs chances to see the post season (for the first time since the 2003-2004 campaign). Its a double edge sword for the Leafs, most teams in the Leafs position would love a 3 game home stand at this point in the season. However, with Reimer as hot as he has been on the road (9 of his 12 wins on the road), the Leafs will need to heighten their game at home. Thankfully the first game is on the road. The NY Islanders have been hot since the all-star break recording 25 of their 60 points. Being equally as hot, look for the Maple Leafs lead by James Reimer to continue their road success with a win on the island.. After beating Philadelphia on home ice, the Leafs can hopefully stretch the Flyers 6 game losing streak. This game may see Reimer take a seat on the bench and rest up on home ice. Not as if the Leafs can afford to lose any points, but the most important games lie ahead with the teams they are trailing in points.  If the Leafs have any chance what so ever they will need to take a play-off style approach to Buffalo and Carolina. Taking the body early and getting pucks deep(as they have been doing well lately) will be key and should be part of their game plan. This is way to hard to predict, but I wish the Leafs the best of luck. If the Leafs can find a way to pull it off and get the crucial 8/10 points then I feel they deserve the reward of finally returning to the play-offs and proving the critics wrong.
           This could be the turning point in coach Ron Wilson's career with the Leafs. Wilson has taken slack all season from the media as he should have. There have been points in the season where I questioned his coaching decisions. Not as a critic, but as a fan. If a player is not preforming take him off the ice to ride the pine, you ARE the coach. Its taken a while but I feel the players are finally buying in to the "Wilson" style of hockey. If Ron can out coach and maybe get a little luck for once this season, his job could be saved.

Toews Best Player In The Game

Trevor Gillies, what a role model. Well at least that is how 

GM Garth Snow feels defending his star player. Snow went 

publicly and said "it was an unintentional follow 

through of his fist". I know that in any  circumstance a 

team will never leave their player out to dry,but at  what

point do you say enough is enough. Don Cherry said last night 

on coaches corner that "it was a clean hit". I usually agree 

with him 90% of the time. Sorry Don can't say I agree. Gillies

took his hand off his  stick and punched Clutterbuck in the head 

while he was following  through on his hit to the head(check the 

different angles and slow them down). I know, I know he is just 

"doing his job" sticking up for his teammate, both times. The 

main issue here is the Head shot. The NHL is trying to remove 

this major problem from the league, this fool isn't helping. The 

image (look up) this clown reflects is disgusting from the handle

bar stash to the bum like stance, as he mocked the penguins player

laying on the ice. Now with the support of Don Cherry this guy 

thinks its OK to sucker punch guys at will. Where has the 

respect for one another gone? 

Jonathan Toews, what isn't to like? Toews may not be the biggest, 

strongest, or fastest player on the ice but he brings a complete game 

every night he plays. Whatever he touches, (hockey related) turns 

into a champion ship. To list a few of his young success's, Toews 

has won 6 gold medals for team Canada in the jr system, Drafted 

3rd overall (2006 entry draft), and won Olympic Gold '10(named

best forward).  In the first season Toews played in, he was awarded 

the Calder trophy (the rookie of the year).  He then proceeds to 

win a Stanley cup for his Chicago black hawks, obtains the MVP of 

the finals, all while he wears  the Captain.(youngest in the NHL, 

and 3rd youngest in history). That is a true leader.Hockey is a

team game. Toews understand this and plays to the ability of his 

teammates making them better. The black  hawks may of had a case of 

"Stanley cup hang over" early in the season, but seem to have their 

game fine tuned and clicking just in time to defend their championship. 

Never count the young determined hawks from repeating, something 

that hasn't been done since the penguins did it in '90-'91 and 

'91-'92.                                                 

Early Play-Off Predictions

The NHL play-offs have been much more competitive since the introduction of the salary cap. The proof is in the past 5 Stanley cup tournaments. Two out of the five past winners (Carolina in 2005, Anaheim in 2007) are teams that in a cap free system, may not of had a chance to win. Although both team were assembled by very intelligent hockey minds, the traces of proof lay in the teams making the post season. Teams such as the Leafs and Islanders haven't seen a quality play-off run in many years. Vancouver (also a product of Burke), Calgary, Phoenix, and the San Jose Sharks are teams (in the west) that now have a fair chance at obtaining star players, and being able to sign them long term. The race in both conferences are taken right down to the last game on the schedule, and this season is no different. The western conference always has tight races. There is a 3 way battle for the top position. Vancouver, Detroit and San Jose are the favourites to come out with a western conference championship. The team I feel will come away with the west is the Vancouver Canucks. Its clear to see why this is my choice, the Canucks have only lost. 16 games at this stage of the season. Goal tending has never been a problem in van city. Roberto Luongo is coming off the Olympic gold medal, and watching Towes take home the cup last season. Luongo will be focused and poised to take his team the to cup. Other than the obvious offensive power the key player for the Canucks will be Max Lapierre. Max was a pest in Montreal's run last season, look for him to be in the faces, and getting under the skin of anyone in his way. Detroit is once again atop the central division.. Lead by the defensive game never under estimate the longest post-season appearance record holders from going deep into the play-offs.

     The Boston Bruins have the same qualities as the Canucks. This is why the Bruins will take the eastern conference. Goal tending has been the key to Bostons success this season. The Bruins have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL with 149. Tim Thomas has been outstanding forcing Maples Leafs former prospect Tuukka Rask to only 21 games. Thomas will win the Vezina trophy this year. The Bruins net-miner sits second place in shutouts with 7, First place in SV% with .940, and a GAA of 1.95. With Thomas almost unbeatable and the Bruins averaging 3 goals a game, Boston hasn't looked this good since they won the cup in '71-'72. Once again, just as they did in 2005 the Carolina hurricanes are looking to make the bottom end the of the play-off bracket. The Canes are my dark horse this year. Carolina is a younger version of the team GM Jimmy Rutherford took to the cup in 2005. Bringing back the likes of Cory Stillman could pay huge dividends for all the players looking to make their first NHL post season. If Boston ends up taking an early exit from the play-offs the canes could just be the culprit

Reimer & Niemi Smoking Hot/Carolina Looking Good

     Last night featured plenty of good goal tending and saw teams move closer to a play-off position. Carolina's young team lead by Eric Staal, hosted the Buffalo Sabers last night in an OT thriller. It was a back and forth game, seeing both teams trade goals till they came to a deadlock at 2 a piece. Both goalies gave their respective teams a chance to win, but Jamie McBain for the canes potted his 5th goal of the season to win it in OT. The Hurricanes leap frog the NY Rangers to hold on to 7th spot in the east (71pts).

11 straight w/o a loss

8 straight wins

   Heading into the the play-offs, goal tending is key. Two of the hottest goalies in the NHL right now happen to be James Reimer of the Maple Leafs, and Antti Niemi of the SJ Sharks. Both Goalies can be credited for their teams wins last night.

Optimus Reim is a nick name that has caught on in leaf nation. At start of the season Reimer was in the position that a 4th Round(99th overall) pick should have been in, on the AHL affiliate team (Toronto Marlies) . With injuries to both Maples Leafs net-miners, James Reimer has had a chance to shine, and shine he has. People keep asking "Is Reimer the real deal"? I say yes. Since the all-star break  Toronto has been playing with heart, from the back end right up to Phil Kessel who has 8 goals in 8 games. The first look at Reimer for leafs fans in early Jan has left a lasting image from arguably the only good move by former GM John Ferguson Jr. Although the leafs are blocking lots of shots for Reimer(Luke Schenn especially), he has been unbeatable only losing 4 games since Jan 21. If  Toronto ends up sneaking into the play-offs I think Leafs Nation knows where to point the finger. The SJ Sharks on the other hand have had an intense goal tending duel. Antero Niittymaki started the season for the sharks as their #1. When he started to struggle, (only appearing in 3 games since way back on December 21st) watching his GAA sky rocket to an even 4 in his last 3 consecutive losses. That play forced coach Todd McLellan to ride the former Stanley cup winner Antti Niemi. Niemi has been outstanding taking over the full time position in net. Antti has recorded 5 shut outs this season and is in the drivers seat of an 8 game winning streak. Over the last 5 wins Niemi has a GAA of 2. With all of the offense (Heatley-52pt, Thornton-54pt, Marleau-49pt), the Sharks are sitting comfortably atop the Pacific division. The only fight they will encounter will be with the Detroit Red Wings, who they have beat twice in recent games. Vancouver has basically run away with the western division, but with 17 games remaining the sharks could challenge for the #1 seed in the west.

Weekend Match-Ups To Watch

This weekend could be the most important stretch for some NHL teams battling for a play-off spot. Before we get in the match-ups, I would like to comment on the play of  Trevor Gillies. Who does this guy think he is? I used to cringe when I watched Matt Cooke, wondering when he was going to strike next. Thank You Trevor Gillies for making Cooke look like a saint. When you have more penalty minutes than time played and have taken a run at 2 professional hockey players heads (with only 1:10 mins of ice time, in between hits), should this guy not get a life time ban? I know that is kind of out of the question, but what does this clown bring to the game of hockey other than brutality. Gillies needs to be checked out for mental problems before he should be able to step back on the ice. I understand that in the heat of the moment, players can act out of character. This guy stood in the door way of the game against Pittsburgh and laughed at what he did to Eric Tangradi of the Penguins. He serves a 9 game suspension and then takes a run a Cal Cultterbuck's head. If not the life time ban which I know is astronomic, can we maybe look at 20 games?
 Now to some real hockey. Going into this weekend (Thursday night), The #Toronto Maple #Leafs and #Carolina Hurricanes will be looking to push Buffalo out of the play-off race.  The leafs have been HOT. The play of Brett Lebda, I think has gone under the radar. At the start of the season the struggling d-man was looking to find a solid home in Toronto. With all the talent recently moved out of Toronto, Lebda has had an opportunity to play a more important role, posting a +5 in the last 5 games. I don't think leafs fan remember that Brett has won a Stanley cup with the red wings, and was a very big part of the defensive game in Detroit. Take a look at his career play-off stats.......

Career Playoff Statistics

Season	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-					Shots
2003-2004	Grand Rapids Griffins-AHL	4	0	0	0	-3
2005-2006	Red Wings	6	0	0	0	3					7
2005-2006	Grand Rapids Griffins-AHL	11	1	4	5	-9
2006-2007	Red Wings	12	0	2	2	4					19
2007-2008	Red Wings	19	0	2	2	0					12
2008-2009	Red Wings	23	0	6	6	8					19
2009-2010	Red Wings	2	0	0	0	0					1
	NHL Totals	62	0	10	10	15					58

Everything seems to be working for the Leafs. They will meet their biggest test tonight when they face the division leader, the Flyer's. Oct 23 was the last  meeting between the two teams. It saw Philadelphia out shoot the leafs 40-14. Look for this improved Leaf team to be  in front of the net blocking shots again tonight ( they had over 22 shots blocked last night). If the Leafs plan on getting any where n.close to the play-offs they will first need to overcome the Sabers. Buffalo will be going tough tonight, in Raleigh N.C. visiting  the Canes. This game should be a  battle of goalies, seeing two of the most relied on tenders taking the ice. If either goalie isn't up the to challenge, this game has the chance to get out of hand on the score sheet. Look for the likes of Cory Stillman and Eric Staal to have an impact on the win tonight in Carolina.
 One team that can take the wind right out of the Canes and Leafs sails, is the Chicago Black Hawks. The Hawks have clawed their way back in to the playoff picture in the west. The top forwards Towes, Kane, and Hossa are showing why they took home the cup last season. The all-star caliber quality, has an outstanding +32 rating, if you add Brian Campbell to the mix they are +56. WOW! For both Carolina and Toronto (playing the Hawks respectively  Fri/Sat) to have any kind of success against Chicago, they must find a way to get under the skin of the top 2 lines and throw off their game. With a 6-3 record against teams in the east, the Hawks need to make sure they show up and not look past the determined teams. The Blackhawk's should record 4  points to the 86, they sit with presently.

Eastern Conference Play-Off Race

Now that the trade deadline is behind us we can start to concentrate on the play-offs, specifically the eastern conference. I'm going to highlight the 3 teams fighting for the last 2 spots,  I will also give my  eastern conference winner prediction. Carolina has been sitting in a play-off position for the better part of the season, with Goalie Cam Ward, who has played the most games in the NHL with 57.  For Carolina to be successful Ward will need to keep up his solid play in net, as he will be expected to carry the work load for the remainder of the season. Power forward Eric Staal leads the team in points with 60 points in 63 games. He will be the voice in the dressing room, leading the young stars to what could be their first play-off run, of many to come. Ten of the remaining eighteen games will be played against teams that sit ahead of the hurricanes in the standings. The ride wont be easy, but the canes and their loyal fans will see the play-offs this year. Finishing in 8th, the Buffalo Sabers have been up and down all season, but have 179 GF and 179 GA. The Sabers are a team that strive on speed and goal tending, this season they haven't had such luck. Forward Derek Roy went down fairly early in the season and Buffalo haven't been able to fill the void of such a key offensive player. Ryan miller has taken a step down this year and hasn't seemed to be the goalie of past years only posting a .914 SV%. The Buffalo Sabers have very important games coming up, they will fall short in these games and in the standings as well. 10th is where I see the Sabers. The Final team in the play-off window looking to make it is the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto has been one of the hottest teams in the league posting 8-2-2 winning record since the all-star break, lead by Phil Kessel and the outstanding play of rookie goalie James Reimer. Kessel has recorded 8 pt in the last 4 games. Phil has been getting it done both offensively and defensively impressing coach Ron Wilson, also being awarded first star of the week in the the NHL. His play can be contributed to the recent moves made by GM Brian Burke. Burke has been building a winner in Toronto, both in the attitude of the players and making some key moves that will set the leafs up to be successful in years to come. Joffery Lupul has had an immediate impact, being added to the roster on Feb 9 has given him the time to gel with his new team.Brian Burke has left land mark type qualities on his past teams Vancouver and Anaheim. With Vancouver looking to take the west this year, leafs fans need to be patient. Remember the obstacles Burke has had to over come with the past GM's in Toronto's crazy signings, which The Leafs are still paying for. It takes time to build a winning team and Brian is on the right path snatching up a handful of draft picks and having a very solid core of players fighting for a play-off spot. The leafs sit 6 pts out of the 8th spot and 7pts out of the 7th spot. All cylinders seem to be firing again this year come play off time, but the leafs willl change the trend of years past, over come the NY Rangers  and take the 7th rank in to the post season. With the big play of Boston all season look for the bruins to take the east.

1. Boston
2. Tampa Bay
3. Philadelphia
4. Washington
5. Pittsburgh
6. Montreal
7. Toronto
8. Carolina