Faceoff Factor

A Week in the NHL - January 19-24

Ashley Gallant | National Hockey League

Jan 27, 07:03 PM | Hype this story!

Quote of the Week
“When we were on a winning run we were getting a little bit more timely saves. Roberto, and when we use Curtis (Sanford), it’s been a little more challenging that way, for what ever reason. I know Roberto really wants to get on the same roll he was on prior to this. He would probably be the first one to tell you that since probably the Islanders game, the goaltender he has faced…has probably had a slight edge there.” Alain Vigneault called out his goalies this week after the Vancouver Canucks lost 6 of 7 games and only had one regulation win in 10 games.

The Dominators
Daniel Alfredsson, Right Wing, Ottawa Senators (3G, 4A, 2 games)
Alfredsson is making a strong case for the Hart Trophy this season. He has elevated his game and this week saw him score 7 points in one game, a franchise record. He is currently leading the scoring race and should he keep this up, he would be the second oldest player in NHL history to win the Art Ross.

Alex Ovechkin, Left Wing, Washington Capitals (4G, 4A, 4 games)
The Capitals just may sneak into the playoffs this year, and it will be because of Ovechkin’s strong play.

Patrik Elias, Left Wing, New Jersey Devils (4G, 1A, 3 games)
For the first time all season, Elias scored 5 points in 2 games (against Philadelphia and Montreal).

Radim Vrbata, Right Wing, Phoenix Coyotes (3G, 1A, 1 game)
Phoenix is one of those young, exciting teams in the West that is starting to turn heads, and Vrbata is making a name for himself. He missed three games with a groin injury and didn’t miss a beat when he got back into the lineup.

The games that made you cheer. Or freak out. Or cry. Or all of the above.
New York Rangers (4) Atlanta Thrashers (0) – Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
This game certainly made Thrashers fans cry, and it wasn’t just the score…

…it was the Atlanta power play unit going back to the bench and leaving Straka alone with a shorthanded breakaway (2:18 into the following video).

New York Islanders (6) Carolina Hurricanes (3) – Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
Speaking of shorthanded goals, the PK unit for the Islanders had their fill of shorties Tuesday night. Three were scored in the first 26 minutes of the game, two by Sillinger. The real kicker was when the Hurricanes allowed two shorthanded goals on the same power play.

Edmonton Oilers (4) Florida Panthers (3) – Thursday, January 24th, 2008
Talk about a comeback. The Oilers were down 3-1 late in the third, but a couple of goals by Jarret Stoll in the last two minutes tied the game. Overtime was a bust, so Edmonton won it in a shootout, of course.

Injury Report
Alexei Ponikarovsky, Left Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs – dislocated right shoulder
Can things get worse for the Leafs? Well, yeah I suppose they could, but losing a top 6 forward for a month or two doesn’t help matters.

Sheldon Souray, Defence, Edmonton Oilers – shoulder
Souray’s shoulder has been bothering him ever since he injured it in October, and it’s not helping him one bit on the ice. He has missed a few games here and there to rest his shoulder, but it’s not known if he has now re-injured that shoulder. He’s day-to-day in the meantime.

Henrik Zetterberg, Left Wing, Detroit Red Wings – back
Zetterberg’s another player with chronic pain. He has been classified as day-to-day since the 22nd.

Odds and Ends
Eighty-two games is not enough…let’s make it eighty-four!
Apparently this is what some people are thinking because the powers-that-be are voting on abandoning the 82-game schedule in favour of an 84-game season. The plan would be to cut down on the number of pre-season games and start training camp a little sooner.

I’m not quite sure what to think. On the one hand, I think that this is just a way to make more money. From a business point of view, I can see how this makes sense, but do we (and the players) really need a longer season? I think that the heavy schedule is, in part, responsible for some of the boatload of injuries we see in the course of a season.

European Vacation
Well, it’s not quite a vacation that they’re talking about. The plan is to play four regular season games in Europe to open the 2008-09 season. Pittsburgh and Ottawa will play in Stockholm, Sweden, while the Rangers and Lightning will play in Prague, Czech Republic.

Sure, it’s exciting and the London games received a lot of attention, but is this really what the league needs to do? It’s one less home game for the fans in the actual home cities (if I lived in Ottawa, I’d be mad that I’d only get one chance to see the Pens all year), and it’s less revenue for the home teams.

Why is the NHL doing this? Is it just some publicity event thing to garner more media attention? Or is this the NHL’s way to see whether they can draw a crowd in Europe if they happened to expand across the Atlantic? I’m concerned that expansion is the motive behind these games.

The Week Ahead
Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild – Wednesday, January 30th, 9PM ET.
The Ducks may be third in the division, but they are just one point out of first. They have gotten a lot stronger since Niedermayer returned to the lineup, and Selanne just may be coming back as well. If a future with Selanne is in the future, an announcement just may be made this week. In any case, the Ducks will be looking to break a 3-game losing streak in Minnesota.

Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals – Tuesday, January 29th (7PM ET) and Thursday January 31st (7:30PM ET)
Montreal and Washington will play a home and home series immediately following the All-Star break, and the Habs will be looking to cool down the young Washington team. The last time these teams met, the Capitals won 5-4 in OT, with Ovechkin scoring two goals and Mike Green scoring the game winner.