1/26: Ducks vs. Bruins - A Briefing

Coming off one of their best all-around team performances Saturday night in Detroit, the Ducks now look ahead to face the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night at the TD Garden. 

DUCKS PERSPECTIVE:

Anaheim comes into this game with a record of 21-18-7. After a dismal first half of the season, the Ducks have improved of late. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and have shown signs of their former dominating selves like last season. Having recently swapped LW Carl Hagelin in exchange for LW David Perron and D Adam Clendening from Pittsburgh, the Ducks have seen a small jolt in their offensive output, scoring 18 goals in the last 6 games. 

Shea Theodore, the rookie defensive call-up from San Diego, has been outstanding in his first 12 NHL games, scoring 1 goal and 3 assists. His defensive presence and high level of poise in the offensive zone has been a stand-out feature for the 20 year-old. Theodore has been anchoring the bottom defensive pairing with a few different partners including Korbinian Holzer, Clayton Stoner, and Josh Manson. Theodore has not looked out of place in any way, shape or form. He has been playing like he already has a few years of NHL experience under his belt, not like he has played only 12 games. With Simon Despres possibly returning to the lineup tomorrow, Bob Murray will be forced to make a tough decision with which player to send back down to San Diego, and head coach Bruce Boudreau will be faced with some very tough lineup decisions. This is all because of the stellar play of the young defenseman from Langley, BC. 

Ever the master tinkerer, Bruce Boudreau has found success in some forward unusual line combinations in the last few games. He has split up Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, putting Getzlaf with Perron and Chris Stewart. Perry has been finding time with Rickard Rakell and Patrick Maroon. It used to be seen as blasphemy to ever split up Getzlaf and Perry, but with the extremely underwhelming play of Getzlaf this season, a major lineup move was bound to happen. Hey, it's been working, so why fix it? 

Anaheim comes into this game still sitting outside of a wild card spot behind Vancouver and Nashville. The West has been a bit of jumbled mess this season, and needless to say, Anaheim needs to continue to play as they have been if they want to be playing late into the spring. They still hold honor of the best Penalty Kill efficiency in the league, boasting an 89.4% PK efficiency. The power play has looked much better, and it could possibly be with the fresh look of the first unit. Shea Theodore has been thrown into the first power play unit and has flourished. Sitting at 13th overall in power play efficiency, Anaheim has slowly been emerging as a better power play team coming from its yet again dismal start at the beginning of this season. 

The Ducks are 3-0-0 in their last 3 meetings with Boston, and against former Duck Matt Beleskey who left via free agency in the summer, it is safe to say that Anaheim will come out with a little fire under them. 

Line-ups to expect (pending alterations):

Maroon - Rakell - Perry
Cogliano - Kesler - Silfverberg
Perron - Getzlaf - Stewart
Garbutt - Santorelli - Thompson

Lindholm - Manson
Bieksa - Despres
Theodore - Vatanen

Andersen

Backup: Gibson 


Scratches: Horcoff, Stoner, Fowler, Clendening

RECENT DEVELOPMENT:

As of this morning, center Shawn Horcoff has been suspended 20 games without pay for violating the NHL/NHLPA performance enhancing substance program. 

Statement from Horcoff on the situation:

"While recovering from an injury I suffered this past fall, I tried a treatment that I believed would help speed up the healing process," Horcoff stated, via NHLPA.

"Although I was unaware that this treatment was not permitted under NHL rules, that is no excuse whatsoever. I should have done my research and I should have checked with the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substance Program's doctors. I accept full responsibility for my actions, and I am sorry. 

"Throughout my entire career, I have felt genuinely blessed and honored to play the great game of hockey, I regret the impact that this may have on my team and our fans.

"I look forward to the day I return to the ice for the playoff push."

Horcoff will forfeit $357,526.88 of his salary for this year as part of the suspension and will be referred to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and potential treatment. 

Horcoff

Johansen for Jones - Trade breakdown/Who will come out on top?

Yesterday, we were met with the first high-profile trade of this NHL season. The Columbus Blue Jackets parted ways with center Ryan Johansen and sent him to the Nashville Predators in exchange for young defenseman Seth Jones. A straight up two-player swap. A hockey trade. 

Johansen getting traded was inevitable and comes as no real surprise. The playmaking center has had a very sub-par year, being scratched and benched multiple times. Johansen has posted 6 goals and 20 assists this season, a measly start compared to his career-best pace last season where he finished with 26 goals, 45 assists and 71 points. The trade rumors for Johansen started early on in the season, where it became clear that he was not in-shape at all. He was playing lazy and uninterested, and that was quickly acknowledged when new coach John Tortorella came into the picture on Oct. 21. Tortorella immediately singled out Johansen saying that he was not in-shape, and that he would not get any special treatment because of how good of a player he is. Tortorella began benching Johansen late in games for poor or lazy play, and would even make him a healthy scratch when he felt it was needed. A change of scenery was looking to be the ultimate fate for Johansen. It clearly was not clicking in Columbus, and both sides seemed to be looking to part ways. 

So that brings us to the actual trade. Talks and rumors really heated up yesterday morning, and come that afternoon the news was out. Ryan Johansen for Seth Jones. Jones is a defensive prodigy who's two-way game is one of the best among young defenders in the league. Drafted 4th overall in 2013 by Nashville, Jones was acclaimed for his mobility and size. He excelled with the Predators for his first 2 1/2 years in the NHL, and now will take on the role as the number one defenseman on a Columbus team that is weak at the blueline and has struggled mightily this season. Johansen will take on the role of being the Predators number one centerman, as he will be slotted onto the top line for Nashville. 

Now, who wins this trade? The thing is, both teams can ultimately get a lot out of this trade. However, in terms of immediate success related directly to this deal, it is my prediction that Nashville will reap a larger amount of benefits in a much shorter amount of time than Columbus will. For Nashville, this move is a "want to win now" move, while for Columbus it is a move that they will build their defense and team around in the next few years. Nashville is already a good team who currently sits in a playoff spot, but what they have been lacking in these last few years is a real number one center to round out their top 6 group of forwards. With Johansen sliding into the first line center position flanked by James Neal and Colin Wilson, it more than likely means that Mike Ribeiro will move down to the second line with Filip Forsberg and Calle Jarnkrok. Mike Fisher will take over third line center duties. Sometime in the next few years, you look for an ideal top line of Forsberg, Johansen, and young Swiss winger Kevin Fiala. Fiala is developing prospect with great playmaking potential who will eventually make his way to Nashville's top line right wing spot. Nashville's forward troops have scored a total of 71 of the team's 102 goals so far this season while averaging 2.6 goals per-game. With the addition of a true number once center, look for the goal totals and goals per-game stats to start increasing. 

Johansen

Another reason Nashville is in a better place because of this trade is that the forwards are still backed by a solid defensive unit. Shea Weber-Roman Josi remain the number one pairing, and Ryan Ellis-Mattias Ekholm becomes the number two pairing. That is still a solid unit to put out on the ice in a tough division like the Central. 

All in all, Nashville's lineup will now look like:

*according to Predators beat reporter, Adam Vingan via Twitter @AdamVingan

Wilson - Johansen - Neal
Forsberg - Ribeiro - Jarnkrok
Salomaki - Fisher - Smith
Nystrom - Gaustad - Watson

Josi - Weber
Ekholm - Ellis
Jackman - Grandberg

Nashville's offense is boosted with Johansen leading the charge down the middle. Look for Nashville's top 6 production to increase immediately. Johansen will thrive in his new environment, and under coach Peter Laviolette. James Neal (eventually Filip Forsberg) now has a legit centerman that can feed him the puck and make plays. Neal's goal scoring will increase, and so will the production of Nashville's power play units. 

On to the Columbus end. After making the playoffs in 2014 and giving the Penguins a decent push in the first round, Columbus has seemed lost. A poor 14-15 showing, and now sitting dead last in the league in 2016, a shakeup was needed. Building up the Blue Jackets defense was of the most concern of GM Jarmo Kekalainen, and the chance of trading away Johansen provided him the perfect opportunity to acquire that coveted defensive piece to his team's heavily unfinished puzzle. Seth Jones immediately becomes the Blue Jackets number one defenseman, and will be relied on to handle top pairing minutes and to shut down other team's scoring lines while providing some offensive help from the point. 

The reason Columbus will not receive the immediate success from this trade that Nashville will is because even with Jones, they still do not currently have enough fire power up front or have enough defensive assets close to Jones' level. Kekalainen will need to utilize the upcoming trade deadline and this next offseason/draft to build on his new acquisition. They are 19th in goals per-game, and that clearly has not been enough to save their poor defensive play. The Blue Jackets have allowed 236 goals this season. Not a good stat to have 41 games in. Defensive help needed to arrive, and Kekalainen made it happen.

What good comes out of this deal? Jones immediately makes the Columbus defense better, as he is now the best defenseman the team has had in the last few seasons. He is also only 21 years-old. Like stated above, this is a move that a team builds upon. Columbus will strengthen their offense now that they acquired that key defenseman they so desperately needed. They can focus on upgrading their offense, while still looking to slowly build up the D corps whenever the opportunity arises. Jones will man the top pairing alongside 22 year-old Ryan Murray. Jones and Murray patrolling the top unit means that the second pairing consists of Jack Johnson-David Savard, the third will be Fedor Tyutin-Cody Goloubef. 

Jones

Jones will need to adjust to top pairing minutes coming from playing 2nd/3rd pairing minutes, but in my eyes he will no problem with the extra toll. In the future, Columbus defense prospect Zach Werenski to become the partner for Jones. With the two-way ability of both Jones and Werenski, that pairing has the potential to be one of the solid pairings in hockey given a few year's time once Werenski is ready for the NHL level. However, Columbus still needs more help on the backend if they want to succeed soon. Look for Kekalainen to make one or two more defensemen-minded moves before the trade deadline.

Columbus' lineup now shapes out to be:

*according to Daily Faceoff via Twitter, @DailyFaceoff 

Jenner - Dubinsky - Atkinson
Hartnell - Wennberg - Saad
Foligno - Karlsson - Anderson
Bourque - Campbell - Boll

Murray - Jones
Johnson - Savard
Tyutin - Goloubef

This roster, while still retaining some scoring touch and being fairly balanced, is not going to get Columbus by if they want to become playoff contenders. While there may be no saving of this season, the Blue Jackets can build and prepare their club for next season and go from there. Columbus is not focused on the present, they have their eyes locked on the future. It will be entertaining to see what direction Kekalainen takes to rebuild his team and eventually get them back into the playoffs. 

2016 NHL All Star Game - What to Expect

This morning, the full rosters for the 2016 NHL All Star Game in Nashville were announced, giving us a now full view of what the teams should look like. This year's All Star Game format is a little different than years past, so let me brief you on what will be going on.

Instead of having just one game pitted against the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, this years ASG will feature four teams representing each of the league's divisions. The Atlantic Division all-stars will matchup against the Metropolitan Division all-stars, while the Central Division all-stars will face the Pacific Division all stars. The winner these two games will go on to face each other in the All-Star game final. There is another twist: all games will be played under a 3-on-3 format. 3 skaters and 1 goalie to a team. If the games remain tied after 20 minutes of play, it will move on directly to a three-round shootout, with extra rounds if needed. There will be no overtime play this year. 

The voting was a little different this year. Fan voting was changed so that fans only voted for the captain that represents each division. Voting for the roster players for each division was done by National Hockey League staff and associates internally. 

The four captains that were selected were Jaromir Jagr of the Florida Panthers representing the Atlantic Division, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals representing the Metropolitan Division, Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks representing the Central Division, and infamously, John Scott of the Arizona Coyotes representing the Pacific Division.

Now, Scott being voted as an All-Star captain started out as a joke among fans. He was the top vote getter at first and nobody really thought that it would actually get this far. Scott, a notoriously dirty player who hasn't had a very impressive NHL resume, was voted in it seems purely out of the humor factor it would bring. Scott has handled the situation well and with maturity, saying that he is excited and that it "will give us fourth line players something to be proud of." Amid the people who are up in arms about, it should provide a humorous factor to the game a make it entertaining. 

Left to right: Ovechkin, Jagr, Kane, Scott

On to the full rosters. Here is a list of which players were named All-Stars to represent their respective divisions.

ATLANTIC ALL-STARS

F - Patrice Bergeron (BOS)

F - Jaromir Jagr (FLA)

F - Leo Komarov (TOR)

F - Dylan Larkin (DET)

F - Ryan O'Reilly (BUF)

F - Steven Stamkos (TBL)

D - Aaron Ekblad (FLA)

D - Erik Karlsson (OTT)

D - PK Subban (MTL)

G - Ben Bishop (TBL)

G - Roberto Luongo (FLA)

METROPOLITAN ALL-STARS

F - Niklas Backstrom (WSH)

F - Claude Giroux (PHI)

F - Evgeni Malkin (PIT)

F - Alex Ovechkin (WSH)

F - John Tavares (NYI)

F - Brandon Saad (CBJ)

D - Justin Faulk (CAR)

D - Kris Letang (PIT)

D - Ryan McDonagh (NYR)

G - Braden Holtby (WSH)

G - Cory Schneider (NJD)

CENTRAL ALL-STARS

F - Jamie Benn (DAL)

F - Matt Duchene (COL)

F - Tyler Seguin (DAL)

F - Patrick Kane (CHI)

F - Vladimir Tarasenko (STL)

F - Jonathan Toews (CHI)

D - Dustin Byfuglien (WPG)

D - Roman Josi (NSH)

D - Shea Weber (NSH)

G - Pekka Rinne (NSH)

G - Devan Dubnyk (MIN)

PACIFIC ALL-STARS

F - Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)

F - Taylor Hall (EDM)

F - Joe Pavelski (SJS)

F - Corey Perry (ANA)

F - John Scott (ARI)

F - Daniel Sedin (VAN)

D - Brent Burns (SJS)

D - Drew Doughty (LAK)

D - Mark Giordano (CGY)

G - John Gibson (ANA)

G - Jonathan Quick (LAK)

So those are the teams that you will see competing at this year's All-Star Game festivities in Nashville. The new 3-on-3 format will be exciting and is something I am really looking forward too. It will give the players so much more room on the ice to skate and show off their skills. The back and forth action will be sure to keep the viewer engaged. Look for the agile and fast skaters to really flourish in the 3-on-3 format. Karlsson, Doughty, Duchene, Gaudreau, Malkin, are all players to really keep your eye on during 3-on-3 play. All can absolutely fly down the ice and will put on a great show.

With the roster reveals, the jersey reveals came as well. 

Now, I still do not fully understand why the NHL hasn't used all of the colors of the host team, but at least these incorporate Nashville's gold. I like these jerseys a lot better than last year's neon green disaster. They look a lot cleaner and more professional. I just wish in the next few years we will see jerseys fully based off the host team's colors.