The top in Canada and in the NHL right now
Vancouver Canucks are just going crazy as they are the best team in the NHL right now with a point more than the Philadelphia Flyers and in their own conference they have 5 points on the Detroit Red Wings. The team is almost unbeatable at home with a 22-6-5-49 record and a 17-9-4-38 on the road and all told they are 39-15-9-87 this season and Roberto Luongo has 28 wins 12 losses 7 overtime losses and when he has a break Cory Schneider has been unstoppable 12 wins 3 losses 2 overtime losses. Daniel Sedin is right now the leader in points with 79 points (32 goals and 47 assists) which is a point better than Steven Stamkos and Henrik Sedin also has 74 points (15 goals and 59 assists) while Ryan Kesler has 57 points (33 goals and 24 assists) but that where it falls off with really no secondary scoring and if they continue in this way into the playoffs they have a hard time to put up goals. This means that Roberto will need to setup and make the big save to win the low scoring game in the playoffs and will need Maxim Lapierre and Chris Higgins to put up a few timely goals in the playoffs and goals in the playoffs it is not how many but it is when you score them.
Up Coming key games
March 23 - @ Red Wings, Peditors Home (march 3) Away (March 29), Coyotes Home (march 18) Away (March 8), Kings Home (March 31) Away (March 5), March 10 - @ Sharks
The middle pack of the Canadian teams are trying to make the playoffs and working hard to get into the playoffs or trying to stay in the playoffs.
The Montreal Canadiens are strongly in the middle of the Eastern Conference and solidly in the playoffs with a 8 point advantage over the Buffalo Sebres who are in the 9Th spot in the comference and have one of the biggest surprises of the season which has been the play of goalie Carey Price has 28 wins with a 919 saving %, and a goals against 2.41 and he was amazing at the beginning season and set the tempo of the Canadiens season. The Canadiens are super duper @ home record with a 20-8-6-46 and it is the reason for their 33-23-7-73 overall record but they are having a down streak to their season with a 3-5-2 in their last 10 games while Carey Price has only won 1 game in regulation time in his last 5 games. The Canadiens are not great at goal scoring with Brian Gionta is 22 goals while Tomas Plekanec is leading with 49 points which is a .8 point a game and huge drop off from there.
Up Coming Key matches
Bruins Home (march 8) Away (March 24), Lightening Away (March 5) and Home (March 17), @ Penguins (March 12), Capitals Home (March 15 & 26), @ Rangers (March 18)
The Calgary Flames has the same 73 points as the Canadiens but because they are in the Western Conference they are in much more of a dog fight to get into the playoffs as they are only a point ahead of being out of the playoffs. The reason they are having to fight teeth and nails is because Jerome Iginla only got his head into the season after the first 15 games as he only had 8 points at this time but he was not the only one Kiprusoff started off very weak this season and also the firing of Darryl Sutter put a fire under the Flames players as JAROME IGINLA has 50 points in the last 49 games and ALEX TANGUAY with 48 points and OLLI JOKINEN with 44 points have a wakeup call. MIIKKA KIPRUSOFF has 28 wins with a 2.56 goals against, and a 908 saving % and will need to win as much as possible to separate themselves from the pack because west is hugely bunched with a win streak could get a team a home ice advantage spot in the playoffs especially with the huge 4 point games that happen when a Western conference opponent.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were down out and sucking their thumbs earlier this season while fans were worried that they would be given the Bruins a top 5 pick in this summer's entry draft but instead it looks like they gave them a solid defenseman in Tomas Kaberle even though the Leafs are making a huge charge towards the playoffs now only out by 4 points going into Tuesday match ups with a 27-27-9-63 record this season. The reason for this charge would have to be created to Joey Crabb and especially James Reimer (10-4-3 with 2 shutouts along a goals against of 2.31 and 929 saving %) who has gained the confidence of the players in front him unlike the veteran goalie J S Giguere and the experiment of Jonas GUSTAVSSON and should be a finalist for the rookie of the year and if he gets the Leafs into the playoffs he should win the award. Phil Kessel has 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points in his last 10 games after a feud with Ron Wilson along the all-star disaster where he was pick last during the player selection for the game while he had 34 points in his first 53 games this season. The Leafs found gem known as Clarke MACARTHUR who has 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points to lead the Leafs while MIKHAIL GRABOVSKI has found a comfort zone at least for now with 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points but really right now they will need to win as many games as possible and will need the Hurricanes and Sabres to slip and fall a little bit.
Up Coming Key Games
Sabres (March 12 & 29) and @ Hurricanes (March 16)
The fight for the first overall draft pick for this summer's entry draft
Ottawa Senators are in a good position for the first overall draft pick with a game less and 3 points behind the Edmonton Oilers who right now hold down the most ping pong balls and the Senators have decided to strip themselves bare going into the off season with Mike Fisher now in Nashville, Alex Kovlov in Pittsburgh, and Chris Campoli now in Chicago. The big one was Elliot for Craig Anderson who has come in from Colorado and done something not really needed now which is good goaltending that is helping them win games so basically Senators Fans must be wondering why the Senators had not done is deal a lot earlier and I guess the reason would of been that Anderson was so amazing that if they had trade him a lot earlier it would of been a lot more costly. Sadly with him out with an injury Daniel ALFREDSSON is seeing the end of his long career with the Senators and I guess the thing he may wished he had another shot at would the Stanley Cup.
Edmonton Oilers started their youth movement a few seasons ago with players like Taylor Hall and JORDAN EBERLE to go with younger but a little more experience in SAM GAGNER and ALES HEMSKY along with ANDREW COGLIANO make the Oilers future looking bright as in a couple of seasons they will be a team to recking with. Also to get Dustin Penner off the books is a look into the Oilers future of having to write nice big cheques to their young stars and are in the driver seat for the first overall draft pick which they could trade for some experience to try to advance the growth of this young team or get a good prospect to go with everyone else.
Lets hope a Canadian team can finally bring the cup back to the great white north
Tom Mehegan
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