Requiem for Nashville

The image you see has absolutely nothing to do with the eulogy that I am about to deliver for the Nashville Predators.  Actually, it does, since Preds fans have been known to throw catfish onto the ice after a Preds goal, but that's beside the point.  Where was I?  Oh yeah, today, we are gathered here today to say goodbye to the 2010-2011 Nashville Predators.

This year's Predators were unlike every other team in years past.  Sure, they play quite possibly the most boring style of hockey west of New Jersey, and sure, naming five Predators players can be quite a task (before this year's playoffs).  However, Nashville reached new highs with an appearance in the second round this year and quite possibly the most complete team in franchise history.  All of this was made possible thanks to consistency in the front office and behind the bench, things the Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets could learn from.  From the very beginning in 1998, the Predators have been GM David Poile, coach Barry Trotz, and the first ever draft pick in David Legwand.  If you were to ask me how the Predators could have competed for the Stanley Cup in any season, it begins with the players buying into Trotz's coaching philosophies, no matter who suits up in a Predators uniform and even after thirteen years behind the bench.  The current Predators can hang their hat on Pekka Rinne, who could very well be a much taller version of Dominik Hasek in that Rinne can steal a few games for them, and almost has to most of the time.  Don't forget about Shea Weber (if he resigns with the team) and his menacing slapshot from the blueline or his defense partner Ryan Suter, the foundation for a defense first mentality that builds towards the frontlines.  Want offense?  Patric Hornqvist has posted back-to-back 30 goal seasons, and combine that with Mike Fisher, who could very well be Nashville's first face of the franchise (being married to Carrie Underwood has its benefits), and playoff breakout Joel Ward, and Nashville has all the makings of a great team.  Alas, it wasn't meant to be this year, as they just simply ran into a team that was more talented than them.  It was never about heart for Nashville, for they have always had that, even when the arena was less than capacity, which is the truest testament to the team and the front office.

As I wrap up this eulogy, let us remember the good times this team had this year, and the way they went out, like real champions.  Nashville Predators, you were a worthy opponent, but the talent level was simply not enough to overcome a team that has all the motivation in the world to win it all.

The Merry Go Round Stops Here

It just wouldn't be a Philadelphia Flyers season without the annual merry-go-round that is the goaltending situation.  And on Friday, that ride was unplugged until October.  The Flyers were unceremoniously swept out of the playoffs by the Boston Bruins...one post-season later.  Granted, this ride was running on all cylinders last year, when they managed to come all the way back from a 3-0 series hole, but you had to know that at some point, it was going to be shut down.  Little did anyone know that the team that blew the 3-0 series lead to the Flyers...would be the one to have that honor a year later.  The goalies in this year's merry-go-round?  Brian Boucher, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Michael Leighton.  Boucher was the guy that always seemed to have one bright, shining moment, but for the most part, never truly put it together consistently in his career.  On any other team, he would be a backup goaltender, but on the Flyers, he's a part-time starter.  For a while, Bobrovsky was in the discussion for the Calder Trophy, but then his first playoff game happened, and he was pretty much relegated to the bench, only to be anointed the starter in two of the games against Boston.  And the desperation move by the Flyers?  Michael Leighton, who was in the minors for most of the season when he wasn't hurt, and he started a couple of games in the playoffs, yet showed none of the 2010 post-season form.

Why the perpetual revolving door?  Only the guys in the Flyers' front office can answer that, but in the Flyers' history since their inaugural season in 1967, the only names in goaltending that have mattered at all have been Bernie Parent, Pelle Lindbergh, and Ron Hextall, and the last one on that list last played for them in the late 90's.  Here's another thing to ponder, as the door gets shut on the Flyers' season: the players that have suited up in goal for the Flyers since 2000-01?  Roman Chechmanek, Brian Boucher (twice), Maxime Ouellet, Neil Little (twice), Robert Esche, Sean Burke, Jeff Hackett, Antero Niitymaki, Martin Biron, Martin Houle, Michael Leighton (twice), Johan Backlund, Ray Emery, Jeremy Duchesne, and Sergei Bobrovsky.

That's fifteen goalies in a ten-year span that have at some point, suited up as a starting goaltender for the Flyers, and three of those have had more than one stint as a starter.  Compare that to every Stanley Cup winning team in that span, and the closest anyone could get to the Flyers' situation would be the 2007 Anaheim Ducks, who had two good goaltenders, and usually solve that problem by sending one of them to another team.  The Flyers, well, they don't truly have that one goaltender who you can say is the definitive starter or could start for another team, and until the goaltending situation is solved, Flyers fans will be on the merry-go-round again.

Lightning Strikes...7 Years Later

Yesterday, I gave my reasons for Washington's collapse against the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Now, the other side of that argument: my reasons for why Tampa Bay could make the Stanley Cup Finals.  So, without further ado, let's get to it:

*Winning hockey begins with the man in the net, otherwise known as the goaltender.  Watch any of the Stanley Cup Finals from the last two decades or so, and more often than not, you will see a team with a good goaltender, the 2010 Flyers notwithstanding.  What does this have to do with the Lightning?  Well, if you remember their 2004 Stanley Cup team, they got clutch goaltending from Nikolai Khabibulin.  This year's goaltender, Dwayne Roloson has been replicating that performance, and has solved the goaltending quandary that Dan Ellis and Mike Smith could not answer this season.

*Quick, name the Lightning's leading goal scorer. *waits a few seconds* Time's up.  Now, would you believe me if I told you that the leading goal scorer on the team is Sean Bergenheim?  No?  I don't blame you.  However, as the Penguins and Capitals can tell you, the Lightning is more than just Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier.  The Islanders cast-off has been the best player on the team not named Dwayne Roloson this post-season, and whoever the Lightning face in the Conference Finals had better account for one more option on offense.  Now, that's a scary thought.

*Speaking of Stamkos, St. Louis, and Lecavalier, that trio has begun to show signs of life recently, particularly Stamkos.  Until game 5 against Pittsburgh, Stamkos had not been on the score sheet.  Meanwhile, both St. Louis and Lecavalier have shown that winning hockey never goes away, no matter how long you've been away.  That attitude and the know-how both possess from the 2004 run are now being passed through the rest of the team, which explains why the likes of Bergenheim and Steve Downie are major contributors, and why the kids like Stamkos and Victor Hedman aren't scared off by the pressure.

*Remember when I told you that the Tampa Bay blue line would be their downfall?  Well, there is no accounting for commitment to a system, and coach Guy Boucher has his team buying into it.  From day one, the Lightning have bought into the system, and now, that is beginning to bear fruit, particularly with the likes of Nate Thompson, Mattias Ohlund, and Hedman.

Now, can the Lightning make it to the Stanley Cup Finals?  I won't bet against them, but the race to be the Eastern Conference representative suddenly looks open, and Tampa Bay wants to be that team.  It could happen.

Another Disappointing Defeat

It's Puck Night tonight, but there won't be any more of those for the Washington Capitals as of last night.  It's one thing to lose to the eighth seeded Montreal Canadiens in seven games, as they did last year, but now for something much more humiliating: being swept out of the playoffs by your division rival Tampa Bay Lightning. Yes, you read that correctly, and no, it wasn't supposed to be like this, as any Caps fan will tell you.  So, what went wrong?  As I see it, it goes along the lines of:

*The Capitals' commitment to defense resulted in them not generating enough offense.  Before you say anything else, it should be noted that the Capitals were trying to actually add defense to their offensive firepower.  However, along the way, Alex Ovechkin didn't have the help that he normally did, with Niklas Backstrom disappearing this post-season, and Mike Green doing his usual disappearing act.  Ovechkin can carry a team if needed, but even the best need help, and the Caps just simply didn't have it.

*Goaltending showed its age, as in the lack of experience finally caught up to Michal Neuvirth.  Even though he played well in the first round, it was against the New York Rangers, who lack considerable talent.  Against Tampa Bay, this lack of experience was exposed, particularly since the bulk of the scoring came from the role players on the Lightning.  The Dominic Moores and Sean Bergenheims of the world were arguably the second best players on the team, behind Dwayne Roloson (more on him later).

*Center remains a sore spot for the Capitals, as the search for a second line center continues.  Jason Arnott was brought in to be that guy, but he's not a long term solution.  Of course, the real problem goes back to Backstrom disappearing in the playoffs, leaving Arnott to be the most productive center on the team.  Again, two productive centers is a good thing to have, and the Caps just didn't have that this post-season.

*Dwayne Roloson.  Yes, he's 41, and yes, he had been toiling for some really bad teams lately, but when there's a team like the Lightning in front of him, he can make a team's blue line group look good.  He's proven his ability to steal a game for the Lightning this season, as the Pittsburgh Penguins will tell you in game 7.

High expectations for the Capitals have once again, weighed the team down in dismal fashion.  It will be another long off-season for the Capitals, as they have to go back to the drawing board, potentially with a new head coach.

Zombies and Power Tools

The latest bloody offering from Alan Spencer is a fairy straight-forward story of zombies and power tools titled, you guessed it, Zombies and Power Tools.  The premise of the story is that Sam Kolke, the owner of the local cemetery, gets attacked by four corpses.  The corpses leave a message in blood of "CONFESS MURDERER" and soon, the local sheriff gets involved.  Before long, Sam, Bruce (the sheriff), and Walter are all having to keep their secret from their loved ones, with Bruce going as far as to cover up any evidence of the zombie attacks.  However, the newly revived corpses remain persistent in their quest to coerce confessions from the trio, eventually resorting to killing the townsfolk by unusual means: with miter saws, wood chippers, and other forms of power tools.  Do the trio confess their murders and live or do they die with their secrets?  The only way to find out is to read on.

For the first quarter of the story, there isn't much in the way of gore, as Zombies and Power Tools decides to build its story through Sam, Bruce, and Walter, as well as Sam's son Ryan and his wife Stacy.  Throughout the story, references to Lillie Table and Frank Mueller are made, and they will be important figures to the story, as the reader will figure out.  When the first murders happen, everything seems to snowball from there, and soon, the entire town suffers at the hands of the zombies, which grow in numbers as the story progresses through unusual means.  No detail of how this happens is spared, and though it is unbelievable to many, logic does not apply in horror, movie or book form.  The story itself is somewhat plodding, particularly the the first half, but like a puzzle, the reader will feel compelled to complete it just to see what the finish looks like.  Want blood?  Zombies and Power Tools has plenty, and it doesn't hold back.  Recommended if you like mindless violence, but don't expect any part of the story to make sense.  Then again, if you're a horror fan, you expect things to not make sense.

Golfing Again

FLORIDA PANTHERS


It's been a decade since the Florida Panthers have made the playoffs, and it doesn't look any better this offseason.  Tomas Vokoun had an off year by his standards, but given the talent in front of him, even the best can't overcome that.  He is likely playing elsewhere next year, since Jakob Markstrom is knocking on the door to start.  Michael Frolik put up decent numbers before being traded to Chicago at the trade deadline.  He continued that good scoring pace when the playoffs rolled around until the team's elimination in seven games.  And the award to most boneheaded move goes to the Panthers for sending Michael Grabner down to the minors, only to have the New York Islanders claim him before he could clear waivers.  All Grabner did was score 30+ goals for an Islanders team that has a future ahead...if they can clear their back end situation.

Keep Drilling

EDMONTON OILERS


I thought the Oilers would go through their growing pains.  However, it wasn't supposed to end up with Taylor Hall missing the last 17 games or so for a fighting injury, or Ales Hemsky missing half the season to injury.  Before being injured, Hemsky was on a near point-a-game pace, with 42 points in 47 games.  Goaltending is still as muddied now as it was in the beginning.  Nikolai Khabibulin had a 10-32-4 record and a 3.40 GAA.  And no one is for sure if Devan Dubnyk can be a starter, but there's no better time than next season to find out.  Jordan Eberle was my pick to be a breakout of the three heralded rookies, and while he did lead the team with 43 points, he also missed a few games to injury.  In fact, the top 4 offensive leaders (Eberle, Hemsky, Sam Gagner, and Hall) all missed time to injury, so if all can stay healthy next year, I think there's a light at the end of the tunnel for them.  Of course, having the first overall pick in this year's draft won't hurt, either.