DatsyukownzU13

crowd is dead.

This. Letterman is a big fan of hockey and is always at MSG.

God I love Datsyuk.. FSN should interview him after every game.

Mainly started this becuase I wanted to see how many of you think that Columbus has a realistic chance at the playoffs this year. With the way Mason is playing I really think they are going to be competing for that 7 or 8 spot (they are 7 right now I believe). Mine: 1. San Jose 2. Detroit 3. Vancouver 4. Chicago 5. Anaheim 6. Calgary 7. Columbus 8. Dallas I have a feeling Dallas is going to sneak in to that number 8 spot by the end of the season.

I'll mention the bad before the good. McCollum single-handedly led the U.S. out of the World Junior Championships in the first game that actually mattered (5-3 loss to Slovakia). The U.S. team can't medal at all, despite being a top 3 team in the tournament. Granted you can't judge a goalie based on a handful of games, he totally dropped the ball in some intense competition which doesn't bode well for his future. Now the good: Daniel Larsson is a G. In his last 3 games, he is 3-0-0 with 2 shutouts and one goal against (the one goal was scored in a game in which the other team had 41 shots on him). He has been clearly outplaying Jimmy Howard (who did post a shutout in his last game but has been pretty mediocre). Larsson is ranked 5th among goaltenders in the AHL and his stat lines is: 12-3-1, 2.29 GAA, .924 SV%, 4 Shutouts. GR is in a game right now and its tied 1-1 going into the third period (Larsson has 18 saves). I really want Larsson to get some consideration for the backup spot next year, though I doubt they are just going to let Howard leave. But he's clearly been better in only his first season in NA.

This is really sad. To be honest, I'm surprised this sort of thing doesn't happen more often. The amount of times that players fall on their back without helmets on after fights is pretty high. I don't think it will lead to any rule changes, though (if it happened in the NHL it may though).

Rangers vs. Devils in NYC. or Habs vs. Bruins in Boston. I like the second one more.

Crosby's goal was much nicer than Flip's. That's why it got more hype. Flip basically shot as he went airborne, whereas Crosby was flat out in the air in between two defenseman and then scored.

Wings prospect Joakim Andersson had a goal and 2 assists for the Swedes in their romp of Latvia tonight.

It's all opinion. I find the WJC far more entertaining than the Memorial cup.

Definitely a no on the Rangers. They are easily the most overrated team in the NHL right now. As for the OP, Boston has a great mixture of skill, size and grit. Mix that with great goaltending and you have an elite team. The real question is does Tim Thomas ever end up reverting back to his play of last season? I guess they have Fernandez if that were to happen, but I just don't see the goalie stats keeping up at their current rate forever. With the emergence of Krejci, Kessel and Wheeler (and re-emergence of Ryder), they have so many skilled forwards that it's hard to look past them.

I'm excited at the prospect of multiple teams having a chance at the Cup. Vancouver is now thrown in with Detroit, San Jose, Anaheim and maybe even Chicago. I wouldn't be surprised to see any of these teams upset us (but yes I would still call it an upset - except in the Sharks case). Not to mention the East with the emergence of Philly and Boston added in with the Pens, Rangers, Habs and Devils. Looks like it's going to be a fun post-season.

Chris Neil por favor.

Chris Pronger. Probably the most hated player in the game, but he is definitely a great defenseman to have on your blue line. I was watching the Sharks - Ducks game last night and he is definitely a top 5 defenseman in the league. He was shutting down great scoring chances easily because of his reach and he almost scored a couple times. As much as I hate him, I wouldn't mind having him on my team.

is it on TV or something?

The WJC is coming up pretty soon and I figured we should get a list going of Wings prospects that are going to be playing. Sweden: Joakim Andersson United States: Thomas McCollum That's all I've got so far.

Yeah that worried me a bit too. I bet he gets a little less consideration due to the fact he's not playing in the OHL, QMJHL or WHL. He's second on the Badgers in points as a defenseman and they play some of the best college teams so it seems like he's playing well.

where do you see that about college students? That's awesome.

Larsssssssssson

Not gonna happen.

the line.

Win - Point Loss - No Points That's how it should be... loser points have never quite made sense to me. You definitely don't get any consolation points when you lose in the playoffs.

A team that can win the close games is definitely better off come playoff time. Edit: unless they are playing the Avalanche.

I'm probably gonna be in Chicago on the day of the game (but I doubt I'm gonna go to the game). If you know of any cool bars or places to watch the game (and the Michigan State football game) let me know. I'm trying to get a Winter Classic jersey before then so I can rep the D properly.

We drafted Frazen instead of Edler (well he was taken in that round at least), so I'm content with that one. Enstrom pulled a Z and D and slipped by a lot of people (though I think he's a little overrated to be honest).