Unusually quiet trade deadline for the NHL

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

Rick Nash was one of the big names not moved on Monday.

The NHL Trade Deadline is one of the most exciting days for hockey fans. Everyone is sitting at work watching their twitter feeds, refreshing the NHL Trade Tracker on NHL.com or watching NHL Tradecentre on NHL Network and TSN to see who or what their beloved team is going to acquire. The fans’ “wants” may sometimes differ from “needs” of the team” and that is what makes it so exciting. It’s always fun checking the rumor blogs everyday for a month leading up to the deadline, some of the rumors become done deals while others don’t get past the rumor stage. This year, it felt like none of the rumors came true. Which brings us to “the trade” that never happened.

Rick Nash, the most talented player available at this year’s deadline, was involved in all kinds of rumors for about a month. Rumors started gaining some steam in the beginning of February. Some say he was packing his bags and catching a flight to L.A while other sources had Brandon Dubinsky along with several other Rangers heading to Columbus in exchange for Nash. It was later revealed that Nash had asked GM Scott Howson for a trade out of Columbus but he never got one. When the clock hit 3pm ET, Rick Nash remained a Blue Jacket and a frustrated one to say the least. He didn’t want to wait until the summer to be traded but it looks like that is now going to be the case. The 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist told the media after practice on Tuesday that his trade request was for all the right reasons and nothing selfish. He believed the hockey club could bring back several good hockey players along with top draft picks, which would help move the rebuild along in Columbus. The New York Rangers are believed to have been the closest to acquiring Nash on Monday, offering Brandon Dubinsky, J.T Miller, Tim Erixon, Christian Thomas and a 1st round draft pick, Howson declined that offer. Therefore, for the time being, Rick Nash will remain a member and captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets.  However, I do believe he will have played his last game as a Blue Jacket on April 7th when they host the New York Islanders in their final game of the season as a draft-day deal seems imminent. 

Now for the few trades that actually did occur on the February 27th, Cody Hodgson was probably the biggest name dealt. Vancouver sent the young promising forward to Buffalo in exchange for Zack Kassian. Hodgson has played with Buffalo’s Tyler Ennis and Tyler Myers in the past so it shouldn’t take him long to adjust to life in Buffalo. The Sabres also dealt the gritty forward Paul Gaustad to Nashville for a 1st round pick. This deal had many people scratching their heads. I’m not sure if Gaustad is worth a 1st round pick but obviously Nashville’s GM David Poile thought differently. He will add some toughness to the lineup, which will be needed come playoff time. The Predators have had a lot of success over the last few years but have yet to find their way to the finals. The Gaustad deal may just be another attempt to keep pending unrestricted free agent Ryan Suter in Nasvhille. Obviously the deciding factor for Suter come July 1st is not going to be whether or not Paul Gaustad is on the roster. However, it does prove that Poile is doing everything he can to improve this team and make a run at the Stanley Cup. The Predators also acquired Andrei Kostitsyn from Montreal for a 2nd round pick and a conditional 5th round pick. Kostitsyn will join his brother Sergei in Nashville who was also traded from Montreal in June of 2010.

Another fairly big trade involved defenseman Nick Schultz leaving Minnesota with Edmonton’s Tom Gilbert heading the other way. Schultz, a 2nd round draft pick in 2000, has played every game in a Wild uniform. Meanwhile, Gilbert will be returning home to Minnesota where he grew up in Minneapolis. 

In a few minor deals, the New York Islanders sent veterans Mike Mottau and Brian Rolston to Boston for 2 prospects. Tampa Bay’s GM Steve Yzerman sent Long Island native Matt Gilroy to Ottawa for Brian Lee and acquired veteran Mike Commodore from Detroit for a conditional 7th round pick in 2013. 

The biggest trades were made prior to the February 27th deadline with Columbus dealing Jeff Carter to the Kings for Jack Johnson and a conditional 1st round pick. The Rangers sent Wojtek Wolski to Florida for a 3rd round pick and Mike Vernace. The New Jersey Devils acquired Marek Zidlicky from Minnesota in exchange for former Wild players Kurtis Foster and Stephan Veilleux along with Nick Palmieri, a 2nd round pick in 2012 and a conditional 3rd round pick in 2013. With Craig Anderson out for a few weeks due to injury and uncertainty behind him, Ottawa addressed their goaltending needs by adding young Ben Bishop from St.Louis for a 2013 2nd round pick. This was a great trade for both teams with the Blues already having two all-star caliber goalies in Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot. 

All in all, this was one of the quietest trade deadlines in years. There was nearly double the amount of trades just two years ago with many more high-profile names on the move. However, there was not that big of a difference between this year and last year as far as the number of trades go. Will this trend continue next year and for years to come? There just simply were not as many sellers as we have seen in the past, which would obviously result in fewer trades. With the standings being so tight in both conferences, it seems like every GM in the league feels their team has a chance to make the playoffs. They are not going to trade any valuable pieces away if they feel they are still in the tick of the playoff race. When UFAs hit the open market on July 1st, general managers will certainly be a lot busier than this past weekend. With stars like Ryan Suter, Zack Parise and Alexander Semin set to test the open market, it should be interesting to see where they land. 

Malkin has the team on his back

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

Evgeni Malkin has excelled this season without Sid the Kid.

Evgeni Malkin is performing just fine with the absence of Sidney Crosby.

The face of the NHL, Sidney Crosby, has played just 8 games since January 5th of last year. It all started when Washington’s David Steckel put a hit on Crosby in the 2011 Winter Classic. The play was obviously deemed questionable by members of the Penguins and the hockey community as nobody wants to see a player like him get hurt. He repeatedly denied the notion of being injured on the play. Therefore, he stepped on the ice for the Penguins in their next contest against Tampa Bay.  During this game on January 5th, just four days after the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman hit Crosby hard along the boards. He would end up finishing the game, but missed the rest of the season with a concussion and has played just 8 games this season. Whether you are a player on the Penguins roster, Owner Mario Lemieux, Coach Bylsma, GM Ray Shero, or simply a Penguins fan, you have to be concerned not only for Sid, but also for the Penguins as a team. 

Apparently, Evgeni Malkin wasn’t too concerned; he may have even been excited. The Russian star has been absolutely dominant this season without Crosby in the lineup and has helped Pittsburgh compete for the Atlantic Division and a playoff spot. While playing just 52 games this season, he has accumulated 71 points with 23 games still to be played. He leads the league with his 71 points; only Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos has more goals than his 32 and is currently 7th in the league with 39 assists. He is without a doubt, the number one reason why this Penguins team is sitting in the top 8 in the Eastern Conference. Not to take anything away from James Neal, Marc-Andre Fleaury or head coach Dan Bylsma, they wouldn’t be where they are without them either. However, nobody has been as good as Malkin, in the entire league, let alone the Penguins. 

It is scary to think somebody can be this good without arguably the best player in the world. Malkin has proved over the course of his career that he is a better player on the ice without Crosby, averaging 1.47 points per game as compared to 1.14 with him. He seems to perform at an extremely high level when the pressure and the spotlight are on him. It is even scarier to think about how good this team could be if he performs like this, if or when, Crosby returns to the ice. Can he keep it up? If history repeats itself, he probably won’t since he has proven to be a better player without Crosby. The Penguins’ coaching staff might want to figure that one out. If they do, I don’t see this team losing a playoff series. 

Is Pavel Datsyuk the best player in the NHL?

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

The 6th round draft choice of the Detroit Red Wings has come a long way since ‘98.

If there is one thing the Detroit Red Wings are good at, besides winning, it’s finding late-round gems in the NHL Draft. The three best examples are Tomas Holmstrom (10th round, 1994), Henrik Zetterberg (7th round, 1999) and Pavel Datsyuk (6th round, 1998). 

When Detroit selected Datsyuk 171st overall in Buffalo at the 1998 draft, I don’t think anybody within the organization knew what they were getting as a player and a person, then again, maybe they did. Fourteen years later, he has turned into an elite two-way forward in the National Hockey League. In fact, there are not many players better than him right now. The three-time Selke Trophy winner is arguably the best defensive forward in the league and his career +206 rating doesn’t hurt that argument. There are very few players in the world more responsible in the defensive zone while producing offensively at a world-class level. 

Not only is Datsyuk a fantastic player on the ice, he is a great person and leader in the locker room. He won four consecutive Lady Byng Memorial Trophies from 2006-2009. The Lady Byng is awarded to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. If somebody were to ask Detroit’s head coach, Mike Babcock, to describe Pavel Datsyuk, those may be his exact words. 

On the ice, he has accumulated 710 points in 720 games in his 10-year career, all with Detroit. He also leads the league with 30 career shootout goals since it was integrated in the NHL during the 2005-2006 season. If you are a hockey fan, you have probably seen his ridiculous shootout moves. The things this guy is able to do with the puck, one on one with a goalie or one on one with a defenseman is just pure entertainment. His stick handling skills are amongst the best in the world, if not the best. If you haven’t seen any of the magic, check out some of the best “Datsyukian dekes”.

The Wings have made the playoffs 9 times, won 8 Central Division championships, 3 Western Conference championships, and 2 Stanley Cups since Datsyuk arrived in Detroit 9 seasons ago. He is without question, the most talented and best two way forward in the National Hockey League and maybe the world. If I had to start a hockey team with one player today, I would have to flip a coin to choose between Pavel Datsyuk and Sidney Crosby, he is that good. With Crosby sidelined with ongoing health issues, hockey fans are starting to realize that. 

Ever since Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin came into the league, they have been the face of the NHL and I think that is fine with Datsyuk. That is what I love most about him, it doesn’t matter how much attention he gets from the media, he goes to work everyday and gets the job done. Regardless of his social status, he has a lot to be proud of for what he has accomplished at the age of 33. 

He is a great example of a young kid who had an opportunity and ran with it, and hasn’t looked back. There are millions of young athletes around the world that should take a look at him and realize how he has accomplished everything he has. He wasn’t selected 1st overall in the draft like other superstar athletes but that didn’t matter to him. Nothing in life, especially sports, will ever come easy and he is a perfect example of that. He understands it took hard work, confidence, and determination to get to where he is today and humbleness to remain there. If you can model yourself after him, you sure as hell have a chance to be successful. So is Pavel Datsyuk the best player in the NHL? It would be hard to argue against it. 

Ken Hitchcock leading Blues towards playoff berth

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

St.Louis is looking to make the playoffs for just the 2nd time since 2004

The St. Louis Blues were once known as the most mediocre team in hockey. They are the owners of a remarkable streak of 25 consecutive post-season appearances from 1980-2004, the third longest streak in the history of the National Hockey League. However, the only thing they were ever able to win was the President’s Trophy for having the league’s best record. Since that streak ended in 2004, they have only returned to the playoffs once. In 2009, the Vancouver Canucks swept them in a quick quarterfinals series. 

At the start of this season, it didn’t look like they would be reaching the playoffs anytime soon. The Blues were coming off a disappointing 2011 campaign, finishing 4th in the Central Division and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Head coach, Davis Payne, was not getting the results he or the franchise wanted, starting 8-7-0, so GM Doug Armstrong decided to make some changes. Armstrong hired Ken Hitchcock to replace Payne behind the bench, and boy was it ever the right decision. Hitchcock, a former Stanley Cup winning coach, is now 27-8-7 since taking over and has the Blues sitting comfortably in the Western Conference standings. After Detroit’s 22nd consecutive win at home on Friday night over Nashville, the Blues now trail the Wings by 5 points for the Central Division lead and first place in the Western Conference. 

The early season struggles for the Blues were directly related to poor goaltending. They thought they had a franchise goaltender in Jaroslav Halak who was entering his second season with St.Louis. He couldn’t stop a beach ball in the first month of the season, luckily for him; some guy named Brian Elliot came along to bail him out. Elliot signed a one-year deal with the Blues the day Free Agency opened on July 1st, 2011. He ended up having an outstanding first half of the season, earning himself a trip to Ottawa for the All-Star game. He is 19-5-2 this season with a league-leading 1.61 goals against average and  .940 save percentage, only Henrik Lundqvist has a better save percentage. It is now February and the Blues have the greatest problem a team can have, two ridiculous goaltenders. Hitchcock took over on November 6th and since then, Halak has won 15 games for the Blues while losing just 4 in regulation and 5 in extra time. 

Call him what you want, but the man is a savior for this franchise and has my vote for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. He has the record (555-361-88-74) and a Stanley Cup ring to prove he can win in the National Hockey League. He brought the Dallas Stars to two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in 1999, beating the Buffalo Sabres and losing to the New Jersey Devils in 2000. Thirteen years later, at the age of 60, the Blues are hoping he has enough left in the tank to bring some hardware back to St.Louis.

Who Will Be Moved before the NHL Trade Deadline?

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

All eyes are on the Columbus Blue Jackets leading up to the February 27^th trade deadline

Rick Nash, LW, CBJ- The 1st overall pick in 2002 by the Columbus Blue Jackets may be on his way out before 3pm on February 27th.  Nash is one of the elite goal scorers in the league and is by far the most sought after player at this years deadline. He has scored 40 goals twice in his 8-year career, now in his 9th, and has at least 30 goals in 6 of his first 8 seasons. He currently has just 18 goals, but if he is dealt to a team that can score more goals than Columbus who has just 133 goals on the season (28th overall), he should be able to reach 30. 

Like every year, Rangers GM Glen Sather will be active at this years trade deadline. It has been reported the Rangers have inquired about Rick Nash and the asking price will include Brandon Dubinsky, Michael Del Zotto and Chris Kreider, along with several other players, prospects or draft picks. Whether or not Sather is willing to part ways with those young players remains to be seen. In my opinion, the Rangers have had a tremendous season up to this point and Del Zotto has been a big surprise for them this season. Henrik Lundqvist is arguably the best goaltender in the league and the team has not given up more than 4 goals in a single game all year. Is offense that big of an issue for this Rangers team? Is Rick Nash really worth getting rid of these core players like Del Zotto, Dubinsky, possibly Stepan or top prospect Chris Kreider, currently playing for Boston College? Ranger fans may say this season is their best chance to win the Cup and Nash can help their chances if the right package is sent the other way. On the other hand, a trade can also hurt their chances if Sather sends too many valuable players to Columbus. The Rangers are looking for that missing piece to make a strong playoff run, will it be Rick Nash? The other front-runner to grab Nash is the L.A Kings. To say the Kings have struggled to score goals this season would be an understatement. Despite their 30th ranked offense, they are holding on to the 8th spot in the West with Calgary just one win behind them. Landing a premier goal scorer like Rick Nash can help them make a final push to get into the playoffs. The Blue Jackets may be asking for a goaltender if L.A were the team on the other end, in this case it would be Jonathan Bernier. Dustin Penner has also been reported to be a player that would be sent in the deal. 

Some other notable players that could be dealt by the deadline include, P.A Parenteau, NYI, Luke Schenn, TOR, Ales Hemsky, EDM, Ryan Suter, NAS, and Jeff Carter, CBJ. More information and news about these players and the 2012 NHL deadline will be available, as we get closer to the 27th.

Lundqvist blanks Bruins in 3-0 win

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

In the game of the night, the first place Rangers came into Boston to take on the 2nd place Bruins. When it was all said and done, New York extended their lead over Boston to 9 points with a 3-0 shutout win at TD Garden. 

With the Bruins’ Zdeno Chara in the penalty box, Ryan Callahan extended his scoring streak to 4 games as he opened the scoring halfway through the 1st period. The Rangers converted on their only powerplay opportunity of the night and are now 5 -13 on the powerplay in their last 4 games. They still rank just 25th in the league with a 14.8 PP% which tells you how abysmal it was up until this recent hot streak. 

Ryan McDonagh, who scored on Sunday in a win against Washington, made it 2-0 with just 12 seconds remaining in the opening period as his shot deflected off Zdeno Chara’s leg and past Tim Thomas. 

Rangers’ Artem Anisimov gave New York a three-goal lead just 3 minutes into the 3rd period. Anisimov flew down the right wing on a 2 on 1 with Michael Del Zotto and elected to shoot and beat Tim Thomas. 

The Bruins heavily outshot the Rangers in this game but Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 42 shots he faced in his league leading 7th shutout of the season. Defending Vezina Trophy winner, Tim Thomas, allowed 3 goals on just 20 shots. The Rangers have now won 4 consecutive games against Boston. 

Boston will travel to Montreal to faceoff against the rival Canadiens tomorrow at the Bell Centre. The Rangers will be back in New York to host the struggling Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. 

Why Hockey is the Greatest Sport On Earth

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

The NHL deserves a lot more respect than it gets.

As a sports fan, I tend to think that the “Major” sports leagues in the United States are the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA and MLS, in no particular order. However, I think it is apparent that the NHL is not even close to the others when it comes to recognition by sports fans across the country as well as the media. Being a hockey fan myself, it is hard to come up with any arguments against the NHL. In that case, here are my arguments for it.

The Fans. I can tell you that every fan of the NHL is a die-hard fan. Whether you are a Blackhawks fan, Redwings fan, Islanders fan or a Rangers fan, those fans have one thing in common, and that is the sport of hockey. It seems like the fact that hockey is not as popular as other sports; you have a stronger bond with other fans. I see Yankee hats everywhere I go in the world and don’t think anything of it due to that fact. When I see somebody wearing an Islanders or Rangers hat, I feel like I automatically have a connection to that fan because there is not that many hockey fans out there. The passion in hockey fans is at a level that no other sport can match.  I know many people who are Jets fans but want the Giants to win every week because they “play in New York too”. That is unheard of in the NHL, lets stick with New York here. I have never met an Islanders fan that would ever want the Rangers to even sniff anything that rhymes with success unless it benefits their beloved Isles. Is this because of the rivalry between the two? Which brings me to my next argument.

The Rivalries. The Rangers and Islanders play each other at least 6 times in an 82 game season every single year and are competing against each other for a division title. (Yes, I know the Islanders aren’t exactly competing for the Atlantic Division but that is not the point here) The Yankees, Mets, Jets, Giants and Knicks don’t have that kind of rivalry in their divisions, given the NBA only has one New York team. Now I am in no shape or form taking anything away from the rivalries these teams may have with other divisional teams such as the Red Sox and Yankees. Boston and New York is probably the greatest rivalry in sports and probably will be forever and we are starting to see it grow into other sports as well. The Giants beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl turned out to be more of a New York beating Boston than anything else. The only problem with the NFL is that it is hard to create rivalries when the playoffs are single elimination. Some of the most heated rivalries in the NHL have been formed in the playoffs because of 7 game series, and that ladies and gentleman, may be the single greatest thing in hockey.

Playoffs? Yes I am talking about playoffs, the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For those of you who are not aware of the playoff format of the NHL, I will explain. A total of 16 teams make the playoffs (Top 8 from each conference) The three division winners from each conference are seeded 1-3, the order is determined by number of points earned during the regular season. Unlike the MLB and NFL, there is no Wild Card. Those teams with next most points in the conference are seeded 4 through 8.  Once the final standings are set, #1 plays #8, #2 plays #7, #3 plays #6 and #4 plays #5 in the quarterfinals round. The teams are reseeded after every round, from the quarterfinals, semi-finals, conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals. The winners from each conference finals meet in the finals to determine the Stanley Cup Champion. If you win the division in baseball, all you need to do is win 3 games and you are already in the league championship series. In the NHL, a team needs to win 8 games just make it to the conference finals and may have to play 14. That is why the Stanley Cup is single handedly the hardest trophy to win in all of sports. The toughness it takes, physically and mentally, to win the Cup is second to none. Which brings me to my best argument of them all.

The Players. I just want to say that all professional athletes, regardless of the sport, are spectacular at what they do and nobody can take that away from them, as I would love to play a sport for a living while making millions of dollars and I am sure you would too. However, in my own opinion, hockey players are the greatest athletes on this planet and I will tell you why. The ability to play hockey at all, not just professionally, has more requirements than any other sport. Basketball is just a bunch of 6 foot 9 men dunking on a 10-foot hoop while making SportsCenter ‘s Top 10 plays the worst segment of any show on television. So, if you are one to ask how hard could hockey possibly be, well, I’ll let 3x Stanley Cup Champion, Brendan Shanahan answer that.  “I don’t know, you tell me. We need to have the strength and power of a football player, the stamina of a marathon runner, and the concentration of a brain surgeon. But we need to put all this together while moving at high speeds on a cold and slippery surface while 5 other guys use clubs to try and kill us. Oh yeah, did I mention that this whole time we’re standing on blades 1/8 of an inch thick? Is ice hockey hard? I don’t know, you tell me.” 

Yes, Drew Brees can throw a football 80 yards into his receiver’s hands in stride. Yes, Shaquille O’neal stands at 7’1 and can still magically manage to get a ball inside a hoop 3 feet over his head. Yes, Prince Fielder is 5’11 and 275 pounds but is still good at what he does. But when you can step on the ice, not on shoes, but a blade just 1/8 of an inch thick, skate as fast as an Olympic speed skater, shoot a puck 108.8 mph, block those 100+ mph shots with your face and get stitched up on the bench so you don’t miss a shift, have the endurance to play 25 minutes every game at 110%, have the strength to fight off hits from 6’5, 230 pound defensemen coming at you at full speed, and the physical and mental toughness to play an 82 game season and win 16 playoff games to win the Stanley Cup, you are a hockey player.  If you don’t appreciate these athletes for what they do or refuse to have any respect for the game of hockey, well… it's your loss, because you are truly missing out on the greatest sport in the world. 

’13 Winter Classic Festival set for Hockeytown, Thoughts?

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

The Detroit Red Wings will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in the 2013 NHL Winter Classic on January 1st. 

2013 Winter Classic to be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Winter Classic has been the game for the National Hockey League ever since it began in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, could not have asked for a better event. There was a picture perfect atmosphere in Buffalo as snowflakes fell down on Sidney Crosby and the Penguins as they topped the Sabres 2-1 in a shootout. 

We have seen the Winter Classic break the NHL attendance record in 2008 with 71,217 fans in Buffalo. In 2009, the Chicago Blackhawks played host to the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field, which drew one of the highest television ratings in American hockey history. Since then, the Flyers and Bruins played at Fenway Park in 2010, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin went head to head at Heinz Field in 2011 and most recently, the Flyers and Rangers faced off in an original six matchup at Citizens Bank Park. Every game has been outstanding so far; will the trend continue in 2013?

There are certainly many factors that should make this a great event for everyone involved; and for those that will be watching from the comfort and warmth of their own couch. For one, Michigan Stadium will be the biggest stadium to hold the Winter Classic as Gary Bettman is expecting over 110,000 fans in Ann Arbor, which would set a new attendance record for any hockey game. The Big House set the current record in 2010 when 104,173 fans came out to watch Michigan take on Michigan State. 

Secondly, this is going to be a tremendous winter festival in Detroit, not just an NHL game. The annual Winter Classic Alumni Game will be played at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. One of the biggest events planned for the Hockeytown Winter Festival is the Great Lakes Invitational. This tournament will feature Michigan Collegiate hockey teams Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Western Michigan. This tournament is held annually at Joe Louis Arena which home of the Red Wings. This is the first time the event will be held at an outdoor venue. In addition, there will be an AHL game and two OHL games along with high school and youth hockey games. This entire festival has the potential to produce something special and historic that will be hard to beat at any point in the future. 

There are also a few questions we can entertain. Will a Canadian team hurt the television ratings in America?  Should the Winter Classic count towards the standings or should it be an exhibition match like the All-Star game? What about the idea of an outdoor All-Star game? What do you think?

Home Sweet Home!

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

The Red Wings are on track to make history as they are chasing a record that is currently held by the Flyers and Bruins.

Hockey Town, Detroit

If you’re a hockey fan and you feel like the Detroit Red Wings haven’t lost at home since November 3rd, well, that’s because they haven’t. After defeating the Oilers at Joe Louis Arena on Wednesday night, the Wings are now a league-best 21-2-1 at home. Detroit’s current home win streak stands at 18 games which dates back to November 3rd when they suffered a 4-1 loss to Calgary. The all-time record for the longest home win streak in the NHL is 20 games, held by the Philadelphia Flyers (1975-1976) and Boston Bruins (1929-1930).

Wednesday nights game against Edmonton was the 1st of a 6 game home stand for the Red Wings. They will have a chance to continue their astonishing streak on Friday night when they host the Anaheim Ducks. Detroit is currently atop the Western conference with Vancouver trailing by just 3 points. The bad news for the rest of the league is that they play 17 of their last 27 games at home. The good news is, despite their 21-2-1 record at home, they are just 15-15-1 on the road. At this point, coaches are just praying they don’t have to travel to Hockey Town.

Nabby on the Rise

Posted by Dan Cafiero.

Nabokov coming in clutch as Isles shoot for a playoff spot.

Evgeni Nabokov stops Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds in the shootout (February 7th, 2012)

The New York Islanders have strung together a few wins in their last 10 games (6-2-2) and John Tavares is not the only reason why. The goaltending has been nothing short of remarkable as of late, thanks to Evgeni Nabokov. In his last 9 games, he is 7-2 while stopping 254 of the 266 shots he has faced. That is good for a GAA of 1.33 and a SV% of .955, he also has 2 shutouts to add to these ridiculous numbers. Now for those of you who don’t follow the Islanders as closely as others and think he has had an easy schedule over this hot streak, think again. He beat the Flyers twice in Philadelphia including a 45 save shutout on February 7th and made 41 saves in a 4-1 win on January 19th. He also shutout Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals at the Verizon Center on January 17th and defeated the Detroit Red Wings, stopping 23 of 24 shots in a 5-1 win in mid January.

Nabokov’s confidence is higher than it has been all season and the Islanders need it to be if they are going to have a chance of making the playoffs. With arguably their best defenseman, Travis Hamonic, out for a few weeks with facial injuries, goaltending is going to be crucial for the Isles. They will more than likely stick with the hot goaltender in the coming weeks as they look to continue to make their way up the standings.