Struggling Blackhawks

The Blackhawks have lately been losing big games lately and it seems like Ladd isn't making things too much better. Kane is on a 3 game point drought, Hossa came back, but is 0-2 since returning to the Blackhawks, Crawford has had a record 57 starts in a season, and Toews isn't being "captain clutch". The Blackhawks are in a tight race to be in first in the Central Division, but have lost to the Blues and Stars who are also competing with them. Lets break this down, they have been playing poorly since Hossa's injury and the first line has been invisible during this slump. The bad thing is, the Hawks haven't beat a western conference team in a whole month as well. Last night they lost to their rival Kings 5-0 and former Blackhawks Kris Versteeg scored the first goal of the game. The real problem is, they just have to get used to each other since all these new guys like Andrew Ladd, Thomas Fleishmann, and Dale Weise have come in. Luckily the Hawks are only two points behind in the race for 1st and have 1 game in hand so one win would be huge to get out of their losing streak. Also I've noticed the Blackhawks have been in the same situation before so this should be ending soon. Also they don't seem to be scoring 5 on 5 as much anymore, instead they score on power plays or empty nets. Will the Hawks get out of this slump? Can they win the cup again? Is Ladd going to be a good fit for the Blackhawks? stay tuned.... (P.S thank you to everyone who reads this blog! Thanks for 1,500 page views!)

Malkin Injury

Penguins star forward has been injured for 6-8 weeks after getting hit awkwardly on his left arm by defenseman Dalton Prout. This is his second injury of the year since in February he had missed 10 games due to a lower body injury.  The Penguins are only 3 points ahead of Philadelphia for the second wild card spot and it looks like that won't last. The bad thing is, Malkin is having a good year since he's second on the team with 58 points, and the Penguins are not having a good year. Malkin will be out for the rest of the regular season and could be back potentially on April 23 if the recovery goes smoothly. The biggest concern should be how the Penguins will cope without him and if they will maintain a playoffs spot. This era of Penguins seems to be coming to a close so they are just going to have to play it out., and maybe make some moves this offseason, but that's for another time.  Will the Penguins be in the playoffs? Is this ere of Penguins over? When will Malkin return? stay tuned....

Halak Injury

Another goalie has been injured and this time it's Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak against the Penguins while trying to stop a shot from the point, He is going to be out for at least 6 weeks so that means Thomas Greiss will have to be their starter and start for them in the playoffs. He is a capable goalie who has won 18 of 26 games he has been in, but that means the Islanders will have to step up for him. They are third in the Metropolitan division with 82 points and a 6 point lead over the Penguins, and the Penguins have been good lately so the Islanders aren't for sure in the playoffs yet. The injury should slow down the Islanders for sure, but they have to have other people step up. There is nothing too much to worry about as an Islander fan since Thomas has had an amazing year so far for the Islanders and can hold them off for a while. He isn't a true starter, but he can get the job done. Probably. Will Halak play again this year? Will Greiss be good for the Islanders? Will the Islanders make the playoffs this year? stay tuned....

Predators Point Streak

Nashville Predators are on a 13 game point streak and have not lost in regulation since February 9th against the Capitals. They have an 8 point lead on the Wild who are in the second wild card spot, and by this point it seems that they'll be in the playoffs for sure. Their chemistry has been good as a team, and that's what make a team good. The Predators season so far has been good and it got better after they acquired Ryan Johansen who has been good for them with 19 points since being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackes. Of course Filip Forsberg leads the team with 28 goals, 24 points, and 52 points so he's having a good season. The Predators are good, but they should be a Stanley Cup contender this year as long as the team stay together. They are good enough to make it to the second round of the playoffs at least, and they have had bad luck the past few times. Will the streak continue? Are the Predators a playoff contender? Is this the year for them? stay tuned....

Schneider Injury

Devils goalie Corey Schneider has been injured for 2 weeks with a knee sprain. With 15 games remaining and six points behind the Red Wings for the second wild card spot, their playoff hopes seem to be dying. Their backup goalie Keith Kincaid can do fine for the Devils, but they do need a legit goalie to take them to the playoffs. The have recently been playing bad with Schneider, and imagine what will happen with a backup goalie who doesn't have that much experience. The only way they can make the playoffs is if their studs and stars step up for their injured goalie. The Devils definetly had potential for the playoffs, but this isn't the year so next year has to be the year. They have to just play the season out and just move on. Will Schneider be back this year? Will the Devils be in the playoffs this year? Is Schneider going to be good when he returns? stay tuned....

Sorry

Sorry for lack of posts recently, ever since the trade deadline there has been nothing I can write about except for game reviews. Please bare with me and the second I see news come out worthy to be posted about I will write away. I promise new content is coming so stay tuned.....

Trade Deadline Review

This year's trade deadline had plenty of trades and I'm going to break down the most notable trades. (Note: I already did the Andrew Ladd trade) There was a simple defenseman swap with the Kings and Blackhawks. The Kings gave away Christan Ehroff for Rob Scuderi. This was a minor trade that shouldn't affect the two teams except for a salary cap dump for the Blackhawks. Next the Canadiens got Phillip Danault and a second round pick for Dale Weise and Thomas Fleischman. This is perfect depth for the Blackhawks who are prepping for the layoffs. Phillip Danault will be a good boost in the future. The Blues got backup goalie Anders Nilsson for Niklas Lundstrom and a 5th round pick. The Blue needed an extra goalie since they have so many injuries. The Sharks goalie Maples Leafs goalie James Reimer and Jeremy Morin for goalie Alex Stalock, Ben Smith, and a 4th round pick. The Leafs are continuing to rebuild and get picks and prospects, but the Sharks got a great second goalie. The Panthers got Jiri Hudler for 2nd and 4th round picks. The Flames had to dump Hudler, but they didn't get anything good in return so the Panthers won the trade I'd say. The Penguins got Justin Schultz which is good defensive depth for a 3rd. He should help the Penguins for a few years. The Rangers got Hurricanes captain Eric Stall for two seconds and Aleski Saarela. Stall left Jordan Stall on the Hurricanes and joined his younger brother Marc Staal. This is a nice boost for theRangers, but will have to find a way to sign him later. The Kings got Kris Versteeg for Valentin Zykov and a 5th round pick. This is a mostly even trade that should benefit both teams, and Versteeg should be perfect depth for the Kings. The Capitals got Daniel Winnik and a 5th for Brooks Laich Connor Carrick and a second. The Leafs continue to pile up draft picks and the 1st place Capitals got a depth forward to help them to a Stanley Cup. A big one is Mikkel Boedker to the Avalanche for Alex Tanguay, Connor Bleackey, and Kyle Wood. The Avalanche won this trade for sure since Tanguay is an old veteran who can still score and should fit well for the Coyotes, but Mikkel Boedker is a younger guy with the same skill. Lee Stempniak was traded to the Bruins for a 2nd and a 4th round pick. Stempniak has 16 goals and 25 assists on the year so that should work out well for the Bruins, but the Devils should have tried to get a player out of it. The Devils acquired Devante Smith-Pelly from the Canadiens for Stefan Matteau, DSP only has 7 goals this year, but is only 23 so he can be good for the Devils in the future. The Oilers got Patrick Maroon from the Ducks for Martin Gernat and a 4th round pick, he should be perfect depth for the Oilers next year. Was this a good trade deadline? Who won these trades? Will these trades have a huge impact on their teams? stay tuned....