Abstrakt » stretch. Games 63-82:

Notes on Phil Kessel, Nazek Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Thomas Vanek, Raphael Diaz and more in Scott Cullens latest blog. 1. While the Toronto Maple Leafs were on on a nice run, 9-1-1 in their previous 11 games, prior to Tuesdays 4-1 loss in Florida and a couple of their most skilled forwards have been at the forefront of the Maple Leafs charge. In the past 13 games, during which he has recorded points in 11, Kessel has 10 goals and 13 assists. He ranks second in the league with 30 goals and fifth with 61 points. The thing about Kessels hot streak is that hes not even generating as many shots as he typically does -- 3.39 per game over the past dozen, 3.79 per game for the season -- so hes on a pretty good run with percentages, and currently has the second-best shooting percentage (13.6%) of his career. While those percentages may be higher than normal, its hardly unusual for Kessel to score goals. Since the start of the 2008-2009 season, he ranks fifth in the NHL in goals, behind Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, Corey Perry and Patrick Marleau. Also, not surprisingly, Kessel isnt the only Leafs forward on fire. Nazem Kadri has tallied four goals and 11 assists in the past 10 games, doing good work primarily with Joffrey Lupul and Nikolai Kulemin on the Leafs second line. This run has left Kadri with 41 points in 54 games, which is, incidentally, right around the pace of the points projection I had for him in the preseason, when I forecasted 58 points in 76 games. It also turns out that, on a team with disastrous puck possession numbers, Kessel and Kadri have been two of the best at driving play towards the offensive zone. This is relative, of course, but it turns out that the Leafs skilled forwards are the ones leading the way. 2. Predators D Shea Weber has gone on a scoring binge, putting up eight goals and 17 assists in the past 26 games. Percentages are working in Webers favour, as he is scoring on a career-high 11.3% of his shots, while his 2.46 shots per game is his lowest rate since 2006-2007, but Weber leads defencemen with 15 goals and is tied for fifth among blueliners with 38 points. Webers 0.70 points per game is a career-best. Considering that Weber does this while facing the oppositions best lines, night after night, hes forcing his way into Norris Trophy consideration again. 3. Januarys Rookie of the Month was Tampa Bay Lightning LW Ondrej Palat, who scored 16 points (5 G, 11 A) in 15 games in January. Palat was a seventh-round pick in 2011, after scoring 96 points in 61 games with Drummondville of the QMJHL as a 19-year-old. Its pretty serious draft value to secure a player who can play top-six forward minutes two seasons later. Following his impressive January, Palat played a career-high 23:00 against Montreal on February 1. Palat and fellow rookie C Tyler Johnson have been thriving on a line with veteran RW Martin St. Louis, a situation that figures to change soon when Steven Stamkos returns to the lineup, and Palat has been benefitting from strong percentages at both ends of the rink, but even if his role changes, Palat has established that he can be a contributing part of the Tampa Bay attack. 4. Palat may have been the rookie of the month, but the current frontrunner for Rookie of the Year sure appears to be Avalanche C Nathan MacKinnon, the first overall pick in last summers draft. MacKinnon was eased into the NHL, playing 14:33 per game in October, scoring a goal and seven points in 11 games, but hes been up over 17 minutes per game since, tallying 19 goals and 16 assists in 45 games since the beginning of November. MacKinnons possession numbers still have room to improve, but hes 18-year-old and already emerging as an offensive force. 5. The top scorer for the past two seasons with the Florida Panthers, LW Tomas Fleischmann has fallen on hard time this year. Hes gone 20 games without a goal, registering just five assists since he last lit the lamp on December 17. Fleischmann has been shuffled around the lineup, playing at times with C Nick Bjugstad and one of Jonathan Huberdeau and Scottie Upshall on the wing, though Fleischmann has most recently found himself skating with Marcel Goc and Tomas Kopecky, not exactly recipe to get his offensive game back. At 29-years-old and under contract throught next season, at $4.5-million, Fleischmann might be better in a new location, but its not easy to get a team to take on that salary for a player with five goals in 54 games, even when hes scoring on a career-low 3.8% of his shots. 6. Canadiens C Lars Eller got off to a strong start this season, scoring nine points in the first dozen games, putting to rest any fears of lingering effects after suffering a concussion in last years playoffs, but hes been crashing since. Eller has 12 points (5 G, 7 A) in 45 games since and his ice time has steadily decreased. Ellers assist against Calgary Tuesday ended a 15-game scoreless drought, and he played 12:04, his second-lowest ice time of the season. 7. The Los Angeles Kings are having an incredibly difficult time scoring goals, yet made the decision to demote winger Tyler Toffoli to the AHL, even though he was the teams top point producer per minute of play at even strength. But, necessity being the mother of invention, Toffoli has since been recalled and has found his way to the top line with Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. Toffoli had two points against Chicago Monday, and Saturday he had a season-high six shots on goal while playing 18:42, his most since opening night. Its one thing for a contender to want a young player to round out his game or play more soundly, but Toffoli has strong possession stats, strong enough that the Kings need to see whether he can be part of the solution to their goal-scoring woes. 8. Last season, Blues RW Chris Stewart was his teams leading scorer, with 36 points in 48 games. This year, hes playing 14:37 per game, his lowest since his rookie season, and finding his name in trade rumours. The Blues have terrific depth and the emergence of younger scorers Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko could make it easier to part with a player who, even with relatively poor possession stats this season, ranks 35th with 104 goals scored since 2009-2010. 9. Islanders LW Thomas Vanek has made it clear that he intends to test the free agent market on July 1, which assures that he will be traded before the deadline, potentially even before the Olympic Break if the right deal comes along. Any team could use a scoring winger with Vaneks credentials, but his salary could complicate matters somewhat for teams that are pushing up against the salary cap. Dealing for Vanek is complicated because he intends to test the free agent market July 1, which is entirely fine, but there has long been suspicion that his preferred destination could be Minnesota, which could make him nothing more than a rental (which is also fine) for whichever team acquires him this season. While the Islanders might want a lot, having surrendered Matt Moulson a first and second-round pick to get Vanek, it may be a lot to expect three assets of similar value for the last quarter of the season plus playoffs. Here are some teams that might be able to provide a package that will suit the Islanders as they attempt to replenish the franchises talent base. Pittsburgh - With all due respect to Brian Gibbons or, potentially, a healthy Beau Bennett, the Penguins could use a top-tier winger to play with Sidney Crosby. The Penguins have some prospect depth on the blueline, with D Simon Despres, D Derrick Pouliot, RW Jayson Megna some potentially moveable parts. The bigger challenge for Pittsburgh could be finding a way to fit Vanek under the salary cap. Los Angeles - If any team needs scoring help, the Kings would fit and putting Vanek on the wing with Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter would be interesting. Presuming that the Kings wouldnt be inclined to move Toffoli for a rental, then prospects like Linden Vey, Tanner Pearson and Derek Forbort could be part of the package. Anaheim - The Ducks have had plenty of success as is, but Vanek would be an upgrade to the left wing spot on the number one line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, a spot that has seen Dustin Penner, Patrick Maroon, Kyle Palmieri, Matt Beleskey and Jakob Silfverberg rotate through this season. The Ducks have plenty of prospects, including some of the aforementioned young forwards along wiht C Rickard Rakell, RW Emerson Etem and LW Devante Smith-Pelly, a couple of which could form the nucleus for a Vanek deal. Minnesota - There is some presumption that the Wild would be Vaneks eventual landing spot, the question is whether or not the Wild would be prepared to offer prospects to acquire Vanek now when they might have the inside track to get him on July 1. It would also be easier to make that move once winger Dany Heatleys $7.5-million comes off the cap. Montreal - Goal-scoring, and general puck possession, has been an issue for the Canadiens and there would certainly be room to include Vanek on Montreals top line. Some combination of picks and prospects including forwards Sven Andrighetto, Tim Bozon, Mike McCarron, Louis LeBlanc and Christian Thomas could get discussions started. Ottawa - There has been plenty of talk of the Senators adding scoring help for Jason Spezza, and while they dont appear to be inclined to add salary, maybe taking a rental like Vanek (or Matt Moulson or Mike Cammalleri) would be feasible. The Senators have all sorts of options, from relatively inexperienced NHLers like Colin Greening and Patrick Wiercioch, to wing prospects Shane Prince, Matt Puempel and Andre Petersson. 10. The Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks made a deal this week, with the Canadiens sending D Raphael Diaz to the Canucks for fourth-line LW Dale Wiese. While Diaz isnt a dominant defender, hes a capable puck-mover who has averaged nearly 20 minutes per game in 129 career NHL games (he played 25:26 in his Canucks debut at Boston). With the Canucks missing Kevin Bieksa, Chris Tanev and Dan Hamhuis due to injuries, Diaz fills an immediate hole but, long-term, can be a useful third-pair defenceman who can play the power play. Hell be an unrestricted free agent at seasons end. Weise is a fourth-line winger who will be a restricted free agent in the summer. He has 26 points and 185 penalty minutes in 163 career games and has been consistently beaten in terms of puck possession. Basically, hes a fourth-line forward who is as replaceable as most other fourth line forwards. FIRST NHL GAMES Greg McKegg, C, Toronto - A third-round pick in 2010, McKegg had started to pick up offensively, scoring 16 points in 15 games prior to his call-up, but he only saw 4:$3 in his NHL debut before getting returned to the AHL. Simon Moser, C, Nashville - 24-year-old Swiss forward had 25 points in 40 AHL games and played more than 10 minutes, alongside Colin Wilson and Taylor Beck, in his NHL debut. Colton Sissons, C, Nashville - A second-round pick in 2012, Sissons had 16 goals and 28 points in 42 AHL games to earn his promotion, and has spent most of his first three games skating with Paul Gaustad and Rich Clune, contributing one assist while playing under nine minutes a game. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Dries Mertens Jersey . So true. It is one thing to create a winning football team, and another to keep it winning. Each and every week it changes. The NFL creates a unique interest of not who is "the best", but much more who is "the best this week". Nacer Chadli Belgium Jersey . The 12th-ranked Haas served well throughout the match at the Ibirapuera arena, allowing only one break point to the 152nd-ranked Italian. Both players held serve until the first-set tiebreak, when Haas stepped up his game to easily clinch the set. http://www.belgiumsoccerpro.com/Leander-Dendoncker-Belgium-Jersey/ . However, the intensity and physicality that has characterized the postseason so far has caught Gretzky by surprise. "Its a little bit risqué right now," Gretzky told Philadelphia radio station 97. Thibaut Courtois Jersey . The two were in the batting cage moments before game time. Bautista was taking final warm up cuts. Pillar was hitting soft toss. The one-time utility player turned All-Star pulled aside the clubs young, fourth outfielder and offered him some advice. Adnan Januzaj Jersey .com) - Delon Wright scored 17 points and No.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the San Jose Sharks, a team reeling after they blew a three-games-to-none first-round lead over the eventual Cup winners from Los Angeles. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Pacific GM: Doug Wilson Head Coach: Todd McLellan 2013-14: 51-22-9 (2nd in Pacific) Playoffs: Lost in conference quarter-finals Goals For: 239 (6th) Goals Against: 193 (5th) Powerplay: 17.2% (20th) Penalty Kill: 84.9% (6th) That Was Then: The Sharksa€? 2013-14 regular season was a roaring success. Rookie Tomas Hertl got the party started on Oct. 8, scoring four goals in his third NHL game, capping the night off with one of the goals of the year. That win came as part of a six-game winning streak to start the year. The Sharks rolled through October, finishing the month 10-1-2. The regular season rolled on in similar fashion. The Sharksa€? only real spot of trouble came in December when they lost six of eight between the 5th and the 19th. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau provided their usual strong play, both reaching 70 points or more. Joe Pavelski was a revelation, scoring a career-high 41 goals. That mark was good for third in the league. The Sharks made the playoff s for their 10th consecutive season, topping 100 points for the seventh time over that span. Though unable to chase down the Anaheim Ducks for first in the Pacific Division, the Sharks enjoyed a strong finish, buoyed by the aforementioned trio as well as Logan Couture. Then came the playoffs and a creepy, familiar feeling. The Sharks roared out to a 3-0 series lead over their state rivals from Los Angeles but were unable to finish them off. Out-gunned 6-3 in Game 4, the Sharks let the Kings get off the mat. Jonathan Quick shut the door from there, allowing just two total goals over the final three games. The Sharks became just the fourth team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 lead. One storyline that emerged from the collapse was a lack of faith in goaltender Antti Niemi. The former Cup-winner was pulled in Games 4 and 5, leading the Sharks to start back-up Alex Stalock in Game 6. The team went back to Niemi in Game 7 but by that point momentum was clearly with the Kings. Scott Cullens Analytics Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 3.50 2.05 8.5% .928 56.1% .775 21-41 2.86 2.76 7.4% .919 54.0% .643 42-62 2.33 2.19 6.3% .917 54.8% .619 63-82 3.00 2.35 7.8% .925 54.3% .675 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Sensational start to the year; dominant in all aspects. Games 21-41: A 5-1 shootout record, and strong possession, inflated the record of otherwise mediocre play. Games 42-62: Solid possession kept Sharks winning during low-scoring stretch. Games 63-82: Percentages bounced back and Sharks finished the regular season strong. Key Additions: LW Tye McGinn, LW John Scott Key Subtractions: D Dan Boyle, RW Martin Havlat, LW John McCarthy, D Brad Stuart This Is Now: The Shharks need more than regular season success.dddddddddddd Since acquiring Thornton from Boston, the Sharks have won four division titles, made the playoffs every year and have won at least one series in six of their nine trips. Thornton himself has posted 740 points in 675 career games with the Sharks and a€“ believe it or not a€“ ranks 20th amongst active NHLers in playoff points-per-game over that span, ahead of the likes of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Corey Perry and Justin Williams. Yet, he finds himself stripped of his captaincy entering this season. Another long-time Sharks vet is gone entirely, as Dan Boyle joined the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent. The teama€?s focus may be shifting towards Pavelski and Couture and away from Marleau and Thornton, who have endured all of the playoff disappointments suffered since the 2005-06. However, the two remain not only parts of the team, but integral cogs in its offence. The team has enjoyed a lot of regular season success under the current regime, but how much time is left on the clock in San Jose for the likes of Thornton, Marleau, GM Doug Wilson and coach Todd McLellan. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Tomas Hertl Joe Thornton Joe Pavelski Patrick Marleau Logan Couture Tommy Wingels Matt Nieto James Sheppard Tyler Kennedy Tye McGinn Andrew Desjardins Mike Brown John Scott Adam Burish Freddie Hamilton Barclay Goodrow Chris Tierney Raffi Torres Defence Left Right Marc-Edouard Vlasic Brent Burns Matt Irwin Justin Braun Scott Hannan Jason Demers Mirco Mueller Taylor Fedun Konrad Abeltshauser Dylan DeMelo Goaltenders Antti Niemi Alex Stalock Troy Grosenick Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Mirco Mueller Like a fine Swiss watch, there is a precision to Mircoa€?s game. Positioning is sound but it is predicated on the understanding of how to best position yourself to take advantage in the game. Defensively, he becomes very difficult to break down. He recognizes opportunities to transition and with a strong skating base, very good awareness and vision along with pin point passing, he is able to alleviate pressure quickly and allow his team to move forward and attack. He has a subtlety to his competitiveness in that he moves opponents off their marks in a manner that looks like he is a€?body glide.a€? His game shows signs of being able to expand which would move him from category of very solid player to top two defenseman. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Brent Burns Given how effective Burns has been as a forward with the Sharks, its fair to be skeptical of his move back to defence, but hes been productive in the past while playing on the blue line. Last season brought a career-high 48 points for Burns, playing on Joe Thorntons wing, but hes had 46 and 43-point seasons playing defence for the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks lost their primary puck-mover from defence, Dan Boyle, to free agency, so there ought to be ample opportunity for Burns to play big minutes and find the score sheet enough along the way. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '