Do The Ducks Have What It Takes?

Leading the NHL in points after 39 games with 62, puts The Anahiem Ducks on pace for 130 points. This would put them on pace to end the season well over their franchise record of 98 points (2005-2006 season). Can The Ducks maintain this over the course of the season? or will they crumble under the new NHL? This years Ducks has 16 Canadian players on their roster, Including Vezina Trophy candidate Jean-Sébastien Giguère. The 6ft 200lb goaltender already has 23 wins (1st in the NHL) and the 2nd most shutouts with 4. They have the NHL's highest scoring defencemen in Chris Pronger. Pronger, on pace for 82 points would elipse his previous career best of 62 points by 20. Not very many teams in the west that could keep pace with The Ducks for a full 60 minutes. When playoffs come, Anahiem must watch out for teams with good goaltending such as Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The Ducks have only lost 2 games by 3 or more goals, and only 4 games by 2 or more goals. This means that The Ducks have been in every game this year except 2. Critics could say that because both goalies are injured right now, that The Ducks could fall. I say to that, They wont for 2 reasons. First reason is their 3rd string goalie this year is 2-0-0 with a .885 save% and a GAA of 2.15. So the goaltending shouldn't be an issue for the short term. The second reason The Ducks should be fine is, they have a 9 point lead on the second place team in the conference, Nashville, and a 12 point lead on the second place team in the devision, San Jose. So to answer the question "Do The Ducks Have What It Takes?" Yes, they do...

Sweep or No Sweep?

Another OT win for the Buffalo Sabres against the division rival The Ottawa Senators. J.P. Dumont's goal at 5:05 of the first overtime period gave Buffalo their 9th straight playoff win against Ottawa. Talk about dominance! Now with The Sabres up 3-0 in the series, the Senators are on the bring of elimination. For anyone that has fallen a bit behind in this series, let me catch you up. Game 1 in Ottawa was a very exciting game to watch 13 goals were scored in the game combined. Buffalo tied the game up late in the 3rd period to push it into overtime. Within the first minute of overtime, Ottawa coughed the puck up and Buffalo took advantage popping the puck behind Emery to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 in Ottawa was a much different game, it was close checking with both goalies standing on their heads the entire game. Buffalo scored 2 goals in the second and Ottawa could only muster 1. Ottawa had great chances in the 3rd to tie it up, but couldn't solve Miller. They won the game 2-1 and lead the series 2-0.
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Goal of the Year: Malik or Ovechkin?

This is a toughy. We have Marek Malik, a defenceman for the New Your Rangers, and Alexander The Great for the Washington Capitals. Both scored completly amazing goals this year. Lets start off with Malik's goal. This is his 1st goal of the year came via a shootout on Washington's goalie Olaf Kolzig. Its a beauty, through the legs, jaw dropping goal. Now normally someone like him, Defenceman with 0 goals, wouldn't get a shot in the shootout with the Likes of Jagr, Rucchin, Straka, Prucha, Rucinsky or Nylander ahead of him, but it went to the 15th shooters. Heres a look.

Then there is Ovechkins goal. A crazy on his back, over his head, one handed, oh did i mention that it was on the backhand WITH a goalie in the net!? You can take a look, but make sure you are sitting down for this one.


Now you can look at it this way. Malik is a defenceman and not what you would call a "highlight" goal scorer. Really a nobody to the average hockey fan. To score a goal like that is pretty amazing for him and that Ovechkin's goal really is flukie. But thats not what I say. Malik had time to think about what he was going to do, 14 shooters per team, gives him a bit of time. Ovechkin, he did that in the middle of a game, no time to prepare at all. I say give the goal of the year to Ovie!
Thank you to VSocial for providing the video for me.

Visor or No Visor?

So, with the recent injrury to Koivu, it will probably bring up visors again in the the topic of discussion. Koivu already wears one. So it comes to this question. Do you throw away a portion of your skill to a visor that will only protect you only half of the time? The stick went up under the visor.

A friend of mine pointed out that in college hockey they are forced to wear full caged helmets. That also brings up this debate. Yes, it provides protection of the face againnst the sticks. With that in mind, if you can't get injured with a high stick to the face if you are wearing a face cage, then you really don't need to keep your stick down, right? Well then with the size of the players in the NHL and the way the game is played, even with face cages the sticks near the head will still be dangerous.

I look at it this way. If a player doesn't want to wear one, great, he shouldn't have to, but, an owner should be able to put it into a players contract that he will wear a visor in all games he plays for his team and any other hockey team he plays for such as his country's team. The owner is trying to protect his investment.