NHL Hockey Is Back... Finally

Just about 4 months of missed NHL action and it is finally here. A NHL season. It may only be 48 games, but it is better than sitting out for four months rather than 12, or longer. And tonight is the night. The Washington Capitals will start on the road taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hockey is back in DC.

I had to go back and look at my season's previews that I saved, only to realize I did not save them. Bummer. And since everything seems to happen last minute, why don't we condense a season preview of the 2013 season for the Capitals. I will throw in some interesting tidbits and what ever is left over, I will find a link for you to follow. Deal?

Short Season

The lockout accomplished one thing, it will be a sprint to the playoffs. With only 48 games on the docket, teams will have to push to keep up with points early and often. The Caps are no different, and in a division where it seemed everyone got some talent it is going to be important to take a few points from your own division.

There is good news however, the Capitals will make a return to some aggressive offensive play. Adam Oates' new system will allow for the Caps to use an aggressive forecheck and let the defensemen jump in the play when the conditions warrant it. It is a system that seems to be more in tune with the personnel the Caps have this year. Unlike Hunter's defense first philosophy, the Caps will have some opportunity to attack in the offensive zone.

Savior of the Power Play

You probably have heard a 1-3-1 being tossed around on the blogs about the Capitals new power play system. Like Japer's Rink, Dump 'n Chase and Peerless to name a few. Until we see it in action, there doesn't seem to be a way to gauge if it will work or not.

For the Capitals, their system under Bruce Boudreau depended heavily on the power play. It allowed the team open space 5 on 5 and they took full advantage of teams not wanting to in any way take a penalty. But when the power play faltered so too did the offensive production at even strength. Teams found away to better defend the Caps potent offensive strife as well as played much tighter on snipers like Alex Semin and Alex Ovechkin with out worry that if they took a penalty, their team could kill it off.

Oates' system will depend on the power play somewhat, but he also wants his players to make better reads. A thinking offensive player is better than a head first into the zone then work it out approach makes better sense with the players Oates has to work with.

Get It Gone

Capitals sort of revamped the back end defensively speaking. Calle Johansson, assistant coach and former Caps D-man, has the boys getting the puck out of the zone quickly. The faster the puck is out, the more on the heels the Caps can have their opponents in transition. This requires a lot of work for the defensmen and the center who have to find outlets for the puck. Passes out of the zone to wingers or dumps off the glass, the Capitals will be looking to getting the puck out of their zone as quickly as possible.

Now that strategy could change game to game, but the overall scheme the Caps want is a quick transition game. How that will work with Tampa's infamous 1-3-1 trap, we will find out tonight.

Tandem

Braden Holtby might get the start in net tonight against the Bolts. But the way Oates is going to be handling his goaltenders, there really isn't a number one or number two. 

"In my mind I think both guys are going to play a lot," Oates said of his goaltending pair. "There is going to be a lot of back to backs, it is going to be a different schedule, so I'd imagine both guys would get a lot of hockey."

Michal Neuvirth and Holtby will be tag teaming a lot of games. Especially the seven back to back games on this schedule. Riding the hot hand may be tough to do during the season, but the playoffs are another beast all together. So we will leave that beast for later.

Both goaltenders won't be taking any ego hits because of the way Oates plans to use the tandem. Both seem ready to accept their roles together.

"The one thing that is certain," Holtby said, "is that we will both be needed and be needed to win games in order to make the playoffs and put ourselves in a good position." 

It's Poti Time

It seemed like an unlikely return. Most of us had written him off. In fact you would have to go back nearly a year and a half for in this blog to even see his name mention (with out bringing up the salary cap). Tom Poti may make his long awaited return to the ice for the Washington Capitals tonight. It would mark an outstanding return for a player that has not seen NHL action in nearly two years.

You can read about his amazing journey back to the Capitals on Mike Vogel's Dump 'N Chase. Short story was Poti thought he just had a recurring groin injury, turned out to be a fractured pelvis. He keeps in shape, works out a plan to return, spent some time in Hershey (2 games) and has made the opening night roster. Uh, Bill Masterton trophy anyone?

What Needs To Be Done

All aspects of their offensive numbers, 5 on 5, power play, shoot out, empty net, needs to improve over this 48 game schedule.

If the Capitals want to return to the playoffs and make it deep once they get there, some key points will need to be addressed for it to happen. The overall census though is for the Capitals to return to being an offensive power house. What was once praised for their creative, explosive and consistent goal scoring prowess, needs to make a return for the Capitals to do well.

Ovechkin numbers need to improve, and Oates seems to have a plan for that. He has moved him to the right wing to open the wingers vision to more of the ice. Ovi, a right handed shot, had been playing left wing. Normally a scorer of his magnitude, being a right handed shot on the left side makes it easier for one to cut into the center of the ice and have your shot on the forehand. By moving him on the opposite side, Ovi will have better protection of the puck and a quicker release with out having to pull the puck back to his forehand side. Got it?

While we talk of offensive numbers improving, the team overall has to play with much better cohesion. That does not just mean chemistry through the lines, but also how the team moves as a unit transitioning from offense to defense and back again. Wingers have to get back, centermen have to cover defensemen on the defensive side, while the green light is given to defensemen to jump up in the play, creating odd man situations and more open reads for wingers looking to pass to open players.

Newcomers

Mike Ribeiro will play an important role in that second line setup to complete the one two punch. The second line has to support the top line with goals as well, something that has been thus far inconsistent for the Capitals. A crafty centerman, his talents will also be helpful on the Caps' power play.

Wojtek Wolski should add some stability to that second line as well. He will also bring some pizzazz to the shootout, an important part of the new NHL and important for the Caps in this shortened season to grab points where they can.

Final Thoughts

This is actually a very exciting time for the Washington Capitals. New coach, new system, new players infused with the old standards will make for an interesting season. Can it translate to wins? Can the Capitals finally make some headway in the playoffs? All of those questions will be answered staring with game one tonight against Tampa. As hockey pundits put it, we won't know until we play the games.

But no one, not even the coaching staff, is going to think a Stanley Cup is anywhere in the Caps near future. Oates admitting himself the first game of the season will be a sloppy mess. That is to be expected coming out of the blocks this way.

Players playing to their potential, should give Caps fans something to cheer and look forward to. After all, we waiting four months for this. Now it is here. NHL hockey is back.

Caps Notes:

• Brooks Laich was not on the starting roster and was not listed on the IR. He can be activated at any time. Whether he will face suspension from getting hurt is still up in the air. Wash Times has the latest.
• The Capitals are set with their roster, two goaltenders, 8 defensmen and 13 forwards. Joey Crabb made the team as well as Tom Poti. If Laich does return, it will be interesting what the Caps do with either of those two players.
• Owner Ted Leonsis said he never made a dime of profit while owning the Caps. What the new CBA does for Uncle Ted by WaTi here, and the new dynamic of relationship with the players post lock out from the WaPo here.

Finally, Let's Go Caps

The Year Of The Back-up Goaltender

Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth sharing duties.

One week training camp, zero preseason games and a forty-eight game schedule makes for a tough challenge for any team to have a successful season and make the playoffs. Of the key factors teams will face this shortened season will be the net minders. With the many schedules that are cramped into this 48 game span, a large number of teams will be faced with 7 to 8 back to back games. It will be key for the back up goaltender to steal a few points here and there for his team.

Rather than looking at it as a number one and number two, the Washington Capitals seem content to share the duties of goaltender on their young talents Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth. Both have been capable number one goaltenders for the Capitals in the past. This season, the Caps have seven back to back night games and head coach Adam Oates seems ready to have the goaltending duties shared by both net minders.

"In my mind I think both guys are going to play a lot," Oates said of his goaltending pair. "There is going to be a lot of back to backs, it is going to be a different schedule, so I'd imagine both guys would get a lot of hockey."

"The way the season is going to come it is going to call for both of us to be playing well," Holtby said of the shared duties the tandem will see this season.  "I have no idea if there will be a number one or a number two."

The sentiment of both goaltenders being used seems to be radiating around the league. Teams might have an advantage if they can get their goaltending duties split and get consistent results doing that, especially if their back up can steal a game or two in that capacity. It has even lead to some early strategy by teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins who plan on having their tandem work for them in special circumstances.

''You're going to see the goalies be used more not so much based on who we play,'' head coach of the Penguins Dan Bylsma told reporters. ''Each goalie will get his share of games, his number of games.''

A good one two goalie punch can be looked upon as an advantage over other teams that might tend to lean on just one goaltender as they have in the past. Although some have suggested that since it is a shortened season, maybe teams will want to favor their number one goaltender. 

"I don't think anybody has a perfect formula," Oates said of the teams' strategies going into a shortened, condensed season. "Everyone is going to try and create one and we're no different. We are going to try to think of everything we can to try to make it right and make sure the guys play their best in a short amount of time."

Points will be at a premium and it is in the best interest for teams around the league to take a point or two with their back up goaltender in net. That would make the tandem of a team's goaltending unit seem more important with this schedule. 

"The one thing that is certain," Holtby added, "is that we will both be needed and be needed to win games in order to make the playoffs and put ourselves in a good position."

Good Morning Hockey

Good morning DC, you are waking up to a NHL season this morning. The NHL and NHL players association has reached a tentative deal that could have the season starting in less than two weeks. One hundred thirteen days after the initial lockout by the owners of players, both sides have come to a basic agreement in a 16 hour marathon Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Per TSN.ca...

"Don Fehr and I are here to tell you that we have reached an agreement on the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement, the details of which need to be put to paper," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed to reporters early Sunday morning. "We have to dot a lot of I's and cross a lot of T's. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the basic framework has been agreed upon."

Training camps can start as soon as Wednesday, as late as Saturday. Details of the deal are still emerging, but there was no agreement yet of NHL players participating in the winter games in Sochi 2014. But it is expected a deal to be reached by then.

As info comes in on the Capitals schedule of training camp and games, I will be sure to pass it along.

Cry Me A River

To be fair, I only got a snipet of the topic du jour on Sirius XM NHL Homeice this morning. But from what I gathered, Micheal Buble made comments about not buying NHL products to boycott the current lockout.

The pundit remarked if fans stopped buying into the NHL, as in merchandise and other things, then we aren't really hurting the league for the lockout. Fans would just be hurting the little guy who makes the stuff. He was told as much by a person that wrote him a letter urging fans not to boycott merchandise sold by the NHL because it would put the little guy out of work.

My problem with the statement is the guy who wrote the letter should have sent it to the owners instead. The little guy has no future as long as the lockout looms for the NHL. But the fans didn't lockout players or failed to negotiate a deal, the owners and the players did. If you want me to support the little guy, put pressure where it is needed, not on fans but on your owners, players and the National Hockey League.

If a fan doesn't show interest on the league because they are not playing, can you fault them for not buying merchandise even just "to support the little guy"? I don't think merchandisers can whine to fans for wanting to boycott a league because they refuse to put a product on the ice for fans. Their beef lies with some one else.

I don't have a problem with fans who wish to boycott the leagues' merchandise. The lockout already has affected the little guy, but not by the fault of those who do not buy a jersey for Christmas this year. I feel for the little guy, I really do. But I'm not the one who cancelled the season.

Stepping off soap box.

A Night For Hockey

The Metro bustled with hockey sweaters once more. A few Ovechkin Jerseys peppered the Gallery Place/Chinatown platforms, a few more Hershey Jerseys than normal rounded the rest. Fans gathered to catch a glimpse of professional hockey played once again in the District. Unfortunately, it was not the venomous Penguins come to town to take on the beloved home town Caps. Nor any team in the collective 30 teams of the National Hockey League made their presence tonight at the phone booth.

"It's hockey," A fan said to me as he waited in line for his first beer of the 2012-13 "so called" season at Verizon Center. "I can't run up to Hershey with my family like some can, so we are pretty hard pressed for some action on the ice around here."

It was an announced sell out crowd at the arena where the Capitals once played. Although, there seemed to be a few missing patrons in the stands who failed to show for the AHL Showcase game presented by GEICO. A game featuring the AHL affiliates of the Washington Capitals (Hershey Bears) and the Anaheim Ducks (Norfolk Admirals). Even though it was an ice full of professionals, it was different and somewhat distant from what Capitals fans were used to.

"There is no Ovechkin, no Backstrom," A fan quip to his friend as they walked the concourse between periods. "It is like hockey lite."

Fans were also distracted, checking smart phones through out the game not just to smirk at the snide tweets about the action on the ice, but to get the latest coming out of New York on the future of the League's season. Even as the game continued, the talks between the players and NHL executives blew up in just an hour over a miscommunication. The owners thought they had a yes or no on a proposal, the union thought they were still negotiating. The optimism of a full season quickly faded before the Bears and Admirals took the ice for the second period.

A bittersweet occasion as the Bears overtook the Admirals in a 2-1 victory. Even before the final horn sounded, many in the building knew of the talks blowing up in a hotel north of here. The air of disdain towards players and owners seemed to take away from the night's festivities. Fans wondered if they were ever going to be back to see their hometown heroes take to the ice again. In a building that couldn't hide its purpose, the home for the Washington Capitals, seemed even more empty as fans dispersed.

"I don't know if we will be back," A season ticket holder told me as her family and the crowd migrated out of the building. "What ever their differences are seems minute when compared to what my kids want to see, they want to see their team. They can't, and they don't know why."

Blah, Blah, Blah

I can not tell how many times the words "meeting again today" has flashed on my twitter feed just to have me roll my eyes and sigh heavily. SIGH. The NHL (now known as the NO Hockey League) is quickly becoming a parody upon itself. All the while we have seen jabs sent back and forth between the players union and the owners and, after a while, it just becomes white noise.

The league has probably killed the casual fan for a year or two and will lose more fans as the lockout drags on. While the hard core fans can only shake our heads as both sides claim us as a collective are for one side or the other.

It is the hardcore sides of the players union and owners that keep the boys off the ice which some have claimed are the wrong ones to be in talks in the first place. If the owners who can withstand a year (or two) with out the sport playing and the players who are dug in for that duration are the front liners in talks, I doubt the league will do much to get the ice back in the arenas.

I have heard of an idea to end the impasse a few times, both on twitter and talking with others disgruntled fans. Why not let the players and owners who want to get back to playing hockey do the mediations? It is a sound question and a solution may present itself faster than hearing the dreaded white noise of both sides "meeting again today".

In the end, the fans really don't care which side wins, because both sides are losing the longer the lockout continues. Maybe we should call it the NO Hockey, Losers!

Just Can't Get Along

At midnight the NHL owners triggered a lock out of the players as a result of lack of a new collective bargaining agreement. The owners blame the players, the players blame the owners. The rest is silence. The NHL fans will go through their third player lockout since 94, their second in just seven years.

What is hair pulling about this lock out, it sort of just happened. No last minute effort to save the season, no midnight sessions to protect the league from another work stoppage. They sort of met, disagreed and left. The fans were left in the cold.

The collective response of the NHL fans is more of a "Get your stuff together, NHL."

It didn't take long for some players to land new homes. A slew of players have been assigned to the AHL while others are ready to sign their contracts to the KHL. What should be the early selection process for young guys making NHL squads in training camp will now be silent. No hockey, no training, nothing.

The owners are betting on another let down by the players and the players have stood their ground. Which means good bye 2012-2013 season (most likely). The NHL lost the casual fan tonight and as every day passes with no hockey they will lose more. If the season fails, I predict the NHL will have more than just a good PR to get fans back in line.

For the moment this is just frustrating and disheartening. The longer it drags on, the more the NHL just becomes a memory.

Summer Hiatus Over

Family trips, the Olympics and even some procrastination on my part have finally come to an end. It is time to talk hockey. But just when things are warming up with some Ovechkin spotting at Kettler with new team mate Mike Ribeiro and the excitement of rookie camp on the horizon, it looks more like a lock out is looming more than pucks hitting the ice.

What is at stake is hundreds of million dollars at stake, especially for smaller market teams. The more someone tries to break it down, the more it sounds like a convoluted public relation war that is similar to full body presidential election with proposals, counter proposals and both sides claiming they are cooking the books. Honestly, if I wanted this game played I will go take in the United States Senate for an hour (if they aren't in a quorum call, then it's just looking at an empty room for an hour).

The basis of the problems comes down to the smaller markets struggling to survive with the current collective bargaining agreement (or widely known as the CBA). The owners won a salary cap with the last lockout in '05-'06. Remember when the Caps drafted the best player ever but couldn't play him? (But it might have been worth it since he stole Rookie of the Year honors from some kid in Pitt)

What was instituted was a salary cap that teams had to abide to that included a ceiling and a floor to give the league more parity. When the ceiling rose, so did the floor. The thinking was when the average league salaries rose, so did the cap window. But as richer teams were able to pay bigger contracts it rose the cap window, thus forcing the teams that were cash strapped to raise their salaries to make it to the league minimum.

Not to mention the crazy contract loop holes some teams with money used to lock up players being signed for 7, 8, 9, 10 years plus. Organizations that were struggling could barely make the league floor, now were forced to take players for longer and longer years for guaranteed money whether they brought in more fans or not. In essence, richer teams actually benefited from the cap window when they could hold their talent for many years for big dollars while poorer teams were a carousal of personnel unable to hold on to draft picks to big year contracts and guaranteed money.

What the league proposes is to attack player salaries, reduce the contract years to just 5. They reworked the RFA rules allowing teams to retain a player for ten years if they so choose. What it means the players would see a reduction in new contracts signed, could only sign for 5 years max, and would not be a unrestricted free agent until they have ten seasons under their belt.

What the union proposes is keep the cap as is, unhinging the cap to the average salaries, allow teams to trade for cash, and ask teams to find reductions in salary from trainers coaches and front offices instead of touching the players money. Both plans are laid out by TSN.ca here.

Some where in that is a compromise both sides can agree to, otherwise the only hockey we will be seeing is HD classics on the NHL network. Does that sound like fun? No, not really. What that common ground is, I am not sure. But despite as far apart the two sides are, both Gary Betteman and Donald Fehr seem to think their side will prevail and their will be a season to be played.

That leaves us with very little to talk about. Until a deal is reached or a compromise made, all we can do is sit and wait as fans. We have no say in the matter, other than if we choose to buy any more tickets. That is the frustrating part. A bunch of millionaires get to decide the fate of a game that we say is for everyone. All we can do is watch the drama show go on.

NHL Gets Approval For Re-Alignment

NHL.com

Good-bye two conferences, eight divisions. Hello four conferences. The NHL Board of Governors approved a new look alignment for the league next year.

What does that mean for the Capitals?

How about a conference that features the Capitals with the likes of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the New York Rangers and Islanders, the New Jersey Devils, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes? Is that more to your liking?

Most Caps' fans will see this as the return of the old Patrick Division (minus the Hurricanes, of course, who were the Hartford Whalers at the time). Per Dan Rosen at NHL.com:

The four conferences are designed to alleviate geographic concerns among several current Western Conference teams that had been unhappy about their extensive travel through one, two, and sometimes even three time zones. Some of those teams argued that the late start of road games in the Pacific time zone were affecting fan interest, especially among younger fans.

While in many ways this would be a dream come true for the Capitals who have argued that they were stripped of some really good rivalries with the Flyers, Rangers and Penguins when they were stashed in the then very weak Southeast Division. Division foes with the Florida Panthers, Tampa Lightning and Atlanta Thrashers seemed to weaken interest in Caps' fans when the move was first made. Since then, some good rivalries have come into place, especially with the Lightning and Caps of late.

The overall structure still makes some radical lines drawn mostly in the eastern side of things. While the travel will be confined and easy for those in Conference D (Caps, Pens, Rags, Flyers, Isles and 'Canes), Conference C stretches over and around the later and includes the Leafs, Habs, Sabres, Bruins, Panthers and Lightning.

Again, the West gets the shaft as their Conferences contain 8 teams per instead of the Eastern side that only has 7 per Conf. As far as playoffs are concerned:

The top four teams in each Conference qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The first-place team would play the fourth-place team; the second-place team would play the third-place team. The four respective Conference champions would meet in the third round of the Playoffs, with the survivors playing for the Stanley Cup.

 Almost a blueprint from taken from the Final Four's Elite 8 to give a comparison.

"I'm in shock!!!!!R.I.P."

Those were the tweeted words of Russian phenom Alexander Ovechkin upon hearing about a plane crash the took the lives of several Russian and Czech hockey players. TSN.ca has the entire story here. Not only were they just KHL players, but some notable NHL players and prospects as well. It hit the Ranger organization the hardest.

It tops one of the saddest off season for the NHL. The loss of enforcers to depression, and now this horrific plane crash remind us how human these players are. In a series of unfortunate tragedies, the league will start camps soon with heavy hearts. It times like this, we have to remember it is just a game.

Caps Trade Away 1st Rd Pick

The Capitals never picked a player in the first round of the NHL Draft at Excel Energy Center in St. Paul Minnesota. But they did get a player that can be infused to the line up right now in Troy Brouwer.

Brouwer, a right winger that has a ring, scored 17 goals, had 36 points last season with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also had 8 playoff points during Chicago's Stanley Cup run.

The Capitals will not choose again until the fourth round (117th pick overall) barring any other trades.

Caps' 24/7 Debut Tough To Watch

HBO's award winning series 24/7 premiered tonight that featured teams the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals as they face off in this year's NHL Winter Classic. The premiere was a fantastic look at the sport and the trials and tribulations of a NHL season. An inside look at team meetings, practices and the lives of NHL players was an awesome behind the scenes access.

While it was good for drama, watching what goes behind a six game losing streak is a tough thing to watch for Caps fans. The Capitals' aspect of the show was that of a rough stretch of games testing the team's fortitude. Hearing some of the intermission speeches and listening to the frustration levels of both players and coaches is both hard to listen to and fascinating to watch. The series followed the Caps through losses against Florida, Colorado and the pounding at MSG against the New York Rangers.

In stark contrast, the Penguins were on a winning streak. Players were more loose, joking around and playing a more laid back style. While the meetings in the Caps' locker room were intense and very frustrated, the Pens' locker room was pumped, ready and looking for more.

It was exciting to watch the two teams go through different stretches in the season. It has me begging for more and it's just the beginning.

Watch a preview of the series from HBO's website:

Preview to 24/7 Pens/Caps: Road to the NHL Winter Classic

The Buzz

HBO's The Buzz takes a look at the new series of 27/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic:

The Buzz

Also ask a question and get it answered by a Cap or Pen.

A Little Spooky

It's my annual look at the league as Halloween comes around. Can't skip on tradition, so here is a quick look around the league to take a look at some of the scary things that are afoot in the NHL.

Penguins' Horrifying Home Record: 2-4-0 in their brand new building, including two losses to heated rival Philadelphia. One thing they have going for them, the Winter Classic will not be played at CONSOL Energy Center. The only teams they have beaten at home have been Ottawa and an overtime win against the NY Islanders. Still it is not as bad as Phoenix that has only won once in Glendale Arena.

Devils' Decapitated Cap: After signing a whopper of a contract with Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils have run into salary cap troubles. They started the season with only twenty players on their roster, leaving little room for injuries or bad play. They have dressed as little as 17 players for a game. Lucky for them, some injuries have helped to alleviate the pressure. But unless a trade is looming, they will have to make tougher choices further down the road like letting a veteran player go.

Tim "Trick or Treat" Thomas: What a great and scary start for the Boston goaltender. He has won every start this season for the Bruins (5), but what is really blood curdling is his goals against average at this point in the season, .50. Yup, that is half a goal allowed per game. Credit a great Bruins defense and Thomas' recent spooky-good play.

Steven "Slimy and Scary" Stamkos: 18 points through nine games. He is averaging 2 points a game. Not a bad start kid.

Alex "The Invisible Man" Ovechkin: Usually a man in the lead of the scoring race or close to the top, it is hard to find Ovechkin's name in the top twenty of either the goals column or points. It is still early, but his scoring production has dropped sharply, including three games where he failed to score a single point. He started the season with five straight games with at least a point. Not good news for you fantasy players out there.

Carolina's House of Horrors: Zero goals on home ice. That is it for the Hurricanes. Shut out in their last 2 games by both Washington and Pittsburgh, the 'Canes are looking for answers on to their home ice woes. They did score a goal while in Europe when they were considered a home team. But since returning to RBC Center, the 'Canes offense has sputtered.

Eve of Halloween Routs: These games weren't even fair in some cases. Philly routs NY Islanders 6-1, Pittsburgh embarrasses the Hurricanes 3-0, Boston veto the Senators 4-0, Detroit dismantle the Predators 5-2, Dallas shoots down the Sabres 4-0, Colorado unravels the Blue Jackets 5-1,  and Capitals douse Flames 7-2. In all the winning teams scored a combined 56 goals while the losing end only mustered 14 goals.

NHL Thinking Outside The Box

TSN.ca listed all the possible rule changes the NHL is experimenting with. Some are definitely outside the box. A few don't seem like bad ideas. Even though the league has taken drastic steps to increase scoring (i.e. the trapezoid, no change icings, and so on) they seem to not be satisfied.

Every year the NHL does a Research Development and Orientation Camp. In that camp, they take up and coming players (the players they are using) to test different proposed rule changes to see if the changes will increase the competitiveness of the game.  While some of the ideas seem far fetched, others are taken a bit more seriously. The rule changes are brought about by players, GMs and more.

All the proposed rule changes being tested are highlighted in bold type.

Let's take a look at some of the experimental rule changes the league is considering this year at camp. First is a look to improve faceoffs.

The first is having three faceoff dots, one in each zone, down the center of the rink. It sounds a little out there, but the thinking is it keeps the action to the center of the ice and will cut down on whistles. Imagine a face off literally in front of the your net. It would eliminate the face off circles that flank the net in the zone and do away with the offside faceoff dots.

Brendan Shanahan, project leader of the RDO camp, showed some interest in this rule according to a NHL.com article:

"I'm curious to see how players and coaches react to those faceoffs in the zone when the faceoff is happening right in the heart of the slot," Shanahan said.

Next is a variation of the faceoff where a whistle starts play rather than the traditional puck drop. It is sort of like pick up hockey rules. Time spent setting up for faceoffs would be cut and the action would be more continuous.

If a player is deemed to have committed a face-off violation, he will be required to move back and keep his skates behind a "penalty line" (a foot further back) to take the faceoff. I much rather have the player tossed like it is now. Adding yet another line seems a bit too much.

Caps' bench boss Bruce Boudreau also weighed in on this rule in an NHL.com article:

"As a former centerman, I found them to be the most interesting thing," Boudreau said. "Nobody got kicked out, so it speeds it up that way. The only thing I worry about is I think, in the neutral zone it's great, but in the offensive zone it sure could lead to some goals. You're winning clean draws back to the slot, and for our team that's (Alex Ovechkin) and (Alexander Semin) because there is no real stick battles. They're getting it flat before a guy could get out there. If you want offense, that's good, but I'm thinking on the defensive end. We're going to be losing those faceoffs, too, and it might be (Ilya) Kovalchuk blasting it in."

The league also wants to find a solution to icings and players getting hurt. as they race for the puck as the defending player has to touch up for the call.

They will be trying both no-touch icing and a hybrid icing rule, where referees can blow the play dead prior to the defending player touching the puck. While the no-touch will be the same rule used in international play, the hybrid rule is something I am more willing to accept.

The linesman will have the athority to rule whether there is a chance for the offensive player to beat out the defensive one for the puck to negate the icing call. If there is no chance, the ref will simply blow the whistle like a no-touch call. If there is a close battle for the puck, the linesman has the choice to not blow the whistle and let the race continue. It also allows more of a chance that a linesman could decide the outcome of a game. The practice is currently in use in the USHL.

The hybrid rule seems to be gaining some support from GMs and players alike. It could be a rule that could be implemented soon.

A couple rule changes seem a bit unnecessary. Like the following two.

The league could have a second referee located off the playing surface. Perferably in the mascot suit.

Another rule that doesn't make much sense is not allowing a team to change lines after it commits an offside. We already do this for icing, pretty soon we won't allow either team to change except for on the fly.

Overtime seems to be a good subject that everyone has an opinion on. The league is proposing a couple of changes there too.

Like having three minutes of 4 on 4, followed by three minutes of 3 on 3 and finally three minutes of 2 on 2. Not sure I am into this at all. It could get to the point where it looks more like a practice than a game.

Having five players from each team participate in the shoot Out and they shall proceed in such order as the coach selects. If it's tied at the end of the shootout, it goes to sudden death shooting and no one shall shoot twice until all eligible shooters have shot. This would just be an increase from 3 to 5. I don't see the need to drag it on anymore than it has to. This isn't soccer futbol.

One change I do like is in 4 on 4 overtime, switch ends so teams have longer changes in the extra frame. It makes sense that the teams switch ends once more for the overtime period. Shanahan brought up a good point about it in the NHL.com article:

"To have four-on-four with a long change could create more of a challenge for coaches and for players," Shanahan said. "It's the end of the game. They're tired, mental mistakes can happen and that long change could create more out-numbered attacks."

 And, of course the changes to the landscape.

Like narrowing the shallowness of the net by four inches to create more ice behind the net and enable more wrap-around attempts. Not sure how I feel about this one. The net is a fixture that hasn't changed much since the league started. Narrow nets might just look stupid from an aesthetic point of view.

Another landscape change would be increasing the size of the crease proportionally in all directions by 3 inches. To add more protection for the goaltenders? I thought we were just going to limit pad size.

The changes will not likely happen anytime soon. Unless all the GMs and owners get on the same page about one or two particular rule changes. The icing change is one I can see happening sooner rather than later. Also some of the changes to overtime could be good additions to the game. The delicate balance needs to be maintained however between the new and the traditional.

At the moment, I think the game is doing just fine.

NHL Out For Bad Contracts

And it may be a bad idea. The NHL won a small victory against front loaded contracts when they successfully won a ruling that struck down the practice. The New Jersey Devils tried to sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a ridiculous contract that would pay him well into the forward's forties at a lesser cost. Now with that little victory, NHL is going all "Steven-Slater" on other contracts that pose the same front loading characteristics.

Roberto Luongo in Vancouver, Marc Savard in Boston, Chris Pronger in Philadelphia and Marian Hossa in Chicago are squarely in the league's cross-hairs. All have signed long term contracts that are the league may retro-actively disallow.

However, all of the players have already filled out their part of the contract by playing for their respective clubs. If the NHL didn't like the practice in the first place, they should have challenged it then and not by allowing those players to play for those teams and let them begin their contracts.

It is understandable that these contracts are a loop hole that bypasses the CBA. The contracts allow a team to pay top dollar for a player while keeping him in the fold for the players lifetime and the price drops when the player passes his prime.

But the league was slow to challenge any of these contracts when they were drafted a year ago. Going back will make those players unrestricted free agents and teams will have to scramble to resign those players or be out the money they paid them for one season and see those players go to other teams.

Vancouver may see this as an opportunity to part ways with Luongo who has underachieved in the playoffs for the Canucks. But the contract was eventually approved by the league, unlike the Kovalchuk contract that was challenged. It is a tough pill to swallow, but the league should not be going after past contracts they did not challenge and ended up approving anyway.

Other contracts and even trades could be affected by this retro-analyzing of contracts. Imagine a trade from a year or two years ago being challenged and the players in question have to return to their old teams. A team that made the trade, for good or bad, will be stuck paying for a player they didn't have to spend money on if the league had stepped in to begin with. No one is saying the league is looking into that, but it could be a next step if the league wants to pursue it.

It opens a Pandora's box of problems the league just wants to correct. In the end it will confuse fans and become a PR nightmare for the league.

The league caught this one, good for them. But to go back and challenge their own approvals of contracts just seems a bit petty.

Caps notes:

• Japer's Rink thinks that David Steckel is one Cap that needs to be on the trading block. But I like the big guy!
• Meanwhile, Peerless reminds us that rumors are just that, rumors.
• Because I was a bit busy before the news broke, Olie Kolzig has confirmed he will be at the Capitals Convention in October. Also at this year's convention, the Caps will reveal their Winter Classic digs, panel discussions and lots of opportunities to touch a Capital player (no bad touching though).

First Round Winners And Losers

Well, that was an interesting first round. I do it every year, it's my list of the winners and losers. Already this post season seems chocked full of them.

Winners

Opening wins from the underdogs: In the Eastern Conference everyone of the lower seeds beat their higher seed foes. In the West, only top seeds Phoenix and Vancouver got off on the right foot. It made for an interesting start.

Jaroslav Halak: Halak played and outstanding series against the Capitals. He stopped 41 shots in game seven, another 53 shots in game six as the Habs come from behind to beat the Capitals in round one.

Phoenix Coyotes: Even though they had home ice advantage, the Coyotes were clearly the underdog in their series against Detroit. But they stretched it to seven games before they totally lost in the final one by a score of 6-1. Give the 'Yotes credit for playing a great season, and following it up with some good playoff performances. That was gutsy season for a team struggling to stay in Glendale AZ.

Jacques Martin: The head coach of the Montreal Canadiens had a plan and stuck with it. And he finally wins a game seven. He played the system best suited to beat the Capitals, and it worked. Get the early goal and shut 'em down. He had some help form a great goaltender, but in the end he finally gets a game seven win.

Sidney Crosby: I hate to say it, but Crosby single handily did away with the Ottawa Senators. Talk about a leader, he lead by example with some key goals and great assists to keep Ottawa from every really having a chance.

1 through 8: Every seed is represented in the second round. 1. San Jose, 2. Chicago, 3. Vancouver, 4. Pittsburgh, 5. Detroit, 6. Boston, 7. Philadelphia and 8. Montreal.

Zdeno Chara: He started the series with a cage, but he would end it leading his bruised and battered team past the Sabres for the series win. Not sure how long he can lead his team on, but he did everything to help his team win, getting into a scrum and scoring key goals.

Losers

Washington Capitals Offense: Where did it go? To lose by such a low score is not normal for the Capitals and it was the main reason for their first round loss. Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom were held scoreless in the last games. Mike Green, Tomas Fleischmann and others didn't even get a goal.

Buffalo Sabres: They just couldn't over come Zdeno Chara and Tuuka Rask. They were a bit beat up and Ryan Miller played spectacular in net. But the Sabres are upset by Boston proving a great goaltender only gets you so far.

NHL Officiating: 5 minute or longer reviews, bad calls that decide game sevens, and overall consistency. It has been a bad first round for the boys in the black and white stripes. And all the Commish has to say is, "Well human error is part of it." Hmm.

Versus: Blocking every game in the post season by scheduling them, even if they are not full games. Those with Center Ice were forced to watch partial games because of Versus trying to satisfy every one's needs. The NHL really needs to either open up the blocked games, or find several channels to carry the games through the first round. Hello, NHL network?

Bruce Boudreau: Now 1-5 in series clinching games, Boudreau played on his hunches a bit too much in the series against the Canadiens. Making changes too late in the series did not help his team in the end. His authorship of the power play was abysmal. Even with the extra man with over a minute left in game seven, the Caps could not produce a power play goal.

NHL Logic

.. or lack there of.

Colin Campbell handed down the sentence for Marian Hossa's hit on Dan Hamhuis in game 5 of the Blackhawks and Predators series today. It was a verdict on a hit that was identical to that of Alex Ovechkin's hit on Brian Campbell in the very same building in the regular season. As everyone looked at both hits side by side the reaction was the same from every analyst and commentator; Hossa is going to be suspended for that hit.

Here's Hossa's hit:


Here is Ovechkin's hit:


So when the Colin Campbell came out with Hossa's punishment, it was understandable everyone was confused when the verdict was not a suspension. Nothing, nada, not one game missed for the exact same hit that forced Ovechkin to sit out 2 games.

You can see why players and coaches are confused when it comes to the league's supplemental discipline. Campbell released this statement in his defense of the decision:

"I have made the decision that this play does not warrant supplemental discipline after considering all of the facts, including reviewing the video and speaking with Mr. Hossa. This play is distinguishable from recent incidents by a number of factors, including the degree of contact involved; the fact that the consequences of the play do not appear to be as severe; that this was a hockey play involving a race for the puck; that Mr. Hossa is not a repeat offender; and that the call of a major penalty by the referee was significant and appropriate."

To be honest, I don't get it. It is the exact same hit, the exact same incident. Both players pushed the opposing player from behind and both slammed into the boards uncomfortably. So what are we suppose to surmise from this? You can run a player as long as you don't hurt him or have any prior "history" (whatever that means, since it is Ovechkin's first offense of hitting from behind or boarding penalty).

What fans, players and general managers are really looking for is just some consistency. And I am not even a Hossa hater. I could care less if he gets off or not. But I do believe in fairness, and by the decisions of the league office that fairness thing is not present in their actions.

Caps Notes:

• Caps spent their last free day working on the power play. Just 1 for 24, the leagues best PP has been a non-factor in this series. Bruce Boudreau worked a new player into the mix, tough guy Eric Belanger.
• After blowing some steam right after Friday night's game, it was a calmer Boudreau at Caps practice. After saying 5 or 6 players were just along for the ride, he back tracked a bit. As per Tarik's blog:
  

  "The other day he was more irritated, and today he was a little more calm," Mike Knuble said of Boudreau, the power play's architect. "Today, it was, 'Alright guys, I know we can do this', now that he's had a day to get away from it. It was just little things like puck recovery and being on rebounds a little more. Little things to focus on."

• "Sno-vechkin" has taken on new levels. Habs fans are incensed over Alex Ovechkin spray one of the Canadien kid flag bearers with ice as he is coming to the bench. You can make up your own mind on the video below:
  
  The best commentary was when NHL on the Fly commentator Larry Murphy blamed the kid for "waving the flag in front of him." The Habs' fans have problems if this is their rallying cry.
  
• The Hershey Bears have opened a 2 games to none lead on the Albany River Rats with a 6-3 win tonight.
  

A Few Surprises

We have made it a full week through the start of the '09 - '10 season and there have been a few surprises. It's still too early in the season for these to be permanent trends, but the good and bad starts have certainly raised eyebrows.

Phoenix Coyotes' quick start. The Coyotes weren't expected to do much this year, with their coach pushed out and the franchise in danger of moving to southern Ontario. But Dave Tippett may have got this team concentrating on playing more than worrying. They started with two big wins over division rival Kings and shut out the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. They have cooled a bit losing their last two games.

Vancouver's slow start. Roberto Luongo did start the season on a good foot, allowing 13 goals through his first 3 games. The Canucks have since turned it around, but he has a mortal .865 save percentage and a dismal 3.52 goals against. Not good for a team that believes they are Cup bound.

Ray Emery's return to the NHL. It started off pretty good, but in the last 3 games Emery has let in 13 goals. The Flyers see something in Emery that the rest of us can't see. But team mate Mike Richards is off to a great start, scoring a hat trick against the Capitals.

Montreal's slow start. I really thought the Habs got it right in the off season, re-vamping the team, making the right moves and getting a new coach. But that hasn't translated to wins. They lost an ugly one to Vancouver 7-1. With all that talent, they still don't have a consistent goaltender.

In a month we will see how this all shakes out, but there are some interesting storylines developing in the NHL. There are a few more interesting starts to the season for some teams, the Capitals' slow start and the Blues' big wins in Europe.

It is always nice to talk about what is happening on the ice, rather than the stuff that happens off of it. So far, the season is off to a great start.

NHL.com Gets An "A" For NHL Gamecenter

This is the third year I bought into the NHL Gamecenter Live online. It's the NHL's online version of Center Ice where you can watch games not in your market on your computer. It has been a process with this NHL service for the last couple of years, but this time they have got it right.

The viewing screen has grown to fill up a good size of your monitor and is in the HD format (when available). The picture is super clear with little or no hiccups, thus far.

There is still real time stats as well as chat with other fans (although it is mostly trash talking). You still have access to archived games that track back to the '07/'08 season (when your are feeling nostalgic for a season or two ago). There is also a multiple game feature (up to 4 games) with the bigger screen space, which is much nicer than the multiple screen mode from last year where the feeds were much smaller. A sample below:

They have added a new DVR-like controls with a download where you can pause, rewind and replay the action. Also there is picture in picture (PIP) and real time scores to keep track of all the action.

I use to cringe every time my credit card was charged for the service, but this year it has been definitely worth the price tag ($159.00 USD). Games are still blacked out if they are on local television (like Versus, NBC, NHL Network, etc.). It's not a service if you just like your local team because they black it out every time. The window will slow a bit if you open more than 2 or 3 games at once. But, if you have high speed Internet, it is not so bad. If don't have high speed Internet, it will not work as well and you should not get it.

It might be worth a spin if you are a super NHL fan and love to watch out of market games from your computer and/or to keep track of your adopted Western/Eastern Conference team.