I'm writing this while listening to the IEM World Championships, which is a massive pro gaming tournament in Germany. They aren't speaking English but I can promise you that whatever is happening is very, very exciting.
Back to hockey. Now back to me. Now back to hockey. I'm on a computer.
Just kidding. This team gets harder and harder to write about every week because they refuse to break out of their slump and stop playing like ass. Encouraging signs were to be drawn from last week as we DID WIN A GAME YEAAAAAAHHHHH and probably should have won the game in Anaheim until classic Bad Avs showed up and screwed everything up.
Brian Elliott made his debut for the Avs and in two appearances with the team has given up 9 goals. Nice. Stoked to spend the summer sitting around waiting to hear if we are bringing him back on a 2 year deal or letting him find a deal in the AHL (let's do that, says the snap judgment).
The hamster just decided to fall asleep in the wheel. Enjoy the standings, non-Avs fans visiting for whatever reason <3
Team capsules after the jump...
All standings related info taken from NHL.com...
Calgary Flames (64 GP 32-23-9 73 Pts)
Last Week: 1-1-1 1-3 L vs. BOS, 3-4 OTL vs. SJ, 1-0 W vs. STL
Conference Standing: 7th Place, 1 point ahead of 8th place Dallas.
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 2.9 (7th)
- Goals Against: 2.8 (15th)
- Power Play %: 17.1 (19th)
- Penalty Kill %: 82.1 (14th)
Fun Facts:
This Week: A busy week for the Flames as their recently completed 5-game home stand kept them in the thick of the playoff race but alas, the world is a cruel one as Calgary must head out onto the road for a delicious back-to-back starting Tuesday @ STL and continuing Wednesday @CHI before they return home for a nice weekend of fun Friday vs. CBJ and Sunday vs. NSH.
News: Curtis Glencross, asshole supreme, appears to be in line for a raise the Flames weren't expecting.
Calgary's big deadline deal was acquiring Fredrik Modin from Atlanta.
For a recap of Calgary's attempts to upgrade at the deadline, just head over to Matchsticks and Gasoline. They even had a live blog.
The Calgary Sun digs the Feaster.
Transactions: Feb 28 - Claimed D Brett Carson off waivers from Carolina and traded a 7th round pick for D Fredrik Modin.
Injuries: C Daymond Langkow is still out indefinitely with a "head" injury, F Raitis Ivanans is day to day with a head injury (no shock there, really), F Adam Pardy (when did he become a forward???) is listed as out indefinitely with an "upper body" injury.
Colorado Avalanche (63 GP 26-30-7 59 Pts)
Last Week: 1-3-0 (YES!) 4-3 W @ STL (hahaha finally!), 1-5 L vs. EDM, 3-4 L @ LA, 2-3 L @ ANA
Conference Standings: 14th place, 13 points behind 8th place Dallas.
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 2.9 (8th)
- Goals Against: 3.4 (30th)
- Power Play %: 18.9 (10th)
- Penalty Kill %: 76.7 (29th)
This Week: Bless Howard we only have two games to lose this week with games Tuesday @ SJ and UZ & Co.'s big celebration in 374 Saturday vs. EDM. Don't say I never did anything for you, UZ.
Edmonton Oilers (63 GP 20-35-8 48 Pts)
Last Week: 1-3-0 1-4 L @ MIN, 5-1 W @ COL, 0-5 L vs. STL, 2-3 L vs. BOS
Conference Standings: 15th place, 23 points behind 8th place Dallas.
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 2.5 (27th)
- Goals Against: 3.2 (29th)
- Power Play %: 13.0 (30th)
- Penalty Kill %: 75.8 (30th)
Fun Facts:
This Week: A healthy return to form for the dregs of the NHL enjoyed their only win of the week by driving the dagger further into the heart of the Avs fan base. This week they take their consistent losing ways back to Edmonton where games Tueday vs. NSH and Thursday vs. CBJ are a fine tune up for a full blown tank war Saturday night for UZ Night @ COL. You're welcome again, buddy.
News: Dustin Penner was traded. This was the biggest deal of the deadline. That's all you need to know about this year's deadline.
A delightful look back on the extremely successful tenure of Dustin Penner in Edmonton.
Copper and Blue applauds Kings GM Dean Lombardi for fleecing them. Yay.
Transactions: Feb 25 - G Martin Gerber recalled. Feb 28 - D Shawn Belle traded to COL for D Kevin Montgomery. F Dustin Penner traded to LA for D Colten Teubert, a 2011 first round draft pick, and a conditional 3rd round draft pick in 2012.
Injuries:
- Ryan Whitney is on IR and is out indefinitely with an ankle injury.
- Nikolai Khabibulin is on IR and is out indefinitely with an eye injury. Maybe that explains why he hasn't been able to see the puck until it's already gone past him. yukyukyuk
Minnesota Wild (63 GP 33-24-6 72 Pts)
Last Week: 2-2-0 4-1 W vs. EDM, 2-4 L @ LA, 3-2 W @ ANA, 2-4 L vs. CHI
Conference Standing: 9th place, tied with 8th place Dallas.
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 2.6 (23rd)
- Goals Against: 2.6 (10th)
- Power Play %: 19.9 (7th)
- Penalty Kill %: 83.9 (8th)
Fun Facts:
This Week: Minnesota gets all East Coasty on us this week as they travel to the b-b-big city for games Wednesday @ NYI and Thursday @ NYR before getting lazy and traveling all the way home to finish the NY triumvirate Sunday vs. BUF. Lazy, lazy, lazy.
News: A trade deadline Q&A with Wild GM Chuck Fletcher. This stuff is cool.
Hockey Wilderness sums up their deadline shenanigans with a headline. That's honestly all you need to read.
Russo's Rants gives some insight into the Wild's move and lack of moves, if that makes sense.
Transactions: They recalled and sent down Warren Peters like three times, so screw all that. He's with the Wild right now. Cody Almond was also reassigned to Houston Feb 28. Also on Feb 28, AKA yesterday, Minnesota acquired D Jeff Penner and RW Mikko Lehtonen from Boston in exchange for G Anton Khudobin. What a weird trade. Boston acquires an NHL-ready backup despite having two very good goalies on the NHL roster and Minnesota continues its quest to corner the market on players named "Mikko". Y'all have fun with that.
Injuries:
-
James Sheppard is still out with a knee injury with his return unknown but he is practicing with the team.
- Josh Harding remains out with a knee injury of his own but has begun skating lightly.
- Guillaume Latendresse is out indefinitely with what is listed as a hip/hernia injury.
- Mikko Koivu suffered a broken index finger and is out...for a while.
- Cam Barker has missed the previous two games is out with an upper body injury. Meaning he probably tore his Achilles or something.
Vancouver Canucks (63 GP 39-15-9 87 Pts)
Last Week: 1-2-0 2-3 L vs. MTL, 3-2 W vs. STL, 1-3 L vs. BOS
Conference Standing: 1st Place, 3 points ahead of 2nd place Detroit.
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 3.3 (1st)
- Goals Against: 2.3 (1st)
- Power Play %: 24.9 (1st)
- Penalty Kill %: 85.6 (3rd)
Fun Facts:
This Week: Vancouver's recent struggles have come in the midst of a 6-game home stand, so...sucks for them. They finish up aforementioned home stand Tuesday vs. CBJ and Thursday vs. NSH before remembering what the road feels like by doing the SoCal double dip Saturday @ LA and Sunday @ ANA. Anyone else think it's a little ridiculous all the NW teams are doing this SoCal trip on back-to-backs? Isn't there a competitive advantage there? I mean, if Anaheim was better, anyway.
News: Team Blue grabbed the victory in the annual Canucks Superskills Competition. The Sedins were indeed on opposite teams. The horror.
Jeff Paterson takes a look at the moves made by Vancouver to bolster its lineup for the inevitable second round playoff loss that lies ahead.
Nucks Misconduct does their obligatory look at the team's moves. God the links are boring this week.
Transactions: Yesterday, Feb 28, was a busy day for the Canucks as they reassigned Cody Hodgson and Victor Oreskovich (FFFFFFFFFF), acquired Maxim Lapierre, Macgregor Sharp, and Chris Higgins in exchange for Evan Oberg, Joel Perrault, and third round picks in 2012 and 2013 in two separate trades. Fun.
Injuries:
- Alex Edler is out indefinitely after having back surgery.
- Lee Sweatt is week-to-week with a foot injury
- Andrew Alberts just had successful wrist surgery and is out for a long time because that really hurts.
- Kevin Bieksa is out for an undetermined amount of time thanks to a pesky foot injury.