For the love of Roy this was a busy week in Avalancheland. Maybe it just felt that way because I was taking such an active role in things around here but signing our 4 top unsigned prospects and having a two-day ongoing troll of Calvin Pickard: 2011-2012 AHL Rookie of the Year nonsense flying around AND playing in 4 games should count as an active week.
Naturally, we were losers of 75% of our games, though if you're all about the Sherman Tank we were only losers in 25% of our games. That one win sure was damn exciting, though, assuming you started watching halfway through the 3rd. Mark Olver almost died the next game from a totally clean hockey hit as long as you completely disregard the unnecessary full extension of Komisarek's elbow (and that's all I'm saying about it) but he was born 'n bred in good old Burnaby, meaning as long as he stays away from snow blowers he will be totally okay. I've already forgotten about the California swing so onto the MHH Report Card.
A busy week around here at MHH as this wonderful community can't seem to get this season over with fast enough. Fanposts about the future of the club are starting to pepper the interwebs and I ask you guys to keep it up, even if some of you are touching on a post I'm re-writing on a daily basis. Quality work this week, loyal readers. If only the Avalanche could copy the effort...
Suggested hot topic issue of the week: Potential availability of Bernier/Quick. I don't think it is something we as a fanblog have covered enough quite yet. Just remember whoever we get has to have a strong track record of durability because we don't want to be calling up Pickard from the AHL and potentially stunting his development. Discuss!
Team capsules after the jump...
All standings related info taken from NHL.com...
Calgary Flames (77 GP 38-28-11 87 Pts)
Last Week: 1-1-0 3-6 L @ SJ, 5-4 W @ EDM
Conference Standing: 9th Place, 3 points behind 8th place Chicago.
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 2.9 (6th)
- Goals Against: 2.8 (19th)
- Power Play %: 19.0 (9th)
- Penalty Kill %: 81.5 (18th)
This Week:Calgary returns home from a 4-game road trip that drove a serious dagger through the heart of their playoff hopes just in time to take a crack at one of the teams they're chasing Wednesday night vs. ANA. The Flames will take to the road yet again as they play their final two road games of the season Friday @STL and Sunday @COL. We know they'll snag at least two points out of that trip...
News: Steve Staios apparently just had one of the highlights of career. Uh...kay.
The Flames are resorting to the "one game at a time" cliche. Hopefully that helps in their drive to be swept in the first round.
Many Avs fans here might find this very interesting. Mitch Smith over at Matchsticks and Gasoline talks about why tanking may not be so great. Pretty in-depth stuff. I wish I could just front page it over here, actually. This is the first part of the series, which I missed because I was on vacation having fun while Forsberg was back here quitting on the Avs. Yeah, I'm cruel.
Transactions: None.
Injuries: Holy hell they updated this bad boy. 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, F Brendan Morrison is day to day with a knee injury. F David Moss hurt himself falling down in warm ups. So embarrassing. F FredrikModin is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury and F Niklas Hagman is listed as day-to-day with a head injury.
Colorado Avalanche (75 GP 28-39-8 64 Pts)
Last Week: 1-3-0 5-4 W vs. CBJ (YEAAAAAHHHHHHH it was AWESOME, too), 3-4 L vs. TOR (...aaaand we're back), 1-4 L @ LA, 4-5 L @ ANA.
Conference Standings: 14th place
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 2.7 (18th)
- Goals Against: 3.5 (30th)
- Power Play %: 18.6 (12th)
- Penalty Kill %: 76.7 (29th)
This Week: Somehow this failfest of a season has 7 games remaining, 3 of which we get out of the way this week, beginning Thursday vs. NSH and continuing into the weekend (hooray!) Friday night @ PHX and Sunday vs. CGY.
PLEASE CAN WE HAVE JUST ONE OF THEM??
Edmonton Oilers (75 GP 23-41-11 57 Pts)
Last Week: 0-2-1 1-3 L @ NSH, 0-4 L @ STL, 4-5 OTL vs. CGY
Conference Standings: 15th place
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 2.4 (28th)
- Goals Against: 3.2 (29th)
- Power Play %: 12.9 (30th)
- Penalty Kill %: 76.7 (28th)
This Week: Another team with an active schedule this week, Edmonton takes their traveling band of AHL players on the road after a Tuesday night beatdown vs. LA. The team's grueling 2-game road trip begins in Thursday @MIN and concludes with an inevitable 6-2 loss Saturday @VAN.
News:Dan Pencer takes a look at how tough guy Steve McIntyre's role with the organization has evolved. His nickname is Big Mac. Seriously.
Longtime Oilers broadcaster Rod Phillips waxes nostalgic before the conclusion of his 37-year career.
Even the Oilers anthem singer is bailing on the team.
Transactions: F Alexandre Giroux was reassigned to Oklahoma City.
Injuries:
- Ryan Whitney is on IR and is out indefinitely with an ankle injury.
-
Taylor Hall is on IR and is out indefinitely with an ankle injury.
-
Taylor Chorney is on IR and is week-to-week with a knee injury.
- Gilbert Brule is week-to-week with a concussion.
- Ales Hemsky is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
- Sam Gagner is out for the season with a hand injury.
- Shawn Horcoff is out 7-10 days with an ankle injury.
-
Kurtis Foster is day-to-day with a concussion.
Minnesota Wild (75 GP 35-32-8 78 Pts)
Last Week: 0-2-0 0-3 L vs. TOR, 3-6 L vs. STL
Conference Standing: 11th place
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 2.5 (26th)
- Goals Against: 2.8 (16th)
- Power Play %: 19.2 (7th)
- Penalty Kill %: 83.6 (10th)
This Week: The most recent Northwest team to collapse into itself like a dying star hits the road Tuesday night @STL before heading home for an NHL-AHL showmatch (you decide which team is which) Thursday vs.EDM before their schedule gets real. Games Saturday vs.TB and Sunday @DET will surely drive home the 11th place finish for our ironically named friends to the north.
News: Get to know Avs-annihilator Matt Cullen!
Glen Andresen takes a peek at what was (to me) a puzzling trade deadline deal, making it make much more (baddabing, baby) sense in the grand scheme of things.
Longtime MHH favorite BReynolds takes a look at the Wild's history of scoring. This is not a sex joke so just stop giggling, Sandie.
Transactions: C Warren Peters and D Nate Prosser were reassigned to the first place Houston Aeros of the AHL on March 25 and 26, respectively.
Injuries:
- Cam Barker aggravated an upper-body injury March 8 and has missed the last eight games. He practiced Monday but will not travel to St. Louis.
- Marco Scandella broke his finger after a shot hit his glove on March 19 against Columbus. He will not play Tuesday against the Blues.
- Guillaume Latendresse left the March 11 game in Dallas with a lower-body injury. He is not currently skating and it is uncertain when, or if, he will return this season.
- Josh Harding is practicing but is not ready to return from a knee injury he suffered in the preseason.
- James Sheppard continues to practice with the team but will not make the trip to St. Louis.
Vancouver Canucks (76 GP 50-17-9 109 Pts)
Last Week: 3-0-0 2-1 W @ DET, 3-1 W @ ATL, 4-1 W @ CBJ
Conference Standing: 1st, 11 points ahead of second place Detroit.
Overall Rankings:
- Goals For: 3.2 (1st)
- Goals Against: 2.2 (1st)
- Power Play %: 25.3 (1st)
- Penalty Kill %: 86.2 (2nd)
This Week: Vancouver can wrap up the first seed in the conference with 1 point in any of their remaining games and they will begin this quest for the inevitable Tuesday @NSH before returning home following a very successful 4-game road trip for a Thursday night throwdown vs. LA. They also have an easy 2 points Saturday vs. EDM.
News: An in-depth look at Raffi Torres's tattoos. I wish we were so far ahead in the standings we could justify articles like this but I'm not sure we have anyone old enough to get a tattoo without a parental signature so I suppose it's all for the best, amirite?
Almost a cool story, bro! If only his parents had typo'd on the birth certificate.
How did Jeff Tambellini make it to the NHL? Can't say I never tried to provide you with the link that tells you!
Transactions: Victor Oreskovish was recalled yet again from Manitoba. Stop trolling me, Canucks transaction reports.
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.
- Manny Malhotra will miss the remainder of the season with after sustaining an eye injury against Colorado.
- Dan Hamhuis is day-to-day with a concussion.
- Mikael Samuelsson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
- Tanner Glass is day-to-day with an upper body injury.