How many of us thought the Jackets had a legit chance at leaving LA with four points? I know I didn't.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Los Angeles Kings

February 6, 2014 - 10:00 pm EST
Staples Center - Los Angeles, California
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Jewels From The Crown
SBN's Kings vs Blue Jackets Coverage

One team has won 12 of its last 16 games, including its last three in a row. The other has won just five times in its last 21 games (5-14-2), and has lost four straight and nine of 10 (1-8-1).

Here's another way of looking at trends. While I always provide the snapshot at the bottom of where each team ranks in terms of season offense, defense, and special teams, it's important to note that, since these teams last met, all of the Jackets' number except their PP% (which has stayed identical at 19.0%) have improved, whereas all of the the Kings' numbers have gotten demonstrably worse.

Yes, these are two teams trending in opposite directions, in a big way.

That means, frankly, that with the Jackets' win against Anaheim the other night, this road trip suddenly looks a little less daunting.

Look, I'm not going to take anything away from the Kings. They are a good team, with good players and an all-world goaltender. But, for whatever reason, they have been pretty bad for over a month now. Since winning a shoot-out against Colorado on December 21, they have won just five times. Think about that for a moment. 21 games in 44 days, and they've won just five times, just once since January 16th.

I don't have to tell you, we've been through some runs like that, and they aren't pretty. As we also know, they also tend to take on a life of their own and spiral out of control. After that win in December against the Avs, the Kings lost five straight heading into January, and had another five game winless streak in the middle of January (during which they visited Columbus and lost).

Jonathan Quick's last three starts have been forgettable, as he's allowed 10 goals on 50 shots (.800 sv%) including getting yanked from a start against Pittsburgh after allowing three goals on just seven shots. He gets the start again tonight, and so the Jackets will have to work hard to continue that trend. One imagines Quick is going to do all he can to get sharp for the Olympics so as to get a chance to play. The Jackets need to keep him down.

Likewise, the Kings overall have allowed 29 goals over these last 10 games, which is a big departure from their norm. Their PK has struggled of late, having killed just eight of 13 chances in the last four games. Columbus, as we've documented, has been scoring in bunches, and has found some life again on the Power Play.

Conversely, the Kings have scored just 13 goals over that same 10-game span, including a 2-for-30 stretch on the PP currently, so it's not hard to see why they haven't been winning. The Jackets can't let them get going offensively. Jeff Carter, for example, hasn't scored since these teams last met, but we all know how much he likes sticking it to us. We can't let him.

All in all, if you'd told me last week that the Jackets had a pretty good shot to come out of the LA area with four points in tow, I don't think I'd have believed it. But, with the win against Anaheim and the continued struggles of the Kings, it now certainly seems possible.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(29-23-4, 62 Points; 3rd division, 7th conference)

Los Angeles Kings
(30-22-6, 64 Points; 3rd Division, 7th Conference)

Season Series

01/21/14 - Los Angeles 3 at Columbus 5
02/06/14 - Columbus at Los Angeles

Head to Head Stats

Los Angeles		Columbus
2.26 (29)	GPG	2.91 (7)
2.12 (1)	GAPG	2.77 (17)
14.0% (28)	PP%	19.0% (14)
83.3% (9)	PK%	81.2% (16)
Jeff Carter, 20	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 23
Anze Kopitar, 29	A leader	James Wisniewski, 29
Anze Kopitar, 46	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 43
Kyle Clifford, 63	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 82
16-10-3	Home/Road	13-12-2
2/3 vs. Chicago, L 5-3	Last Game	2/3 @ Anaheim, W 4-2
1-8-1	Last 10	7-3-0

release us from our misery

Los Angeles Kings v Columbus Blue Jackets (Staples Center)

Time: 7:30 PM

TV: NHL Network, Fox Sports West

Enemy reading: The Cannon

Blue Jackets (projected) lineup:

Jenner-Johansen-Horton
Foligno-Anisimov-Umberger
Calvert-Dubinsky-Atkinson
Letestu-Mackenzie-Tropp

Tyutin-Johnson
Murray-Wisniewski
Nikitin-Savard

Bobrovsky

Injured: Blake Comeau, Marian Gaborik, Jared Boll; Scratched: Tim Erixon, Cody Goloubef

Kings (projected) lineup:

Toffoli-Kopitar-Carter
Brown-Richards-Williams
King-Stoll-Lewis
Clifford-Fraser-Frattin

Mitchell-Doughty
Regehr-Voynov
Muzzin-Greene

Quick

Injured: Alec Martinez; Scratched: Jordan Nolan

Game Notes:

• I tried to be positive last time and it didn't work, so I'm pretty sure that was the universe's way of telling me that positivity stinks and is for dummies. Tonight, I am embracing fatalism.
  
• The Kings are 1-8-1 in their last 10. That stinks. It is terrible. It's the worst in the NHL - worse even than Buffalo, which is the deepest shame an NHL team can know.
• The entire Pacific Division is not very good right now. It's like they went "being good at hockey is hard and we don't want to do it anymore so let's try not being very good at hockey okay cool". And bam, the Sharks are the only Pacific team that batted above .500 this week. The Kings are the loser team in the loser division and we should feel bad about it.
  
• Luckily, once the Kings lose to the Blue Jackets tonight, the pain will be over - temporarily - and we get to watch some of these guys not suck in the Olympics. And by "some of these guys", I mean Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter. The rest of them will continue to suck.
• Alec Martinez is probably going to get traded for Sam Gagner and that also sucks. I am 100 per cent convinced that Edmonton wants to trade Gagner because they are afraid that he will try to Single White Female Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and maybe wear his skin like a coat. Also, Sam Gagner blinks one eye at a time. He is a weird dude, is what I am saying.
  
• And how can you believe in a god when all of my Alec Martinez prayer circles have failed??? You can't, is the answer. A first-round playoff exit is your only god now.
• This afternoon, the Kings traded Robbie Czarnik for Steve Quailer, in a trade of two people with silly names and questionable hair that nobody cares about. Even Habs Eyes on the Prize doesn't care about this trade, and they are basically internet experts in caring way too much about shit that doesn't matter.
• Justin Williams thinks that the Blue Jackets are a good puck possession team and normally he would be super-wrong, but they have been doing well lately and the Kings have not so let's all continue to feel sad.
• Prediction: rocks fall; everyone dies.
  

The Jackets started strong, but some bad momentum swings eventually allowed Los Angeles to tie this game, and finally win on a Robin Regehr shot in overtime.

It's 1:30 in the morning, and the headline kind of sums up this game, unfortunately.

There were some nice fireworks early, though. The Kings took a penalty in the first minute when Tyler Toffoli hooked down James Wisniewski, and not long after, Jack Johnson teed up a nice pass from Ryan Johansen to hammer it past Jonathan Quick for the early lead.

Unfortunately, team USA's (likely) starting goalie seemed to wake up after that shot, and despite the Jackets dominating the first period, outshooting the Kings 10-2 and playing almost 15 of the 20 minutes in the LA zone, Quick held his team in the game, including a couple of big saves on Boone Jenner and Brandon Dubinsky.

The other story of the night came in the second period, and it's not nearly as nice: After a choppy start to the middle frame, Ryan Murray was attempting to skate the puck out of his own zone. Two different Kings were already trying to get him off the puck, including a pretty nasty bit of stickwork from Mike Richards, when Dustin Brown came in and dropped the rookie d-man with what looked like an elbow to the head.

Brown would be given a minor for charging, which the Jackets bench was clearly dissatisfied with, but could not get the power play clicking to make the Kings pay on the scoreboard, and LA pretty clearly drew energy from the kill. Murray would not return in the second period, and Columbus was forced to hang on through a pair of penalties and a flurry of late shots, scraping through to hold the lead through 40 minutes.

Unfortunately, though Murray would return to the bench in the third period, the string of penalties finally caught the Jackets - Nikita Nikitin would be whistled for a hook on Trevor Lewis, and even though Slava Voynov would even things up, the penalty kill would lose track of Trevor Muzzin, who set up behind the defense and redirected an Anze Kopitar shot past Bob to tie the game.

The Jackets didn't look sharp, but still managed a couple of decent chances, including an excellent sequence in the final minute that forced Quick to make point blank saves against Brandon Dubinsky and Matt Calvert, but time was not on their side, and the game would head to overtime.

Columbus continued to keep after the Kings, but unfortunately the home team would find the answer before their visitors. Artem Anisimov was attempting to get the puck out of his zone when Mike Richards took the puck away and sent it to Robin Regehr, who was ready and waiting for a booming slap shot that would get through the traffic. Bob was pretty effectively screened by Jeff Carter and Fedor Tyutin, and unforunately just didn't see the shot until it was too late.

Final Score: Kings 2 - Jackets 1 (OT)

Detailed / advanced stats from Extra Skater

Standard Bearers:

• Brandon Dubinsky - Though he didn't manage to beat Quick, Dubi certainly gave it a good college try. Shots at even strength, a shorthanded breakaway, a couple of good looks on the PP, and holding serve in the faceoff circle.
• Sergei Bobrovsky - Even though Bob gave up the OT winner, he kept the team in it during some pretty serious lapses, and looked sharp even when he was spending a lot of time watching the action 200 feet away.
• Jack Johnson - Nice goal, a fair bit of rubber on net during the game (Dubi and JMFJ accounted for almost 1/3 of the team's shots tonight) and picked up a great deal of the minutes lost due to Murray's injury.

Bottom of the Barrel:

• Dan O'Rourke - You know it's pretty horrid officiating when you wonder on the internet if that ref has a bias against your team...and it turns out you're right. In fact, only three officials have a higher percentage of calls against the Jackets compared to opponents.
• Finish - There were a couple of "near miss" opportunities, including breakways by Mark Letestu and Artem Anisimov, that came within inches of turning this game around - oh, and a heartbreaker from Fedor Tyutin that hit the inside post, walked the goal line, and bounced out. It's not easy to beat Quick, and the Jackets had some opportunities that they needed to deliver on.

Even though the Jackets slipped a point behind Philadelphia, they still closed within two points of the Rangers, and still hold a game in hand on both teams in front of them. (We're tied in GP with Pittsburgh, but, well, Pittsburgh.) The team has three points in two games on this road trip, and if they can make some hay against the Sharks tomorrow, stand a good chance of being in second place in the Metro going into the Olympic break.

The longer term concern, as far as I'm concerned, is Ryan Murray. He did return for the third period, but hits like that have a tendency to show side effects a day or even a few days later. Here's hoping that he did dodge a bullet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed until we find out if he's in the lineup tomorrow or not.

This wasn't a great game, and certainly a fairly frustrating loss even with taking a point out of it, but there's one game left, and a good opportunity to end this trip on a high note.

Comparing the very best songs about California and Ohio.

The Blue Jackets? Where the hell are they from again?

Oh right, Ohio. I don't know anything about Ohio, so I suppose I had better do some research. I'll combine two of my favorite things: Wikipedia and the majesty of song.

Wikipedia's list of songs about Ohio

Okay so...I haven't heard most of those songs, and like half of the plot descriptions are pretty bleak. This is not a good advertisement for your state, Ohio:

Although I will admit that this song is pretty good:

So maybe Ohio isn't ALL bad.

Now let's see what California has to offer:

List of songs about California

Huh.

Man, I wonder why there are SO MANY MORE songs about California than there are about Ohio? I mean there are more songs just CALLED "California" than have ever been written about Ohio in the history of the world!

It's a mystery. I really can't imagine what could account for this difference.

Ah, well. I guess we'll never know.

(The box score thing isn't working right now so just imagine that thing is here okay?)

Prediction:Sharks win, and several more songs are written about the glory of California.

Video Gamery: My 24th-favorite video game is the Silent Hill series, which probably takes place in Ohio.

More from Battle of California

Follow @BattleofCaliFollow @SBNationNHL

• Sharks Gameday: Songs about States
• Kings Gameday: Low
• Sharks Gameday: Texas is America's Russia
• Ducks Gameday: Well, Damn It.
• The 5 Funniest Hockey Tweets of the Week: Hasty Work Edition

It could have been a lot better as the Jackets didn't get much help, but it probably could've been worse. Just ask the Rangers.

Metropolitan Division Standings - Friday, February 7th

Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings - Friday, February 7th

Division Playoff Odds

Courtesy of Sports Club Stats:

Pittsburgh - 100.0%
NY Rangers - 73.7% 
Columbus - 65.4%
Philadelphia - 50.0%
New Jersey - 38.8%
Carolina - 29.5%
Washington - 12.7%
NY Islanders - 0.1%

If The Season Ended Today...

Round 1 Matchups

Who Helps Us Tonight

San Jose vs Columbus (+7.9)
New Jersey vs Edmonton (+1.4)
Carolina vs Florida (+1.1)
Pittsburgh vs NY Rangers (+0.7)

Robyn Regehr is the unlikely hero in overtime as LA triumphs, 2-1. The Kings have a winning streak at the Olympic break!

It wasn't the Los Angeles Kings' best game. Heck, it wasn't even the best game they've played in the last week. But it was enough to finally break the losing streak, and thank goodness, because we didn't need three weeks to dwell on another loss. Robyn Regehr scored in overtime to take down the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the world seems a little happier this morning.

[Box Score]

Over the last couple weeks, the Kings have consistently started games by taking the wind out of their own sails. They've had enough trouble avoiding early goals at even strength (the Dodger Stadium game and the Pittsburgh game come to mind), but it's even harder when the penalty kill is put to work early. For the second straight game, a King took a penalty inside the first two minutes. And for the second straight game, the Kings paid for it. With Tyler Toffoli in the box, Jack Johnson took a pass from Ryan Johansen and unleashed a wrist shot which was... pretty weak, actually. Jonathan Quick, however, came nowhere near stopping it, as he was already down low and appeared off balance as the shot beat him glove side.

It was a bad goal, but Quick would eventually make up for it. He arguably earned his keep in the first period alone, as the Blue Jackets got ten shots on net while LA got... two. In fact, LA's best opportunity wasn't even counted as a shot; Anze Kopitar set up Jeff Carter in front, and though Carter made a nice stickhandle to even get into an offensive position, Sergei Bobrovsky was there to keep him from getting a good attempt on goal. The Kings spent the rest of the period failing to clear pucks, struggling to complete passes, and taking two too-many-men penalties. Only the post prevented Fedor Tyutin from making it 2-0, and though Quick kept the deficit at a single goal, the Kings left the ice to a smattering of boos.

The second period had to be better, and it was. It was still maddening that the Kings couldn't build any sort of offensive momentum, though. Every time the Kings would get a good shift, it would be followed with an ineffective one. Example: Kopitar, Carter, and Tyler Toffoli put the Blue Jackets on their heels midway through the second, forcing R.J. Umberger into a hasty clear over the glass. On the ensuing power play, Quick had to make four saves in rapid succession. Bobrovsky didn't face a shot.

On an earlier power play, Bobrovsky had stoned Justin Williams on a wraparound bid. Thirty seconds later, Dustin Brown ended another Kings power play by getting called for a charge on Ryan Murray. The hit was unnecessary, and it caught Murray in the head; since Murray was leaning down quite a bit and Brown didn't get his arms up or come in all that late, it probably won't see any sort of supplemental discipline. But don't worry! You'll still hear a bunch of people complain that it's soooo hard to root for the United States in the Olympics because Dustin Brown is on the team and he's the worst person in the world, and so on and so forth.

LA finally got the tying goal three minutes into the third. With the Kings skating 4-on-4 (yeah, no 5-on-5 goals for either team), Anze Kopitar wheeled around after skating from the corner up the boards and looked to get the puck to the middle. Jake Muzzin timed his cut to the net perfectly, and the pass was on the money. He tipped it through the legs of Bobrovsky to make it a 1-1 game, and everything was suddenly up for grabs. LA tested Bobrovsky a few times after that but failed to get a shot on goal in the last twelve minutes, while Quick made multiple saves in the final minute to secure at least one point. He would end with 24 saves, but in overtime, he didn't have to bail the team out any further. That's because it was... Robyn Regehr time.

Carter provided an ideal screen, Richards did an excellent job of holding off defenders to make the final pass, and Regehr put the shot exactly where it needed to be. The Kings now have three weeks off, and when they come back, they'll be looking to make plays like that a lot more often. For now, they'll take the two points and run home... or, in the case of six of our players, to Sochi. Those guys (and our Canadian equipment manager) got a nice send-off after the game, and coming off of a dramatic win, the relief and joy was palpable.

It's the last game before the break, so naturally it starts in the middle of the [bleep]ing night.

Columbus Blue Jackets at San Jose Sharks

February 7, 2014 - 10:30 pm EST
HP Pavilion - San Jose, California
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Fear The Fin
SBN's Sharks vs Blue Jackets Coverage

Yes, there will be Olympic hockey. But damn it, man, I will miss the Jackets for the next three weeks. And, of course, best of luck to The Russian Four, our Olympians, and literally my only reason for not rooting for Team Russia to lose all of its games (most of the reasons for doing so have to do with Vladimir P., so we'll leave it at that).

After last night's all-nighter that ended with a thud, the Jackets get a quick chance to end the road trip--and head into the break--on a very high note. They've grabbed three of four points on the road trip, and with a point or two tonight could head into the break as high as a tie for second place in the Metro (in which they'd hold the tie-breaker in games played with New York, assuming the Rags lose against the Pens).

The Jackets--especially this nucleus--has had the Sharks' number of late, winning their last four against the Sharks by a combined score of 20-8. I don't have much else to offer. It's one game before the break. No reason not to skate your asses off, boys.

(Any lineup changes--I haven't seen much today in that the team didn't skate to my knowledge--will be noted as I get them.)

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(29-23-5, 63 Points; 4th division, 9th conference)

San Jose Sharks
(36-16-6, 78 Points; 2nd Division, 4th Conference)

Season Series

02/07/14 - Columbus at San Jose
03/13/14 - San Jose at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

San Jose		Columbus
2.81 (10)	GPG	2.88 (7)
2.33 (4)	GAPG	2.75 (17)
17.6% (18)	PP%	19.0% (15)
83.2% (11)	PK%	81.8% (16)
Joe Pavelski, 29	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 23
Joe Thornton, 48	A leader	James Wisniewski, 30
Joe Thornton, 56	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 44
Andrew Desjardins, 72	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 84
21-4-3	Home/Road	13-12-3
2/5 vs. Dallas, W 2-1	Last Game	2/6 @ Los Angeles, L 2-1 (OT)
6-4-0	Last 10	6-3-1

It's the last game before the break, so naturally it starts in the middle of the [bleep]ing night.

Columbus Blue Jackets at San Jose Sharks

February 7, 2014 - 10:30 pm EST
HP Pavilion - San Jose, California
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent's Blog: Fear The Fin
SBN's Sharks vs Blue Jackets Coverage

Yes, there will be Olympic hockey. But damn it, man, I will miss the Jackets for the next three weeks. And, of course, best of luck to The Russian Four, our Olympians, and literally my only reason for not rooting for Team Russia to lose all of its games (most of the reasons for doing so have to do with Vladimir P., so we'll leave it at that).

After last night's all-nighter that ended with a thud, the Jackets get a quick chance to end the road trip--and head into the break--on a very high note. They've grabbed three of four points on the road trip, and with a point or two tonight could head into the break as high as a tie for second place in the Metro (in which they'd hold the tie-breaker in games played with New York, assuming the Rags lose against the Pens).

The Jackets--especially this nucleus--has had the Sharks' number of late, winning their last four against the Sharks by a combined score of 20-8. I don't have much else to offer. It's one game before the break. No reason not to skate your asses off, boys.

(Any lineup changes--I haven't seen much today in that the team didn't skate to my knowledge--will be noted as I get them.)

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(29-23-5, 63 Points; 4th division, 9th conference)

Los Angeles Kings
(36-16-6, 78 Points; 2nd Division, 4th Conference)

Season Series

02/07/14 - Columbus at San Jose
03/13/14 - San Jose at Columbus

Head to Head Stats

San Jose		Columbus
2.81 (10)	GPG	2.88 (7)
2.33 (4)	GAPG	2.75 (17)
17.6% (18)	PP%	19.0% (15)
83.2% (11)	PK%	81.8% (16)
Joe Pavelski, 29	G leader	Ryan Johansen, 23
Joe Thornton, 48	A leader	James Wisniewski, 30
Joe Thornton, 56	Pts leader	Ryan Johansen, 44
Andrew Desjardins, 72	PIM leader	Brandon Dubinsky, 84
21-4-3	Home/Road	13-12-3
2/5 vs. Dallas, W 2-1	Last Game	2/6 @ Los Angeles, L 2-1 (OT)
6-4-0	Last 10	6-3-1

The final update before the Olympic break.

SB Nation: Not updated (Last week: 10)
NHL.com: 12th (Last week: 14)
TSN: 11th (Last week: 12)
ESPN: 13th (Last week: 11)
CBS Sports: 12th (Last week: 11)
Fox Sports: 10th (Last week: 17)

Average ranking: 12th (Last week: 13)

The Jackets finally seem to be normalizing in the standings and in play, bringing a solid attack against the three California teams en route to a 1-1-1 finish before the Olympic break. The question now becomes: Can the Blue Jackets maintain their momentum after a three week hiatus and sprint toward the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Previously: Week 17 | Week 16

So, Friday night was not kind to the Jackets in the overall standings picture, as they lost and got literally NO help. That said, they got a tiny bit of help on Saturday. And now, we wait.

Metropolitan Division Standings - Olympic Break

Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings - Olympic Break

Division Playoff Odds

Courtesy of Sports Club Stats:

Pittsburgh - 100.0%
NY Rangers - 81.3% 
Columbus - 57.4%
Philadelphia - 56.5%
New Jersey - 33.1%
Carolina - 26.7%
Washington - 18.0%
NY Islanders - 0.0%

If The Season Ended Today...

Round 1 Matchups

Who Helps Us Tonight

Just enjoy those Olympics, people.

The Evansville IceMen, Columbus' ECHL affiliate, have endured a terrible couple of weeks and now must fight for every point down the stretch. They need a break - and not the kind that involves bones cracking.

While the Blue Jackets have a quartet of Olympians representing Team Russia over in Sochi, the rest of Columbus' players are enjoying some hard-earned time off before the mad dash to the finish of the NHL regular season.

And while the Springfield Falcons have a pair of defensemen (Jackets prospects Cody Goloubef and Frederic St. Denis) participating in tonight's 2014 AHL All-Star Classic, the rest of the Falcons are getting some rest during the AHL's All-Star break.

Down in the ECHL, the beaten and battered Evansville IceMen could sure use a break, but continue to trudge along in pursuit of a playoff berth. That ultimate goal now seems far from guaranteed, after the team suffered through an incredibly rough two-week stretch.

Two weeks ago, the IceMen were riding high - leading the 5-team North Division, second in the 13-team Eastern Conference, and fourth in the 21-team ECHL. Five games into a season-long 11-game homestand, Evansville was 4-0-1 at the Ford Center - raising its overall home record to a league-best 15-2-4. And going back a bit further, the IceMen had earned at least a point in 14 of their last 16 games.

It was Wednesday, Jan. 29. The sixth game of the homestand featured a visit by the Toledo Walleye, the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The IceMen were 4-0-0 at home against the Walleye, averaging 5.5 goals per game in those contests. Evansville's roster was also as healthy and deep as it had been in weeks, with Head Coach Jeff Pyle able to actually dress a full lineup of 10 forwards and 6 defensemen with 2 healthy scratches to spare.

And then, it all fell apart. Quickly.

The full lineup didn't even make it through the first period against Toledo, with forwards Nathan Moon (broken wrist) and Tristan King (concussion) both exiting early. Captain Josh Beaulieu (broken foot) was hurt later in the same game, blocking a shot while killing a penalty.

During the next game on Jan. 31 against the Reading Royals, forward Peter Sakaris left with a groin strain. By game's end, the third forward line consisted of a pair of defensemen and forward Louke Oakley, who had been one of the aforementioned healthy scratches just two days prior.

On Feb. 1, the IceMen hosted the Royals again. Evansville's third forward line featured defensemen Loren Barron and Jacob Johnston on the wings, and the IceMen were down to just 5 defensemen actually manning the blueline.

The next day, veteran defenseman Guy Lepine - who had been the team's acting captain since Beaulieu went down - was loaned to AHL Utica.

Three days later, Springfield recalled forward Tim Miller and defenseman Joe Lavin, who was subsequently traded to AHL Providence.

Pyle quickly signed a couple of free agents in an effort to piece together a lineup for 3 games in 3 days this past weekend. He also regained the services of forward Dylan Clarke, who had missed 32 games after having hip surgery.

Still, Evansville had just 9 forwards and 5 defensemen going into the 3-in-3. The roster then took another hit on Saturday, when Oakley sustained a foot injury.

Going into Sunday's homestand finale, the IceMen had lost 5 games and 8 players in a span of 11 calendar days.

Evansville did manage to wrap up the homestand with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over division rival Cincinnati, but the damage had been done.

Two hellacious weeks.

The IceMen now find themselves in 3rd place within the division. They are 7th in the conference and 11th in the league. In the super-tight East (the 2nd and 9th place teams are currently separated by just 5 points), Evansville is just one point ahead of the first team that is on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

And looking ahead, 19 of Evansville's remaining 28 games are on the road. (The IceMen have won just 6 times on the road, fewest in the ECHL.) To make matters worse, 21 of the 28 remaining games are against current playoff teams.

The stretch run begins with another 3-in-3 this weekend, at Elmira and Reading (twice). Friday's game starts a brutal stretch of 14 games (11 on the road) in 24 days, with no break longer than 2 days.

To his credit, Pyle has refused to let the roster woes become an excuse for losing. He maintains that the active players are still capable of winning games if they play smart and within the system, as they proved on Sunday.

On the plus side, reinforcements are on the way. Defenseman Dustin Hopfner, who played 5 games for the IceMen earlier this season, has rejoined the team via a trade with Bakersfield. Evansville should also soon benefit from the returns of Sakaris, King and Oakley - all perhaps as early as this weekend.

Regardless, the bottom line is simple. Whoever is able to suit up for Evansville on any given night must now "bring it." The upcoming schedule allows little time to breathe, and the past two weeks have all but eliminated any breathing room the team built up over the first three months and change.

It won't be easy - road games against quality opponents never are, under any circumstances. But wars are won in the trenches, and the next two months will be one hell of a war.

One thing is for certain: If the Evansville IceMen do manage to qualify for the playoffs, they'll damn sure be battle-tested and ready to face whoever stands in their path to a Kelly Cup championship.

AFFILIATE PLAYER NOTES:

• Springfield-contracted rookie forward Jeremy Langlois is currently Evansville's acting captain, with captain Josh Beaulieu on the shelf and fill-in captain Guy Lepine on loan to AHL Utica. Langlois is tied for the team scoring lead with 39 points in 35 games. He is also tied for 13th in overall league scoring, and leads all ECHL rookies.

• Springfield-contracted goaltender Mike Clemente started 10 straight games for the IceMen after returning from the Falcons in early January. He went 4-4-2 with a .923 Save Percentage during that stretch, surrendering more than 3 goals only once. Clemente is now 14-6-4 on the season, with a 2.39 GAA and .911 SV%.

• Springfield-contracted rookie forward Peter Sakaris has missed Evansville's last 4 games due to a groin strain. He had been one of Evansville's hottest players, with 7 goals and 7 assists (and a +7 rating) in his last 17 games prior to the game in which he was injured.

• There are currently no Columbus-contracted players assigned to Evansville.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

IceMen Maniac is Michael Shockley, a.k.a. "Shocker" to IceMen fans
Michael provides JacketsCannon.com with monthly IceMen updates
He is also the Webmaster and Senior Writer for IceMenManiacs.com

America. Nuff said.

At the time this post goes live, the US-Russia puck drops in 30 minutes, so let's be like Bylsma and for some reason make it Quick, shall we?

HOCKEY NEWS:

• The United States of America. Russia. Here's Chris Peters' preview. Come for the picture of David Backes knocking out Ivan Drago, stay for...well, to keep staring at that picture of awesomeness! Also, the in-depth coverage. [United States of Hockey]
• Jonathan Quick will again be starting in net. For America. [Puck Daddy]
• Blue Jackets goalie and reigning Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky will start. For those dirty Russkies. [Pro Hockey Talk]
• Did you know that once upon a time, a different US hockey team beat a different Russian hockey team? It's still kind of a big deal. [Pro Hockey Talk]
• In un-American news, there were other games yesterday. Sweden narrowly took care of the Swiss, while Austria was so dreadful they couldn't even beat Canada![NHL.com 2/14]
• By the time you read this, Slovakia and Slovenia will likely have already ended - let's hope that Jaroslav Halak bounced back, and maybe stoned Anze Kopitar a couple times, too. Later today the Swedes finish their preliminary round. [NHL.com 2/15]
• In the world of SLGT, CanesAndBlues fan crunched some more numbers, this time to find if goalies are binomial. Don't worry, I had to bring up Dictionary.com for that too. [SLGT]

OTHER SHIT:

• After you celebrate America this morning, celebrate St. Louis the rest of the day! There are STL250 celebrations happening all over the city, but you can start small, by learning some history of our founding! [STLToday]
• Today is US-Russia AND STL250 - what else could you possibly want?

VIDEOS:

Your Science Saturday today is...less science, but it does fit with the theme of the morning! We must protect our precious bodily fluids!

Today is the first time the US and Russian senior national teams we face each other since last year's World Championships...where THIS happened, and I assume this exact scoreline will happen again. WE WANT EIGHT! WE WANT EIGHT!

If you don't send me links, I'll have to assume that you're a Red spy and have you appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee - they've been waiting 76 years to uncover even a single Communist! (Seriously, they never did...man was Joseph McCarthy fucking crazy!)

• jasonmcadams1120 AT gmail DOT com
• @JMill1120
• As an added bonus, I'm also curating the United States Tweet Week twitter account this week - you may remember our Bostonian friend Sarah Connors held the reigns a few months ago - so I'll be live tweeting the games from that account until next Friday. You can find me there at @TwkUSA - give it a follow and watch me represent 'Murika!

Also, I hope to see you guys at Amsterdam Tavern for some breakfast beers & some proper American ass-kicking!

The Jackets (well, most of them) got back on the ice today at 2:00.

Suffice it to say, it was good to sit at the Ice Haus and see the boys skating as they begin to get ramped back up after almost two weeks off. Only one active player not in Sochi was missing: James Wisniewski was not on the ice with a sore foot.

What that also means is that both Blake Comeau and Marian Gaborik were back on the ice, neither of them wearing a no-content sweater. What THAT means is that Gaborik has been cleared for contact. Today's skate was heavy on drills and light on contact, so there's no real sense of how he is responding to contact, but he said afterward that he felt just fine, and that there were no real restrictions on contact as the practices ramp back up. He expects to use the practice time over the next week to figure out if there are any lingering issues.

Jared Boll was on the ice, though he skated on his own and didn't participate in any drills. When I left the building around 3:30, he was still skating by himself on the ice working with a stick and puck.

And, of course, there was the result from Sochi that saw Team Russia bounced from the tournament, which means the remaining four Jackets will be back soon. No official return date was given when I asked a couple of folks, but the words "pretty soon" were used.

So, as the playoff sprint is about to get underway, the Jackets may be in a rare spot compared to other teams in the league: they might actually be 100% healthy.

Two players I got a chance to really talk to were Jack Johnson and Ryan Johansen. I asked them if the break slows any of team's momentum, or whether it's really just a good chance to recharge the batteries. "Recharge," said Johansen. "You don't want to think like that. You want to think, 'Here we go again. Let's go.' Speaking for all of the guys, I think we all feel the same way right now. It's pedal to the metal from here on out. It's all about getting ready for New Jersey."

For his part, Johnson agreed, noting that it really wasn't even that long of a break overall, and that the players have been playing hockey all of their lives.

Some other notes:

• Both Johnson and Johansen commented that they almost prefer the condensed schedule (24 games in 45 days). They mentioned the preference of routine and of it being easier to focus on each game and the moment when there isn't time to stop.
• To that end, Johnson is truly a no non-sense guy. When I asked about the difference this year given that it's his first playoff push in the east, and thus there won't be nearly as many miles traveled down the stretch, he basically told me it shouldn't make any difference with the travel. While that may truly be his opinion, I have to think it does a little bit. But, one of the nice things about Jack: it's no excuses. Like, ever.
• When I asked Johansen about the temptation to scoreboard-watch, he surprised me a bit with his answer: "I think you want to. It kind of reminds you how important every game is, because there are going to be teams having success. It's motivation when you're looking at that." Not what I expected him to say, I will confess, but an interesting take none-the-less.
• Johnson told me he hasn't watched a single second of the Olympic tournament. I will leave you all to dissect that.
• Conversely, Gaborik said he watched Team Slovakia play yesterday, and that he talked to Slovakian teammates throughout the tournament. When asked if it was hard to watch, he said: "It is. It's hard to watch. But, I was cheering for the guys, and it was too bad we couldn't generate more scoring." I wonder who could have helped them score a little more?
• When I was talking to Matt Calvert about today's Olympic results and whether or not any money might be changing hands for Friday's Canada/US game, R.J. Umberger deadpanned from two lockers away: "Wait, who's playing?"

Red Wings News

Red Wings fire up again, recall four players from Grand Rapids | The Detroit News
The Wings have turned the engine back on again.

Luke Glendening remains with Red Wings, but uncertain for how long | MLive.com

Glendening is, once again, back up with the Wings.

Prospect Profile: Ryan Sproul - Octopus Thrower

Taking a look at Ryan Sproul.

Grand Rapids Griffins coach Jeff Blashill takes battle against muscular dystrophy to the ice | The Malik Report

Blashill will be giving $100 towards research for every Griffin's goal against OKC on Friday and Saturday.

Olympic News

USA vs. Canada: Silver medalists ready for vengeance against golden rivals | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports

Admit it, you were rooting for Latvia to win. I certainly was.

Who's to blame for Russian hockey team's ouster? | USA Today
You can't pin the blame on anybody. But, the media, especially the Russian one, will be blasting Ovechkin in the coming days. And, while I don't like Ovi, he doesn't deserve that.

Sweden advances to Olympic semifinals - Detroit Red Wings - News
Heja Sverige!

Zuccarello has a non-displaced fracture in his hand | ProHockeyTalk
Not good news for the New York Rangers.

John Tavares out of Olympic tournament after suffering leg injury versus Latvia | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports
Not good news for an already struggling Team Canada.

Davidson would say no to NHLers in Korea - Sportsnet.ca
John Davidson, member of the Columbus Blue Jacket's staff, doesn't seem too keen on sending his players to Korea in 2018.

USA vs. Czech Republic final score: Americans outmuscle Czechs, advance to face Canada - SBNation.com
Are you sure that the U.S. and Canada haven't switched forwards. Because, the U.S. can't stop scoring, while the Canadian's can't buy a goal even if Crosby's life depended on it.

Report: Stamkos may not be ready to return post-Olympics | TSN
It seems that skipping the Olympics was the right decision by Stamkos.

Marian Gaborik cleared for contact, nears return to Blue Jackets lineup - CBSSports.com
Gaborik broke his collarbone in late-December.

Russia's Olympic hockey coach wants you to eat him alive - SBNation.com
I feel bad for the Russian's. I really do. Mostly because of Datsyuk. But, also because it was their Olympics, and I did want them to succeed. Plus, now my prediction is partially ruined.

Vokoun medically cleared for action following blood clot issue | ProHockeyTalk

Vokoun hasn't played at all this season.

THN in Sochi: Canada enters semifinal desperately seeking goals | Post-to-Post
If there was ever a time for the U.S. to beat Canada, it is now.

5 things we learned from Canada’s win over Latvia | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports
Canada has some major question marks. But, the questions are whether the team can score, an area that Canada should excel at.

3 Legendary Olympic Hockey Players You've Never Heard Of | The Hockey Writers
I had never heard of any of these three players.

Pols support Panthers bailout plan; Co-owner says team is losing $100K daily | ProHockeyTalk
It's a shame really. They have a good arena, and are located in a great area. Yet, they can't put together a good enough managerial team that can build a winning team.

Let's Go USA & Sweden!

More from Winging It In Motown

Follow @wingingitmotownFollow @SBNationNHL

Olympic Ice Hockey Quarterfinal Recap: Sweden, Finland, United States and Canada Avance - How did Russia Lose?

Olympic Hockey Open Thread Wednesday: Czech Republic vs. United States and Latvia vs. Canada

Olympic Hockey Open Thread: Quarterfinals Games 1 & 2 - Slovenia vs. Sweden & Russia vs. Finland

Red Wings Wrap-Around Analysis

Quick Hits: Quarterfinals Edition

Just two points separate fourth through ninth in the Eastern Conference and teams are leapfrog each other on a nightly basis. With just 24 games remaining, the Norfolk Admirals will need to make a run to ensure a spot in the post-season.

(Note:  The Admirals played a late afternoon game in Albany today, so some statistics reflect post-game numbers)

1 Defenseman and Captain Garnett Exelby, still held without a goal this season, picked up his first point of February last Saturday setting up Chris Wagner's opening goal in the second of back-to-back games versus the Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning).

2 Rookie Forward Norm Ezekiel scored his second goal of the season earlier Saturday in a 4-1 loss to the Albany Devils (New Jersey Devils).

3Devante Smith-Pelly scored 3 goals, his first hat trick of the season, against the Charlotte Checkers on Tuesday night.  Despite his offensive outburst, the Admirals lost 4-3.

4 Goaltender Viktor Fasth is now 1-4 in the AHL between last season and 13-14 after losing Saturday afternoon in Albany.  Perhaps the AHL is a harder adjustment than the NHL for Swedish goalies?  Expect to see him between the pipes again Sunday in Springfield against the Falcons (Columbus Blue Jackets).

5 The Admirals have given standings points to their opponents 18 times this season.  In extra periods the Admirals have two overtime wins, one overtime loss, eight shootout wins, and seven shootout losses.  Winning in extra time really is a coin toss, or as statisticians say, just about .566%.

6 Emersen Etem scored his third game winning goal in a 2-1 win over Syracuse last Saturday.  Unfortunately it was the last meeting between the two teams for the 2013-2014 season--the Admirals are 6-2-0 against the Crunch, their best record against any team they've faced thus far.

7 Chris Wagner scored his seventh goal of the season, his first short-handed, and his second in a week against the Syracuse Crunch last Saturday.

8 In 25 games played at Scope this season, the Admirals have 13 wins and 12 losses, eight in regulation and four in the shoot-out.

9 Goaltender John Gibson is ranked fifth among active goaltenders with a record of  17-11-0-4 , a 2.27 Goals Against Average, and a .923 Save Percentage.

10 Center Dave Steckel picked up his tenth assist of the season in a 4-1 losing effort to the Albany Devils earlier today.

--Viktor Fasth appears close to a return to NHL action after practicing all week with the Admirals and getting in to his first game back after a groin injury has kept him out of uniform for quite some time.  Once the Olympic break is over, the Ducks will be looking at some hard roster decisions.  When Fasth is taken off the IR list, Anaheim will have five goaltenders between the Admirals and the Ducks.  To be honest, based on his history, Fasth would be the odd man out for me if the Ducks just want to get rid of a goalie.  However, Frederik Andersen could bring back some serious talent in a trade.  The deadline is just days away, so we'll have our answer soon.

--The Admirals' loss to the Albany Devils earlier today was the first time since December 19 and 20 that Norfolk has lost back-to-back games.  There are just two points separating fourth through ninth place in the standings.  The Admirals have given up 13 points to their division rivals this season.  From here on out it's not just about winning, it's about winning in regulation.  There are eight spots for nine teams, and Norfolk must string wins together if it plans to see ice time after April 19th.

Follow me on Twitter: @VAPuckhead

Red Wings News

With Sochi Olympics over, Detroit Red Wings now shift focus to playoff push | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
Time to focus on what really matters: maintaining the streak.

Khan: Johan Franzen hopes to be able to return to the Red Wings’ lineup on Wednesday | The Malik Report - Kukla's Korner

While the Wings will be missing Zetterberg when the NHL starts back up again, it does seem that Johan Franzen will be returning to the Red Wings' lineup.

Silver Lining | Grand Rapids Griffins

A total of 11 Griffins' alumni participated in the Olympics.

Contest: Enter to win 4 Plymouth Whalers tickets and 4 T-shirts | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Want to win some Whalers' tickets? Now is your chance.

NHL News

Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz find the net in Canada's golden moment | Puck Daddy - Yahoo Sports
Congrats Canada. But, 2018 will be different.

Teemu Selanne named MVP of Olympic hockey tournament - CBSSports.com
Selanne earned that award. He played his heart out for Finland.

Yzerman steps down as Team Canada executive director | TSN
Yzerman led Team Canada to two Olympic Gold Medals.

Eric Staal happy Canada won gold, disappointed to not be part of it | ProHockeyTalk
Nobody missed him.

USA vs. Finland final score, Olympic hockey 2014: Selanne, Finland claim bronze - SBNation.com

For Teemu's sake, I am really happy that Finland won this game.

Seattle NHL Expansion Announcement Could Happen 'Within Weeks' | The Hockey Writers
Assuming that the NHL expands to Seattle, does it go after a 32nd team, or does it just stick with 31 teams.

In praise of Mike Babcock, who doesn’t want you to be confused | ProHockeyTalk
Mike Babcock is simply the best. Better than all the rest.

Olympic hockey: 14 big winners and losers - Sportsnet.ca
Some of the winners and losers from the tournament.

Blue Jackets defenceman Fedor Tyutin will miss 2-3 weeks after ankle injury from Olympics - The Hockey News
Fedor Tyutin was injured while playing for Russia.

Karlsson said silver medal means so much to him he’ll put it on Ebay | ProHockeyTalk

Don't worry, he has just joking.

Olympic hockey: 14 big winners and losers - Sportsnet.ca
Some of the winners and losers from the tournament.

THN in Sochi: Why the 2014 gold medal men’s hockey team is Canada’s best ever | Post-to-Post
It may very well be Canada's best ever. Considering that it could have been even better makes it even more impressive.

Eric Staal happy Canada won gold, disappointed to not be part of it | ProHockeyTalk

Nobody missed him.

Let's Go Red Wings!

With the 22nd Olympic WInter Games now in the history books, and the NHL gearing up for the stretch run, time to reflect on what we can take away from Sochi . . .and what it might mean for Pyeongchang.

Despite Armageddon-like predictions, the Sochi games overcame the pre-Olympic fears of terrorism, mayhem, global warming and non-functional lavatory facilities to provide more than the usual share of terrific moments.  The Olympic hockey tournament was no exception.  Let's examine the good, the bad and the ugly of Sochi -- on and off the ice -- as we gear up for what promises to be a fantastic stretch run in the NHL.

Blame Canada

I would be remiss if I did not lead with the fact that Canada earned gold - and North American bragging rights for four more years -- in both men's and women's hockey tournaments.  A job well done, and some terrific games along the way.   Both Canadian squads displayed terrific teamwork and mental toughness -- the latter quality being notably absent from both U.S. teams.   More on this in a bit . . .

No, Blame Russia . . .

For those of you who were silly enough to believe that the Cold War was over, hopefully watching the television broadcasts, reading the print coverage and listening to fan reactions disabused you of that notion.  I've had relatives separated by the Berlin Wall . . . and had those same relatives help tear it down.  However, I'm not sure I've ever seen an Olympics where so many people seemed to be rooting for the Games to fail.  Early reports had the athletes living in slum-like conditions, and chastised the Russians unmercifully for incomplete competition venues.  However, as things progressed, and actual reports from the athletes themselves began to emerge, it turns out that most felt the organization was outstanding, the facilities on par or better than prior Olympic venues, and the security adequate buy unobtrusive.

To be sure, Vladimir Putin is not going to win Mr. Congeniality anytime soon. However, the suspicion and outright malice directed toward the host nation by the press and fans was a bit much to swallow.   When the US beat Russia in a preliminary round shootout, people were comparing it to the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid.  Really?   Let's ignore the fact that Russia should have won the game in regulation, but for a wrongly disallowed goal.  This was a round robin game in a tournament format that had all twelve teams advancing to the next round.  So, in reality, Russia and the US were playing for the right to be humiliated by Finland earlier.  Not exactly a cause for ticker tape parades, folks.

Ditto the reaction to Adelina Sotnikova winning the gold medal in the ladies' figure skating competition, upsetting the defending gold medalist and billionaire media idol Kim Yu-na of South Korea.  The furor -- focused on the judging -- ignored some basic facts, and some time-honored sources of debate in skating.  Sotnikova trailed by less than a point heading into the free skate, and had a significantly more challenging program than Yu-na -- five points more difficult.  Sotnikova nailed it -- save one small flaw in a landing -- while Yu-na skated a beautiful, but not technically perfect, program.  (Kudos to NBC for pointing this out in some detail prior to televising the actual routines.)  The two skaters have contrasting styles, and those preferring one over the other will tend to favor that skater.  At the end of the day, Sotnikova came through in front of her home crowd, nailing the most technically challenging program in the competition.  Sounds like gold to me.  It's a shame she has to defend her achievement when she did nothing but skate the best program of her life. One wonders if the same outrage would have applied if the gold had gone to Carolina Kostner of Italy . . .

Size Matters

Back to the hockey rink for the terrific debate over "the big ice", which comes every time the Olympics are hosted in a country featuring the larger ice surfaces used in IIHF competitions.  There are seldom any equivocal opinions on "the big ice" -- you either love it or hate it.  Phil Esposito, for example,  detests the IIHF surface, as he will tell anyone who cares to listen on his Sirus/XM NHL Network broadcasts.   He believes  -- as many do -- that the big ice inhibits scoring and excitement.  Others -- myself included -- like the fact that the larger surface puts a premium on skill and passing, and less on freakish bounces.  I'd submit that the relatively low scores in the medal round came more from not being experienced in leveraging the bigger surface, and the natural reluctance to make mistakes in a "one-and-done" format.

For those unfamiliar with the size issue, the IIHF ice is 15' wider than the NHL, while the blue line-to goal line distance is 6 feet less (58' vs. 64').  However, the area behind the goal line is 2 feet deeper in the IIHF (13' vs. 11'), and the crease is a semicircle with an 11' diameter, as opposed to the "basketball lane" crease in the NHL, which is only 8' wide.   In my view, the larger ice puts a premium on skating and passing, and minimizes the open ice hits and the scrums along the boards, as players cannot afford to take themselves out of the play with more ice to cover.  The larger crease (and the strict IIHF enforcement of skates in the crease) gives the goalies a fighting chance.  With the current NHL crease, and the lack of enforcement of the crease rule, you might as well blindfold the goalie during power plays.  With more space, there are fewer injuries, and guys are not as quick to drop and block shots -- again fearing that they will not have time to recover.

I'm all for anything that puts a premium on skill and minimizes the role of the bad bounce.  The big ice steers the game back toward checking, and away from "hitting", which is a good thing. If I had to tweak anything, I'd move the blue line back two feet from the IIHF distance, making it a bit more difficult to defend the point shot, but still a bit closer than the NHL, making those shots more lethal.

I understand the monetary impact of a wider rink, but over the long haul, I think you would have a better product on the ice, as teams learned how to use the extra space, and the reduction in injuries and gratuitous hits would return the focus to skill.

Three Points, Please . . .

The Olympics, as with other international and junior leagues, uses the 3 point system for allocating points among wins, losses and OT or Shootout losses.  Regulation wins are worth three points, OT or shootout wins are two points, and an OT or shootout loss is one point.  The result is that every game has the same value -- three points.

It is high time the NHL adopts the three point rule, as it is indefensible to have a system where some regular season games have a greater intrinsic value than others.  This is particularly true where, as with the current system, the participants themselves can control that outcome.  Watch the final five minutes of a game tied in regulation -- the clubs almost invariably go into "shut down" mode, avoiding mistakes, ensuring a single point, while preserving the chance for two points.  Under the three point system, the participants sacrifice a potential point by going to OT or a Shootout, providing incentive to gain that regulation win.  It's also more consistent with the nature of the effort  -- Team A beating Team B in regulation is an intrinsically better result than Team C beating Team B in a shootout.

Sure, the "gaps" may appear wider between clubs due to the three point wins, but that's an illusion.  The gaps also get closed faster, due to earning three points for a win instead of two.  It reinvigorates the value of regulation play, and restores fairness to the regular season.  Get 'er done, Gary.

Herb Was Right . . .

Whether you believe the literal quote from the movie Miracle or not, most observers concede that the late Herb Brooks did say something to the effect of "I'm not looking for the best players -- I'm looking for the right players."   His point was that "All-Star" teams often fail to perform in short term tournament play, simply because they play like an assembly of individuals, rather than a team.

On the men's side, Team USA proved Brooks' point.  Early success over weaker teams masked the fact that the squad was largely playing a series of individual match-ups, rather than a cohesive effort.  Sometimes that worked -- as with some of Phil Kessel's performances.  More often it didn't -- with Patrick Kane serving as the poster child on this score.  When confronted with superior talent, they wilted, both physically and mentally, with the bronze medal game against Finland a real travesty of petulance and surrender.  While the US women played as a team, they also suffered from the mental frailty of the men -- abandoning team play when it was needed most and mentally collapsing in the gold medal contest.

Such was not the case for  Teams Canada, who managed to play a tight, seamless team game throughout.  On the men's side, they overcame the "All Star" curse. Whether that was coaching or just the overwhelming nature of the talent on that squad.  Sidney Crosby with a single goal, and a total of three points?   Rick Nash?  Anybody see him?   No, this was not a team of stars, it was a single team that played its came to perfection.  Ditto for the women, who showed more mental toughness than any other team out there -- male or female.

Highs & Lows

The Olympics always provide some great stories, and Sochi had them in spades.  The US now has the oldest alpine skier ever to win a medal (36-year old Bode Miller), and the youngest alpine skier to win gold (18-year old Mikaela Shiffrin).  The Jamaican bobsled team went viral with a video, but failed on the track.  But Latvia didn't, winning its first medal.  An Italian was on the podium for figure skating, and a bunch of brave Canadian bobsledders climbed back in and completed the competition after a horrific spill.  It was also great to see some magnificent Russian performances in the first Winter Olympics on Russian soil.

The Netherlands dominated speed skating like never before, and provided some great entertainment when coach Jillert Anema took the United States -- and particularly American football -- to task in a memorable interview.  Two words for you, Jillert . . . Eric Heiden.

For the U.S., the down side included a pathetic performance by the speed skating contingent -- both short and long track (although short track did eke out a medal in the relay).  Ditto for the curling squads -- particularly the women's team -- who couldn't make a shot to save their lives.

Most of all, it was fantastic to see the reactions of those who rejoiced at merely winning a medal, or achieving a career best time or score.  We focus on gold, but at this level of competition the margin of error is thinner than a skate blade, with tenths of points and hundredths of seconds making the difference.  Well done to all.

On to Pyeongchang . . .Maybe

The world gathers again on the snow and ice in Pyeongchang, South Korea for the 23rd Olympic Winter Games in 2018.   Will the NHL stars be there?   My guess is that they won't.  With the John Tavares injury, the exacerbation of Henrik Zetterberg's back injury, and the less publicized ankle injury to the Blue Jackets' Fedor Tyutin, the appetite of the league executives for Olympic attention has probably waned considerably.

The salaries of the NHL stars have already presented an almost insurmountable obstacle in terms of insurance costs, and that will only get worse.  The North American fans see these guys all the time, and success or failure is ultimately determined by Stanley Cups, not gold medals.  Gary Bettman is being coy for the time being, but the talk of reviving the World Cup is not a good omen for future Olympic participation. I'd surmise that the concessions that the NHL would demand to participate four years hence will be more than the IOC can bear.

So, what is the impact of non-NHL participation?   It depends which end of the telescope you look through.  From the Olympic side, it likely means little.  Olympic hockey was played for years and years without NHL players, and it was a ragtag bunch of amateurs that grabbed gold in Lake Placid.  Making the Olympics a venue for AHL, USHL and CHL players would not necessarily be a bad thing.   On the other hand, looking at it from a non-North American point of view, it could have a dramatic impact on the composition of NHL rosters.  Players from Russia, Sweden, Slovakia, Finland, the Czech Republic and others take enormous pride in having the chance to play for their respective countries.  With a viable -- and lucrative -- option in the KHL, how many players would deem the Olympic ban the final straw in deciding where to play?   It's tough to tell, but I'm betting the fallout could be significant, with the World Cup revival likely being floated as a pacifying move to that contingent.

We have four more years to debate all of the issues, predict the winners and losers, and hear the complaints about Olympic venues that have not been completed.  In the meantime, Sochi provided the types of moments the Olympics are known for, and Russia deserves credit for hosting a spectacle worthy of the Olympic rings.  Now, lace 'em up, the NHL is back!

The NHL is back and the trade deadline is coming up fast.

After returning from its Olympic hiatus last night with Buffalo's 3-2 win over Carolina, the NHL has four more games on the tap tonight with four teams from the Atlantic Division in action. Boston is at Buffalo and Detroit will be in Montreal. In a pair of Western Conference tilts, Los Angeles will visit Colorado, while Vancouver will play host to St. Louis.

The Panthers remain off until tomorrow night when the Washington Capitals come calling. After doing battle with the Caps, the Cats have three games on the road (Blue Jackets, Islanders and Bruins) before the March 5 trade deadline, so we could have an eventful week ahead of us.

The Panthers have a handful of veteran players who could help contending teams, but they may want to re-sign a few of them for next season. It will be interesting to see what path Florida's brass takes in regards to the deadline and playing out the reminder of the schedule. How they approach this time could give a glimpse into what to expect during the offseason.

And, the NHL is back! There was just one game on the docket, but hey, thank you Sabres!

Metropolitan Division Standings - Wednesday, February 26

Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings - Wednesday, February 26

Division Playoff Odds

Courtesy of Sports Club Stats:

Pittsburgh - 100.0% (even)
NY Rangers - 82.2% (up)
Columbus - 58.7% (up)
Philadelphia - 57.8% (up)
New Jersey - 34.2% (up)
Washington - 18.8% (up)
Carolina - 18.1% (down)
NY Islanders - 0.0% (even)

If The Season Ended Today...

Round 1 Matchups

Who Helps Us Tonight

Detroit at Montreal (+0.7)