Well it was a busy NHL weekend – and as always it flew by! So here we are – back to work on a March Monday, and wondering where the weekend went! Here’s some ‘Monday Musings‘ to get you through the early part of your week.
Lucky 13 – Jarome Iginla has been all things to the Flames throughout his time in Calgary. One of his greatest assets wearing red and yellow has been his consistency. Iginla scored his 25th goal Sunday – making it 13-straight season’s for the captain to achieve that plateau. The Flames may miss out on the postseason, but Iginla remains an offensive catalyst for the club year in and year out.
Broadway Brilliance – The Rangers are having the dream season in New York. The club has definitely bought in to what coach John Tortorella is selling. Henrik Lundqvist (1.82 GAA, .938 Save %) is heading towards the Vezina Trophy, and Marian Gaborik is fulfilling his offensive promise with his 32nd goal Sunday against Boston. The Rangers sit on 91 points as I write this, that’s the best total in the entire league. The team is finding ways to win consistently in impressive fashion, and look like the real deal in the East. The ‘Blueshirts’ look like a group that could be poised for a long playoff run if the core stays healthy.
Lightning Strikes – No one has been hotter in the NHL in the past few weeks than Steve Stamkos (47 goals, 33 assists, 80 points). The young sniper has been tearing it up for the Bolts, and over his past five games has four goals and three assists. He’s entered the MVP discussion along with Evgeni Malkin (80 points) and Henrik Lundqvist, and if Tampa Bay squeezes into the playoffs he may indeed be the best candidate for the award.
Toronto Turmoil – Well what can you say about the train wreck that was the Leafs last few weeks. Coach Ron Wilson was fired Friday night as the club was in a nose-dive with a 1-9-1 record in the previous 11 games. General Manager Brian Burke had maintained for months that Wilson’s job was safe, but voila, Burke shows him the door. Randy Carlyle has been hired to replace the caustic Wilson, and despite a 3-1 win in Montreal Saturday, it looks like the Leafs will miss the playoffs for a seventh-straight year. Carlyle has lots of work to do with the ‘Blue and White’, but his detail oriented approach should help with the awful penalty-kill and the average power-play in the long run.
Well we’re into March and the chase towards the post-season. With most teams looking at between 15 and 18 games remaining in their schedules, it’s the time of year to get it together. For those playoff bound, it’s the final month to work out any issues. For those who’ll be golfing early, it’s a month to audition for your job come next season! Either way you cut it, it’s a fun time to be an NHL fan.
Enjoy the games this week wherever you are!
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