Why Are The Blackhawks So Good

Right now the Blackhawks are the best team in the NHL, by far. Why is this? Chicago has the best of everything: good goaltending, great coaching, one of the best offenses in the league, and a defense that can score as well as defend. We will take a look at the strong points and even the weak points of one of the best teams of all time.

Joel Quennville and Patrick Kane after Stanley Cup win

First, we'll evaluate their goalies. Corey Crawford has been pretty solid this year. Unfortunately, he isn't as good as last year. The reigning Stanley Cup champion looks like an elite goaltender because he has the best team in the league playing in front of him. It would be very interesting to see how he would do if he had a team like the Buffalo Sabers in front of him. Despite what I said above, he led the league in wins before he got hurt and is the perfect starting goalie for this team. Chicago doesn't need a star goalie to be a great team. They just need a solid goaltender who gives his team a chance to win. This Summer, the Blackhawks signed Nikolai Khabibulin to a good contract. He hasn't been as good as they had hoped. Before getting injured he had a save percentage of .811. His GAA. is 5.00. These are some of the worst numbers in the league. Thankfully for the Blackhawks, Khabibulin got hurt and a new goalie replaced him, Antti Raanta. He has had exceptional numbers for a rookie goaltender. He could manage to stay on this team and continue to play well. Chicago has a major goalie number two problem, but with proper management and solid play from Antti Raanta it can be fixed.

Corey Crawford

So far, the Blackhawks are the best offensive team in the NHL. This team averages 3.5 goals a game. When you score three goals in a game you have a good chance of winning. They have a great mix of young forwards and veteran leaders. Patrick Kane is the leading scorer on this team; he has 59 points this season and twenty four goals. Both of those statistics come close to leading the National Hockey League. Kane has some of the best stick handling skills in the history of hockey. Earlier this season, Patrick was a minus nine. He quickly turned all of this around by strong defensive play. Kaner (as his teammates call him) is now a +11. This is the highest scoring team for several good reasons, good coaching, pure skill, and hard work.

Kane and Towes celebrating after a goal

This defense is very skilled on both sides of the puck. They have managed to keep pucks out of the net and make the goalies look pretty good too. In my opinion, Chicago has the best balanced defense in the league. They have the D-men that can score from the point, the players that make excellent passes up the ice, and even the type of defenseman that will protect his side of the ice at all costs. Among all of the talented hockey players on this team, Duncan Keith is the best defensemen. He leads his team in points for a defender. He even protects his end just as good as any of his teammates do. This defense has on of the easiest jobs in the league. The offense is so good they just need to keep Chicago in the game.

Overall Chicago may be the best team many of us will see in our lifetime. The Blackhawks have one of the best chemistries in the game. Every man trusts the other. This team is an example of what great front office decisions can do.

Preview Sharks Vs. Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche are going to face the San Jose Sharks at the Pepsi Center this afternoon. Both teams need to keep winning if they want to get a decent seed in the playoffs. These groups are pretty equal in strength. If these teams were to battle for the cup today, they would play each other in a best out of seven series. Now its time to take a look at the matchup tonight.

If you're the Sharks you want to get a win and climb up the standings so you can face a weaker team in April. Antti Niemi will start in net this afternoon for San Jose. He hasn't been as sharp in his last five games. Niemi has been up and down in terms of save percentage. Sometimes posting a .968 and other times a .853. He is going to need to play well in order to beat this Avalanche team. All four lines from the Sharks need to have a good game. Any line from this Colorado team can score or build momentum. If the Sharks manage to do what I said above they will have a good chance of winning.

The Colorado Avalanche are going to need a solid effort to beat this talented Sharks team. First, lets look at the starting goalie. Semyon Varlamov will be getting his fourth straight start tonight. The Russian goaltender has been nothing but superb this season. He has the eighth highest save percentage in the league (.928) and intends to keep it there. The Avalanche haven't lost in regulation when they score the first. That needs to happen tonight. If Colorado nets the first goal, they will probably win the game.

It should be a very interesting matchup tonight. One mistake could determine wether the Sharks or the Avalanche win. Both teams want points to solidify a playoff spot, and both of them are going to have to play hard to win the game.

Olympic Hockey This Year

There are seventy-seven days until the puck drops in Sochi Russia. Among the favorites to win a medal are U.S.A, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic. I am going to evaluate all of these teams and their players.

Russia should have a good hockey team this year. They will host the Olympics in 2014. This means they will have a home team advantage. The fans in Russia will expect their team to bounce back from a disastrous run in 2010. Russia is very strong up front. They have Alexander Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, and Nail Yakupov. However, this team doesn't have a strong defense, and in order to succeed, Slava Voynov needs to be very good. Semyon Varlamov is an important piece to this Russian team. So far, he has been fantastic this season.With their dynamic offense and strong goaltending Russia is a good contender for a gold medal.

Semyon Varlamov robbing Alex Semin

Alexander Ovechkin 

Sweden is one of the favorites to win a medal in Sochi. They have a young and mobile defense that can score. Henrik Lundqvist is the backbone of this team. If he plays well, Sweden will go far. This country has a very high powered offense. Gabriel Landeskog is going to be very helpful to his team in 2014. He has sixteen points this season and is a +7. The twins, Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin have the potential to be very dangerous on the bigger ice. In order to win a gold medal, Sweden needs their key players to perform.

the Sedin twins

Lundqvist in Winter Classic

The Czech Republic probably won't receive a medal in Sochi. The last time the Czech Republic won gold was in 1998. The team was lead by the legendary goalie, Dominik Hasek and forward, Jaromir Jager. This year, they are strong down the middle. They have two of the top center-men in the league. Their wing and the defense is the weak spot of this team. Tomas Vokoun should be the starting goaltender if he's healthy. At this point, I don't think the Czechs will medal.

Jaromir Jager

The coaches of team Finland have many players to choose from. They could go with a team full of veterans, depend on young talents, or even have a mix of the two. Alexander Barkov could be a very important piece to Finland in February. They arguably have the best Olympian hockey player of all time. The Finnish Flash, Teemu Selanne, will be competing in his sixth Olympic tournament. He holds the record for most points in the Games at 37. Not many teams have prime goaltenders like Finland. Pekka Rinne and Tuukka Rask will be battling for the number one spot on this dynamic Finnish roster.

Teemu Selanne 

Tuukka Rask stretching to make a save

The United States of America looks to bounce back after a devastating loss to Canada in Vancouver. In contrast to last year, they are expected to win Gold. This team is just an all around solid hockey group. The U.S. has a strong blue line. All of the defensemen can score as well as protect their zone. When it comes to goalies not many teams come close to Finland in terms of talent. The United States is an exception. Johnathan Quick will probably be the starting in net for this team. Jimmy Howard and Ryan Miller are going to be close second. The forwards are going to need to perform to their full capability in order to defeat the stronger teams.

Two American studs Zach Parise and Ryan Suter 

The gold medal champ, Canada, is looking to defend their successful tournament run in Vancouver. This team has the strongest offensive unit in the Olympic Games. Their biggest offensive threat is Sydney Crosby. He is also the favorite to win the Hart Trophy. Carey price of the Montreal Canadians and Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyote's will be competing for the number one job in net. P.K. Subban  is going to be the best blue liner for team Canada. The former Norris Trophy winner has 19 points this season. Canada has a good chance to win it all again this year.

Carey Price and P.K. Subban celebrating after win

Overall, this is going to be a great tournament. Each team has a strong point and a weak spot. I'm going to predict that the U.S. will win gold, Canada will earn silver, and the Finnish will defeat Russia to win bronze. Every team has a chance to medal or come close to it. 

Downie Traded for Talbot

The Colorado Avalanche announced a trade yesterday morning. They have acquired Max Talbot from the Philadelphia Flyers at the cost of Steve Downie. Both of these players have a big adjustment to make in order to succeed with their new team. Talbot will be going to a winning team where as Downie will find himself with a loosing group.

Talbot and Downie

Steve Downie is on the last year of his contract in Colorado. He was a top line forward with the Avalanche along with Matt Duchene and Ryan O' Reilly. Downie has had his share of penalty minutes this season. He has 36 penalty minutes; thats the eighth most in the NHL.  Steve has played for the Flyers before. He had twelve points as a rookie Flyer. Downie was drafted by the Flyers in 2005.

Max Talbot has won a Stanley Cup and is known as one of the best penalty killing forwards in the game. Although he doesn't have as many points as Downie, Max is a better defensive player. Head coach, Patrick Roy has announced that Talbot will be in Dallas for the game friday. Talbot will play with Nathan Mackinnon and Jamie Mcginn on the third line. It will be interesting to see how Talbot gets along with his new team.

Both of these forwards are very talented as well as experienced. I think it is a fair trade for both teams. The Flyers will receive much needed offense and the Colorado Avalanche will have an even stronger penalty kill.

Avalanche's Hot Start

If you were to look back on last years standings, you would find the Colorado Avalanche sitting in last place in the Western Conference. This year is completely different. The Avs are ten and one and have a goal differential of +19. What is the difference?

P.A. Parenteau battling the Maple Leafs

Coach Patrick Roy has made a big impact on the team this year. His passion has changed the franchise for the better. Coach Roy has demanded success this year, and that's what he has received. He even picked legendary goaltending instructor Francois Allaire, who managed to train J.S. Giguere and Semyon Varlamov into elite goalies.

Coach Roy defending his players

Rookie, Nathan Mackinnon, seems to be a solid forward who is an excellent playmaker. He has the fifth most points on the Avalanche at seven. The rookie leads his team in assists and has participated in every game his team has played. 

Rookie Nathan Mackinnon

Matt Duchene is an even better player. He is the Avs' leading scorer. He leads his team with nine goals. That ties the record for most goals in the month of October. He joins Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg,  and Chris Stewart for most goals in October. Duchene keeps getting better as seasons pass, and he doesn't show any signs of stopping. 

Duchene after goal

Another reason for the Avalanche success is the goaltending. J.S. Giguere has the best GAA and save percentage in the league. Starting goalie, Semyon Varlamov has one of the best save percentages in the NHL.

Giguere and Varly

The Avalanche seem to have established themselves as a competitive team in the NHL. Unlike last year, they are good on all sides of the puck. They have killed fourteen penalties in a row. They show signs of being a playoff team or even Stanley Cup contenders.

My Playoff Predictions #1

Here are the teams that I think will make the playoffs.

Western Conference

1. San Jose Sharks

2. Chicago Blackhawks

3. Anaheim Ducks

4. Colorado Avalanche

5. L.A. Kings

6. St. Louis Blues

7. Phoenix Coyotes

8. Vancouver Canucks

Eastern Conference

1. Pittsburgh Pens

2. Toronto Maple Leafs

3. Boston Bruins
4. Detroit Red Wings
5. Montreal Canadian
6. Ottawa Senators

7. Carolina hurricanes

8. N.Y. Islanders

All 30 NHL teams

The Eastern conference is the toughest to play in at the moment. There are many teams that could slip into the seventh and eighth seeds. The Tampa Bay Lightning may have a decent shot at the playoffs if they do the right things. They still have more to prove before you can predict them making it to the postseason.

Another interesting team is the Washington Capitals. If they can string some wins together, they might be a solid contender. Alex Ovechkin has had a good start to the season with seven goals and three assists.

Alex Ovechkin after a goal

The Western Conference seems to be easier to play in. Every spot is pretty clear, except when you reach the eighth slot. Nashville, St.louis, Phoenix, Vancouver, or Minnesota could stumble into the playoffs.

Nashville Predators vs Minnesota Wild

The Colorado Avalanche might have a chance to finish higher if they play to their full capability. In order to play to their full potential, Semyon Varlamov and J.S. Giguere must be solid in goal. The Avs offense needs to produce more shots if they want to finish higher than the fourth seed. So far this season, the defense has been good. They have only allowed 12 goals in nine games. 

The Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog 

The Pens are skilled on all sides of the puck, and if their starting goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury, returns to his old form they should grab the number one seed in the easter conference. They might just happen to win the Presidents Trophy (for most points in the NHL.)

The Toronto Maple leafs are making a statement this season. They have six wins and only three losses. The Leafs goal differential is a +8. This leads me to believe that they will be a higher seed this year.

Carolina has been very good so far. However, I don't think their hot start will continue. They will make it but not very far. I believe this because their goal differential is a negative four. Two key players are Eric Staal and Cam Ward. Eric Staal must contribute at least fifty points this season, so that the Hurricanes will get some offense. Cam Ward has to be solid in goal this year and avoid injuries. 

Eric Staal

Goalie Analysis #1

Well, there have certainly been some surprises around the league in terms of goaltending. The biggest has been the Avalanche goaltender. Semyon Varlamov has opened the season with a .950 save percentage and GAA of 1.68 - pretty impressive numbers. If he keeps this up he should be a Vezina trophy contender.

Varly and his team after a win

Antti Niemi has picked up right where he left off. He leads the league in wins and games played. Antti also has the best team in the NHL so far. The San Jose Sharks have not lost a game in regulation. 

    

  

 Antti Niemi's mask for the 2013-2014 season 

Unfortunately, Henrik Lundqvist has been a disappointment. So far, he only has two wins. However, the Rangers' bad start isn't all his fault. He isn't the Vezina contender we have seen for the past few years. King Henrik has given up twenty goals in his his seven games. That is the fourth most in the NHL. I believe that the new pad sizing rules are affecting him. Before the rule was placed he seemed to have oversized pads. That being said, he is an excellent goaltender that is just going through a slump. 

Henrik Lundqvist.

Another goalie making his mark is Toronto goaltender Jonathan Bernier. In the time that his goaltending partner, James Reimer, has been injured, he has stepped up and proven that he can be a starting goaltender in the NHL.

 

Jonathan's huge glove save against the Oilers