It's been a quiet two weeks here as many of you may have noticed. Eric has resurfaced with some great writeups, and I will be back to my roundups and other pieces of note in a few days. Last papers and finals are being taken care of, and one of the first things Eric told me on taking this job was that I shouldn't worry about it when I needed to focus on my work. But anyways, I have a few minutes free today, so I figure I'd chime in on a few things I've noticed the past few days.
* I can't remember the last time new goalies have been so important. Phoenix wins 4 straight to start off with Bryz, and Boston has 2 in a row with Auld, including a 44 save effort against Buffalo. And in Detroit backup Chris Osgood has been phenomenal; his stellar play keeping the Dominator mostly on the bench. Even Dallas' Mike Smith is outplaying Marty Turco.
* Where did all the high-scoring games come from? Last night Philly gets an 8-2 win, Colorado beats St. Louis 9-5 the other night, Buffalo gets 7 against San Jose Saturday after giving up 8 to LA last Thursday. I've seen higher combined totals, but single-team numbers this high this often is surprising.
* We all knew Detroit was good, but this good? They've quietly been putting together a league-best 46 points, the only team so far to crack 40. They're currently on pace to break 120 points, which shouldn't be much of a surprise, considering they're the only team to break 120 points since the inception of the Presidents' Trophy for best record. Two years ago they finished with 124 points, and even hit 131 in the '95-'96 season.
* NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and league disciplinarian Colin Campbell held a conference call with Flyers GM Paul Holmgren on Monday. It's about time. I don't mind a physical style of hockey, hell, I picked Anaheim to win it all last year because I thought their hard-hitting style would get it done. But when you have 5 guys suspended 30 games into the season, and are accounting for such a large percentage of league suspensions, something needs to be done. It's not as if the entire league is running wild, just the Flyers. I'm not saying don't play your game, I just think they need to play physical hockey within reason, and with some class.
* The goaltender category on the All-Star ballot is the screwiest thing I've ever seen. The East has Ray Emery, Cristobal Huet, and Olaf Kolzig. I mean I love Olie, but Tim Thomas, who sits right above him in the wins category, has a better save percentage (2.14-2.79) and a better GAA (.936-.900). In the West, the Dominator is the only goalie I'd really replace, and it'd be with his backup, Chris Osgood. I know there's a limit to how many players a team can put in, and generally everyone sends in the same couple guys every year, and that goes for all players. Jonathan Cheechoo is on the ballot again, even though he has only 9 points. I understand the selection is done early in the season, but I don't understand why it can't be put off for a couple weeks or so and give the season time to unfold, and give players the opportunity to make the All-Star game based on stats, not name.
