01/06/12- Studs & Duds
In a relatively quiet night, only 10 NHL teams laced up the skates. Nevertheless, there were some prosperous players and unfortunate failures on the ice. Here are your Studs and Duds for January 6th, 2012:
Studs
3) Staaling the Sabres
For the first half of the 2011-2012 NHL season, Eric Staal has been the disappointment of the Carolina Hurricanes, and the laughing stock of all fans of the game. His half-season has consisted of an underwhelming 9 goals and 25 points (prior to Friday's game) and a league-worst +/- of -23. However, Staal has been picking up his game recently, and had a very strong performance on Friday.
The oldest Staal brother scored the 'Canes 2nd goal of the game and added 2 assists as the Hurricanes beat the Sabres 4-2. In addition to those statistics, Staal added 6 shots on goal and was 19 for 25 in the faceoff dot. Staal is in no way "made up" for his shoddy year, but this showing could be a nice sign of things to come.
2) King Henrik of Consol Energy Center
As the general public learned from HBO's 24/7 series, Henrik Lundqvist is an interesting guy. He loves giving back to the community, he plays in a band with John McEnroe, and he's an incredibly good goaltender. In his last outing on a national stage, Lundy stopped 34 of 36 shots, including a last-minute penalty shot, to preserve a 3-2 win over the Flyers in the winter classic. However, the cameras have stopped rolling and facing the talented Penguins, there were questions of whether or not Lundqvist could keep up his amazing pace. On Friday, there continues to be little doubt that he is the best goaltender in the world.
Lundqvist stopped 37 of 38 shots as the Rangers won their 26th game of the season in a 3-2 victory in Pittsburgh. The Rangers are arguably the best team in the NHL, and a serious cup contender. However, none of this would be possible without Henrik. He is a fantastic goalie, and the MVP of the Rangers thus far.
1) Celebrating 1000 Games in Style
There aren't too many people who have hung around the league for as long as Patrick Elias. In 999 games, the 35-year-old has scored over 300 goals and 850 points. In addition, he is nearing 3000 career shots. On Friday, Elias was prepared to play his 1000th NHL game against the Panthers, and his 1000th game as a New Jersey Devil. In a stellar game, Elias finished completed this amazing feat in style.
Elias scored a 2nd period goal and added 2 assists to lead the Devils to a 5-2 victory. The Czech forward has been steady throughout his entire career, and nothing but respectful throughout his 15 seasons in the NHL. Congrats to Patrik, and this won't be the last season of his NHL career.
Duds
3) The Lunch Line: Falling Quick
At the beginning of the year, there was no line more productive than "The Lunch Line" of Kris Versteeg, Tomas Fleischmann, and Stephen Weiss. All in the top 20 of points, there were very few who doubted these 3. However, the past few games have not been kind to the trifecta of Panthers. "Flash" has 4 points and a -7 rating in 11 games, Weiss also has 4 points in 11 games, and Versteeg has 5 points and a -3 rating. However, there was hope against the Devils that this line could become productive once again. That hope was not achieved.
The three players combined to go -7 and had no points in their 5-2 loss in New Jersey. These forwards are still very good, but it's clear that their performance (and the overall performance of the Panthers) will not keep up their projected pace. Sell high on these players, before their stock drops even more.
2) Nabby Shabby in Cali
After spending his entire career in San Jose, Evgeni Nabokov returned to California to play the Anaheim Ducks. In the past, Nabby had tons of success in the Golden State as a Shark. However, he did not fare as well in the Honda Center as he hoped. Nabokov let in 4 goals on 20 shots as the Islanders lost 4-2. This goaltending performance was unacceptable, and it needs to be better if the Isles want to compete.
1) Miserable Madhouse
The Chicago Blackhawks have not started out 2012 as they had hoped. Starting out with a 4-3 loss to the struggling Oilers, the Blackhawks headed to Philadelphia and lost after a late go-ahead goal by James Van Riemsdyk. Heading into Friday's game against the streaking Avalanche, the team knew a win was needed. However, that did not happen.
The Blackhawks were stymied on Friday, losing 4-0 and showing very little effort. Corey Crawford let in 4 goals in 22 shots, Nick Leddy went -4, and the team lost their 3rd game of the new year. Of course this is a bump in the road, but it's a slightly troubling sign. This is the 4th time that they have gotten shut out (despite having great stars) and their 3rd 3 game losing streak of the year. This team is still a cup contender, but there are some issues that need to be fixed.
Points Of Interest
What Trade Rumors?: Amidst all the trade Rumors, Ryan, Perry, and Getzlaf combined for 3 goals and 5 points in a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders.
Carolina Shot Gallery: In their 34 shots, only 3 Hurricanes failed to get a chance at a goal.
Ilya the Iceman: Kovalchuk played over 28 minutes in the game. That's crazy.
"We've had a couple shakers in this place. This year we haven't had the time. We had a couple good ones last year, right?" - Phil Kessel
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Originally Posted by Shoeless
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