The second month of an NHL season can tell you a lot about where teams are headed. You can figure out which hot starts were flukes and which struggling teams got it together. It's a month where, though it's still early, playoff pictures start becoming clearer.
Well November was rather busy so let's get going.
STANDINGS
These are strictly the standings through this month. The standings of the entire season so far can always be found here.
Records are as of 11/28/13
EAST
Atlantic
Boston Bruins- 8-3-2; 18 points
Tampa Bay Lightning- 8-4-1; 17 points
Detroit Red Wings- 5-3-5; 15 points
Montreal Canadiens- 6-4-2; 14 points
Ottawa Senators- 6-5-2; 14 points
Florida Panthers- 4-7-3; 11 points
Toronto Maple Leafs- 4-5-2; 10 points
Buffalo Sabres- 3-8-0; 6 points
Metropolitan
New York Rangers- 8-5-0; 16 points
Washington Capitals- 7-4-2; 16 points
Philadelphia Flyers- 7-4-2; 16 points
Pittsburgh Penguins- 7-5-1; 15 points
Carolina Hurricanes- 6-5-2; 14 points
New Jersey Devils- 6-6-1; 13 points
Columbus Blue Jackets- 4-7-3; 11 points
New York Islanders- 4-9-0; 8 points
WEST
Central
St. Louis Blues- 11-2-1; 23 points
Chicago Blackhawks- 10-2-1; 21 points
Minnesota Wild- 9-3-1; 19 points
Winnipeg Jets- 7-4-2; 16 points
Dallas Stars- 7-3-1; 15 points
Colorado Avalanche- 7-4-1; 15 points
Nashville Predators- 7-5-0; 14 points
Pacific
Los Angeles Kings- 7-2-3; 17 points
Anaheim Ducks- 7-4-2; 16 points
San Jose Sharks- 6-2-3; 15 points
Phoenix Coyotes- 6-3-2; 14 points
Vancouver Canucks- 3-4-4; 10 points
Edmonton Oilers- 4-7-0; 8 points
Calgary Flames- 3-7-2; 8 points
2 SURPRISE GOOD TEAMS
Some teams rose above expectations
ST. LOUIS BLUES
For years now, the St. Louis Blues have been one of the best defensive teams in the league. The usual issue with them was that their offense wasn't clicking. They would always be at the top of the league with the best Goals Against per game with their sterling goaltending combination and their fine defensive corps.
But this year, the St. Louis Blues are the second best team in terms of putting the puck in the net. Alexander Steen has broken out as a superstar, something Blues fans were literally waiting for. Him and the newly named SOB line (including Steen, TJ Oshie, and David Backes) have combined for 72 points so far this season. Their goaltending continues to be great and their defense has been excellent as well, including good play by veteran Jay Bouwmeester that may just earn him a spot on the Canadian Olympic roster.
The Blues have been getting stronger year by year, getting better along the way and gaining playoff experience. There were many people who felt that if it weren't for being matched up with the Los Angeles Kings last year, they would have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.
They fell in that physical series to the Kings, a team built for the playoffs.
But people once again feel the Blues have what it takes to finally win a Stanley Cup. And after a month like this, they have a good shot.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Yes, I know the Flyers barely went .500 this month and they're still technically out of playoff contention.
But 2 things: they play in the god-awful Metropolitan division and they started off the year 1-7.
You have to hand it to these guys who got it together and are relevant in playoff discussions early on. They strung together a bunch of wins and are now right in the mix in the Metro.
Claude Giroux has finally got things together and leads the team with 16 points. Brayden Schenn has stepped up and supplied the team with quality play. Goalie Steve Mason has quietly put together some solid statistics and there may finally be goalie consistency in Philadelphia.
So there's the question of what happened to this team that appeared to be destined to finish in the cellar of the league.
There are three things that occurred right around the time they started picking up their play.
One move is that they fired coach Peter Laviolette after just three games, and while the change to coach Craig Berube didn't cash in immediately, he should deserve some credit for turning this season around.
Another incident was the Philly-Washington fight night and I'll discuss this more in depth later on. It's not too likely to have sparked the turnaround but it showed that this team still had some fight in them.
And lastly, they traded Max Talbot to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Steve Downie. Before leaving Colorado, Downie was putting together a nice year and was on a pretty productive line for the Avs with Jamie McGinn and Paul Stastny. It was odd to see the Avalanche giving up on him so easily and ever since arriving in Philly, Downie has really played well in his third line role, specifically picking up Matt Read's play. It's not a transaction that completely transformed the team, but it's one of those deals that really benefited the team in several different ways.
There's no telling if this team will continue sticking around or if they'll go back to the bottom of the league but their play this month deserved some recognition.
2 SURPRISE BAD TEAMS
Some teams just weren't as good as we hoped
EDMONTON OILERS
The Edmonton Oilers struggled this month, just picking up- wait, what's that? I already used the Oilers in this section last month? Uch damnit. I really like bashing the Oilers here. At least they got Ilya Bryzgalov back in the NHL.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Remember last year when the Islanders made it to the playoffs and pushed the Penguins to six games and we all acted as if we KNEW this were inevitable and the Islanders would just continue growing stronger and better?
Me too.
They're in last place of the worst division in the NHL.
So what's going on with this team? A team where we claimed John Tavares was the best in the league and was going to lead them to the promise land. A team where they had an incredible amount of talented prospects and young players, just waiting to make it to the big leagues. A team that just traded for star Thomas Vanek, proving they were invested to win it this year.
What the hell is going on?
Well Tavares is playing very well, the supporting cast is doing alright, and Vanek is trying to get things going. I feel that losing Matt Moulson (who they traded for Vanek) really made a hole in this team and they're trying to get things going without him. Another big issue is goaltending. Evgeni Nabokov is not giving this team the reliable play he gave them last year when they made it to the post season. Kevin Poulin, who is projected to eventually be the Islander's backstop, hasn't shown too much either. This Islander team is one that simply needs dependable goaltending and they've just not received it.
The one bright spot for this club is that Frans Nielsen has finally realised that he needs people's attention if he wants to finally win the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward. He has 22 points and is once again amongst the league's favourites to win that trophy.
UMMMM. RIGHT...
So I can't really think of another "surprise bad" team. Glancing through this past month, the poor teams played poorly and the good teams played well. Because of that, I'm just going to throw in anothe surprise good team.
MINNESOTA WILD
This team was my third choice for a surprise good team so it's a good thing I couldn't think of a bad team, opening a spot for these guys.
The Wild have been one of the best feel-good stories this year. They have many hard working, likable players (yes, aside from Matt Cooke and Dany Heatley). Zach Parise has been playing well and oh my god Ryan Suter plays half of every game without slowing down. Homegrown talent Mikko Koivu is playing well and Mikael Granlund has looked good so far.
But what kind of Minnesota Wild love-fest would this be if I didn't bring up Josh Harding. After an injury to starting goalie Niklas Backstrom, inspiration and fan favourite Josh Harding took over and simply sparkled.
As everyone knows, Harding was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis last year and played a full season as Backstrom's backup and even started in the playoffs for the Wild after Backstrom went down. Harding won the Masterton Award for persevering and everyone was gushing over how inspiring he was. Puck Daddy had a good write up at the time.
Well this year Harding is third in the league in SV% and wins and 2nd in the league in GAA. Needless to say people continue to gush over him, and how can you not? Not only is the dude playing through a debilitating illness, he's thriving with it.
Harding went down with an injury during warmups and is now day-to-day with leg spasms.
It's no question Harding's story is fueling this team. They need him back in net soon to keep this magic going.
TOP 5 MOMENTS
The moments that impressed, humoured, and enriched us
5) Anze Kopitar is a Magician
December 27, 2010 Anze Kopitar floated up a Hail Marry to Dustin Brown for an incredible goal. People were amazed at Kopitar's precision and style. Well, Koptiar was at it again earlier this month against the Devils.
Kopitar, from his own end, lofted the puck from his backhand and it went into the net. Not only did it go in, it was almost dead centre. That thing was perfect. It would have won the intermission contest at Devil games, it was so accurate.
4) Jaromir Jagr Historic Goal
This overtime goal against the Kings, not only put the Devils in a playoff spot for the first time all year, but it also had a lot of meaning for the guy who scored it, Jaromir Jagr.
This goal tied Jagr in ninth place for goals all time with former teammate Mario Lemieux at 690. It also tied him for the all time lead in game winning goals with Gordie Howe at 121.
This play just meant a lot to everyone.
3) The Moment You Saw the Buffalo Sabre's Third Jersey
When the Sabres released images of the new third jerseys, let's just say we all knew what was coming. They may have been the worst NHL jerseys ever. From the different-coloured front and backs to the odd grey on the armpit. To the random "Buffalo" above the logo..
Well November was rather busy so let's get going.
STANDINGS
These are strictly the standings through this month. The standings of the entire season so far can always be found here.
Records are as of 11/28/13
EAST
Atlantic
Boston Bruins- 8-3-2; 18 points
Tampa Bay Lightning- 8-4-1; 17 points
Detroit Red Wings- 5-3-5; 15 points
Montreal Canadiens- 6-4-2; 14 points
Ottawa Senators- 6-5-2; 14 points
Florida Panthers- 4-7-3; 11 points
Toronto Maple Leafs- 4-5-2; 10 points
Buffalo Sabres- 3-8-0; 6 points
Metropolitan
New York Rangers- 8-5-0; 16 points
Washington Capitals- 7-4-2; 16 points
Philadelphia Flyers- 7-4-2; 16 points
Pittsburgh Penguins- 7-5-1; 15 points
Carolina Hurricanes- 6-5-2; 14 points
New Jersey Devils- 6-6-1; 13 points
Columbus Blue Jackets- 4-7-3; 11 points
New York Islanders- 4-9-0; 8 points
WEST
Central
St. Louis Blues- 11-2-1; 23 points
Chicago Blackhawks- 10-2-1; 21 points
Minnesota Wild- 9-3-1; 19 points
Winnipeg Jets- 7-4-2; 16 points
Dallas Stars- 7-3-1; 15 points
Colorado Avalanche- 7-4-1; 15 points
Nashville Predators- 7-5-0; 14 points
Pacific
Los Angeles Kings- 7-2-3; 17 points
Anaheim Ducks- 7-4-2; 16 points
San Jose Sharks- 6-2-3; 15 points
Phoenix Coyotes- 6-3-2; 14 points
Vancouver Canucks- 3-4-4; 10 points
Edmonton Oilers- 4-7-0; 8 points
Calgary Flames- 3-7-2; 8 points
2 SURPRISE GOOD TEAMS
Some teams rose above expectations
ST. LOUIS BLUES
For years now, the St. Louis Blues have been one of the best defensive teams in the league. The usual issue with them was that their offense wasn't clicking. They would always be at the top of the league with the best Goals Against per game with their sterling goaltending combination and their fine defensive corps.
But this year, the St. Louis Blues are the second best team in terms of putting the puck in the net. Alexander Steen has broken out as a superstar, something Blues fans were literally waiting for. Him and the newly named SOB line (including Steen, TJ Oshie, and David Backes) have combined for 72 points so far this season. Their goaltending continues to be great and their defense has been excellent as well, including good play by veteran Jay Bouwmeester that may just earn him a spot on the Canadian Olympic roster.
The Blues have been getting stronger year by year, getting better along the way and gaining playoff experience. There were many people who felt that if it weren't for being matched up with the Los Angeles Kings last year, they would have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.
They fell in that physical series to the Kings, a team built for the playoffs.
But people once again feel the Blues have what it takes to finally win a Stanley Cup. And after a month like this, they have a good shot.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Yes, I know the Flyers barely went .500 this month and they're still technically out of playoff contention.
But 2 things: they play in the god-awful Metropolitan division and they started off the year 1-7.
You have to hand it to these guys who got it together and are relevant in playoff discussions early on. They strung together a bunch of wins and are now right in the mix in the Metro.
Claude Giroux has finally got things together and leads the team with 16 points. Brayden Schenn has stepped up and supplied the team with quality play. Goalie Steve Mason has quietly put together some solid statistics and there may finally be goalie consistency in Philadelphia.
So there's the question of what happened to this team that appeared to be destined to finish in the cellar of the league.
There are three things that occurred right around the time they started picking up their play.
One move is that they fired coach Peter Laviolette after just three games, and while the change to coach Craig Berube didn't cash in immediately, he should deserve some credit for turning this season around.
Another incident was the Philly-Washington fight night and I'll discuss this more in depth later on. It's not too likely to have sparked the turnaround but it showed that this team still had some fight in them.
And lastly, they traded Max Talbot to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Steve Downie. Before leaving Colorado, Downie was putting together a nice year and was on a pretty productive line for the Avs with Jamie McGinn and Paul Stastny. It was odd to see the Avalanche giving up on him so easily and ever since arriving in Philly, Downie has really played well in his third line role, specifically picking up Matt Read's play. It's not a transaction that completely transformed the team, but it's one of those deals that really benefited the team in several different ways.
There's no telling if this team will continue sticking around or if they'll go back to the bottom of the league but their play this month deserved some recognition.
2 SURPRISE BAD TEAMS
Some teams just weren't as good as we hoped
EDMONTON OILERS
The Edmonton Oilers struggled this month, just picking up- wait, what's that? I already used the Oilers in this section last month? Uch damnit. I really like bashing the Oilers here. At least they got Ilya Bryzgalov back in the NHL.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Remember last year when the Islanders made it to the playoffs and pushed the Penguins to six games and we all acted as if we KNEW this were inevitable and the Islanders would just continue growing stronger and better?
Me too.
They're in last place of the worst division in the NHL.
So what's going on with this team? A team where we claimed John Tavares was the best in the league and was going to lead them to the promise land. A team where they had an incredible amount of talented prospects and young players, just waiting to make it to the big leagues. A team that just traded for star Thomas Vanek, proving they were invested to win it this year.
What the hell is going on?
Well Tavares is playing very well, the supporting cast is doing alright, and Vanek is trying to get things going. I feel that losing Matt Moulson (who they traded for Vanek) really made a hole in this team and they're trying to get things going without him. Another big issue is goaltending. Evgeni Nabokov is not giving this team the reliable play he gave them last year when they made it to the post season. Kevin Poulin, who is projected to eventually be the Islander's backstop, hasn't shown too much either. This Islander team is one that simply needs dependable goaltending and they've just not received it.
The one bright spot for this club is that Frans Nielsen has finally realised that he needs people's attention if he wants to finally win the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward. He has 22 points and is once again amongst the league's favourites to win that trophy.
UMMMM. RIGHT...
So I can't really think of another "surprise bad" team. Glancing through this past month, the poor teams played poorly and the good teams played well. Because of that, I'm just going to throw in anothe surprise good team.
MINNESOTA WILD
This team was my third choice for a surprise good team so it's a good thing I couldn't think of a bad team, opening a spot for these guys.
The Wild have been one of the best feel-good stories this year. They have many hard working, likable players (yes, aside from Matt Cooke and Dany Heatley). Zach Parise has been playing well and oh my god Ryan Suter plays half of every game without slowing down. Homegrown talent Mikko Koivu is playing well and Mikael Granlund has looked good so far.
But what kind of Minnesota Wild love-fest would this be if I didn't bring up Josh Harding. After an injury to starting goalie Niklas Backstrom, inspiration and fan favourite Josh Harding took over and simply sparkled.
As everyone knows, Harding was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis last year and played a full season as Backstrom's backup and even started in the playoffs for the Wild after Backstrom went down. Harding won the Masterton Award for persevering and everyone was gushing over how inspiring he was. Puck Daddy had a good write up at the time.
Well this year Harding is third in the league in SV% and wins and 2nd in the league in GAA. Needless to say people continue to gush over him, and how can you not? Not only is the dude playing through a debilitating illness, he's thriving with it.
Harding went down with an injury during warmups and is now day-to-day with leg spasms.
It's no question Harding's story is fueling this team. They need him back in net soon to keep this magic going.
TOP 5 MOMENTS
The moments that impressed, humoured, and enriched us
5) Anze Kopitar is a Magician
December 27, 2010 Anze Kopitar floated up a Hail Marry to Dustin Brown for an incredible goal. People were amazed at Kopitar's precision and style. Well, Koptiar was at it again earlier this month against the Devils.
4) Jaromir Jagr Historic Goal
This goal tied Jagr in ninth place for goals all time with former teammate Mario Lemieux at 690. It also tied him for the all time lead in game winning goals with Gordie Howe at 121.
This play just meant a lot to everyone.
3) The Moment You Saw the Buffalo Sabre's Third Jersey
 |
| *vomit* |
Yikes.
These jerseys should be gone soon (hopefully). Just be happy that in the future, you'll remember where you were when you first saw it.
2) Nutty Goal in Columbus
Ya. You just saw that.
First there's Nikita Nikitin comically flopping on his shot attempt while not even making contact with the puck.
Then Artem Anisimov just chops at the puck and it, again, comically flutters up in the air.
As if that wasn't enough, Montreal forward Danny Briere deflects the stick way up in the air.
While the puck is airbourn, Douglas Murray knocks Jared Boll down in the crease, Goalie Peter Budaj falls to the ice all before the puck came crashing down, bounces in the crease twice and then mercifully entering the cage.
1) Helmet Pardy
When fans get involved in the action, let's just say that the fan doesn't suit to well. Just ask Rob Ray or Tie Domi.
But there was an incident with a fan in the Chicago Blackhawks-Winnipeg Jets game that was just kind of entertaining for everyone.
The inebriated Blackhawks fan rips the helmet off of forward Adam Pardy and puts it on. Then some girl next to him unloads her $7.50 beer on Pardy.
At the time, we all sort of laughed. Pardy didn't take exception and nobody got hurt so everything was fine.
But then the Winnipeg fans, aka the best fans in the league (see spot number 2 on this list), decided to go all out on this and decided to start a promotion for the next Chicago-Winnipeg game in Winnipeg- for all fans to wear helmets!
The Jets organization, however, caught wind of the humourous plans and decided to put a stop to it.
TOP 5 OBSERVATIONS
5) New Leg Pad Rule = More Kick Saves
The NHL during the offseason made new restrictions on goalie leg pad sizes. The league felt goalies were relying too much on the size of their equipment so they cut down on the size, trying to create more offense and trying to create more goalies who make saves rather than just stop pucks.
Well they must be successful because this past month we've seen many unbelievable kick saves. Let's go through some of them.
We'll start with an incredible toe save by James Reimer against the Vancouver Canucks.
Ryan Miller kicks away a Logan Couture chance.
Kari Lehtonen while twisting and turning.
Braden Holtby flashes the pad.
Reto Berra with a nice kick save before eventually getting potentially the save of the year on this bicycle kick save.
If the league didn't change around the equipment rule, would these saves still have been made?
Probably.
But the athleticism on these stops brings up the question if the previous leg pad size was restricting some of this movement and perhaps preventing us from seeing this type of work.
4) Cam Janssen Sparks the Devils
Until this season, Cam Janssen's stats went like this:
312 NHL games (across 8 NHL seasons), 3 goals, 8 assists, and 752 penalty minutes.
The New Jersey Devils were starting off slow so they figured they'd call up Cam to the lineup from the AHL to try to create a spark.
It took Cam 1 game to get on the scoresheet. It took him 2 games to get there again.
Yup, Cam Janssen's first three games resulted in 2 goals on 3 shots with just 13 minutes of total ice time combined. The Devils went 2-0-1 in those three games and sparked a nice groove that put the Devils back into playoff contention after the weak start.
Here's Janssen's first goal coming against the Flyers.
Janssen's second comes sometime in this video.
It was nice to see the enforcer get some goals when his team needed him. I'm a big fan of keeping fighting in the league so whenever the tough guy gets a goal or two it strengthens our side that they deserve a spot in the league.
3) Semyon Varlamov is (Potentially) a Moron
Let me paint a picture for you. Semyon Varlamov started off as a solid young goalie for the Washington Capitals organization before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a hefty first and second rounder. At the time people considered it to be one of the most odd trades in hockey. Sending two high picks away for an unproven goalie.
Varlamov was solid the next couple of years but, at long last, began putting up great numbers this season.
The sky was the limit for Varlamov. He was leading the Avalanche to an unexpected hot start and people were giving Varly all the credit he deserved from his stellar play. The Avs were playing great hockey and people saw them reaching the playoffs and maybe more. He was also the early leader for the Vezina Trophy for the league's best goalie a year after fellow Russian Sergei Bobrovsky won it.
Varlamov was also playing his way towards a spot on the Russian Olympic team in a year that the games are being held in Russia.
Everything was great.
Until Semyon Varlamov was arrested for assault.
Ever since, it's just been hectic as Varlamov continues to travel, play, and excel with his team but people are just waiting for the hammer to come crashing down. Varlamov's actions can lend him up to two years in jail, thus taking away the Avs, the awards, the fame, and the Olympics.
His hearing for third degree assault is set for December 2nd. Varlamov's camp is still saying he's innocent but we'll see what the jury has to say.
But if Varlamov gets in any kind of trouble here, he can kiss his promising breakout year goodbye.
2) The End of the Shootout?
Last month the GM's held a meeting and one topic was what they were going to do with the shootout. Detroit GM, and noted shootout hater, Ken Holland proposed yet again to get rid of the sideshow by adding a 3 on 3 overtime after the 4 on 4 one. He said that he's starting to get more support and the shootout opponents (myself included) hope he continues his fight for the good of the league.
Well the idea of 3 on 3 hockey reared it's promising head less than a month later.
After 2 minors in overtime, the Devils and Kings had a full 2 minutes to show off the idea.
The play was pretty solid with teams being tentative with the puck at first before things really broke open. What it showed was that eventually there would be a goal. It's inevitable with this play for 5 straight minutes. Players get tired and players take advantage of mistakes (Jaromir Jagr scored almost immediately after coming out of the box).
It's a better way to decide games than the shootout is and if this doesn't get the NHL thinking, I don't know what will.
1) We All Miss Steven Stamkos
If you're a hockey fan, that's tough to watch. Arguably the best player in the NHL, Steven Stamkos, goes down hard and breaks his tibia.
Let's think of how this is bad.
-Stamkos and the Lightning were at the top of the division when this occurred. True, one person does not make a team but you can't argue that Lightning will keep up their incredible play without one of the top players in the league. This injury hurts the Tampa Bay Lightning.
-Stamkos was in the lead for the Scoring Tittle when this occurred. Stamkos, since joining the NHL has been a goal scoring machine. He puts up numbers with his speed, hockey sense, and incredible shot. With Stamkos out for a considerable amount of time, there's no way he'll keep up with the scoring race. This injury hurts the scoring title race.
-Steven Stamkos is perhaps the most exciting player in the NHL to watch. He has the speed, shot, likability, and talent that people love. Year after year he produces and now that he's injured, the NHL misses out on this incredible asset. He plays the game the way it's meant to be played; notice how his injury came when he was rushing back to his own zone, a good defensive play. That's the type of player Stamkos is. People love watching him play the game. Now they'll have to go on without seeing him. This injury hurts the NHL.
-Steven Stamkos is Canadian.
This injury hurts the Canadian Olympic team.
Anyway, I had this whole thing planned out where I was going to write how bad it was for the league and hockey fans everywhere that Stamkos, was out long term with a terrible leg injury that required surgery.
But then he was seen walking. Without a cast. Without a boot. Without crutches. As Puck Daddy reported.
Is this guy even human?!?
He vows to be back at some point this season and many think he can work his way back in time for the Olympics in January.
That would be simply unbelievable.
BIGGEST STORY OF THE MONTH
The one occurrence that shook the hockey world.
TOP 5 OBSERVATIONS
5) New Leg Pad Rule = More Kick Saves
The NHL during the offseason made new restrictions on goalie leg pad sizes. The league felt goalies were relying too much on the size of their equipment so they cut down on the size, trying to create more offense and trying to create more goalies who make saves rather than just stop pucks.
Well they must be successful because this past month we've seen many unbelievable kick saves. Let's go through some of them.
We'll start with an incredible toe save by James Reimer against the Vancouver Canucks.
Ryan Miller kicks away a Logan Couture chance.
Kari Lehtonen while twisting and turning.
Braden Holtby flashes the pad.
Reto Berra with a nice kick save before eventually getting potentially the save of the year on this bicycle kick save.
If the league didn't change around the equipment rule, would these saves still have been made?
Probably.
But the athleticism on these stops brings up the question if the previous leg pad size was restricting some of this movement and perhaps preventing us from seeing this type of work.
4) Cam Janssen Sparks the Devils
Until this season, Cam Janssen's stats went like this:
312 NHL games (across 8 NHL seasons), 3 goals, 8 assists, and 752 penalty minutes.
The New Jersey Devils were starting off slow so they figured they'd call up Cam to the lineup from the AHL to try to create a spark.
It took Cam 1 game to get on the scoresheet. It took him 2 games to get there again.
Yup, Cam Janssen's first three games resulted in 2 goals on 3 shots with just 13 minutes of total ice time combined. The Devils went 2-0-1 in those three games and sparked a nice groove that put the Devils back into playoff contention after the weak start.
Here's Janssen's first goal coming against the Flyers.
Janssen's second comes sometime in this video.
It was nice to see the enforcer get some goals when his team needed him. I'm a big fan of keeping fighting in the league so whenever the tough guy gets a goal or two it strengthens our side that they deserve a spot in the league.
3) Semyon Varlamov is (Potentially) a Moron
Let me paint a picture for you. Semyon Varlamov started off as a solid young goalie for the Washington Capitals organization before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a hefty first and second rounder. At the time people considered it to be one of the most odd trades in hockey. Sending two high picks away for an unproven goalie.
Varlamov was solid the next couple of years but, at long last, began putting up great numbers this season.
The sky was the limit for Varlamov. He was leading the Avalanche to an unexpected hot start and people were giving Varly all the credit he deserved from his stellar play. The Avs were playing great hockey and people saw them reaching the playoffs and maybe more. He was also the early leader for the Vezina Trophy for the league's best goalie a year after fellow Russian Sergei Bobrovsky won it.
Varlamov was also playing his way towards a spot on the Russian Olympic team in a year that the games are being held in Russia.
Everything was great.
Until Semyon Varlamov was arrested for assault.
Ever since, it's just been hectic as Varlamov continues to travel, play, and excel with his team but people are just waiting for the hammer to come crashing down. Varlamov's actions can lend him up to two years in jail, thus taking away the Avs, the awards, the fame, and the Olympics.
His hearing for third degree assault is set for December 2nd. Varlamov's camp is still saying he's innocent but we'll see what the jury has to say.
But if Varlamov gets in any kind of trouble here, he can kiss his promising breakout year goodbye.
2) The End of the Shootout?
Last month the GM's held a meeting and one topic was what they were going to do with the shootout. Detroit GM, and noted shootout hater, Ken Holland proposed yet again to get rid of the sideshow by adding a 3 on 3 overtime after the 4 on 4 one. He said that he's starting to get more support and the shootout opponents (myself included) hope he continues his fight for the good of the league.
Well the idea of 3 on 3 hockey reared it's promising head less than a month later.
The play was pretty solid with teams being tentative with the puck at first before things really broke open. What it showed was that eventually there would be a goal. It's inevitable with this play for 5 straight minutes. Players get tired and players take advantage of mistakes (Jaromir Jagr scored almost immediately after coming out of the box).
It's a better way to decide games than the shootout is and if this doesn't get the NHL thinking, I don't know what will.
1) We All Miss Steven Stamkos
If you're a hockey fan, that's tough to watch. Arguably the best player in the NHL, Steven Stamkos, goes down hard and breaks his tibia.
Let's think of how this is bad.
-Stamkos and the Lightning were at the top of the division when this occurred. True, one person does not make a team but you can't argue that Lightning will keep up their incredible play without one of the top players in the league. This injury hurts the Tampa Bay Lightning.
-Stamkos was in the lead for the Scoring Tittle when this occurred. Stamkos, since joining the NHL has been a goal scoring machine. He puts up numbers with his speed, hockey sense, and incredible shot. With Stamkos out for a considerable amount of time, there's no way he'll keep up with the scoring race. This injury hurts the scoring title race.
-Steven Stamkos is perhaps the most exciting player in the NHL to watch. He has the speed, shot, likability, and talent that people love. Year after year he produces and now that he's injured, the NHL misses out on this incredible asset. He plays the game the way it's meant to be played; notice how his injury came when he was rushing back to his own zone, a good defensive play. That's the type of player Stamkos is. People love watching him play the game. Now they'll have to go on without seeing him. This injury hurts the NHL.
-Steven Stamkos is Canadian.
This injury hurts the Canadian Olympic team.
Anyway, I had this whole thing planned out where I was going to write how bad it was for the league and hockey fans everywhere that Stamkos, was out long term with a terrible leg injury that required surgery.
But then he was seen walking. Without a cast. Without a boot. Without crutches. As Puck Daddy reported.
Is this guy even human?!?
He vows to be back at some point this season and many think he can work his way back in time for the Olympics in January.
That would be simply unbelievable.
BIGGEST STORY OF THE MONTH
The one occurrence that shook the hockey world.
Let's just say that Semyon Varlamov shouldn't be the only NHL goalie that gets charged with assault this month...
One evening in the beginning of November the Philadelphia Flyers decided that enough was enough and jumped the Washington Capitals while trailing 7 goals in the third period because that's what the Flyers do.
Included in that scrum was a goalie fight assault between goalie AND NOTED F'ING BOXER Ray Emery and Braden Holtby. Watch as it unfolds.
Ray Emery decided to skate down the ice in the middle of the line brawl just to get some punches in on the unwilling combatant in Holtby.
Holtby kind of has the reputation of being able to be a hot head but Ray Emery's the most experienced goalie fighter EVER. And to the surprise of nobody, once Emery arrived, he had his way with the Capitals netminder.
Now I love fights (and especially goalie fights) as much as the next guy. But this was different. This one just didn't sit right with me. Emery forced Holtby into the situation and took advantage.
Again, this wasn't a fight. It was an assault.
A couple of notes on the fight, though.
First it's that the referee Francois St. Laurent, after trying to pry Emery away, just stood to watch, even after Holtby was taken down and in danger. As Holtby's on the ice, getting hit by rights, you see St. Laurent waiving off Capital players from getting involved to stop the melee. So the fight goes on with all the players on the ice watching and the Capital players trying to get in the middle.
You know what it took to stop the fight?
The two linesmen rushing in to stop it.
Do you know what occurred after three of the four officials were standing next to the goalie fight?
All hell breaking loose.
Once 3 quarters of the officiating staff was used to stop the goalie fight, all the other players threw down the gloves and the rest was history.
Fans wanted Emery suspended. It wasn't going to happen. The rule book technically protected him from that.
So it's understandable that people were a little heated about this.
But what did it for me was that Ray Emery was named the 2nd star of the game.
A game in which he was a goalie in a 7-0 loss.
Obviously, this was overlooked because nobody pays attention to the three stars as it is. But this was pretty absurd. The three stars are either meant to give the home fans a reason to cheer (like giving a home team player with the team's lone goal in a loss the third star) or for recognition (giving Saku Koivu third star in his last game in Montreal earlier this year).
It's not meant to celebrate unwanted behavior on the ice.
Puck Daddy interviewed Flyers reporter Frank Seravalli about this incident and it's worth the listen.
TOP 3 "WOW! OH BABY!" MOMENTS
This is a new segment, dedicated to announcer Bob Cole where I give you the top 3 nicest plays of the month.
3) Clarke McCarthur Sweet Pass
Such a nice set up by McCarthur, knowing that the passing lane was blocked so he had to improvise. Good stuff all around.
2) Reto Berra Bicycle Kick Save
Great athleticism and awareness. Might go down as the save of the year.
1) Sidney Crosby and Penguins Powerplay
In a big game, you really need everyone to show up and play well. The Penguins powerplay just needed one to put the game away late in the second and they came up with this beautiful tic-tac-toe play with the sick finish by Sidney Crosby.
