Only negative around the league is all the ticky tacky penalties being called. Is it the refs taking revenge on the players for the lockout ?  Boy are they frustrating the heck out of the players.  Just saw Ryan Clowe loose it a la Rask throwing ... just that he must have smashed his stick 6 times on the glass in the box and leaving the ice for the dressing room.

Anyway, don't like all these penalties being called . Let the teams win and lose 5 on 5 not on special teams. (with some Bruins bias here)

In response to BsLegion's comment:

BsL, interference has turned into what the NFL has with holding. It seems like some of the penalties called by the refs could be called on every single play if they want to look hard enough. Guys can also now get called for hooking while having only 1 hand on the stick. It's maddening sometimes.

Good back and forth game between the Jets and Isles tonight - good job of the jets sharing the puck with 11 different players with points on 5 goals. 3 point night for Tavares, carried that team to get them the loser point.

Thoughts on yesterday's games:

The Caps are back to their old brand of hockey........going on the offense. It makes watching their games worth it again. Up and down hockey sure is a lot better to watch then what Hunter had them doing. Ovechkin's play yesterday was "energetic".

Ott-Pitt was a good one. Malkin seems to whining about everything lately with the refs. Karlson ? Boy, is he fast with the puck. 

Mon-NJD Good game decided by a dive and a call. Cole does embellish every once in a while.

Det-Chi Always a great matchup. Love watching Duncan Keith skate.

 

Chowdah - like I said on the OP for this thread, I really find myself liking the Blackhawks.  Keith, Toews, Hossa, and the best version of Patrick Kane in about three years.  You also have to appreciate Seabrook even if he isnt as smooth as Keith - efficient, smart and he does a bit of everything.

Won't be a 'Hawks-Bruins game this year unless they meet in the finals, so I can appreciate the Hawks without conflict.

Only saw about half a period of Washington-Buffalo, just enough to see the Sabres' second goal, but I feel for Oates so I'm glad to see them get off the schneid.  Getting Ovechkin excited again is a big part of the job, but what about Backstrom?  I find it sad that Ribiero is outplaying him.

Karlsson is the evolution of Dennis Wideman.  So much better in all phases, but I wonder if he'll ever shed that up and down quality to his game where he'll make a great play and a complete blunder on the same shift.  But to your point - there are times when the way Karlsson accelerates in the offensive zone that I think this is what Bure would have been like as a defenseman.  One step and he's moving faster than the D can account for.

In response to Bookboy007's comment:

 

Chowdah - like I said on the OP for this thread, I really find myself liking the Blackhawks.  Keith, Toews, Hossa, and the best version of Patrick Kane in about three years.  You also have to appreciate Seabrook even if he isnt as smooth as Keith - efficient, smart and he does a bit of everything.

Won't be a 'Hawks-Bruins game this year unless they meet in the finals, so I can appreciate the Hawks without conflict.

Only saw about half a period of Washington-Buffalo, just enough to see the Sabres' second goal, but I feel for Oates so I'm glad to see them get off the schneid.  Getting Ovechkin excited again is a big part of the job, but what about Backstrom?  I find it sad that Ribiero is outplaying him.

Karlsson is the evolution of Dennis Wideman.  So much better in all phases, but I wonder if he'll ever shed that up and down quality to his game where he'll make a great play and a complete blunder on the same shift.  But to your point - there are times when the way Karlsson accelerates in the offensive zone that I think this is what Bure would have been like as a defenseman.  One step and he's moving faster than the D can account for.

 

Book, it's too bad Ribiero is 32 years old and still hasn't grown up. I watched a game last week in which he was hit (and cut) by a high stick that went uncalled. He was consumed by the non-call for the rest of the game. He spent more time screaming at the refs while pointing at his face than he did following the play. The guy's got plenty of skills but is still a very selfish player. You're right about Backstrom though. He's been invisible on his good nights so far.

 

As good as Karlsson looks on offense, I wonder if his defense is going to start to suffer. In last night's game he turned 2 pucks over that led to a clear breakaway and a 3 on 1. Luckily, neither led to a goal but either could've cost his team a point in the standings. Admittedly, those plays are a rarity to these eyes. I just hope bad habits don't creep into his game as he reaches for higher scoring totals. He's definitely got an extra gear that most players don't though.

In response to BsLegion's comment:

What were the refs doing during the lockout?  I've been wondering if many of them might be rusty, and the result would be more iffy officiating than usual this time of year.

On the other hand, it's not like NHL refs are generally a model of consistency (even if much of that is simply a consequence of the game), so maybe this is just par for the course and we'd normally be used to it by now?

Yesterday, the impact of Karlsson's inconsistencies was much more visible (that one PP when he fumbled the pass, lost sight of the puck, and gave up a short-handed breakaway to - ugh - Cooke, was ug with a capital LY).

But that's about par for the course - he just gets out of sync for stretches where he's not the same player, and because he doesn't have that great defensive presence based on rock-solid fundamentals, when his skating and puck skills are out of sync, he doesn't have anything like the same impact.  He was in sync most of last year.

Vlad had a great game last night throwing his short but stocky frame around. Stick on the ice got the OT winner last night. Sobotka is fitting in with a very good and young western team on the rise. Davidson left St. Louis in very good shape!

Habs-Sens game tonight will be very interesting.

How will the Sens do without Spezza ?  are they for real ?

Habs on the otherhand flying as usual on the PP, let's see how tough they got, Ottawa likes t lean on teams.

Habs getting Subban back on the weekend and that'll only improve their PP. The Bruins 2nd and 3rd line better start producing otherwise next week in Montreal wil not be easy

Prust is officially a Hab.  Gets invited to fight but doesn't drop the gloves right away . now Neil's gloves are off and he gets extra 2 as the instigator.

In response to BsLegion's comment:

Shupe would've been upset trying to figure out who to cheer for.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2013/01/28/maple_leafs_must_keep_first_pick_deal_phil_kessel_cox.html
His slow start must be getting to him.  Earlier this week PK left practice without speaking to reporters.

The Sens are walking all over the Habs now. 3 goals in 3 minutes to take a 4-1 lead half way through the game.

Minn-Chicago not disappointing at all. This one has been action packed from the start. I don't know what happened over the strike but Crawford has been really good this season.

Anyone see Morris feed a few to Ryan Whitney after Yakupov's game-winner?  I don't think of Morris as the keeper of the code or as a guy who flies off the handle at the merest slight, but he wasn't happy.

The Oil are going to be interesting all year for one reason or another, largely because I think there are a lot of people aching to compare these Oilers to the team of 30 years earlier.  They crossed one hurdle in acquiring Schultz who, at the rate he's scoring, will fill the Coffey role (though he's not Coffey...).  Now they seem to be moving across the "hated" line.  Those young Oilers were very talented, very mouthy, borderline dirty (or worse) and very whiny.  Yakupov's celebrations may start that ball rolling, it seems.  Though I do wonder what makes his slide on his knees that much more notable than Ovechkin's slide on his back.

Hard to believe it was 30 years ago that the Oilers first made the finals and lost to the Islanders.  For context - thirty years before that, Rocket Richard, Doug Harvey, Boom Boom Geoffrion and Jacques Plante led the Shabs over the Bruins in the '53 finals.  And 30 years before that, the Ottawa Senators beat the Edmonton Eskimos.... Man does that make me feel old.

If you have NHL Network put the Red Wings-St. Louis game on. Back n forth, up n down they go...

Very curious to see Habs-Sens today,  this time in Montreal.   who's for real with these 2 teams ?  

Wednesday the Bruins will have their arms full, I feel if they play the way they played lately (Isl,Devils and Sabres) they will get a rude awakening .  Even if they play tight like they did last night the Habs are not the Leafs , they have 3 lines that are all clicking right now and whomever will be in net will have to absorb an onslaught. 

 

I'm watching the Caps-Pens game and wondering who this bum Holtby is in net for Washington. He can't be the same guy that beat the Bruins last year can he? Also, Depres just took a guy out with an unbelievably dangerous high stick. He was given a 2 minute minor because the guy he hit still had both eyes and all of his teeth. The idea that a guy needs to be injured to award a double minor is absurd. Whatever happened to punishing for intent and/or stupidity? If Depres broke the guy's jaw is it worthy of a suspension? Instead, he gets him 3 inches lower for a minor penalty. I don't understand the logic behind some of these rules.

Ottawa does not have Spezza (back surgery) nor Gonchar (flu) so the Sens better be checking tightly today. 2nd Goal poor ol Anderson was left out to dry, ice the freakin puck if yiu have too! Yah the smurfs have it going this year and big part of that is Markov is healthy again, PP is clicking.

Heard Ted Leonis on the radio the day, our boy Oates better get going soon...

 

Just tuned in Sens/Habs. Wasn't Pacioretty supposed to be out for a month after an appendectomy in late January? He's playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WFVf_ve9gyM

George Parros and John Scott plying their trade today in Buffalo.

In response to RichHillOntario's comment:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WFVf_ve9gyM

George Parros and John Scott plying their trade today in Buffalo.

 

Does Scott realize he smiles every time he loses? Parros just clearly won that fight and scored a goal shortly after leaving the box.

 

In response to dezaruchi's comment:

You're right dez.  He did the same thing when Orr brought him to his knees earlier.  His way of shrugging off the loss.

In response to RichHillOntario's comment:

some amazing medicine in Montreal, all their injuries get cut in half from the original diagnosis.