Pens beat Flyers at home; looking to extend streak to 13 wins

With their win against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins are on a twelve-game winning streak, the longest streak this season in the NHL.

The win is significant for the Pens for several reasons. Sunday marks only the second time the Penguins have beat the Flyers on home ice during the regular season in the three years they have played in Consol Energy Center. Typically the visiting team is successful in their match-ups.

The Penguins are also battling injuries, an issue with which they are all too familiar. Center Evgeni Malkin is battling an upper body injury; defenseman Kris Letang has been out with a lower body injury. Both players are not only top performers for the Penguins, but across the league.

This means the Pens have continued their win streak for eight games without Malkin, the league’s leading scorer last season. The success the Pens are having speaks to the depth of skill on the team.

For their potential 13^th consecutive win, the Pens face the Montreal Canadiens, ranked right below them in the Eastern Conference. This should make for a great game as both teams have been doing well, the Canadiens going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.

Good news for the Pens is that Letang has been cleared to play, but he probably won’t see his usual amount of ice time. Brenden Morrow, recently acquired from the Dallas Stars, will also play his first game as a Penguin.

If the Penguins win, and the Flyers lose against the New York Rangers, the Pens current streak will have more wins than the Flyers have over the entire season.

Canes’ Tuomo Ruutu makes season debut again Devils tonight

The Carolina Hurricanes announced Tuomo Ruutu will make his season debut tonight against the New Jersey Devils.

Ruutu has missed the season so far while he recovered from hip surgery in December. Tonight will be his first game in almost a year.

The Hurricanes had a strong start to the season, but have been struggling recently with injuries. They’re currently ranked second in the Southeast Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference. This could be the first playoff appearance the Canes see since the 2008-2009 season.

The Devils will see goaltender Martin Brodeur return tonight after missing 13 games. Despite making it to the final round of the Stanley Cup last year, the Devils have struggled this season. They rank third in the Atlantic Division and ninth in the Eastern Conference, meaning they currently won’t make an appearance in the playoffs.

For my complete analysis, check out my post on The Farm Club.

Chris Kunitz on Fire for Pittsburgh Penguins

At the frantic start to the shortened 2012-2013 hockey season, lots of predictions were made. Playoff contenders, players to watch, injury reports, but one standout player wasn’t on anyone’s radar: Chris Kunitz.

The Pittsburgh Penguin’s left-winger is on his way to having the best season of his career.

After 26 games, Kunitz is in a three-way tie for second in the league for goals (17), including with teammate James Neal, is tied for first for power play goals (8), also with Neal and is in third for points (36), all of which combine to give him a +21 ranking, first in the NHL.

Kunitz earned his second hat trick of the season (fourth career), on Sunday in the Penguins 6-1 win over the Islanders. He attributes his success to playing on the same line as Sidney Crosby and being in the right place at the right time, but says their line still has room to improve.

If he stays healthy and injury free, Kunitz will set some personal records this year.

For my complete analysis, check out my post on The Farm Club.

Will the Blackhawks make history?

The Chicago Blackhawks are four wins or overtime losses away from setting an NHL record.

So far this season, the Blackhawks have 10 wins and three overtime losses. Only three of those games have been played at home.

The longest undefeated streak to start the season lasted 15 games by the Edmonton Oilers in 1984-85, when games could end in a tie.

The longest opening streak without a regulation loss lasted 16 games by the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-2007; they recorded 12 wins and four overtime losses.

Anaheim ended the regular season first in the Pacific Division and second in the Western Conference, and capped the season by winning their first Stanley Cup that year against the Ottawa Senators in five games.

The Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks have handed the Blackhawks their three losses. To set the record, the Blackhawks cannot lose in regulation to their next four opponents: San Jose Sharks twice, LA Kings and Canucks; all are home games.

With the shortened season, teams can’t afford to have slumps. The Blackhawks have shown the league what it means to come out strong and stick to that.

Will they set the NHL record? Who will be the team that hands the Blackhawks their first regulation loss?

For the full report, check out my post on The Farm Club.

Inside the Hurricanes’ Training Camp

Not even a week long, training camps for NHL teams across the league are all about getting a lot right quickly. For a team like the Carolina Hurricanes, they have a lot to figure out as they were fairly active over the off-season. Here’s how Thursday’s practice went:

After warming up, the players went through a series of drills: one-on-one, two-on-two, passing, shooting, broken up only by the occasional skates around the ice. Next they went into a 10-minute scrimmage, overtime and shootout.

One of the biggest decisions facing the Hurricanes is how to pair their new forwards. This time, in red, captain Eric Staal centered a line with Alex Semin and Zach Boychuk.  In white, his younger brother Jordan Staal centered a line with Jeff Skinner and Zac Dalpe. Eric Staal scored the only goal eight minutes into the game.

They then did a mock over time, playing four on four, and went to a shootout. Skinner went first for the white team, flying a puck past goaltender Cam Ward. Jussi Jokinen went first for the red team but missed. J. Staal had a great shot on goal that Ward snatched out of the air and E. Staal got one past Dan Ellis to tie it up. Drayson Bowman scored on Ward, giving the white team the lead, which turned into the win when Semin ran out of space and didn’t take a shot.

The lines seemed to play well together. J. Staal’s presence shrinks Skinner, as he towers over him by almost a head, but they seemed to have already built some rapport. They communicated well on the ice, played well and seemed to be having fun.

Semin and J. Staal at least had months of mental prepping for their new team. Just Sunday, the Hurricanes acquired Kevin Westgarth from the LA Kings. Also standing at 6’4” like the Staal brothers, Westgarth made his presence known on the ice. He was in blue, meaning the second line for the white team.

The Hurricanes open on Saturday against the Panthers in Florida, with their home opening Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stay tuned, as they Canes are no doubt a stronger team this year and one worth paying attention.

For my complete analysis, check out my post on The Farm Club.

Winning Back Fans

With a CBA in writing and teams preparing for a season as soon as the players vote, franchises are already working to make amends with their fans.

Having a season isn’t enough to win back their support. With the third lockout in less than 20 years, fans are frustrated. The excitement of having a season has been met with mixed reactions – everything from why didn’t this happen sooner to concern it will all happen again in ten years.

In the mean time, teams want to fill the seats, sell merchandise and build momentum going into the shortened season. At this point, there might be anything a team could do wrong, but there’s definitely things they can do right. Fans will be back regardless, but in what numbers and with what sentiment is dependent on what the teams are willing to do for them.

Below are any promotions individual teams have announced on their websites as of this posting:

Penguins: By far the team doing the most to foster goodwill, the Penguins are offering 50% off merchandise at the first four home games, three free concession vouchers per person attending those games, tickets to every home game, three autographed jerseys, first row seats at the home opener and more. Read their announcement here to see the full list.

Devils: Enter to win season tickets. You can also sign up to be notified when game dates are announced.

Sabres: Fan Appreciation Sale – 50% off all merchandise from training camp to the end of the first home game, with extended store hours.

Sharks: A page on their site includes a message to fans and the community, a video and announcement that players will be giving away prizes every day leading up to the season.

Other teams are working on overall morale and relations:

Hurricanes: Feature a video on their landing page, with an associated hashtag #ItsTime. The Hurricanes President and also Head Coach held a press conference about the road ahead.

Jets, Ducks: Issued a message to their fan base regarding the tentative agreement. (Winnipeg Message; Anaheim Message).

Blue Jackets: Their landing page thanks the fans for their patience and support.

Blues: The team has launched a “Long Live the Note” campaign, featuring 30-second TV commercials about the team’s past and current players.

The President of the Kings issued a statement, but they have their own, bigger battle with rumors of the team moving from the defending cup championship home of Los Angeles, California to Seattle, Washington. A video press conference is happening later today.

Personally, I’m not going to hold the entire lockout against my team; it was a much bigger issue than that. Any effort to add to the excitement of the season is smart, easy, effective PR. If your team is doing something, hats off to them. If not, hopefully they get their act together before the puck drops.

Cosmo’s Hottest Hockey Players of 2013

In honor of the upcoming season, Cosmo asked readers to share who they think are the hottest hockey players. Some contenders are stronger than others, but in no particular order, here are your 30 Hottest NHL players of 2013: