LA Kings rookie goalie Martin Jones is the hottest player in the NHL that nobody knows about.
He has shifted the balance of power in the West in his last 6 ganes.
Who saw this coming?
On Tuesday night, the former Calgary Hitmen star upped record to 6-0-0 when he and the Kings blanked the Edmonton Oilers. Jones made 24 saves in the 3-0 dusting of the Oilers.
Jones has been a godsend for the Kings who lost their starter Jonathon Quick to a Grade 2 groin strain while losing an OT game in Buffalo in early November. Jones has only allowed five goals against (on 177 shots). His microscopic goals against average is .082. His save % is .972!
Thansk, Kings Vision
Many observers, yours truly included, thought that the Kings would slide out of control on NHL black ice while their Conn Smythe tender in the infirmary for the past five weeks. Boy, was I wrong!
The Kings have posted an amazing 12-2-3 record in their last 17 games played without Quick.
The Kings are among five Western teams that are built to win the Stanley Cup this season. The team with best goaltending will win the Stanley Cup. That’s a fact. St. Louis, Chicago, Anaheim and Minnesota may want to give some serious thought to upgrading their goaltending right now. The team with the best goaltending depth will win the West. Looks to me at this juncture that the road to the Western Conference championship will run through LA. The Blues have gotten decent goaltending from Halak and Elliott this season, however, they’ve been ordinary on most night. Both of the Blues’ goalies will be UFA in July 2014. With Corey Crawford injured in ChiTown, the Hawks are crossing their fingers and hoping that he recovers fully and completely and that rookie Antii Raanta can keep the car out of the snow bank until Crawford returns. In Anaheim, Jonas Hiller is set to become UFA in July and he’s been wildly inconsistent at times this season. Trade rumors persist around Hiller. The Wild are getting solid goaltending from Josh Harding. At what point do they ad a veteran goalie to help bolster their depth? You’ll recall that the Wild lost Backstrom last spring to injury and they bowed out of the first round of the playoffs to the eventual; Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks.
Ryan Miller will be available to the team that is serious about beating the LA Kings head to head to win the West and the Stanley Cup this season.
The Blues, Blachawks, Ducks and Wild like their respective goaltending right now. Like not LOVE. The Kings are unfatuated with Quick, Jones, and Scrivens. Who can blame them? Right now the Kings are the envy of the NHL. The Blues, Hawks, Ducks, and Wild all have the organizational depth and top prospects to make an impactful hockey trade for Miller. What's Buffalo's ask? Likely the Pominville model: two top prospects (Hackett and Larsson), 1st rounder and 2nd rounder.
Western contenders have to ask themselves if they are in it to be in it, or, if they are in it to win it all.
We know where the Kings stand.
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The Sabres broke a dubious streak with their 4-2 win over the jets on Tuesday night. They won their first game in regulation after trailing after 40 minutes.
Their record when trailing after two periods is now 1-20.
The Sabres fell into a 2-0, then scored four unanswered goals to win the game in regulation.
Marcus Foligno, Matt Moulson and Matt Ellis scored in the third period to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.
It was Buffalo’s first regulation win since November 15 against Toronto, when interim head coach Ted Nolan took over for the fired Ron Rolston. The win also marked the first time that Buffalo has scored 4 goals in a game since they played in San Jose in early November.
Buffalo entered the game with a puny 1.54 goals scored per game average.
Buffalo’s Steve Ott also scored.
Former Barrie Colts star Mark Schiefele scored two goals in 36 seconds to build a 2-0 second-period lead for the Jets, who have lost four of their past five games.
Buffalo outshot Winnipeg 31-27 as 12 different Sabres recorded points, including 17-9 in the first period.
Buffalo will host Boston on Thursday night.
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Stupid is as stupid does.
It blows my mind that NHLers continue to hit each other in the head and ram one another into the boards from behind. What part of "Rule 48" don't some players understand? hen a player sees his opponent's numbers on his back he's supposed to peel off and avoid the hit at all costs. Rules.
Brendan Shanahan is suspending guys every 15 minutes it seems. There are gratuitous, ugly head shots and boarding incidents every night in the NHL. When will it end?
In the second period of a 2-2 game in Philly, Tom Wilson of the Capitals destroyed Flyers forward Brayden Schenn with a disgusting hit from behind that knocked Schenn silly. He fell three different times trying to get himself off the ice after the collision.
A similar hit occurred in Detroit when Red Wings D Kyle Quincy smoked Anaheim forward Ryan Getzlaf from behind, causing a facial laceration on the Duck as he attempted to retrieve a puck from the corner.
Quincey was assessed a 5 and a game.
The will NHL continue to take game checks away from the offenders. Hit 'em in the wallet.
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Ted Nolan has a simple request of Santa Claus.
Please deliver more goals scored to the Buffalo Sabres.
When Thomas Vanek is still fourth in Sabres goal scoring and he was traded nearly two months ago, you know that your team is in deep trouble.
Ville Leino should change his name to Panera. He makes great bagels. Zero goals in 20 games played.
The Sabres are and have been in the basement of the NHL goal scoring category for the majority of this season from hockey hell. Entering tonight's tilt with the Winnipeg Jets, the Sabres are averaging 1.54 goals scored for per game. They've scored 51 total goals in 33 games. In a nutshell, here's how they've scored:
* 35 even strength goals * 13 PPGs * 1 4 on 4 goal * 2 empty netters
Cody Hodgson's 8 goals for leads the way for the constipated Buffalo offense.
Tyler Ennis has 6 goals and Matt Moulson 5 in Buffalo since the trade, 11 overall. Girgensons has chipped in 3. Ditto Foligno and Ott. Stafford, Ehrhoff. Myers, McBain, Talliner, Flynn, and Grigorenko have 2 goals each.
Last overall in the NHL. The 29th place goal scoring team, the Florida Panthers, have scored 74 goals so far this season
Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth have only allowed 96 goals against in 33 games. Thats a 2.91 GAA.
You wonder why this team can't win. They can't score.
The veterans aren't lighting the lamp.
Its time to shake it up. Trade, please. The trade freeze kicks in next week.
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When the Sabres get you down, just dance like Toronto Mayor Rob Ford does
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