Back Me Up

Some of the number one's or yet to be determined #1's have looked like shooter tutors in the first few games, bringing their game into question, as well as the viability of their back-up. Some teams have opted to go on the cheap for their #2 going into the season with supreme confidence in their starting goaltender. That decision may end up backfiring if the trend continues for some of the top tier netminders.

Khabibulin shit the bed in the last 45seconds of the game against Calgary, and then was letting in all kinds of softies against the Stars. The post saved his ass in the shootout and got him the win. Khabby will have a shot at redemption against the Flames tonight, but its not out of the question to think that Quinn wouldn't yank him if he looks awful in the early going. Then again, Patty boy would have to resort to Deslauriers, who was all kinds of unimpressive last year.

Turco has nowhere to go but up after a disasterous season, but didn't look all that special on the other end of the ice either, with the exception of the pokecheck on O'Sullivan in the shootout. Alex Auld is supposedly a good goaltender, but I wouldn't know from what I've seen.

Giguere looked absolutely brutal against Minnesota, giving up a three-goal lead almost singlehandedly, with the tying goal going right through the wickets. J.S. had a rough season last year with the loss of his father weighing heavily on his mind. Luckily for the Ducks, he has job stealer Jonas Hiller waiting to claim the spot coming off a very inspiring post-season against the Sharks and Wings.

Do you see how many pucks there are behind him?

Nabokov got chased by the Kings after giving up four, Greiss came in and made 8 saves to give the Sharks a chance to win. Nabokov is supposed to be a key piece in the puzzle that is San Jose, yet he didn't play with any sense of passion in the postseason, much like the rest of his team.

Toskala's already riding pine after being pulled in the game against Washington, the big prediction this week was Gustavsson getting the start against Ottawa. Big surprise. In a few weeks, the hot topic of hockey discussion will be about Toskala on the bench, and Monster stealing the show in TO.

Luongo has looked like absolute dogshit, especially in that game against Columbus, giving up several goals high glove side. Last night's statement win was more about the Canucks offense the Bobby's goaltending. Your Vancouver Canucks backup... 2003-04 Calder Winner, Andrew Raycroft. Yikes. Now that's going on the cheap.

"Sorry Vesa, I've got to go fuck up someone else's shit now."

Which brings us to our next flunkie, CrystalBall Huet. The Panthers were picking him apart, hitting the same spot all night in their game in Finland, again high glove side. Not sure who's getting the start against the Big Red, 0 and 2 Machine tonight, but it'll definetely be a proving ground for Huet or Niemi whoever it be.

Semyon Var-LAH-mov was pulled in the Caps battle against the Flyers, and I think Theodore only let one too many in for the loss. Its hard to know who's the #1 in this tandem, whether its based on dollars or playing time. Jose is making $4.5million in the final year of his deal, while whateverthefuckhisnameis earns a shade over $800k. If you judge it by last year's postseason performance, its without a doubt Varly, with the exception of Game 7 against the Pens.

On the other side of the paddle...

Emery looks sharp, at least for now, and Philadelphia now looks impressive on the ice, as opposed to only on paper.

Nice pads. They're orange. Dude.

Craig Anderson the miracle worker has played well, as has the rest of the Avs in the first few games of the season. Be hard to say if they're still riding Sakic's retirement wave, but that certainly got it going.

Its been fun to watch the expression on Kiprusoff's face after his defense clears out the front of the net, he seems to be chuckling every time as he skates into the corner. A renewed sense of confidence has seemed to fill that team, whether its the addition of Bouwmeester or the atmosphere of Brent we may never know.

Steve Mason and his gang of upstarts have made them relevant once again after last year's first trip to the postseason. They've only got two games under their belt, facing the Sharks tonight, but so far the whole team has looked strong.

Everything's speculation at this point, only a few games into a long regular season, but we're all just so damn excited that hockey's back on, aren't we?

Don't look at me like that Steve. Not Chris.

Can You Smell the Bullshit?

This time I'm talking about the race for the Calder Trophy, the award given to "the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition" in the league. Us mutts know it better as rookie of the year, in less refined terms.

This year it seems as though the MSM has already selected their winner, in feel good choice Steve Mason, goaltender for the suddenly significant Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets definetely have had a turnaround season, and are poised to make their first postseason appearance in the franchise's young history, and that, no doubt, is thanks largely to Mr. Mason.

My question is in the numbers that are seemingly similar to another rookie goaltender by the wonderfully delightful name of Pekka Rinne, goaltender for the Nashville Predators. In the seemingly unimportant wasteland of space between the East and West Coasts, these two keepers have chased their previous #1's out of the net, and secured the jobs themselves. As noted in Puck Daddy's earlier blog 'Pekka Rinne: Like Steve Mason, but without that pesky hype!' their stats are seemingly identical, while both of them making their irrevelevant teams revelant in terms of making the playoffs.

So where's all the hype for Pekka for Calder?

Is it racism?

Mason's apparently Canadian, Rinne's a Finn. You remember the last time those Scandinavians got all upitty, we had to stomp some 'Wegie ass. Fucking 'Wegie's.

The fanbase is starting to make some noise about it. Finally.

We all remember last year's awarding of the Hart to Alex Ovechkin, after leading the Caps to the playoffs in the closing days of the season, taking over the Southeast Division lead automatic berth. Everyone said leading up to the close of the season, that if Washington makes the post, then Ovechkin wins the Hart. And so he did.

So with that kind of reasoning, does that mean if Mason, well we won't says leads, but keeps the BJ's in postseason position, then he automatically wins the Calder? Right now, Columbus is sitting in the sixth spot with 86 points and six games remaining, followed by their unexpectedly competitive Central Division compatriots, the Predators, and the Blues(?, more on that another day)

But Pekka's Preds are right in the hunt too, sitting only two points back from the symbolic Union Army, so why isn't poor ol' Pekka getting a look too? Typically, this race only involves a goaltender twice a decade, with the last one being this show-stopping, jaw-dropper Andrew Raycroft in '03-'04. After that stoic career the company gets significantly better with Evgeni Nabokov in 2000-'01, Martin Brodeur in '93-'94, and my personal hero, Eddie Belfour in '90-'91.

Again, as Wyshynski points out that the rookie forwards aren't exactly "lighting the world on fire" with scoring, some of them have turned it on in the past few weeks. Some of them have gotten hot enough to turn this into more than a two (one) horse race.

Bobby Ryan has been firing the puck at will with 2 goals, and 8 shots in his last game against the lowly Avalanche. He leads all rookies in goals with 26, and points with 50, and only appearing in 58 games. He is tied for points with Kris Versteeg, who jumped out early in the Calder race, but slowed mid-season, and is now turning it back on again. Flying under the radar is Stars rookie forward James Neal, second in goals for rookies with 24. Blake Wheeler also got some credit for Boston's quick start this year, just as Patrick Berglund and T.J. Oshie are being held partially responsible for the Blues miraculous turnaround. Even Freshman flop Steven Stamkos has turned it on lately now that the pressure is off, now with 19 goals, now that we're not waiting for his first anymore.

On one hand, it is pretty amazing to lead a perennial doormat to the dance, on the other hand its not like he's the only one.

Hypothetically, lets just say both Columbus and Nashville make the post, and in the spots they're at right now, six and seven. That means Columbus faces Calgary, and Nashville takes on Detroit. Okay now let's just say Columbus goes down in six, and Nashville takes down the red giant in seven. Now Pekka's won a huge series against the mighty Red Wings, and Columbus goes down in the first round like everyone outside of Ohio figures. What then? Granted hypothetical, but not completely unreasonable, unless your a Red Wings fan. And then I don't even know why you're reading my blog.

I'm just saying, the race always changes as you get closer to the finish line. Make up your own mind on your flight to Vegas.