Notes From Behind the Bar

A little warning about keeping your head on a swivel, or perhaps just another example about knowing who is on the ice at all times.

The Kings' Mike Richards caught Alexandre Burrows at a moment when his attention needed to be everywhere at once. Could easily have been the other way around during this game, which makes the Canucks-Kings series a fun one, should you not have a horse in the race. There are enough skill players, and a healthy collection of players you might describe as having hearts filled with shit and splinters, to make me stay up late on the East Coast.

Points to consider. Both teams need to do better on the power play, because there should be plenty of them in this series. Numbers like 2 for 8 and 0 for 5 signal there is plenty of room for improvement.

Next on the docket is the Shea Weber meets Henrik Zetterberg in the corner moment at the end of the Predlies' victory over the Wings.



Right off the faceoff, Weber goes into the corner and, wouldn't you know it, the nice Saint Zetterberg of Detroit appears to say hello with an elbow to the back of Weber's head along the glass. So, one can only assume Mr. Weber was attempting a gentlemanly "and how are you, good sir" with a bent arm shiver to the back of Saint Zetterberg. Does Weber deserve a suspension? Yes. Even I know that, but there is a point where you have to address the saintly status of the Red Wings. They take penalties and on this night they are called rather than ignored. Learn your lesson.

For the next few months, your saintly status has to be earned again.

Seriously, if I read one more thing about how the Red Wings play the game the right way while I witness Holmstrom doing what he is supposed to do -- bending every rule ever so precisely to gain an advantage in front of the net -- I will have to turn the sound on the TV off.

Probably a good idea since Doc Emrick is already getting on my nerves with his "pass to Crosby ... WHO HITS THE PIPE!" I like to imagine a young Doc at a party, practicing his patter by describing the path a certain illegal substance is being held for a long time before, "Johnson takes yet another hit, looks to his left, AND PASSES THE PIPE!"

Pass the remote. I'm now TURNING THE SOUND OFF!

(To be fair, I'll let Doc and his good friend Pierre McGuire have the last word, and then I am cutting them off in the Lounge.)

That's Mister Jimmy Howard to You

It was summer 2005, and I was sitting at Red's Eats in Wiscasset, Me., reading The Portland Press Herald and saving a table in the shade while awaiting to be summoned to the counter for my lobster rolls and an order of whole belly clams.

As I sat, I reviewed the news that Jimmy Howard was leaving the University of Maine early to join the Detroit Red Wings organization. A Mainer seated at the next table told me that he thought Howard could use another year at Orono. (To his credit, he admitted to being a big fan of the Black Bears and the Boston Bruins. The Red Wings, not so much.)

Perhaps Howard should have, as he spent the better part of four seasons with Grand Rapids in the American Hockey League, raising as many doubts about his ability to be the main man in net for the Red Wings as he did the fans' confidence in him.

On Thursday night in Los Angeles, however, there were few doubters as the Red Wings got everything they needed from Howard and more. The young goalie kept all but one of 52 shots out of the net in a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Kings.

A large measure of credit should also go to Darren Helm, who scored late in the game to win it in regulation. Take a look at Helm in the highlights. Helm, down on the ice in the right-wing corner, gets back up and spins past Kings defenseman Sean O'Donnell.

That left Jonathan Quick to stand tall in net. Instead, he went for the poke check. Goal. Helm. Good night, Los Angeles. Thanks for coming out.

Credit goes out to the voice behind The Goalie Guild, who quickly commented on Twitter:

"When oh when will goalies learn that you simply can't try and poke check in that kind of traffic. Pretty brutal mistake by Quick there."

When Quick made his aggressive move, he had to shift his right pad, which left an opening wide enough for Helm to sink the Windmill shot and win a free game of miniature golf the next time he's in town.

As for the Kings, they are still counting all the strokes they recorded and made their fans suffer through by not scoring on numerous chances on Howard's doorstep.

No need for Kings fans to stop at Tommy's after the game for a late night double chili cheeseburger; in it's place, yet another large order of heartburn, courtesy of the Red Wings.

THE SCOREBOARD
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Washington 5, Ottawa 2
At Atlanta 2, N.Y. Rangers 1 SO
Chicago 5, at Boston 2
Philadelphia 7, at Pittsburgh 4
At Montreal 2, Florida 0
At Nashville 4, Carolina 2
Columbus 4, at Edmonton 2
At Vancouver 4, Phoenix 0
At Anaheim 4, St. Louis 2
Detroit 2, at Los Angeles 1
The standings are here.
Recap by Sportsnet.
Three stars by Puck Daddy.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Milwaukee 3, San Antonio 2
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.
The Team Canada roster for the AHL All-Star Game is here.
The Planet USA roster for the All-Star Game is here.
The game is Jan. 19 in Portland, Me. Here, via Puck the Media, is a list of stations and markets where the game can be seen.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Lewiston 9, Acadie-Bathurst 4
At Rouyn-Noranda 5, Drummondville 1
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Mississauga 6, at Peterborough 3
At Windsor 8, Saginaw 5
At Barrie 4, Brampton 2
At Niagara 4, Plymouth 2
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Kootenay 2, at Calgary 1
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

Sharks' Ace Falls Off the Table

Maybe I was up to late Monday night watching the Los Angeles Kings pound the San Jose Sharks. Did anybody see Dany Heatley? Seventeen minutes on the ice, two shots, a minus-1. How did he accomplish all that without been seen?

Look at the numbers (the box score is below in the scoreboard) and effort of Patrick Marleau, a player who takes a hit, right or wrong, whenever things go south with the Sharks. He showed up. So did Joe Pavelski. But Heatley's job is to put the Sharks over the top in big games. When you put your face cards down and its Joe Thornton, Marleau, Pavelski and Doug Murray, you need to see Heatley on the table as well or your chips will be moving to the other side of the table.

Last night, the Kings took the whole pot, the Sharks' chips and the foul-looking dip as well in a 6-2 victory. On bad nights, you need to fail despite the efforts of your best players. The support players, well, they didn't have it and that's why you lost.

The Sharks didn't have it, and neither did Heatley.

THE SCOREBOARD
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At N.Y. Rangers 3, Boston 2
Los Angeles 6, San Jose 2
The standings are here.
Recap by Sportsnet.
Three stars by Puck Daddy.

EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Alaska 5, Victoria 3
The standings are here.

WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
(at Saskatoon)
Relegation Round
At Czech Republic 5, Slovakia 2
Latvia 6, Austria 4
The relgation roundup is here.
Fifth Place
Finland 4, Russia 3
The standings and statistics are here.