NHL.com released two different mock drafts for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. One from a western conference scout, the other from an eastern.
Pretty soon, zelePUCKin will be compiling their own mock drafts. But until then, here are the links (NHL.com Doesn't copy and paste well).
Eastern Conference Scout Mock Draft
Western Conference Scout Mock Draft
And for those more hands on, here is Central Scouting's rankings.
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Monday, March 26, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Panthers Drop Points in Two Consecutive
After the win against Philadelphia four days ago, the Florida Panthers may have been looking forward to postseason round 1. Against Carolina and Edmonton, the Cats looked unfocused dropping a possible 3 points.
Besides a surge after giving up the first goal, and Stephen Weiss' desperate determination, the Panthers' offense has been stuck on the perimeter. Even their powerplay has failed to get shots on goal. Instead they have elected to pass it back and forth at the top of the umbrella before turning it over.
Still only one point behind Boston for the 2nd seed in the East. Still 4 points up on Washington with a game in hand. But despite their good standing, the 3 points they gave away to teams fighting over lottery picks, would have given the Panthers the 2nd seed by 2, leveling the game in hand Boston has on them. It would have put the Capitals 7 points out, plus the game in hand Florida has on them.
Alternatively, they took two games off. They had a chance to put enough distance between themselves and the rest of the Southeast Division that, ultimately, would have locked it up.
The overtime frame against Edmonton showcased Stephen Weiss's toughness. A forty second shift captured all the emotion of missing the playoffs every year as a 10 year NHL and Panthers veteran. Weiss wants it.
If the Panthers can feed off their Assistant (oh can we just give him the C already?) Captain's passion, the Panthers will fare well against their remaining schedule.
With Boston still skidding, playing a red hot LA team tonight, the Panthers have a chance at 2nd seed if they turn it around now. They can ill-afford to lose any more games this season, save a possible one in Detroit.
Besides a surge after giving up the first goal, and Stephen Weiss' desperate determination, the Panthers' offense has been stuck on the perimeter. Even their powerplay has failed to get shots on goal. Instead they have elected to pass it back and forth at the top of the umbrella before turning it over.
Still only one point behind Boston for the 2nd seed in the East. Still 4 points up on Washington with a game in hand. But despite their good standing, the 3 points they gave away to teams fighting over lottery picks, would have given the Panthers the 2nd seed by 2, leveling the game in hand Boston has on them. It would have put the Capitals 7 points out, plus the game in hand Florida has on them.
Alternatively, they took two games off. They had a chance to put enough distance between themselves and the rest of the Southeast Division that, ultimately, would have locked it up.
The overtime frame against Edmonton showcased Stephen Weiss's toughness. A forty second shift captured all the emotion of missing the playoffs every year as a 10 year NHL and Panthers veteran. Weiss wants it.
If the Panthers can feed off their Assistant (oh can we just give him the C already?) Captain's passion, the Panthers will fare well against their remaining schedule.
With Boston still skidding, playing a red hot LA team tonight, the Panthers have a chance at 2nd seed if they turn it around now. They can ill-afford to lose any more games this season, save a possible one in Detroit.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Alexander Radulov To Play Tonight Against Pittsburgh
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| Radulov is known for his exuberant goal celebrations in the KHL |
@Real_ESPNLeBrun: RT @KWilsonPreds: Radulov will play tonight. #Preds
The sharp shooting, energetic forward gives the Predators an actual offensive threat. Preds fans can now stop pretending the Kostitsin brothers are legitimate top line forwards.
The addition of Rads pumps a lot of life into the team, and after St. Louis, they have to be the favorites to come out of the west. While he may not put up a goal a game, Radulov will greatly improve this Nashville squad.
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Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Panthers Try to Lock-Up Division
The Panthers are coming off a great defensive effort in a win against a top team in Philadelphia. The 2-1 victory saw the Panthers blank the Flyers on the powerplay; their shorthanded units going 5-for-5. The win last night does as much for the team's confidence as it does for their conference standings.
The Florida Panthers are currently 36-23-13 for 85 points, good for third in the Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining. They have a 5 point lead over Washington and a 9 point lead over Winnipeg, with games in hand on both (1 on Caps, 1 on Jets). The Panthers are said to only need to go 4-5-1 to clinch a spot. Limping into the playoffs is never a good idea though and with their remaining schedule there is no reason they can’t do much better.
Over the next three weeks the Panthers play 10 games, 6 on the road and 4 at home, starting tonight in Carolina. After that they are: vs Edm, vs NYI, at Mtl, at Min, at Cbj, at Det, vs Wpg, at Wsh, vs Car. That means that 8 of those games are against opponents lower than them in the standings.
I fully expect this team to go 9-1 in this final stretch, with the acceptable loss coming against Detroit. Other than those teams, every game is winnable and the games against the Caps and the Jets are absolute must wins. Look for one of those games to be where the Cats lock in for the division title. Although it is perfectly foreseeable to drop a game against a lower opponent.
Also, as they sit right now, second place in the conference is not out of the question. They are only two points behind the Boston Bruins with the same amount of games played. Though no matter where they finish it’ll be a tough first round matchup. It will certainly be an entertaining three weeks chock full of great hockey and hopefully at the end of it the Panthers will be back in the playoffs with their first ever Southeast Division regular season championship.
Sean Bergenheim nets his 17th off a lucky bounce.
The Florida Panthers are currently 36-23-13 for 85 points, good for third in the Eastern Conference with 10 games remaining. They have a 5 point lead over Washington and a 9 point lead over Winnipeg, with games in hand on both (1 on Caps, 1 on Jets). The Panthers are said to only need to go 4-5-1 to clinch a spot. Limping into the playoffs is never a good idea though and with their remaining schedule there is no reason they can’t do much better.
Over the next three weeks the Panthers play 10 games, 6 on the road and 4 at home, starting tonight in Carolina. After that they are: vs Edm, vs NYI, at Mtl, at Min, at Cbj, at Det, vs Wpg, at Wsh, vs Car. That means that 8 of those games are against opponents lower than them in the standings.
I fully expect this team to go 9-1 in this final stretch, with the acceptable loss coming against Detroit. Other than those teams, every game is winnable and the games against the Caps and the Jets are absolute must wins. Look for one of those games to be where the Cats lock in for the division title. Although it is perfectly foreseeable to drop a game against a lower opponent.
Also, as they sit right now, second place in the conference is not out of the question. They are only two points behind the Boston Bruins with the same amount of games played. Though no matter where they finish it’ll be a tough first round matchup. It will certainly be an entertaining three weeks chock full of great hockey and hopefully at the end of it the Panthers will be back in the playoffs with their first ever Southeast Division regular season championship.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Video Highlight Round Up and 2012 New Gear Videos
Every now and again we like to overwhelm you with a ton of videos. Here are some highlight videos we think you have to see.
Way more Videos...
Philadelphia Flyers Look to Take Division with 10 Games Remaining
The Flyers have the best player in the NHL right now, two weeks running. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov has won NHL 1st Star honors for his second week in a row.
Bryz's performance helped the Flyers come back from 2-0 twice in two days against Eastern Conference favorites and defending Stanley Cup champions Boston Bruins and the streaking Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers earned 3 out of the possible 4 points.
However, the 1-0-1 record does not bring justice to the importance of this past weekend's results.
Bryz's performance helped the Flyers come back from 2-0 twice in two days against Eastern Conference favorites and defending Stanley Cup champions Boston Bruins and the streaking Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers earned 3 out of the possible 4 points.
However, the 1-0-1 record does not bring justice to the importance of this past weekend's results.
Matt Slocum
NHL to Broadcast Every Playoff Game on NBC Owned Channels
A New York Times story detailed the latest NHL push to create more ad revenue by earning more fans and viewers. The idea behind this push is that the NHL playoffs are the best atmosphere to hook casual fans and create lasting ones.
Hockey is not like football or baseball, most of the fans either played hockey or were around it while growing up. Since the lock-out the NHL has focused on adding to their fan base. They have changed the penalty rules, added the shootout and a host of other funky things to draw in new fans. However, it appears the NHL is finally getting it. The key to getting hockey fans is not to increase scoring through adding more penalties or by creating skill competitions to decide games (cough shootouts suck cough). The best way to create lasting fans is to introduce them to the awesome atmosphere that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Hockey is perhaps the fastest, most physical, most passionate game out there. Playing against the same team in a series, where it is win or go home only amplifies that. The playoffs allow an avenue for narratives to be told and to be played out. New fans want to follow stories. This is how they learn what teams they want to follow, who the payers are and the history of the game. Not to mention that in the beginning, when it is hard for new fans to follow the in-game action closely, the narratives will keep them watching and make them want to learn the game.
So the NHL and Comcast teamed up to make this big idea a reality in the 2012 playoffs. The newly minted, and Comcasted owned, NBCSports will be the base of the operation with games being played on NBC, CNBC and the NHL Network as well.
The campaign for the idea is as well done as the "History Will Be Made" campaign, in the sense that to the casual fan, this has drawing power. Hopefully it won't get played out as easily this time around.
Here is the first video of the campaign, that was broadcasted this week.
My view is that a successful campaign like this will bring more recognition to the sport while creating a larger fan base. My hopes is that if this fan base is reached, the NHL may stop trying to tinker with the game to bring more casual fans to the sport. Hell, maybe even they would get rid of the shootout.
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Hockey is not like football or baseball, most of the fans either played hockey or were around it while growing up. Since the lock-out the NHL has focused on adding to their fan base. They have changed the penalty rules, added the shootout and a host of other funky things to draw in new fans. However, it appears the NHL is finally getting it. The key to getting hockey fans is not to increase scoring through adding more penalties or by creating skill competitions to decide games (cough shootouts suck cough). The best way to create lasting fans is to introduce them to the awesome atmosphere that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Hockey is perhaps the fastest, most physical, most passionate game out there. Playing against the same team in a series, where it is win or go home only amplifies that. The playoffs allow an avenue for narratives to be told and to be played out. New fans want to follow stories. This is how they learn what teams they want to follow, who the payers are and the history of the game. Not to mention that in the beginning, when it is hard for new fans to follow the in-game action closely, the narratives will keep them watching and make them want to learn the game.
So the NHL and Comcast teamed up to make this big idea a reality in the 2012 playoffs. The newly minted, and Comcasted owned, NBCSports will be the base of the operation with games being played on NBC, CNBC and the NHL Network as well.
The campaign for the idea is as well done as the "History Will Be Made" campaign, in the sense that to the casual fan, this has drawing power. Hopefully it won't get played out as easily this time around.
--Tanzina Vega, New York TimesThe campaign is called “Because It’s The Cup.” One ad focuses on the Stanley Cup — the one symbol of hockey that is most familiar to many Americans — and another on how the games are a social event. The spot called “Where It’s Been” shows the Stanley Cup being kicked across a frozen canal, in the basement of a family home and in bed with someone. Another spot, called “Two Halftimes,” features people watching the game at home and in bars with a narrator giving viewers reasons to love the game, like “Because it’s good to get together over something cold,” and “Because in hockey there are two halftimes.”
Here is the first video of the campaign, that was broadcasted this week.
My view is that a successful campaign like this will bring more recognition to the sport while creating a larger fan base. My hopes is that if this fan base is reached, the NHL may stop trying to tinker with the game to bring more casual fans to the sport. Hell, maybe even they would get rid of the shootout.
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Friday, March 9, 2012
RNH Uses New RBZ
Last night Oilers rookie forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, also called RNH, joined Landeskog as the only pro players using the new CCM RBZ stick. Keep your eyes peeled for Sean Couturier to complete the rookie CCM trifecta soon.
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