Ted Nolan hinted that Ryan Miller will be the starting goalie when the Sabres host the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.
Thanks, Sabres.com
Might this be Miller's final hurrah? His moment to drink in one last ovation from his adoring fans in the building that he has made famous for the past 12 seasons?
Last April, Miller waved goodbye to Sabres fans after defeating the Islanders in the final home game of the lockout-shortened season. He obviously wasn't traded away last summer or earlier this season either.
Will this be Miller's swan song?
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St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong has gone on the record and has given his starting goalie
Jaro Halak the ultimate vote of confidence. Armstrong said Wednesday that he realizes that Halak causes anxiety and high blood pressure symptoms for the fans of the Blues.
Despite the fact that Halak lost his Team Slovakian starting net job to third stringer, journeyman Jan Laco after an abysmal Olympics, Armstrong told the Post Dispatch not so fast on tossing Halak aside in St. Louis.
“St. Louis historically has been a graveyard for goaltenders,” Armstrong said. “I’m not being critical of the fans, but it doesn’t seem like they’ve ever been happy with who’s in the net. Jaro doesn’t deserve to have the past put on him."
Because of injuries, “Jaro has been our starting goaltender for exactly two playoff games,” Armstrong said. “He hasn’t failed. He’s going to have the opportunity to show what he’s capable of. That’s how it is in sports. Until you win, you can’t win.”
Armstrong, the former Dallas GM, likens Halak to Eddie Belfour, a goaltender from his Dallas past. Belfour was considered an underachiever and enigma in Chicago until winning the Stanley Cup in Dallas.
“The knock on Jaro, is the same knock I heard on Belfour — that he couldn’t win the big games,” Armstrong said. “We got him in Dallas, and we won it all.”
I understand why Armstrong would pump Halak's tires. Thats his starting goaltender and he has to instill his faith in his starter. I get it.
Armstrong comparing Halak to the eccentric Eddie Belfour?
Really?!!
Doesn't Armstrong feel a pang of doubt in his gut or a slight bit of hesitation when projecting down the road to the playoffs with Halak as the fortress surrounding his immensely talented army against invasions by hostile Western killing machines like San Jose, LA, Anaheim, or Chicago?
If what Armstrong is saying about Halak is true, then we can likely rule out St. Louis as the eventual landing spot for Ryan Miller when he is traded in the next few days. At least at the March 5 NHL trade deadline anyway. Perhaps Armstrong likes his chances of attracting Miller to St. Louis via a draft day trade or as a UFA signing. He'll have stiff competition from Anaheim in that scenario. Both Halak and Ducks' starting goalie Hiller will be UFAs in July.
Miller will not be playing back-up goalie to anyone after he is traded. Either he will be the #1 man, or there's no deal.
How can Armstrong capitulate and now make a trade for Miller after making such an impassioned plea of support for Halak?
If I'm Washington or Minnesota, I read Armstrong's comments to mean that maybe there's a greater chance that Miller will be available and won't be distracted by St. Louis in the coming days.
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I had to laugh when I heard a rumor of the Pittsburgh Penguins wanting to take a legitimate run at landing Ryan Miller via the trade rout by March 5.
The same Pittsburgh Penguins team that employs Dan Bylsma and Ray Shero as its head coach and GM, respectively.
Why would Miller want to play for the same two gentleman that allowed him to sit and watch the quarterfinals, semifinals and bronze games at the Sochi Olympics?
Pittsburgh fans would love to reinforce their net. Their hearts have been broken by Marc Andre Fleury's playoff antics in the recent past. A Miller to Pittsburgh move might make sense from a pure hockey perspective, however, the Bylsma-Shero relationship with Miller may not be so rosy right now. Look at the Steve Yzerman / Marty St. Louis issue that is raging in Tampa right now. I'm not saying that there is bad blood between Bylsma, Shero and Miller, however, one wonders how Miller feels about being stapled the the bench after his defeated Slovenia 5-1 in the preliminary round of the Olympics. Miller never got another sniff at playing. Team USA went all-in with Jon Quick. Not a bad idea, until USA lost to Canada in the semis.
I said it last week and I'll say it again:
If Bylsma would have started Miller in the bronze medal game vs. Finland, then the USA would have won the bronze medal. Team USA needed a kick in the ass and a pick-me-up after the kick in the stomach loss to Canada the day before. In his post game presser, Bylsma said that he wasn't second guessing his decision to play Quick vs. Finland. he also went on to say that he never thought of pulling Quick and replacing him with Miller after 40 minutes when the USA was loafing all over the ice. The rest is Team USA history.
For Miller, the memory remains.
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Matt Moulson has made a habit out of scoring the big goals in clutch time in his brilliant NHL career. On Tuesday night, Moulson scored the game-tying goal with 52 seconds left on the regulation clock to force OT against the Big Bad Bruins. Matt D’Agostini would eventually strip Chara and score the OT GWG.
Look at how greasy Moulson gets below the faceoff dots on his dramatic goal. His head is always up, his feet are always moving and he’s always in position to get a shot on goal once the puck touches his tape. That’s why he’s a perennial 30-goal scorer.
That’s why a dozen or more teams want to make a trade for him.
With 16 goals and 19 helpers in 53 games played this season. Of that, he has scored 10 goals and added 16 assists in 42 games in Buffalo this season. Moulson has been a great contributor in Buffalo ever since he was traded (along with a conditional first rounder and a second rounder) for Thomas Vanek on October 27.
Moulson missed Buffalo's last four games before the Olympic break due to the injury he suffered in Phoenix in January.
In his two games played this week, Molson has a goal and an assist, and is creating chances for his line mates by the bushel basket full.
Moulson is the type of high-impact, high potency scoring forward that a dozen or more NHL GMs are trying to add to their roister between now and the March 5 NHL trade deadline.
Moulson would add immediate offensive value to LA Kings, Ottawa Senators, NY Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, and others.
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Speaking of the Kings, they scored a mere 15 goals while finished with a dismal 2-8-1 record in their previous 11 games before the Olympic break
On Wednesday night, they busted out of their slump and scored six goals on a very good Colorado team.
Why? Bad Avs goaltending? Re-invigorated LA offense?
JS Giguere took the loss, Martin Jones the win.
Would Semyon Varlamov made more saves for his team? Hard to say.
Lets see I the torrid offensive pace will continue for the Kings in future games. My thought is that this type of offensive output will not continue as Darryl Sutter will tighten down the screws on his offensive players to play better D in all three zones and try to slug out 1-0 and 2-0 wins coming down the stretch run.
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Speaking of sweet mitts, check out this pretty goal by Zemgus Girgensons.
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