If Devils continue to chalk up wins, Oilers could find themselves with another first overall pick.
The New Jersey Devils are trending up and the Vancouver Canucks are trending down. Don't expect the pattern to continue for much longer.
But while we're on the subject, the Edmonton Oilers, who have lost four straight, can now feel the Devils breathing down the back of their neck. Could a second straight 30th overall finish be in the cards?
There are many, even among the Oilers' faithful, who would tell you that is a good thing. The Oilers are a rebuilding club, doing it the right way through the draft and another first overall pick would not be a bad thing.
The great thing about the Oilers this season is fans can see potential. Taylor Hall. Jordan Eberle. Magnus Paajarvi. Linus Omark. Sam Gagner. Andrew Cogliano. Ryan Jones. Theo Peckham.
Another high draft pick will only enhance the Oilers' chances of becoming a contender sooner rather than later. Nobody likes to lose, but when losses this season lead to wins in the future, it is palatable.
Here are some other thoughts and observations heading into the weekend:
Bad Ranger
The Rangers rely heavily on Marian Gaborik to supply goals. On Wednesday night that is exactly what he did scoring four (and adding an assist) in New York's 7-0 drubbing of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was easily the No. 1 star of the night in the NHL.
That said, the highly-skilled Gaborik has mostly been a disappointment for the Rangers this season with just 15 goals and 29 points in 34 games. Other than the hat tricks he scored against the Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders, to go with his four-goal outing against Toronto, he has just five goals in the other 31 games. Ten goals in three games and five in the other 31 is not what the Rangers bargained for when they signed him to a deal that pays him $7.5 million a year for five seasons. It's no wonder the Rangers’ demanding coach John Tortorella benched him in the game prior to the big win over the Leafs.
Good Ranger
One player who is giving the Rangers some bang for their buck is mini-left winger Mats Zuccarello. Since being called up from Hartford of the American Hockey League, the 5-foot-7 and 174-pound native of Oslo, Norway has scored three goals and eight points in 13 games. His ticket? A cost-conscious $850,000 a year.
Norris race
Having played in two fewer games, Detroit veteran Nicklas Lidstrom has taken over the NHL scoring lead amongst defencemen by two points over Dustin Byfuglien of the Atlanta Thrashers. Lidstrom, 40, looks like a kid with eight goals and 21 points in his last 20 games compared to six goals and 11 points for Byfuglien, 25, in his last 20 outings.
Byfuglien has been held with a point in his last seven games. If the two continue to battle for the scoring lead amongst defencemen, it will be interesting how voters rank them when it comes time to choose the Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenceman. Byfuglien has six game-winning goals compared to one for Lidstrom. He also has three overtime goals compared to one for Lidstrom.
Ruff 'n' ready
One of the most interesting potential free agents this summer could be Lindy Ruff. That's right; if the Buffalo Sabres don't sign their longtime coach to an extension, Ruff goes on the market and, depending on what happens with Dallas Stars centre Brad Richards who is likely to re-sign with his club, he could be the most sought-after free agent in the summer of 2011.
Ruff, like his GM Darcy Regier, has been forced to operate with one hand tied behind his back working for the cost-conscious Sabres. There are a number of teams that aren't happy with their coaching and Ruff could write his own ticket if he is set free. In fact, he may even want to consider declining an offer from Buffalo just to test the market, figuring there are teams that would be willing to pay him more than he'd get from the Sabres. Should Ruff leave Buffalo, a solid candidate to replace him is former Sabre and current Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Mike Foligno.
Pal Cal
If Cal Clutterbecuk was suddenly available, you'd have every other team in the league tripping over each other to sign him. The 23-year-old Welland, Ont., native has become one of the best and most consistent third-liners in the NHL. Already this season in 46 games with the Minnesota Wild, the 5-foot-11 and 213-pound right winger has scored a career-high 14 goals and has tied his single-season high of 21 points.
What separates Clutterbuck from most third-liners is his enthusiasm for and proficiency at the art of hitting. Clutterbuck, and his sidekick Clutterstache, leads all NHL hitters with 217 body checks (Tuomu Ruutu of the Carolina Hurricanes is second with 181) and that should surprise nobody since he led the league in hits last season with 318 and the year before with 356. What is most impressive is the fact Clutterbuck hits often and mostly legally since he has just 30 penalty minutes.
Lack of respect
It is shocking to see what players are doing to one another in the name of winning games these days. On Tuesday Buffalo's Mike Weber shoved Montreal's Mike Cammalleri from behind and into the boards resulting in the Canadiens forward separating his shoulder and being put on IR. It wasn't a hard shove, but Cammalleri was in a vulnerable position. It was downright dangerous.
Wednesday in Calgary, the Flames’ Curtis Glencross shoved Minnesota's Clayton Stoner from behind into the end boards. The shove came at the goal line and Stoner flew heavily into the boards. Luckily he had enough time to twist his body to avoid going head-first into the boards or the results could have been tragic.
Here's hoping the NHL Players’ Association is documenting these dangerous occurrences to show all the players in an attempt to get some common sense back into the game. This really is a players' issue. The $2,500 fine that the NHL gave Glencross will not serve as a deterrent to other players.
