Archive | October 2014

Pacific Division 2014-15 Preview

By Brett Malamud

Wednesday is finally here! All day long, Dabuzzza will be bringing you the NHL coverage as we approach tonight’s games. If you missed the Metropolitan Division Preview, click here. If you missed the Atlantic Division Preview, click here. If you missed the Central Division Preview, click here. Arguably the league’s top division, the Pacific Division will be highly contested and is currently filled with goaltender stories. Let’s take a look:

Anaheim Ducks

Dany Heatley and Ryan Kesler come into a high octane offense that led the league in goals per game. Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm represent youth that will lead the defense that ranked ninth in the league in goals against. John Gibson is expected to get the bulk of the playing time in goal but Frederik Anderson will battle him for starts.

Arizona Coyotes

Sure they changed their name from Phoenix to Arizona but the Coyotes will still face the same struggles. The departure of Mike Ribeiro and Radim Vrbata does not bode well for this offense. They brought in Sam Gagner, but the team ranked 20th in goals per game and it’ll be a tough task trying to improve that. The Coyotes ranked 23rd in the league in shots against. Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Keith Yandle will attempt to plug that hole in the sinking ship that is the Arizona Coyotes. In goal, Mike Smith and Devan Dubnyk will try to stop the many shots that we know they’ll face this season. It could be a long season in the Desert.

Calgary Flames

Losing Mike Cammalleri to the New Jersey Devils was a tough one to swallow, but the addition of Mason Raymond was an intriguing one. Raymond comes in after his one year in Toronto. Speaking of additions, Jonas Hiller will take the reigns as the starting goaltender for Calgary after signing a two year deal back in July. Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie will take first line defensive pairing. The Flames ranked 24th in the league in goals against and for good reason. They’re really not that good. A midseason trade could change that (Tyler Myers?).

Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton looked more like Dead-monton last season. They ranked last in the league in goals against and 24th in goals for. These aren’t the kind of stats that you want to see from a team that had a top five draft pick in four out of the last five years. Benoit Pouliot and Teddy Purcell age huge additions, yes, but will it change the landscape of the team? I’m not so sure about that one. Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle will take over the first line, with Leon Draisaitl and Nail Yakupov taking the second line alongside Pouliot. The defense isn’t really worth mentioning, but Justin Schultz and Andrew Ference will lead the back line. A goalie dilemma is inevitable as Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth will take the duties. The pair isn’t stellar and could help in leading to their downfall.

Los Angeles Kings

The champs are back! The Kings come off of a magical season that was capped off by a goal from Alec Martinez in overtime to win the Stanley Cup. This year they’ll look to defend their title and it’ll have to begin with the offense. The addition of Marian Gaborik at the trade deadline proved to be the move that the Kings needed to send them over the top and into a deep journey through the playoffs. Kings Captain Dustin Brown will lead the offensive unit, which includes Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar, in trying to put the puck in the net. After watching the offensive attack in the playoffs, it should come as a surprise that the Kings ranked 26th in the NHL in goals per game in the regular season. However, they led the league in goals against average. That’s what carried them last season to the playoffs. Led by Drew Doughty, the defense will look to stop the rest of the league from scoring. Plus, it helps when you have arguably the best goalie in the NHL playing for your team. Jonathan Quick is just that and comes off of a year in which he finished fifth in goals against average and finished second in the league in shutouts. It’ll be a tough task, but the Kings can still be considered as royalty in the NHL.

Jonathan Quick is one of the league’s top goaltenders (Via AP)

San Jose Sharks

Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau remain with the team for now, but could be on their way out via trades at any point this season. The Sharks would like to trade both sooner rather than later, as tensions will mount each game that the pair is not traded. While they are still in San Jose, the two veterans will be able to teach second year player Tomas Hertl, along with the 25 year old Logan Couture, who still can learn a lot. The team lost Dan Boyle to the Rangers, and the top line now has Marc Edouard Vlasic paired with Justin Braun. Brent Burns is another notable name on the defensive end, a season after scoring 22 goals. In goal, Alex Stalock is going to push Antti Niemi to the brink for starts. Expect a heavy timeshare between the two.

Vancouver Canucks

Oh Vancouver. A few years ago, this team was at the top of the West. Now they’re a team that missed the playoffs last season. Well can they get back there the season? Willie Desjardins comes in as the new head coach, replacing John Tortorella. The big addition to the club comes in goal, after the Canucks added goaltender Ryan Miller. Miller will have Alexander Edler and Chris Tanev as the first defensive unit protecting him. The Ryan Kessler trade to Anaheim sent back Nick Bonino and Luca Sbisa, who will certainly contribute. The Sedin brothers come off of their worst season in a decade, and will look to return to the dominance that we’ve previously seen from them. Everyone should take notice of Radim Vrbata. The 33 year old will sit on the Sedin line and that should put him in the scoring sheet on a regular basis. This season will be a journey, but one that might end with the Canucks back in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Brett Malamud is a Computer Science Major at Binghamton University. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite athletes are Derek Jeter and Todd Bertuzzi. You can follow him on twitter at @brettnyy

10/08/14

Central Division 2014-15 Preview

By Brett Malamud

Wednesday is finally here! All day long, Dabuzzza will be bringing you the NHL coverage as we approach tonight’s games. If you missed the Metropolitan Division Preview, click here. If you missed the Atlantic Division Preview, click here. Now we move to the Western Conference. The Central division hopes to be a good battle all the way to the end. The Avalanche won the division last season, but it seems that almost everyone in the division has improved. Let’s take a look at this season’s Central Division:

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks opted to sign Daniel Carcillo instead of keeping Nick Leddy, and sent Leddy off to the New York Islanders. In return, they got Ville Pokka, Anders Nilsson and T.J. Brennan. The 20 year old defenseman Pokka was sent down to the AHL along with Brennan. You’d have to feel for T.J. Brennan though. Brennan has bounced around the NHL a bit, contributing mostly in the AHL. He signed a contract with the Islanders over the summer, and was finally ready to make that jump to become a full time NHL player. Instead, he was part of a salary based trade to Chicago and the Blackhawks sent Brennan back down to the AHL. That has to be a bad feeling. Nilsson will play in the KHL this year and is a non-factor. On the active roster, the Blackhawks look to get over the fact that they were a game seven overtime goal away from heading back to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in five seasons. They added Brad Richards to their offensive weapons, and he’s expected to start the season as their third line center. 25-year-old Patrick Kane sees himself on the second line with 21-year-old Brandon Saad and 23-year-old Andrew Shaw. Not bad for youth. The top line consists of Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. The attack will be hoping to continue the success of last season, when they ranked second in the league in goals per game. Duncan Keith leads the defensive unit. He’ll be paired with Brent Seabrook. The two are a huge threat from the blue line in the offensive zone, combining for 13 goals and 89 assists last season. Corey Crawford will be in net for the Hawks. Crawford struggled early last season but got it together, and hopes to maintain more consistency this season.

Colorado Avalanche

Are the Colorado Avalanche really back? The Avs came out of nowhere and stormed to the front of the Central Division standings, after seeing themselves in the basement of the league. A year after winning the division, they’ll have a target on their backs. They suffered a first round loss in seven games to the Minnesota Wild, allowing 22 goals over the seven game span. That can’t happen if Colorado wants to compete farther into the playoffs this season, or to be honest, any season. Adding Nathan MacKinnon in the draft helped, and he finished his rookie campaign with 24 goals and 39 assists, claiming the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year. Adding to the youth of the Avalanche is Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, who netted 23 and 26 goals, respectively. These three young guns will continue to grow. Joining Duchene and Landeskog will be veteran forward and future hall of famer Jarome Iginla, who was signed as a free agent over the summer. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season and will try to help the defense out. Speaking of defense, that seems to be the issue over in the Mile High City. They’ve got Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie, but after that, they don’t really have much. Keep your eyes on that defense, because there could be a midseason trade to bolster the back line.

Dallas Stars

The Stars jumped into the playoffs last year with a wildcard spot, but saw their season fall at the hand of the top seeded Anaheim Ducks. This season, they saw their offense, which ranked 10th in goals per game, improve with a few major moves. Dallas traded four players for Jason Spezza on July 1. Later in the day, they signed Ales Hemsky to a three-year contract. Both moves immediately impact the offense. Hemsky and Spezza are expected to be line mates on the second line. Second year forward Valeri Nichushkin will hope to make an impact this season, and jump up from the fourth line wing. Alex Goligoski leads the defense, one that can be described as average. Kari Lehtonen will stay in goal and comes off of a good season in which he had 33 wins. In terms of stats, the Stars find themselves in the middle of the pack in every major category. That’s were they’re expected to end up this season- in the middle of the pack.

Minnesota Wild

The worst kept secret in hockey this season is finally out. Thomas Vanek has signed with Minnesota. Vanek comes off of a season in which he was bounced in trades from Buffalo to New York to Montreal. Many expected Vanek on the first line with Zach Parise, but instead finds himself on the second line with Mikko Koivu. Parise, meanwhile, comes off of a 29 goals, 27 assists season. Ryan Suter continues his mega deal and will be paid 11 million dollars this season and will carry a cap hit of 7.54 million dollars annually through 2024-25. Niklas Backstrom will be the starting goaltender and will stand behind the fifth ranked defense in terms of shots against, and seventh ranked in goals against.

It took a three year, $19.5 million contract to land Thomas Vanek in Minnesota (Via Star Tribune)

Nashville Predators

Former Preds Barry Trotz heads out to Washington D.C. to coach the Caps. Nashville opted for Peter Laviolette. Laviolette brings in the up-tempo attacking style. They’ll have depth at the center position, bringing in Olli Jokinen, Mike Ribero and Derek Roy. They also brought in James Neal in a trade for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. Neal should bolster the power play stats, coming from the experience of the Penguins’ power play unit. The defense should be great as they’re led by Shea Weber and Seth Jones. The Predators hope that goaltender Pekka Rinne can stay healthy, after missing most of last season.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues watched as their 2-0 series lead evaporated in the first round of the playoffs, and the Blackhawks won four straight games to end St. Louis’ season. The Blues added Paul Stastny, a player that should help change the offense. There are many names that should help the offense: David Backes, Alexander Steen, Vladimir Tarasenko, and T.J Oshie just to name a few.Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk anchor the blue line once again, and Brian Elliott will man the net.

Winnipeg Jets

Devin Setoguchi and Olli Jokinen left to greener pastures and it might hurt the Jets a bit. Last season the Jets ranked Mark Scheifele will be up on the first line with Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane. Zach Bogosian and Jacob Trouba lead a defense that ranked 22nd in the league in goals against. Ondrej Pavelec must improve in goal if the Jets plan on coming close to the playoff race.

10/07/14

Studs and Duds: NFL Week Five

By Brett Malamud

This week, Peyton Manning came back in full force and the Jets ended their day with zero points on the scoreboard. Here’s week five’s edition of Studs and Duds:

Stud: Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

Although he threw 2 interceptions, he finished with 479 yards and 4 touchdowns against a tough Arizona Cardinals defense. Next week, Manning heads into MetLife stadium for the first time since losing last season’s Super Bowl. The only difference? He’ll be facing the awful New York Jets defense rather than the Seattle Seahawks.

Dud: Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins

The Redskins just couldn’t get anything going on the ground against the Seattle Seahawks, and Alfred Morris’ stat line reflects that. Morris finished the day with 29 on 13 carries. Washington will take on the tough defensive team in Arizona, when they face the Cardinals.

Stud: Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos

Thomas set a franchise record against the Arizona Cardinals when he racked up 226 receiving yards on eight catches. Thomas will face the Jets and their weak secondary next week. Expect big points, fantasy owners.

Demaryius Thomas had a lot to celebrate this week after setting a franchise record this week (Via AP)

Dud: Chris Johnson, New York Jets

Johnson disappointed many this week, gaining just 24 yards on seven carries, and losing a fumble. Next, he’ll face the Denver Broncos and that doesn’t pose well for him.

Stud: Arian Foster, Houston Texans

Foster came off of a week in which he had six yards on eight carries, and impressed. He finished the day with 157 rushing yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. In addition, he also had two catches for 15 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.

Dud: Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still winless, falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers this past week by the score of 17-9. They dropped to 0-5 with the loss. Their schedule becomes much easier over the next three weeks, facing the Tennessee Titans at LP Field in Nashville, before coming home to face the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. I’d like to think they’ll compete and escape one of these matchups with a win, but with the football that they’ve been playing lately, it’ll be a tough task.

Stud: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Playing on Monday Night Football, Wilson completed 18-of-24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Normally that would be ok and could help to win a football game. But the ground game from Wilson added to his great performance. In addition to the passing game, he had 11 carries for 122 yards and another touchdown. He had two more touchdowns that were taken away by penalties.

Dud: New York Jets

The New York Jets thought that they were escaping from this studs and duds list, however they are not. The Jets were shut out 31-0 by the San Diego Chargers in a complete letdown out west. They’ll host the Denver Broncos next week, and I’d be shocked to see them compete with them after watching this week’s performance in San Diego.

Stud: Branden Oliver, San Diego Chargers

Coming in for the injured Donald Brown, Oliver had 114 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown in the Chargers’ rout of the New York Jets. In addition, he had four catches for 68 yards and another touchdown. He plays the Oakland Raiders next week in another favorable matchup.

10/06/14

Atlantic Division 2014-15 Preview

By Brett Malamud

We’ve hit Monday and are now just TWO days away from the start of the NHL season. If you missed the first preview, here’s the link to the Metropolitan Division preview. The preview of divisions continues with a look at the Atlantic:

Boston Bruins

With the loss of Jarome Iginla in free agency, the Bruins will look for someone on the current roster to replace the 30 goal scorer. They dealt Johnny Boychuk to the Islanders yesterday to clear three million dollars off of the salary cap but remain 800,000 dollars over the cap. Patrice Bergeron, who tied Iginla for the 2013-14 team lead in scoring, will attempt to replicate his performance of last season. On defense, Zdeno Chara remains under contract for the next 4 seasons, and he shows no signs of slowing down with his age. Third year defenseman Dougie Hamilton will continue to grow and comes off of a year in which he had seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points. Tukka Rask will continue to produce wins in net and should carry them the distance.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres have stockpiled themselves with draft picks headed into the upcoming season, acquiring first round picks from both the Islanders (in the Thomas Vanek trade) and the Blues (In the Ryan Miller/Steve Ott trade). While the Blues pick is expected to be a late 1st round pick, the Islanders pick could be the jackpot to the first pick and Connor McDavid. However, with the Islanders trades on Saturday, the pick could end up as a mid to low first round pick. The Sabres picked Sam Reinhart with the 2nd overall pick in this year’s draft. Reinhart may start the season in the AHL, but could work his way up to the NHL by mid season. The team signed Matt Moulson a few months after dealing him to Minnesota. They also signed Brian Gionta, Andrej Meszaros and Josh Gorges. Jhonas Enroth will most likely be the starter in goal, but Michal Neuvirth will challenge him for some playing time. Tyler Myers will lead the defense, which will certainly better than last season. While the team has improved, they’re not expected to go anywhere in April.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings are an interesting team to watch this year. They come in with a streak of 23 consecutive appearances in the playoffs, a streak that may come to an end this season. Pavel Datsyuk already hurt his shoulder and should start the season on IR. He’ll be back around late October. Henrik Zetterberg will hope to carry the offense without him. Jimmy Howard remains between the pipes and hopes to improve from last season. Gustav Nyquist, Riley Sheahan and Tomas Tatar will help to give Detroit some youth. But after them, the Red Wings look pretty old when it comes to their more significant names.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers come into this season after drafting Aaron Ekblad with the first overall pick in the draft this past June. The 18 year old defenseman looks ahead to his future in the NHL which is up in the air for this season. There’s a chance that Ekblad is left off the roster at the start of this season, much to the disappointment of the Florida fans who’d like to see the youngster out on the ice. Aleksander Barkov comes off of a great rookie season and hopes to build on that. Jonathan Huberdeau could skate alongside Barkov to form a one two punch in Florida. In goal is Roberto Luongo, a major piece that can help them in the next few seasons as he finishes out his career.

Montreal Canadiens

The departure of former captain Brian Gionta and former assistant captain Josh Gorges to Buffalo signals a need for leadership. Defenseman P.K. Subban hopes to fill that role, along with Andrei Markov, Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty, who were all named assistant captains by GM Marc Bergevin. It’s just the second time in team history that the Canadiens do not have a captain. Carey Price remains a stud in net. The Habs will look ahead to matching a season that ended in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Ottawa Senators

The trade of Jason Spezza to Dallas signals a bit of a rebuild for the Senators. Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur will take over the top line. Recently signed forward David Legwand looks to fill in the second line center slot. Erik Karlsson leads a defensive unit that allowed the most goals since they allowed 291 goals back in the 1995-96 season. It will be tough for the men in net, after the Sens signed both Robin Lehner and Craig Anderson to three year deals. Both goalies could be starters and that creates a controversy. That is something that I will definitely keep my eye on.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Steven Stamkos leads the Lightning after coming off of that broken tibia that he suffered last November. Without Martin St. Louis by his side, the first line wing slot is vacant. Enter Jonathan Drouin. The rookie hopes to fill that void on the first line and is sure to be a Calder Trophy candidate. Brenden Morrow and Ryan Callahan will provide some veteran leadership, which will definitely help the young Lightning players. Ben Bishop comes off of a season in which he was named a Vezina Trophy finalist, but was hurt in the playoffs and underwent surgery on his elbow over the offseason. The Lightning hope that he can stay healthy and that they won’t have to rely on the aging Evgeni Nabokov.

Jonathan Drouin hopes to make a huge impact in his rookie season. (Via USA Today)

Toronto Maple Leafs

Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk remain as a deadly pairing on offense. Dion Phaneuf heads the defensive unit. They lost Dave Bolland, Nikolai Kulemin, and Mason Raymond, which should allow the younger players such as Nazem Kadri fill bigger roles within the club. Jonathan Bernier will be the starting goaltender for the team that allowed a league-high 35.9 shots per game last season.

10/05/14

Knicks Season Outlook

By Jack Allen

For the diehards it seems so far, for the casual fan its just a few weeks away. For the Knicks, it has been an offseason with a large sense of relief as they were able to bring back superstar forward Carmelo Anthony. Last season could of easily been the most disappointing year that many fans have witnessed in recent memory. A team that finishes shy of making the playoffs with a player like Carmelo Anthony is simply hard to believe.

Carmelo Anthony hopes to lead the Knicks back to the playoffs after missing out last season. (Via NYT)

Somehow for this upcoming season, the Knicks fans around New York are expecting a season similar to 2012-13 when they won the Atlantic Division and beat the Boston Celtics in the first round and lost to the Pacers in the 2nd round of the playoffs. My question to you, Knick fans, is why should a team coming off of a 37-45 season, that has a rookie head coach in Derek Fisher, and didn’t do much to improve in the offseason have a higher expectation? Acquisitions like Quincy Acy, Samuel Dalembert, Jose Calderon, and Jason Smith adds more depth, yes. The addition of draft picks in Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo is great too. But, I still can’t really see the team having much success.

The Knicks lost Tyson Chandler, Jeremy Tyler and Shannon Brown, and the team definitely improved. They didn’t improve like some other teams did, but I also consider a healthy Amar’e Stoudemire, and Andrea Bargnani improvement in the front-court as well. The improvement is not by much though. In due time, I believe that having Derek Fisher as head coach will work out eventually, but a lack of experience may hurt his chances this season.

On to prediction time. My Knicks season prediction is a bad start, ending in a good finish that will propel them into the playoffs. I think they’ll have the opposite record as last season and go 45-37, reaching the sixth spot in the East. They’ll give my predicted three seeded Washington Wizards a run for their money, but not quite good enough and fall in seven games. For those of Knicks Nation, good luck in 2015.

Jack Allen is a writer for dabuzzza.com. He is a fan of the New York Mets, New York Islanders, New York Knicks, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Mariners, Queens Park Rangers, and West Virginia Mountaineer football and basketball. His favorite athletes are David Wright, John Tavares, Geno Smith, Allen Iverson and Charlie Austin. He is a very passionate and determined fan. You can follow him on twitter @JackAllen99.

10/04/14

Metropolitan Division 2014-15 Preview

October is upon us which means that we’re officially less than a week away from the start of the 2014-15 NHL Season. So before the season starts next Wednesday, I’ll give you a look at each of the 30 teams by division and then give you my predictions. So without further delay, let’s begin this year’s preview with the Metropolitan Division.

Carolina Hurricanes

With Jordan Staal out until at least December, the Hurricanes will have to rely on his brother Eric, who comes off of the least productive season since his rookie season, and Jeff Skinner. Carolina brought in new head coach Bill Peters as they undergo “a transition” to performing well once again. Cam Ward is still in net, and that’s great, but the Hurricanes are not expected to do much this season.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets traded for Scott Hartnell during the offseason and that should provide an immediate improvement on the offensive end. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will once again carry the team. Alexander Wennberg and Kerby Rychel are two young players that provide hope for the future. On the defensive end, Jack Johnson and James Wisniewski will man the blue line for a Blue Jackets team that hopes to return back to the playoffs.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils made some great offseason additions, bringing in Mike Cammalleri and Martin Havlat. Adding them to a forwards group that includes Jaromir Jagr, Travis Zajac and Patrick Elias turns the Devils into an intriguing team. The team said goodbye to the NHL’s all-time winningest goaltender Martin Brodeur at the end of this season. They’ll instead opt for Cory Schneider to become the full time starter in net and brought in Scott Clemmensen to be his backup. It’ll be interesting to see how the Devils compete with the rest of the division.

Mike Cammalleri will have a fresh start, as he joins the Devils (Via Bruce Bennett/Getty)

New York Islanders

This preview was scheduled to go up earlier this morning. However, there were rumblings that Garth Snow was on the phone with a few teams and so I held off on it. The Islanders acquired Nick Leddy from Chicago and Johnny Boychuk from Boston this afternoon, changing the face of the team. Here’s the updated preview:

The Isles went out this offseason and brought in some great players. In free agency, the Islanders signed former Toronto Maple Leafs Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin, who could possibly be paired on the second line. Grabovski may also be used on the number one power play line alongside John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. On defense, the recent acquisitions of Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy prove that GM Garth Snow is playing to win now. They also have Griffin Reinhart and Calvin de Haan, providing hope for the future. In goal, the Islanders situation may have finally been settled. Jaroslav Halak will take over for Evgeni Nabokov, who signed with Tampa Bay. Former Boston Bruins net minder Chad Johnson was also brought in and will likely serve as Halak’s backup. For the first time in recent Islanders history, they’ll have two polished veteran goalies. The Islanders will be playing at Nassau Coliseum for the final season and the stakes are going to be high, so the Isles look to go out in style and reach the playoffs.

New York Rangers

The Rangers lost a bunch of key players this Summer including Brad Richards, Anton Stralman, Brian Boyle, Benoit Pouliot and Derek Dorsett. Their only major signing was 38 year old defenseman Dan Boyle. Henrik Lundqvist will still be great in net but it should be interesting to see how head coach Alain Vigneault makes his lines, especially after losing top center Derek Stepan to a fractured fibula.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers haven’t had much going for them since going to the Stanley Cup Finals a few seasons ago. They added Michael Del Zotto and R.J. Umberger. They also have Steve Mason in net and are hoping that he improve this season. They’ll struggle but it’ll be fun to watch the line of Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Wayne Simmonds.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins added Patric Hornqvist, Steve Downie, Blake Comeau and Christian Ehrhoff to an already deadly threat in the Eastern Conference. The power play is always fantastic and with a line like Malkin, Crosby and Hornqvist, I believe that it’ll be the best in the league this season.

Washington Capitals

New coach Barry Trotz is defensive minded and that should help the offensive powered Capitals. The additions of Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen make for a crowded blue line in our nation’s capital. They’ll join John Carlson and Mike Green on defense. Calder trophy candidate Evgeny Kuznetsov should make a huge splash into the NHL and could see time on the power play with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.

10/02/14

NFL Week Five Predictions

By Brett Malamud

This week sees two undefeated teams in action, as well as one winless team. The stakes are high for some teams that need to start winning games, or see their season plummet to hopeless end. Here’s the week five predictions:

Byes: Raiders, Dolphins

-Vikings (2-2) at Packers (2-2), Thursday @ 8:25 PM EST

The message coming from Aaron Rodgers was quite simple: R-E-L-A-X. That’s what he said before going out and throwing four touchdowns in the Packers win against the Bears last weekend. The Vikings had Teddy Bridgewater start for them last week against the Atlanta Falcons and he was fantastic, throwing for 317 yards and rushing five times for 27 yards and a touchdown. He was carted off of the field with a sprained ankle but Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer has remained completely optimistic that Bridgewater will start in Green Bay on Thursday. If he plays or not won’t factor into my pick though. I’m taking the Packers. Verdict: Packers

-Bears (2-2) at Panthers (2-2), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

On the other side of that Aaron Rodgers performance last week was the Bears, who allowed the Packers to score on their first six possessions. However, the Bears still piled up 500 yards of offense. Jay cutler was picked off twice, but that shouldn’t be a problem against the Panthers defense. Carolina has allowed 75 points without forcing a turnover over the last two weeks. I’m going with my gut and taking the Bears here. Verdict: Bears

-Browns (1-2) at Titans (1-3), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Browns enter week five coming off of their bye in week four. In their first three games this season, Cleveland has decided each of them via a last second field goal. The Titans come into this matchup riding a three game losing streak. Their offense has done nothing of late and ranks 29th in the league in passing yards. The Browns will face a stretch where they’ll face the Titans, Jaguars and Raiders in three of the next four weeks. Look for them to start the hot streak here. Verdict: Browns

-Rams (1-2) at Eagles (3-1), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Eagles were taken down in San Francisco last week, suffering their first loss of the season. LeSean McCoy struggled throughout and ran for just 17 yards on 10 carries. The Rams went up 21-0 midway through the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys back in week 3. They saw that deficit erased, and were defeated 34-31. Austin Davis has improved each week, and threw three touchdowns against Dallas. I don’t see that here though, as the Eagles should bounce back strong. Verdict: Eagles

LeSean McCoy looks to bounce back this week (Via AP)

-Falcons (2-1) at Giants (2-2), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Giants were unrecognizable last week in Washington on Thursday Night Football. Eli Manning suddenly came back to life and threw four touchdowns, three of which were caught by TE Larry Donnell. The next task will be facing the Atlanta Falcons, who come in off a tough loss in Minnesota. The Falcons were abused by the Minnesota offense, led by rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater. I believe the trend continues, and that the G-Men pull out another win. Verdict: Giants

-Buccaneers (1-3) at Saints (1-3), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

Who would’ve thought that the Saints would start their season at 1-3? I took them to win the Super Bowl! Their offense ranks third in the league and yet they’ve had some unlucky bounces. The Buccaneers finally won a game last week in Pittsburgh but I just can’t see them competing with a team like the Saints. You never know though… Verdict: Saints

-Texans (3-1) at Cowboys (3-1), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Texans enter week five fresh off a win against the Buffalo Bills. They returned another interception for a touchdown pass, giving him more TDs this year than Arian Foster and Andre Johnson combined. Meanwhile, the Cowboys manhandled the Saints on Sunday Night Football. If there’s any defense that’ll scare Tony Romo into making bad decisions, it’s this one. But I see Romo staying content and leading the Cowboys to the victory. Verdict: Cowboys

-Bills (2-2) at Lions (3-1), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

I like this matchup a lot. The Lions currently are ranked first in the league in defense. The Bills are ranked 10th. This matchup could be a wild one throughout. In the end though, I think Detroit comes out on top. Verdict: Lions

-Ravens (3-1) at Colts (2-2), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Ravens defeated the Ravens last week, in a game that saw Steve Smith with two touchdowns. You can bet that Indy will have their eyes on Smith this week. Andrew Luck is going to be the reason why the Colts win this one, a week after he threw for 393 passing yards and four touchdowns. Verdict: Colts

-Steelers (2-2) at Jaguars (0-4), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Jaguars proved again that they’re the one of worst teams in the league. They dropped to 0-4 after facing a beating in San Diego. They kept up in the first half, but came out flat in the second half. The Steelers lost a tough one to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. They’ll probably win on the road this week, but will need to pick up the pieces if they want to compete this season. Verdict: Steelers

-Cardinals (3-0) at Broncos (2-1), Sunday @ 4:05 PM EST

Here’s my matchup of the week. My favorite defense in Arizona travels to the Mile High City to face the Denver Broncos. Both teams have had two weeks to prepare for this game, a week after they both faced the bye week. Peyton Manning has been good, but not great (there’s no chance that would’ve matched his performance of last season). But he faces a team that completely shut down the 49ers back in the second half of their week three matchup. The two week break also allowed Manning to work with WR Wes Welker, who returned two weeks ago from suspension. I think Manning hands the Cardinals their first loss of the season on Sunday. Verdict: Broncos

-Chiefs (2-2) at 49ers (2-2), Sunday @ 4:25 PM EST

The Chiefs dismantled the Patriots on Monday Night Football. They head into this matchup with their defense pumped up to face opposing QB Colin Kaepernick. The Niners quarterback did not throw an interception last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, but was a mess back in week two. This inconsistency could come back to hurt the 49ers as the season goes on. I’m taking them in this one though. Verdict: 49ers

-Jets (1-3) at Chargers (3-1), Sunday @ 4:25 PM EST

The Jets head out west after being defeated by the Detroit Lions last week. The secondary did not look good against Lions QB Matt Stafford. This week they’ll face Philip Rivers, who took it to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week and threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns. I think that Rivers wins this one. Verdict: Chargers

-Bengals (3-0) at Patriots (2-2), Sunday @ 8:30 PM EST

The Patriots play for the second week in a row on national television and hope that this time goes much better than the last time. New England was embarrassed by the Kansas City Chiefs last week on Monday Night Football. Tom Brady was pulled in the fourth quarter for backup Jimmy Garoppolo. The Bengals come into this one off of the bye week, and hope to continue their success. They took care off Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, and Jake Locker. Now they turn their heads to then man they call Tom Terrific, who I believe won’t be so terrific for the second week in a row. Verdict: Bengals

-Seahawks (2-1) at Redskins (1-3), Monday @ 8:30 PM EST

This could either be a really good game, or a really bad game. The Seahawks travel to our nation’s capital to face the Washington Redskins. Washington, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, will have a tough task, especially after last Thursday’s meeting with the New York Giants. The Seahawks took down Peyton Manning and the mighty Denver Broncos during week two, in a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl. The only loss that Seattle has so far came in San Diego, in a highly contested game. This week it should be more of the same, and the Seahawks should roll on. Verdict: Seahawks

10/01/14

Positives of the 2014 Mets Season

By Dan Lagnado

It was another losing season for the New York Mets, but one with a few more positives than there were in years past. So, I’m going boost everyone’s expectations, on a realistic level, for 2015.

Here were the biggest positives of 2014:

Lucas Duda proved he can start everyday

It’s safe to say at this point that the Mets won the Ike Davis trade. We haven’t even seen either of the players they got back play in major leagues yet. But the trade’s edge is clear and Lucas Duda is the reason. Thirty home runs, good for third in the NL, 92 RBI, more than enough to lead the team, and Duda did all that while hitting a respectable .253 on the season. Davis couldn’t even settle into a full time role for the needy Pittsburgh Pirates.

Daniel Murphy continued his solid play

By far the most consistent player on the roster for the last three seasons, Murphy continued to prove how valuable he is. He upped his power numbers from last season while still hitting an impressive .293 this season. While it remains to be seen if he is still on the roster come opening day, if he is, he just about guarantees production from the #2 hole in the lineup.

Emergence of young players

Jacob deGrom, Jeurys Familia, Jenrry Mejia and Travis d’Arnaud are the four names that stick out to me as having truly arrived this season. deGrom and Familia may well have been the team’s two rookies of the year, with deGrom having a real chance for the big award as well. Familia proved to be a lockdown reliever late in the game working mainly in the eighth inning, but also picking up a save spot every now and then. Mejia showed that he’s capable of being put into clutch positions and succeeding in them. He converted 28 saves in his first chance at being a closer. d’Arnaud was a slow starter but really got it together after his demotion. He ended the year with 13 home runs, third on the team, and got his batting average up to .243 before the season ended. It’s also possible to include on this list, Wilmer Flores. He showed that he is capable of playing the position of a competent shortstop and certainly will provide more than Ruben Tejada would. The only question is whether he can hit for average and get on base more. I think Flores has the inside track to be at least a backup middle infielder, if not the starting shortstop, if the team doesn’t sign a free agent. Additionally, Dilson Herrera was fairly impressive in his handful of games while Murphy was sidelined.

Travis d’Arnaud and the Mets have a bright future ahead of them (Via NYDN)

The bullpen got it together

This was an area that the Mets have not been able to figure out in recent years. At the beginning of this season it was Jose Valverde, Kyle Farnsworth and Bobby Parnell who were supposed to fill the late inning roles. Parnell was out since opening day for Tommy John surgery and Valverde and Farnsworth both found themselves released soon enough. As a result, Mejia, Familia and Vic Black locked down the late inning roles, with Carlos Torres as everyman, Josh Edgin and Dana Eveland handling the lefties with Daisuke Matsuzaka, Buddy Carlyle and Gonzalez Germen filling roles as they popped up as a result of injury, demotion or release.

It was a less than impressive season for the Amazin’s but the future is bright and if the ball bounces the right way, 2015 could be the year. With Matt Harvey’s return, and some potential trade chips, many people believe that this team can compete with the Nationals for the division.

Dan Lagnado is studying communications, law economics and government at American University. He’s a fan of both the Mets and Jets and has been writing about sports for four years. You can follow him on twitter at @dlag1995

10/01/14

Jets Fans, Don’t Panic Just Yet…

By Jack Allen

On Sunday afternoon, the Jets fell to the Lions 24-17, putting them at 1-3 with not too many promising signs. Quarterback Geno Smith turned the ball over in the 4th quarter when they needed him most. Matt Stafford picked apart their secondary, and to top it off, Geno Smith cursed at a fan as he walked off the field.

In years past, it might have been very unrealistic for a playoff chance in the AFC East after starting the season with a 1-3 record. Could this year be different? Currently at the top of the division sits the Buffalo Bills. They came roaring out of the gate with two wins before falling 23-17 in Houston on Sunday. All of a sudden, the Bills dropped to an even 2-2, and EJ Manuel was shown his way to the bench. Kyle Orton will be under center for the time being, giving the Bills nothing more than pure uncertainty. Next is the Miami Dolphins, who are also 2-2 after quarterback Ryan Tannehill led the team to a thumping of Oakland on Sunday and a win at home against New England back in week one. Between those weeks, they fell to both Buffalo and Kansas City. Miami once again looks like a possible playoff team but could very well be bound for another disappointment, based on previous seasons.

Now on to the unexpected blunder in New England. The Patriots got absolutely demolished in Kansas City Monday night as they fell 41-14 in an embarrassing affair. Simply put, they did nothing right. Tom Brady threw 14-23 with a TD, and 2 INTS. He also fumbled twice. The Patriots struggled to beat the winless Raiders at home, but escaped with a 16-9 victory.

Now back to the New York. In years past, if the Jets started 1-3, it was automatically time to panic. I had previously thought that the Jets need to start Michael Vick if they’re serious about winning now (see my previous article). Due to a lack of a clear-cut favorite in the AFC East, I agree with Rex Ryan in keeping Geno Smith as the starting quarterback. The Jets have time to keep trying with him, and will continue to work towards the future. Despite a bad start, they still have a chance of climbing the rest of the pack for the AFC East title. So before all the Jet fans get anxious and worried about their spot right now, just relax. They’ve been in the situation before and it’s not an unrecoverable one. The journey continues as the Jets fly into San Diego for a Sunday afternoon, 4:25 p.m. (EST) showdown. It should be a good one in Southern, California watching Smith battle against a proven quarterback in Philip Rivers.