Giroux Returning to Lineup posted by Jeff Ponder

Claude Giroux is proving that concussions do not have a set timetable for return.  For some players, problems with concussions have spanned throughout multiple seasons.

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins has missed 68 games – and counting – with a concussion.  David Perron of the St. Louis Blues recently missed 97 games with a concussion issue.  It seems that Giroux will miss just four games.

Reports suggest that Giroux will be back in the lineup tonight in Dallas.

Giroux has been sidelined since December 10 after colliding with teammate Wayne Simmonds.  When Giroux missed his first game, he was the league’s leading scorer with 39 points.  Currently, he is tied for first with Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh), Phil Kessel (Toronto) and Henrik Sedin (Vancouver).

During practice Tuesday morning, Giroux rejoined his linemates, Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell, while also spending time on the first power-play unit.  It was Giroux’s third straight day of practice.

In an interview with Philly.com, Giroux stated that he “felt good.”

The timing of Giroux’s return could not have come at a better time.  One week ago today, Flyers captain Chris Pronger was informed that he would be sidelined for the rest of the season with severe post-concussion syndrome.

Engelland Awaiting Hearing posted by Jeff Ponder

Deryk Engelland may not have received a charging penalty during the game but NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan may be assessing punishment nonetheless.

In the Penguins’ 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday night, Engelland delivered a crushing blow to Chicago Blackhawks rookie Marcus Krueger at the 8:55 mark of the first period.  While Krueger was entering the Penguins’ zone, Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis wrapped him up at the blue line.  Engelland approached Krueger from his right and hit him near the boards.  Engelland led with his forearm, knocking Krueger to the ice.  Despite the monstrous collision, Krueger bounced right back up as Engelland fought with Krueger’s teammate, John Scott.  Engelland was assessed a major penalty for fighting while Scott received a 5:00 major for fighting, a 2:00 fight-instigator minor and a game misconduct. 

Krueger played the remainder of the first period but did not return at the start of the second period.  He has since been diagnosed with a concussion.

Shanahan or the NHL has not yet set a date for the hearing.  It is likely that it will take place before the Penguins play Friday evening in Winnipeg to take on the Jets. 

Engelland has no prior history of supplemental discipline in the NHL.

Pick Six: Week 6 posted by Randolph Charlotin

1. That was by far the best game played by the defense all season led by DE Andre Carter’s two sacks. Bend but don’t break was in full effect. Dallas gained 377 total yards, but were one for three in goal to go situations. But goodness, Patriots, work on your tackling.

2. A few streaks to mention:

19 straight home wins

22 straight games with a touchdown pass by Tom Brady

31 straight home wins by Brady

3. One streak that came to an end was the number of regular season games with at least 30 points scored. To his credit, Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is behind New England’s last two sub-30 point games. He coordinated Cleveland’s defense when they held the Pats to 14 points in 2010. The Patriots won their next 10 regular season games after that loss. Could this be a precursor for the rest of the season?

4. A new milestone for Bill Belichick and Brady. They tied Don Shula and Dan Marino for the winningest coach-quarterback duo with 116 wins.

5. Another player switched sides for the Pats. TE Rob Gronkowski was deep in the secondary as part of the Hail Mary coverage. Makes sense to have a 6-7 265 pound athlete boxing out the Cowboys’ tall receivers in the end zone.

6. New England sure likes to run right. 70 of the 101 yards rushing were gained going behind the right guard or right tackle. This might be fun to observe during the season.

Extra Point: This win somewhat makes up for The Sporting News selecting Dallas over Boston as the Best Sports City of 2011. Dallas got the edge on the strength of the Mavericks NBA Championship, the Rangers reaching the World Series, and TCU’s undefeated season. OK, but the Boston Bruins won the Stanely Cup, the Cannons won the Major League Lacrosse Championship, and the Militia won the Women’s Football Alliance Championship. Three championships to one. I rest my case.

Pick Six: Week 5 posted by Randolph Charlotin

1. I have to take a moment and pay respect to Al Davis. The legendary Oakland Raiders owner passed away on Saturday. Born in Brockton, MA, the rebel and leader of the Silver and Black was a steward of the AFL and helped form the modern day NFL. The Patriots held a moment of silence before the game to honor Davis. The league lost an icon.

2. RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis pounded away all afternoon for a career-best 136 yards and two touchdowns. He bested his previous career high by 24 yards, set last year against Minnesota. It is Green-Ellis’ third career 100-yard game.

3. Brady’s streak of games with at least two touchdown passes came to an end when a pass went through TE Aaron Hernandez’s hands and into CB Antonio Cromartie’s waiting palms. I heard one analyst say it was Brady’s first red zone interception of his career. Maybe he meant regular season red zone interception because I recall a playoff pick in 2005 to Denver. It was memorable not because CB Champ Bailey nearly went goal line to goal line on the return, but for TE Benjamin Watson chasing Bailey down and knocking Bailey out of bounds. Sorry for bringing up a bad memory, but...

4. Best stoppage of play: New York Jets OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson’s heel got stuck in a Patriots helmet facemask. How it happened is beyond me, but it was lighthearted moment during an intense game.

Bears Win A Wild One, 34-29 vs. Panthers posted by Richard Kagan

The Chicago Bears did a lot of things right this past Sunday and got by the Cam Newton led Panthers 34-29 at a celebratory Soldier Field.  Devin Hester returned a punt for a touchdown, broke off a 74 return on a kickoff and is the only Bear that approximates the great Gayle Sayers.  The Bears scored a TD on an interception.  And, Matt Forte ran a career best 205 yards after gaining two yards last week.  Forte still has it. The Bears need to open lanes for him just like today, and then he can scoot up the field. He is versatile and fast, and is a threat to break a long gain.

It's the defense one needs to be concerned with.  It gave up over 500 years to the sensational rookie QB Cam Newton led offense.  Netwon threw for 181 yards to receiver Steve Smith.  The Bears need to tighten up their defense quickly.  They are going into Detriot to face the upstart Lions, who are undefeated this season. 

But the Bears have great weapons in Hester, Forte, and Cutler.  Cutler had an off day, only throwing for 100 yards.

And the Bears won?  Yes, because they made enough big plays and the Panthers didn't.  Hester is a game-changer.

He can negate negative yardage or an off-day by anyone on the Bears.  Forte, came through on the sunny day.  When Matt Forte is clicking, the Bears are usually in the game.  Now, the defense has to pay at least like the Panthers of the Midway.  You can't be Monsters overnight.  However, Forte, went from almost being laughable last week, to a career day, playing like Walter Payton once did.  Chicago is 2-2 in the season. 

True Blue has some truly high expectations posted by Julius Says

              The nhl season's right around the corner and the NY Rangers are looking to start strong. Expectations are much higher this year as the team has had one of their quietest but most succesful offseasons in recent memory. With the young core of home bred talent and leadership hitting their stride and coming to full maturity, whispers are starting to get louder about the solid squad these Rangers have. With basically one player's health in question (Staal), the Rangers are aspiring to finish the reagular season with home ice advatage to start the playoffs. They needed a quality first line center and they went out and signed the prize of the offseason free agents. They needed some toughness, went out and signed a hard nosed player like Mike Rupp. They're a solid squad on paper and now have an effective weapon on the power play with Brad Richards. This all sounds pretty good but that's why we play the games!! Let's see what we got going here.Continue reading "True Blue has some truly high expectations"

Colorado Avalanche Sign Jean-Sebastien Giguere posted by Jeff Ponder

The Avalanche have completed a total overhaul in the goaltending department.

Earlier today, the Avalanche traded their first-round draft pick in 2012 and their second-round pick in either 2012 or 2013 to Washington for goaltender Semyon Varlamov.  Now, J.S. Giguere has decided to head to the Mile High City.

The Avalanche’s decisions have also forced former back-up goalie Peter Budaj to sign with the Montreal Canadiens and former starting goalie Brian Elliott to sign with the St. Louis Blues.

Giguere is likely to be the top-guy in Colorado next season.  He posted an 11-11-4 record as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, recording a 2.87 GAA and a .900 save percentage.  He was held to just 33 games played due to a groin injury.

The Avalanche will have a fight in goal come training camp, as both Varlamov and Giguere have been quality starting goalies in their careers.  Reports are that Varlamov has committed to a team in Russia, but that was before the trade took place this afternoon. 

**UPDATE**  Giguere’s contract is two years and is reportedly with $2.5 million ($1.25M cap-hit).  According to nhlnumbers.com, the Avalanche are still $6.89 million under the NHL salary-floor.

Follow Jeff Ponder on Twitter (@jponder94) for all the latest updates on free-agent signings today.

Dallas Stars Sign Michael Ryder posted by Jeff Ponder

A recent Stanley Cup Champion has been brought in to Dallas.

The contract is reportedly for 2 years, $7 million ($3.5M cap-hit).

Michael Ryder, who had 8 goals, 9 assists and 17 points in 25 games during the Bruins Championship playoff-run, signed a two-year deal worth $3.5 million per season. 

Ryder, 31, scored 18 goals, 23 assists and 41 points in 79 games played for Boston last season.  It was announced Thursday that the Bruins decided to let Ryder walk as a free-agent, which in turn made him a highly sought-after free-agent this summer. 

The Stars were 17th in the NHL in goals-scored last season.  Ryder will not help this rank too much, but he will be a strong pick-up for other reasons.  He adds speed and determination to the lineup, as well as the all-important Stanley Cup experience.  He will grind into the boards and work out loose pucks.  He will probably fit on a second line with Jamie Benn.

Ryder will not fill the shoes of the recently departed Brad Richards, but it’s a good start.

Follow Jeff Ponder on Twitter (@jponder94) for all the latest updates on free-agent signings today.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Steve Sullivan posted by Jeff Ponder

In what may go down as one of the most underrated signings today, the Penguins have brought in right-winger Steve Sullivan.

Sullivan, 36, signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract.  The speedy winger contributed 10 goals, 12 assists and 22 points in 44 games last season for the Nashville Predators.  While he has lost a bit of his scoring touch (he once scored 34 goals for the Blackhawks in 2000-01 during the dead-puck era), Sullivan still can get the job done.  Keep in mind that the Predators are a defense-first team; it’s a completely different philosophy in Pittsburgh.

Last season, the Penguins had to rely on Chris Kunitz (23G-25—48) and Tyler Kennedy (21-24—45) late last season due to star centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin going down with injuries.  The Penguins have always been strong up the middle, but the lack of depth on the wings has hindered them from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in the past few seasons. 

Sullivan will add to that depth and may even be a go-to-guy for Crosby on the top line.  The risk is miniscule for the Penguins.

Follow Jeff Ponder on Twitter (@jponder94) for all the latest updates on free-agent signings today.

Phoenix Coyotes Sign Mike Smith posted by Jeff Ponder

The most generic name in sports is officially a Phoenix Coyote.

Mike Smith, who played for the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, will be given a shot at being a #1 goaltender this coming season. 

Ilya Bryzgalov, former starting goalie for the Coyotes, had a high asking-price that Phoenix could not meet.  They shipped his rights to Philadelphia and re-signed back-up goalie Jason LaBarbera to a two-year, $2.5 million contract.

Rumors are that LaBarbera will be given a chance to be the top guy next season, but Mike Smith was brought in as a possible split-starter.  The contract is reportedly a two-year deal that will pay him $4 million ($2M cap-hit).

Smith posted a 13-6-1 record last season with Tampa Bay, recording a 2.90 GAA and a .899 save percentage.  Smith had his best season in 2006-07 as a member of the Dallas Stars, posting a 12-9-0 record with a 2.23 GAA and a .912 save percentage.

Smith and LaBarbera are a downgrade from Bryzgalov, but they will be serviceable goaltenders.  If the Coyotes’ offense can continue to score goals and defenseman Keith Yandle can continue to rack up a ton of minutes and stop opposing teams’ offenses, the Coyotes should still be in great shape in 2011-12.

Follow Jeff Ponder on Twitter (@jponder94) for all the latest updates on free-agent signings today.

No Crosby, but plenty of stars in Ottawa (AP)

Three first overall NHL draft picks. Two Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik. And don't forget Pavel Datsyuk, who is regarded by his colleagues as one of the game's best all-around players. In the absence of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's All-Star festivities in Ottawa this weekend aren't exactly bereft of talent. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Gov. Patrick: Boston goalie's snub rude

The governor of Massachusetts says a Boston Bruins goalie'sdecision to skip a White House ceremony with President Barack Obamahonoring the Stanley Cup champions points to the country's growingloss of ''basic courtesy and grace.'' [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Sharks acquire Kennedy from Panthers

The San Jose Sharks have acquired forward Tim Kennedy in a tradewith Florida that sends defenseman Sean Sullivan to thePanthers. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Mass. gov suggests Thomas snub was rude

The governor of Massachusetts says a Boston Bruins goalie'sdecision to skip a White House ceremony with President Barack Obamahonoring the Stanley Cup champions points to the country's growingloss of ''basic courtesy and grace.'' [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Bettman: 3 groups interested in Coyotes (AP)

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says there are three groups showing "serious" interest in buying the Phoenix Coyotes with the intention of keeping the team in Glendale, Ariz. Without going into detail, Bettman revealed there was a third group during his weekly radio show broadcast from Ottawa, where the league's All-Star Game is being held this weekend. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports