The Season is Heating Up!

Yes, I wish there were more of me to do all the things I'd like to accomplish in the short time I would like to get things done. Life is just one giant mess of things for me right now. I've been all over the place and things aren't slowing down just yet. I have finals and term papers to get done, then for a mass majority of the season, my undivided attention will be to all of you and your hockey fixes.

The Sabres are rolling on a five game win streak. Miller and Thibault are looking good between the pipes. Some injuries happened in the mix, but nothing too serious to slow the momentum. I attended three of the games to scope out the Canadiens and Senators clubs to see how things are shaping up in the Northeast. I would like to get the opportunity to travel to Pittsburgh to scope out a game and figure out why the Penguins haven't made an offer to Curtis Joseph yet (the lovely unemployed goalie with a chance). Then, if I could get my wish, I'd love to shoot back up to Buffalo to check out the Boston Bruins when they come to town. I've banked on Tim Thomas as my starting goalkeeper for my fantasy team and I'm simply surprised how successful he's been. I know that Claude Julien was banking on Fernandez to be the starter, but the injury proved to be a good thing for the old school Thomas and for Tuuka Rask, the young kid backup, as well.

The Northeast and the CENTRAL divisions are looking tight; except Toronto in the NE, of course. It's only a matter of time before Fergie Jr. fires Paul Maurice or goes for a trade. They are hurting big time. But I am considering doing something new for you all. I'm going to begin doing a weekly power rankings on the blog and then run down the whole thing on the podcast. It should be exciting. The Chicago Blackhawks are looking hot right now. The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking really good. Detroit Red Wings continue to roll out the scores. St. Louis is doing well in the mix. As I write this, there's a three way tie in point at 26 in the Central with the odd ones out being Detroit with 32 and Nashville within reach with 24. All teams are looking good being over 23 points in 23 games, taking a lot of the top spots in the playoff bracketing. Lots of fun to watch is the youth in Chicago with Kane and Toews.

The Atlantic is looking like a dog fight more and more with a powerhouse offense in Philadelphia and New York Rangers fighting for the top spot. Two of the three hottest teams in the Eastern Conference (at this point in the season) are the Rangers and Flyers. The difference makers? Former teammates Daniel Briere (Flyers) and Chris Drury (Rangers). There are lots to be discussed when it comes to these two teams, but tonight I got to watch the Bruins take to the Flyers with an easy win 6-3. Martin Biron looks solid in net, but with Antero Nittymaki getting some starts, the numbers don't justify what the team is like on the defensive side of the game. Mike Richards is also a strong factor in feeding to the Flyers success, as well. He's struck it rich for me on the my fantasy team, that's for sure. The team may go through the motions though like the other top dog in the east, Ottawa, has as of late. The Senators have been showing their human side since their visit to Buffalo last week Wednesday. They have lost three in a row to bottom feeders Buffalo and Pittsburgh, but Buffalo has recharged themselves into a new team after a slow start, and the Penguins of Pittsburgh are battling hard to get themselves back to the top especially after knocking down the blazing Thrashers in a 5-0 win.

The Thrashers, of course, started 0-6, fired Bob Hartley, GM Don Waddell took the team to a 10-4 record following the firing and found help in Johan Hedberg in net after Keri Lethonen bowed out of the lineup due to injury. The Thrashers may have been blown out, but the flame that has sparked them up in a firestorm isn't going to go out. Though suffering two shutout losses in a row to New Jersey and Pittsburgh, Ilya Kovalchuk's 19 goals, 14 assists, and Hedberg's 2.96 will remain as the key factors to victory. As Lethonen stays on IR, Hedberg will continue to deliver as he revamps his form back to his glory days when he was a Pittsburgh Penguin.

So, to sum it all up, lots to talk about when I get through the other side of my recently busy life, and you'll hear from me often when I get through the recent fun mess. I do enjoy doing this blogging, reporting, and podcasting for all of you, but unfortunately it doesn't pay the bills. The love of the sport only pays me back with the passion to pursue following it's luster, but until I find the paying job in the sport, I'm just going to have to keep prioritizing toward what can be done when time permits. So, with that being said, you'll hear from me when I find the next opportunity I have to talk to you all, and keep your emails coming because I enjoy them very much.

NHLhockeyrant@hotmail.com

itunes: Hockey Rant w/David Stearns

Sometimes I'll write different articles and blogs on other sites, so scope me out at the following places, too:

www.hockeyscape.com
www.hockeybuzz.com
www.bleacherreport.com
and more to follow once I get back into the swing of things.

The tentative date for full return to the hockey world: December 19th, 2007
SO LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!

Remember to vote for your all-stars for the XM/NHL All-Star Fan Balloting - Presented by 2kSports

Thanks for reading, and keep checking back for another blog, another podcast, and updates!

~The Rant Man~