The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Continued from pg. 5 The eventual return of Martin Havlat from injury will further bolster San Jose's spark. As mentioned, the Sharks are a two-way force on the blueline with names like Dan Boyle, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brent Burns on duty. And what can one say about Niemi? In just his third full season, he is rarin' to hoist his second Stanley. Whatever the Sharks do this post-season, it must be different than the approach that has made them perennial chokers. A couple of minor moves for veterans at the trade deadline may be the ticket. Pleasant Surprise: Marc-Edouard Vlasic Biggest Disappoint-ment: Jason Demers Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa was surprisingly good last season, plowing into the post-season for the first time in four years. This year, however, they have fallen back to their old ways. A big reason why: an offence that is non-existent outside of Art Ross candidate Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier. Perhaps dedicating so much payroll to three scorers was not the most sensible maneuver. How about goaltending? Would you turn your net over to Mathieu Garon and the 42-year-old Dwayne Roloson? Of course not, hence the Bolts' bottom-five goals-against record. Despite their weaknesses in other areas, a number of teams would love to have Tampa's blueline. They have some good two-way force in Eric Brewer, Pavel Kubina, Marc-Andre Bergeron and the coming-into-his-own Matt Gilroy. But the balance elsewhere on the roster just isn't there. At the risk of repeating what everyone else is saying, GM Stevie Y needs to move one of his superstar forwards to fill in weaknesses elsewhere. One line that can score mixed with modest goaltending is no recipe for success. Pleasant Surprise: Marc-Andre Bergeron Biggest Disappoint-ment: Ryan Malone Washington Capitals With the reported feud between Alex Ovechkin and now-fired coach Bruce Boudreau over, can we get back to talking about hockey in the U.S. capital? The Caps' record did improve after Dale Hunter assumed the coaching reigns, but whether that will last remains to be seen. Certainly Ovechkin, team captain and four-time 100-point man, has to put this all behind him and climb back to his normal level. As of this writing he is on pace for just 66 points! No complaints with Nicklas Backstrom, though he too is capable of more output than we've seen. And centre Marcus Johansson, a first-round pick from 2009 and future all-star, just keeps getting better. On the back end Washington is seriously missing the amazing talents of the injured Mike Green, twice a first-team all-star. Guys like big John Carlson, all-star Dennis Wideman and the forgotten Roman Hamrlik have worked hard to fill the void. No one can say Tomas Vokoun has played to capacity, but his numbers are more than reputable and he is itching for a genuine shot at Cup glory. Call me crazy, but in the tight Eastern Conference, I still like the Caps as a dark horse candidate to reach the final. The pieces of the puzzle are there, it's just a matter of making sure they interlock properly. Pleasant Surprise: Marcus Johansson Biggest Disappoint-ment: Alex Ovechkin
