Thinking Out Loud

- I don’t think the All-Stars could have selected a better pair of captains than Eric Staal and Nicklas Lidstrom. Staal is going to be the star of the weekend in Raleigh, while Lidstrom could be in his final year and is one of most respected players in the league. Will Staal choose his brother Marc? Will Lidstrom choose his country-mates, Henrik and Daniel Sedin? There’s already some intrigue!

- Speaking of the All-Star Game… there is a lot of talk about Sidney Crosby possibly missing the game due to his concussion (which doesn’t seem to be improving too much). If this is the case, who should replace Sid? My vote goes to Danny Briere. Henrik Zetterberg has opted not to be a part of the event, so Briere and his 24 goals should go to Raleigh – if Crosby cannot play.

- The top three Vezina contenders (in my opinion) had stellar efforts last night. Tim Thomas, Jonas Hiller and Carey Price each stopped 37 shots or more, and combined for a .960 save percentage.

- Something I can’t wrap my head around is goalies calling out players in the shootout for ‘disrespectful’ or ‘show-off’ goals. For instance, last Tuesday when Mason Raymond pulled off a slick spin-o-rama on Kevin Poulin, the Isles goalie called it a “show-off” move. And earlier this year, Lightning players called Linus Omark’s shootout goal “disrespectful”. If you don’t want to look bad, stop the puck. As everyone notes: it’s a ‘skills competition’!

- Is it me, or are the Kings’ throwback third jerseys (which they wore on Saturday) freakin’ sweet?! I really like how teams are going back to vintage jerseys as their alternates. Hopefully the Kings keep those for years to come.

- Speaking of the Kings… they are 2-9-0 in their last 11 games. Sitting in 12th in the Western Conference, how much longer until Terry Murray is on the hot seat? Their 10-game roadie following the All-Star break is going to be a make-or-break trip. On RLD Hockey Talk yesterday, Dennis Bernstein suggested the Kings could turn into a seller if they continue this downward trend. Hard to believe after looking like a Cup contender in November, huh?

- One potential playoff matchup that really intrigues me is Pittsburgh-Boston. They have played some great games this season. Of course everyone knows about the Bruins’ comebacks in Pittsburgh earlier this year. The Pens responded with a win on Saturday in a contest that had a playoff feel to it. There’s some bad blood between the two already (see: Marc Savard) and a six- or seven-game series would only add fuel to the fire!

- Interesting stat thrown out on FSN Pittsburgh during last night’s Pens-Wings game: the Penguins are 21-5-3 (now 22-5-3) with Chris Conner in the lineup. Coincidence or not, the kid can play.

- One last Pittsburgh note. Remember back in November when the Bruins stormed back to win in Pittsburgh? Dan Bylsma’s gang followed it up by winning 14 of 15. They blew another late lead to Boston last Monday. What have they done since? Win three straight against playoff teams.

- I’ve been convinced for a couple weeks now, but I’ll go ahead and say it: Dallas is the real deal.

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