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| | Wednesday, October 27 | |||||
ESPN.com | ||||||
The Boston Bruins have won two consecutive games, and perhaps the pressure is off GM Harry Sinden -- at least a little bit -- to sign holdout goalie Byron Dafoe.
But let's have a little fun with numbers and look at how much the Bruins really risk by signing Dafoe and making him happy.
Who cares how long it lasts, but the Nashville Predators are above .500 for the first time in franchise history. Saturday night's 4-3 win over the Oilers gives Nashville a 4-3-1-0 record. Last season, coach Barry Trotz's squad was at .500 just once, and that was in the first week (1-1-0). "I think that's one of the steps you take for respectability within the league," Trotz told The Tennessean. "It's a small benchmark overall, but it's big to the organization. If after 82 games we're still over .500, that will be a major accomplishment." "We expect to be over .500 in game 82," Greg Johnson said. "We're feeling very good about ourselves, and we're playing extremely well." A major reason for the team's surprising start -- many prognosticators thought the Preds would take a step backward this season -- is the play of goalie Mike Dunham, who is unbeaten in four starts and stopped 28 of 31 Oilers shots. "It was another good performance by Mike," Trotz said. "What can you say -- he's got all of our wins." As Philly flies, Rangers draw blanks The Flyers and Rangers seem to be foils for each other. When things are bad in Philly, the coach is rumored to be the first to go. Meanwhile, in New York, it seems GM Neil Smith is on the hot seat more than coach John Muckler. As John Vanbiesbrouck notched his third consecutive shutout Sunday, the Rangers were being shut out for the third time in a row. The Beezer hasn't allowed a goal in 214:27, and the Blueshirts haven't scored in 234:31. Obviously, this reflection has a lot to do with the fact that the Flyers blanked the Rangers twice last week, but both teams are under constant scrutiny; and the Rangers' recent skid is only exacerbated by the resurgence of their rival. "I got fortunate, too. It's not easy. Guys are out there fighting, scratching, blocking pucks," Vanbiesbrouck said. "We're doing it all. We're playing one shift at a time, not looking too far ahead. We're doing the nuts and bolts things and getting it done." The Rangers' haven't had such a futile streak since 1950-51 when they lost twice and were involved in a scoreless tie.
Brian A. Shactman is the NHL editor for ESPN.com. | ALSO SEE NHL Power Rankings
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