Game Preview: The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants Battle In The Meadowlands

The last time the Cowboys and Giants met, a trip to the NFC Championship Game was on the line. Now, 294 days later they meet again. What has changed in the past ten months?

Well, for the Giants, Michael Strahan retired; Osi Umenyiora suffered a season-ending injury and Jeremy Shockey has been traded.

The Cowboys on the other hand have undergone a ten-month span with more twists and turns than a Seinfeld episode. It started with HBO’s Hard Knocks and Super Bowl expectations coming from every direction, and it hasn’t stopped.

Tony Romo’s pinkie, the Pacman Jones saga, TO’s mindset, the Roy E. Williams trade, coaching controversy, mounting injuries and poor play have all contributed to the circus-like atmosphere slowly engulfing America’s Team.

This weekend the stakes are once again high, as the Cowboys look to salvage a season on the brink, and the Giants look to move one step closer to the NFC East crown.

The Walking Wounded

Dallas enters the game with injury concerns up and down their entire roster. For starters, Tony Romo will miss his third straight game due to his much-publicized broken pinkie. Rookie Felix Jones is still suffering from a hamstring pull and will be inactive.

Also missing the game for Dallas is starting guard Kyle Kosier (foot), cornerbacks Terrence Newman (abdomen) and Adam Jones (suspension) and linebacker Anthony Spencer (hamstring). As if that wasn’t enough, safety Roy Williams, wide receiver Sam Hurd and punter Matt McBriar have all been placed on IR and are out for the season.

The injuries continued piling up last week versus Tampa Bay, as two more Cowboys saw their names added to the injury report. This time tight end Jason Witten (ribs) and corner Anthony Henry (quadricep) were the victims. Both will attempt to play Sunday and should be considered game-time decisions.

When asked about the Cowboys’ injury situation, Giant defensive end Justin Tuck said “We don't want to have excuses like 'Romo is not playing, we didn't have this guy, we didn't have that guy.’” Despite Tuck’s desires, these injuries are a blunt reality for the Cowboys, as they limp into the Meadowlands this weekend.

How Long of a Rope Does Brad Johnson Really Have?

Brad Johnson will be starting his third consecutive game at quarterback for Dallas, in place of the injured Tony Romo. The Cowboys are 1-1 with Johnson under center and have not looked good in the process.

Johnson was awful in his first start, throwing three interceptions against a sub-par St. Louis secondary. Last week he was even worse, throwing for a measly 122 yards, averaging 3.7 yards per completion. As drive after drive stalled, the Texas Stadium faithful showered Johnson with their discontent.

To say that the Cowboy passing game has been handcuffed without Romo would be stating the obvious and this quandary has Dallas exploring their options. Following the win against Tampa Bay, speculation began about whether it was time to bench Johnson in place of third-string journeyman Brooks Bollinger.

This was amplified when Bollinger took snaps with the first-team offense during Wednesday’s practice. When asked about Bollinger’s availability Sunday, Coach Phillips said “We think we can go with Brad, and we’ll see what happens. We’re not going into the game saying if this guy doesn’t do anything we’re going to pull him.”

Two things appear certain: Johnson is will start the game; and Bollinger will finish it if Johnson’s struggles continue.

Another Classic Trench War

The Giants defensive line is the heartbeat of their team and a main reason why they come in 6-1, alone in first place in the NFC East. It was also the main reason why the Giants knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs last year.

That will have to change Sunday, especially with a 40-year-old statue at quarterback. Despite losing Strahan and Umenyiora, the Giants amazingly haven’t missed a beat, leading the league in sacks, while owning the NFL’s third-ranked defense.

Once again, the key to victory will take place in the trenches, as the Dallas offensive line will attempt to slow down one of the most feared front fours in the business. Game-within-a-game matchups deserving your attention are Justin Tuck vs. Marc Columbo, Mathias Kiwanuka vs. Flozell Adams, and how often Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins collapse the pocket against the enormous interior of the Dallas O-line, led by Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis.

Just like in last year’s Divisional round, this game will most likely be determined right here — in the trenches.

The Plaxico Burress Saga

What else can a wide receiver ask for? A Super Bowl winning team…check! A franchise quarterback throwing you the ball…check!

A new contact extension making you one of the highest paid players at your position…check!

Apparently all of this is not enough for Plaxico Burress. As the Giants prepare for this week’s showdown with Dallas, Burress’ selfish attitude remains a hot-button issue in New York. Since his week one outburst, when he caught 10 balls for 133 yards, opposing defenses have managed to limit Burress’ production.

In the five games since, he’s averaged less than four catches and 45 yards receiving per game. He served a team-imposed suspension in week five for breaking team rules and has not necessarily been pro-Giants these days when speaking to the media. These are the antics that made him expendable in Pittsburgh.

The Giants already purged their team of one malcontent, shipping Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans. Is Burress next? With the Giants straight-edge operation clearly clashing with their star receiver’s poor attitude, something needs to happen to get this relationship back on track — cherry-picking a few touchdowns against a banged up Dallas secondary should do the trick.

Sunday afternoon these two fierce rivals renew acquaintances for the 93rd time. The Giants hold possession of one thing the Cowboys are looking for — a Super Bowl title. And the Cowboys hold possession of the one thing that eluded the Giants a year ago — the NFC East title.

With Romo and a slew of other Cowboys expected to return following their week ten bye, a win Sunday would officially get Dallas’ season back on track. For the Giants, nothing would be sweeter than to send the once-sexy-Super-Bowl-pick Cowboys back to Dallas with another loss and three full games back in the NFC East.

PREDICTION: New York 27 Dallas 16

Extra Points: Weekly Reflections From Around the NFL

Drive Of The Week:

OAK 13 NYJ 13 --- 4:36 remaining in OT --- OAK ball, 1st & 10 at OAK 19

Sometimes the hardest part of having # 1 draft picks is dealing with the growing pains that go along with their development. Among all of the other things engulfing the Raiders lately has been a growing concern about whether JaMarcus Russell, the 2007 #1 overall pick, is the long-term solution at quarterback. With time dwindling away in OT, Russell and the Raiders got the ball at their own 19, and two throws later they were in position for the win. On the first play of the drive, Russell threw a dart to Javon Walker over the middle for 16 yards. Then, on the next play, Russell struck again. This time he found his favorite target, Zach Miller, near the left hash, on a play that went for 27 yards down to the Jet 38. All off a sudden the Raiders were in business, and also within range of kicker Sebastian Janikowski. After a Justin Fargas run lost a yard and Russell threw two conservative incompletions, it was time for Janikowski to attempt a 57-yard field goal for the win. It was the longest game-winning overtime field goal in the history of the NFL. And it was a drive that made us remember why JaMarcus Russell was the #1 pick. At least for one day the growing pains didn’t hurt.

STEP FORWARD / STEP BACK:

Step Forward:

Buffalo Bills – If anybody entered week 7 needing a big win to validate their record, it was Buffalo. Despite entering the week 4-1 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC East, people still questioned Dick Jauron’s upstart squad. San Diego came to Orchard Park red hot, off the heels of a huge 30-10 stomping of the Patriots, which appeared to get their season back on track. Enter Buffalo’s defense. They held LaDainian Tomlinson to 41 yards on the ground and gave Philip Rivers fits all afternoon, leading the way to a rather decisive 24-13 win. Validation granted!

Washington Redskins – Last week, the Redskins were a classic victim of the proverbial “trap game”. The momentum of a four-game winning streak, including back-to-back wins over Dallas and Philadelphia, vanished after a home loss to the previously winless Rams. With Josh Brown’s 49-yard, game-ending dagger still fresh in their minds, Washington rebounded in a big way Sunday, holding off the resurgent Browns 14-11 in FedEx Field. It wasn’t pretty, but it did provide insight into the bounce-back ability and mental toughness of Jim Zorn’s team.

Green Bay Packers – Peyton Manning came to Lambeau Field after reigniting his stagnant offense in a 31-3 demolition of Baltimore in week 6. Green Bay faced the prospect of entering their bye week 3-4, and losers of four of their last five. All eyes were on Aaron Rodgers, but it was Ryan Grant who stole the show. Finally getting back into game shape after missing training camp, Grant carried 31 times for 101 yards and a score. Now they enter the bye week 4-3 and feeling much better about their franchise running back, after his first 100-yard game of the year.

Step Back:

New Orleans Saints – Not only did the Saints lose their game Sunday 30-7 in Carolina, they also lost Reggie Bush. Injuries are part of football, but the injury bug has bitten this team harder than most. Now the walking wounded head to London for a home game at Wembley Stadium against San Diego, with their season possibly hanging in the balance.

New York Jets – There were the Jets…1:24 remaining…down by three…pinned at their own 5 yard line. This was why they got Brett Favre. Eleven plays later the Jets and Raiders were heading to overtime. After engineering an improbable game-tying drive in regulation, the Jet offense stalled in three overtime drives. By failing to finish the job, Gang Green left the Black Hole 3-3 and two games behind Buffalo in the AFC East.

Miami Dolphins – Miami’s wildcat offense has become the rage of the NFL. Sunday afternoon the Baltimore Ravens defense brought the rage to a screeching halt. With the 27-13 win, Cam Cameron’s return to Miami as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator was also a success. Baltimore leaned on Willis McGahee, who had his best game of the year, rushing for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Now the first-place Buffalo Bills come to town, in what now becomes a must win for the 2-4 Dolphins if they want to maintain any hope in the AFC playoff picture.

The Evolution of Kyle Orton

During the 2005 NFL Draft, six quarterbacks, including the likes of Charlie Frye, Andrew Walter and David Greene, were taken ahead of Orton. Now, four years into his NFL career, Orton is starting to prove he may be the best of a group that also included #1 overall pick Alex Smith and current starters Aaron Rodgers and Jason Campbell. His climb from the 106th pick to third stringer to starter to potential Pro Bowler has been remarkable.

In 2005, fresh off his first NFL training camp, Kyle Orton was immediately thrust into action when Rex Grossman went down in the preseason with a broken ankle. He led the Bears to a 10-5 record, including an eight-game winning streak. The success of the team aside, Orton failed to solidify his place in the lineup, playing to an NFL-worst 59.7 QB rating. When Grossman returned, just prior to the playoffs, Orton went back to the bench. When Chicago signed Brian Griese the following offseason, Orton became the third stringer and didn’t see a single snap in 2006. Orton took the demotion in stride and spent the next two years honing his game. The next time we saw him was at the end of the 2007 season. Amazingly enough he had gotten better, leading the Bears to a 2-1 record down the stretch. He played to a 80.1 QB rating, over 20 points better than in 2005. Kyle Orton was starting to figure things out. In training camp, he destroyed Rex Grossman in the open competition for the starting job. And boy, has he made the best of it. Last week the Bears scored 48 points. I’ll say that again…last week the Bears scored 48 points. Kyle Orton has looked like a totally different player. Proving this is no aberration, Orton’s QB rating is once again on the rise, currently at 91.4! FINALLY, the Chicago Bears have a quarterback!

Extra Points is a weekly column appearing every Wednesday during the NFL season. Agree, disagree, have your own thoughts? Email your feedback to jfk10261963@hotmail.com.

Eli Manning: MVP or Weak Link?

Last season, just as Giant fans were set to run Eli Manning out of town, something clicked. Seemingly overnight, mistakes were minimized, if not completely eliminated. Three road-playoff wins and a Super Bowl upset later, Eli was king of New York. Forgotten were the previous four years of inconsistent play — touchdown here; devastating interception there — that left Giant fans bewildered and the team in flux. It’s no coincidence that as soon as Eli cleaned up his play, the Giants went from a good team to a great one. The organization spent four long years waiting on Eli Manning, and after watching him win a Super Bowl MVP, they had to assume the corner was finally turned. Wouldn’t you?

However, fast forward seven weeks into the 2008 season and ask yourself the following questions: Has Eli Manning developed into an elite quaterback? Or is he an average quarterback who has become good at limiting his mistakes?

When trying to evaluate Eli Manning’s evolution, the conversation must begin in one place — interceptions. In his first three full seasons, Manning threw 71 touchdown passes to 55 interceptions. That’s 1.14 interceptions per game and only 1.47 touchdowns per game. Last year, his TD to interception ratio was the worst of his young career at 24 touchdowns to 20 picks, despite leading the best Giant team in recent memory. The Giants had built a world-class defense, anchored by a fierce pass rush. They had one of the best offensive lines in football. And they had weapons: Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Jeremy Shockey, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw. These are the type of players any quarterback would dream of being surrounded by. With a defense, a running game, time in the pocket and throwing options, the Giants gave Manning everything he needed to succeed, yet he was as inconsistent as ever. Five times he threw more interceptions than touchdowns and 11 times he failed to throw more than one touchdown pass. Manning remained the only question mark. When he limited his mistakes, the Giants usually won; when he threw picks, they usually lost. The contrast was stark. While his 24:20 regular season ratio barely got the Giants the wildcard, his 6:1 playoff ratio led them to a Super Bowl. Prior to the playoffs, Manning’s 2007 season did little to quiet skeptics who thought he was overrated and annoyingly inconsistent. Was Eli Manning ever going to blossom into the star quarterback people expected him to be? The jury was still out.

Winning a Super Bowl in New York goes a long way towards glamorizing the winning quarterback. Just ask Joe Namath, Phil Sims and Jeff Hostetler, who all remain legends within New York’s borders. For Eli Manning it provided overnight validation. Within the Giant organization, it provided a sense of vindication about their decision to trade Philip Rivers and a host of draft picks for Eli during the 2004 draft. Finally, Eli Manning had arrived. Right?

Based on his playoff performance, people felt like he had matured into an elite NFL signal caller. The month-long charge to a world title seemingly eradicated the question marks and inconsistency hovering over him like a rain cloud during his first four seasons. He was ready to light the 2008 NFL season on fire.

So which quarterback are we watching in 2008? The new Eli or the old Eli?

Yes, he has gone four of six games without throwing an interception, and yes, the Giants are 5-1. But what happens when you measure his production against some modest benchmarks that seem to follow every great NFL passer? How many 300-yard games does he have? How many multi-touchdown games has he tossed? Take a closer look and you’ll find the same old Inconsistent Eli Manning that frustrated Giant fans for years. Through six games Eli has yet to throw for 300+ yards and has only eclipsed 2 touchdown passes once, in week two versus the lowly Rams. In fact, in four of the six games Manning has thrown one touchdown pass or less. Last week was considered an aberration when the team flopped on Sunday Night Football, as Eli reverted back to his old ways, tossing 3 interceptions. Yet this week, the Giant passing game was once again non-existent. Why, you ask? Because Manning was once again shaky going 16/31, for 161 yards and one touchdown. His touchdown to interception ratio has improved in 2008, but he still ranks 15th in the league in quarterback rating, 14th in passing yards and 10th in touchdowns.

What about last year’s playoffs when Eli Manning “turned the corner”? Maybe that’s the problem. Did Eli Manning receive too much credit for the Giants playoff run? Was a tough New York media ready to shower Eli with praise once the team took flight? Take another look at Eli’s playoff performances and see for yourself.

Wild Card Game – 20/27, 185 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

Divisional Round – 12/18, 163 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

Conference Championship Game – 21/40, 251 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

Super Bowl – 19/34, 255 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

Those numbers are far from elite. They tell the story of a quarterback who did a nice job managing the game — one who was opportunistic and failed to make his signature mistakes. So I ask you: Did the Giants win because of Manning or in spite of Manning? Was their success predicated on Manning’s right arm or their savage defense? I think even the staunchest Giant fan would agree it was the latter. It was because of Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck. Eli Manning was essentially along for the ride. In fact, when Manning’s right arm was needed most, in the final drive of the Super Bowl, he threw two awful passes, both of which should have been intercepted. Football is a funny game though, and Brandon Meriweather and Asante Samuel both dropped those balls. New England’s perfect season wasn’t sealed, and the Giants still had life. Manning became remembered for his Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress and not for a championship-ending interception to Meriweather or Samuel. Critics and fans alike finally praised him instead of questioning him. Confidence replaced doubt. The Giants were World Champions. All was forgotten. To the victor go the spoils, right?

Once again, the New York Giants are poised to make a Super Bowl run. Once again, they have the defense; they have the offensive line; they have the running game; and the playmakers are in place. And once again, it appears they have a question mark at quarterback. With four years of the same up-and-down play continuing in 2008, the Giants have learned a few things. They know they are a good team, but they also know that in order to once again be great, Eli Manning must limit his mistakes. Most of the time, they will win in spite of him, not because of him. As their journey continues, keep an eye on that touchdown to interception ratio; it certainly doesn’t tell the whole story, but it tells most of it.

New York Islanders vs. Buffalo Sabres 10/13/08

Life without Rick DiPietro continued on Monday afternoon for the New York Islanders (1-2-0), as they played host to the Buffalo Sabres (2-0-0) in a Columbus Day matinee at Nassau Coliseum. As the team awaits DiPietro’s season debut, Joey MacDonald was once again called on between the pipes for New York. After surrendering a meager 4 goals on 55 shots over the weekend, MacDonald allowed 7 goals on 35 shots as Buffalo blitzkrieged the Isles 7-1.

The barrage began with a Johan Hecht power-play goal after Brendan Witt was called for hooking mid-way through the first. The Islanders were in the midst of an aggressive penalty kill, when Hecht, recognizing that MacDonald wasn’t hugging the near goalpost, banked a shot into the net off his back. Less than three minutes into the second period Buffalo made it 2-0 when MacDonald failed to squeeze an incoming wrist shot, resulting in Adam Mair banging home the rebound. With half of the starting defense out with injuries and MacDonald far from sharp in net, Buffalo’s offense overwhelmed New York all afternoon.

“Joey might have suffered a little bit tonight,” said Head Coach Scott Gordon, “but he battled and has to find a way to get it back.”

The high-powered Buffalo attack was on full display as five different Sabres had multi-point games. Sloppy Islander play made things easy for Buffalo, as they put the game out of reach with a four-goal second period. The barrage was highlighted by a pair of tallies from sniper Thomas Vanek, one short-handed and the other on the power play. Buffalo tacked on two more goals in the third, which also saw Trent Hunter score the Islanders lone goal, his second in three games. Buffalo out-shot New York 35-24, with Patrick Lalime stopping 23 shots to notch his first win in a Sabres’ uniform.

With 11:17 remaining in the second period, a brawl ensued at center ice following a Jason Pominville goal that made it 4-0. The skirmish was amplified when Craig Rivet was the third man in on a pre-arranged fight between Nate Thompson and Adam Mair, who squared off directly after the draw. Brendan Witt’s status remains up in the air after hitting the back of his head on the ice during the exchange. The brawl ended with four players being ejected, as game misconducts were issued to Witt, Rivet, Sean Bergenheim and Patrick Kaleta. All totaled, the teams combined for 37 penalties and 147 penalty minutes.

With the team having a difficult time adjusting to the newly installed “overspeed” system; the coach offered some feedback. “We didn’t play a very good game,” said Gordon. “I didn’t feel like we were in sync. Our forecheck wasn’t on, our defensive zone coverage was off and we didn’t even change very effectively. This was collectively not very good.”

The Islanders will now look for answers, as they head to Florida on the first road trip of the young season. They are next in action on Thursday night against Barry Melrose’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

2008 NHL Season Preview

1 – Detroit Redwings W1 – Entering the 2008-09 season, the defending champs are the decisive, odds-on favorite to repeat. That said, Detroit GM Ken Holland didn’t spend the summer drinking champagne from the Cup…he was busy. After locking up deadline-acquisition Brad Stuart to a long-term deal, he shocked the hockey world by signing Marian Hossa to a one-year, go-for-the-Cup contract. The pieces are certainly in place for a back-to-back run.

2 – San Jose Sharks W2– The San Jose Sharks’ post-season failures are well documented, yet once again they field one of the best teams in the NHL. This time around they hope new coach Todd McLellan, along with the addition of three former Stanley Cup champion defensemen — Dan Boyle, Rob Blake, Brad Lukowich — will be enough to finally climb the post-season mountain.

3 – Montreal Canadiens E1 – Montreal returns one of the most complete teams in the league, as they once again look to pace the Eastern Conference. Fans have already anointed 21-year-old, phoneme Carey Price the next Patrick Roy and his continued development will be pivotal to the Canadiens’ success. With normally high expectations amplified, there is only one thing that will satisfy the Montreal fan base — a 25th Stanley Cup!

4 – Pittsburgh Penguins E2 – With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both signed long-term, the Penguins should contend for conference supremacy on a yearly basis. The two looming questions immediately facing the Pens are whether Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko can adequately replace Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone’s on one end of the ice and whether they can withstand the losses of Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar on the other?

5 - Anaheim Ducks W4 – Last year the Ducks broke camp with a Stanley Cup hangover and without their two best players: Teemu Selanne and Scott Neidermayer. Yet, despite the distractions, they still managed 102 points and the fourth overall seed in the West. With Selanne and Neidermayer both in camp and the team refocused, expect Anaheim to get off to a fast start and possibly challenge Detroit for the President’s Trophy.

6 – Dallas Stars W5 – With Brad Richards now onboard for a full season and Sean Avery lured to Texas with a four-year, $15.5M deal, expect the Stars to maintain their place among the Western Conference elite.

7 – New Jersey Devils E4 – Lou Lamoriello had a relatively quiet off-season, but not before making a splash in the free-agent pond by bringing Bobby Holik and Brian Rolston back to New Jersey. If the Devils can stay healthy, these additions may be enough to put them back on top of the Atlantic.

8 – Philadelphia Flyers E5 – Philadelphia battled injuries and a 10-game losing streak last season before getting hot at the right time and charging to the Eastern Conference Finals. With expectations sky high, fans in Philly are hoping the injury bug doesn’t bite twice. So far so good, as reports from camp have former 40-goal-sniper Simon Gagne back at 100% after missing most of last year with a concussion.

9 – Washington Capitals E3 – Bruce Boudreau did an excellent job last season stepping in mid-year to lead the Capitals to a division title. Now Boudreau’s job is to mold Washington’s explosive, young core of Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green into a Stanley Cup championship nucleus. With Sergei Federov around for a full season, the learning curve could be expedited in the nation’s capital.

10 – Edmonton Oilers W3 - This offense will give Oiler fans flashbacks of their late-80’s team, who lit up the NHL. Goaltending will be an ongoing adventure, but should hold up enough for Edmonton to win the Northwest.

11 – New York Rangers E6 – Once again the Rangers had a busy off-season, turning over a good portion of their roster. Life without Jaromir Jagr will be judged by how well enigmatic winger Nikolai Zherdev adjusts to life on Broadway.

12 - Buffalo Sabres E7 – The positive thing about Buffalo’s disappointing ’07-08 season was that they began to establish a new identity without Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Brian Campbell. The remaining stable of snipers includes Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Maxim Afinogenov and Jochen Hecht. With Ryan Miller picking up the rear, this team will light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis.

13 – Colorado Avalanche W6 – With starting goalie Jose Theodore and second-leading-scorer Andrew Brunette both gone, many prognosticators have Colorado missing the playoffs. However, this team still boasts one of the best defensive groups in the league, along with a host weapons on offense. Maybe the prognosticators are forgetting that the Avalanche lost more manpower to injury last season than any other team in the league. Well guess what…they’re healthy!

14 – Chicago Blackhawks W7 – Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane exploded on the NHL scene last season, immediately raising expectations in Chicago to a fever pitch. With things on a definite upswing, Chicago was able to land high-end free agents Brian Campbell and Christobal Huet. Exciting hockey has finally returned to Chicago, as this team could become the darling of the NHL.

15 – Boston Bruins E8 – Boston GM Peter Chiarelli knew that in order to build off last season’s success, he would need to improve an offense that ranked 24th in goals. Boston dabbled in the Marian Hossa sweepstakes before settling for Michael Ryder and Stephane Yelle. Chiaraldi is hoping that those signings coupled with the return of Patrice Bergeron will provide a spark to the Boston offense. While it’s unlikely that the Bruins deliver another championship to Title Town, they do have a legitimate chance of returning to the playoffs.

16 – Columbus Blue Jackets W8 – Is this finally the year that Columbus makes the playoffs? One thing is certain: There are more pieces in place then ever before! Free-agent acquisitions Kristian Huselius and R.J. Umberger will join Rick Nash to suddenly form one of the top lines in hockey. If Goalie Pascal LeClaire and a very strong D can duplicate last season’s success, Columbus fans might experience playoff hockey for the first time.

17 – Calgary Flames W9 – The Flames lost over 170 points of offensive production in off-season defections, and plan on replacing most of it with the additions of Mike Cammalleri and Todd Bertuzzi. If that plan backfires, Mike Keenan’s group will be taking a step back in his second year, and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2002-03.

18 – Carolina Hurricanes E9 – Questions were raised last season when Carolina moved former top-five pick Andrew Ladd to Chicago, then got even louder this off-season when Erik Cole was shipped to Edmonton. Couple that with losing Justin Williams during camp to a torn Achilles and scoring depth has suddenly become a major issue in Carolina.

19 – Ottawa Senators E10 – Ottawa hung on for dear life last year to make the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season, before promptly being swept by Pittsburgh in the first round. The Senators still have Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, but not much else. The window for a Cup Run has officially closed in Ottawa.

20 – Minnesota Wild W10 –Minnesota’s season center’s around the pending fate of superstar, free-agent-to-be Marian Gaborik. With the two sides apparently deadlocked after failing to come together on a long-term deal in the off-season, Gaborik’s time in Minnesota appears to be numbered. If your team is one explosive player away from making a serious Stanley Cup run, I would monitor this situation closely.

21 – Nashville Predators W11 – Barry Trotz is one of the league’s best coaches, as evident by his ability to get Nashville in the playoffs last season and push the eventual Cup-winning Red Wings to six games in the opening round. This time things will be much tougher, especially considering Alexander Radulov split Nashville for Russia in the off-season, despite still being under contract for one more year. Things will get worse before they get better for the Preds.

22 – Tampa Bay Lightning E11 – What’s up in Tampa Bay? Let’s start with a new ownership group who lured Barry Melrose back behind the bench for the first time in 13 years. Then Tampa Bay won the Steven Stamkos draft lottery; acquired Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Vaclav Prospal, Radim Vrbata, Andrej Meszaros, Matt Carle, Mark Recchi and Olaf Kolzig; and in addition locked up franchise stud Vincent Lecavalier to a 11-yr, 85M contract. Can it all come together in time to make a serious playoff push?

23 – Vancouver Canucks W12 – Vancouver tried to throw a boatload of money at Mats Sundin, but he balked at the idea of playing in Western Canada. The offense remains anemic, and once again Roberto Luongo will need to be the best goalie on the planet for the Canucks to have a serious shot of making the playoffs.

24 – Phoenix Coyotes W13 – Wayne Gretzky’s reclamation project continues to progress. At some point pressure will mount to finally make the playoffs, but in the meantime the Great One will preach patience as his team continues their ascent out of the NHL’s basement.

25 – New York Islanders E12 – Rick DiPietro, Rick DiPietro, Rick DiPietro. If the Islanders have any chance of keeping things respectable in the enormously difficult Atlantic division, DiPietro’s name will need to be mentioned among the Vezina finalists at season’s end.

26 – Florida Panthers E13 – Some would argue that trading away your best player is not a remedy for success. And they would be right! After shipping Olli Jokinen to Phoenix in the off-season, my guess is that teams are already lining up to acquire Jay Bouwmeester. The rebuilding process is heading in the wrong direction down in Florida.

27 – Toronto Maple Leafs E14 – Mats Sundin has left Maple Leaf fans, the team’s front office and the rest of the NHL blowing in the wind. Whether or not he returns to the league is anybody’s guess, but either way life post-Sundin has officially begun in Toronto – at least for now.

28 – St. Louis Blues W14 - The loss of Erik Johnson to a season-ending knee injury is simply devastating for St. Louis. This leaves the Blues staring down the barrel of another lost season and the unenviable fortune of remaining an NHL doormat.

29 – Atlanta Thrashers E15 – Ilya Kovalchuk remains one of the best players in the league, but with Marian Hossa dealt at last year’s trade deadline the rebuilding process is underway. The NHL is starting to lose traction in Atlanta and this upcoming season doesn’t appear likely to reverse the trend.

30 – Los Angeles Kings W15 – LA has accumulated a plethora of young talent, including Andres Kopitar, who just signed a 7-year, $47.6M extension. Unfortunately for LA, most of that talent is not ready to contribute. This puts the Kings in a very familiar place — the NHL Draft Lottery. The good news is that this year’s crowned jewel is Canadian forward John Tavares, who by all accounts is a franchise-changing player. The potential one-two punch of Kopitar and Tavares might have LA fans rooting for the other team this season.