Raffi Torres' Suspension Too Weak Given His History

Raffi Torres has been suspended for the remainder of the Western Conference Semifinals for his hit on Jarret Stoll. (Chris Williams)

It did not take Raffi Torres long to find his next target to be the recipient of one his infamous vicious hits. During Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Los Angeles Kings center Jarret Stoll skated with his head slightly lowered in front of him. Torres did not take a path to the hit that would have made it body-to-body, but instead drove through Stoll's head with his shoulder. The hit sent Stoll sprawling to the ice.

The punishment for Torres would be decided by Brendan Shanahan. Ordinarily, this may have only been a one or two game suspension, but not when it is Torres. Shanahan knows him all to well. Torres has a rap sheet of priors and is a repeat offender when it comes to dirty hits. Shanahan knew he must make his decision have an impact.

With Stoll likely out for the remainder of the Western Conference Semifinals with head injury, Shanahan decided that a fair punishment would be take Torres out for the same length of time. Today, Torres was suspended for the remainder of the series with the Kings. Whatever that exact number of games ends up being remains unknown.

I see Shanahan's reasoning here. Stoll is out for the series, so take Torres out as well. The principle of an eye for an eye. My problem with the sentence is it simply isn't enough. This is not Torres' first dirty hit. You only have to look back as far as last postseason when he was suspended 25 games for his brutally vicious hit on Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa.

Shanahan's job title is the NHL's Senior VP for Player Safety. He has done his job of protecting the rest of the Kings' players. What happens if the Sharks win this series? This suspension does nothing to protect the Chicago Blackhawks' players or the Detroit Red Wings' players. There is no protection for them, unless their is another suspendable hit by Torres.

Torres is a dirty player. There is no other way to see it. Until he proves that has really changed, no one is going to believe him otherwise. Torres needs to learn from the Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke. Cooke was a dirty player, but the Penguins told him he had to clean up his act. Cooke has played the game the way it is meant to be played ever since. The NHL must do everything it can to protect its players. That means that the league's suspensions of Torres should be getting more severe every time, until he learns his lesson.

NHL Playoffs: Overtimes Common Theme of Day Two

Boston Bruins 1

Washington Capitals 0

Sometimes all it takes is one goal. That was the case with Game 1 of the Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals series. Both offenses came out a bit sluggish and both these goaltenders were determined to let nothing cheap in. Both teams had some chances in regulation, but neither one could light the lamp. About one minute into overtime, Capitals center Marcus Johansson took a shot that was saved by Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. That started a counterattack by the Bruins. Brian Rolston found Benoit Pouliot who quickly passed it to Chris Kelly. Kelly buried the winner over the glove of Capitals goalie Braden Holtby. Despite being the Caps third-string goalie, Holtby played extremely well, saving 29 Bruins shots. But it was the Bruins who capitalized on the opportunity early in overtime.

San Jose Sharks 3

St. Louis Blues 2

Early in the season, many Sharks fans whined and complained about Martin Havlat's play. Then, he injured his hamstring and was forced to miss nearly half of the regular season. Havlat returned just in time to aid the Sharks in their playoff push. He aided them in a big way in Game 1 in St. Louis. With the game knotted at 2, it headed to overtime. No one scored in the first period and the second one was drawing to a close, until the Blues struggled to clear the puck and Havlat found the puck on his stick and made them pay for the second time on the night. Thus, the visiting Sharks took Game 1.

Phoenix Coyotes 3 Chicago Blackhawks 2

The Blackhawks got on the board first when Jonathan Toews scored in his first game back. The Coyotes responded though in the second period with two goals of their own to take the lead. Goaltender Mike Smith and the Coyotes looked like they could hold off the Blackhawks to secure the win in regulation, but Brent Seabrook put in a rebound for the equalizer with 14.2 seconds left to send this game to overtime. In overtime, Coyotes center Martin Hanzal barely redirected Adrian Aucoin's shot, but it turned out to be enough to be the winner. Smith played outstanding in net for the Coyotes. He finished with 43 saves.

Photo Credits

Boston Bruins Celebration: Brian Babineau/Getty Images

San Jose Sharks Celebration: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Martin Hanzal Celebration: Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo

NHL Playoff Scenarios a Plenty Coming Into Final Day

Thursday was certainly a big day for the NHL. All sixteen teams locked their place in the playoffs. However, there is still a lot of seeding to be determined in the teams' final games Saturday. All thirty teams will be in action for just the 4th time in NHL history. There are 29 potential first-round playoff series matchups. The talented folks at NHL.com put together this chart, so that you can easily see all of them. I will try and breakdown and explain some of the possible implications of Saturday's games.

The Presidents' Trophy is up for grabs. The St. Louis Blues (107 points) came into Friday trailing the Vancouver Canucks (109 points) and New York Rangers (109 points) for the lead. A win on Friday would make it a three-way tie with all three teams playing decisive games on Saturday. The tiebreaker is total wins, which means the Rangers hold the edge with 51. The winner gets guaranteed home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Blogger Update: The Phoenix Coyotes defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-1 Friday night. This eliminates the Blues from Presidents' Trophy contention. The Coyotes now lead the Pacific Division and have the correlated #3 seed.

With a win Friday, the Phoenix Coyotes would take the Pacific Division lead with 95 points. The Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks are both in contention for the division title as well with 94 points heading into Saturday's games. On Thursday, the Kings beat the Sharks 6-5 in a shootout at home. On Saturday, the teams faceoff again in San Jose. The Coyotes play at the Minnesota Wild in their final game. The division winner will get the #3 seed for the playoffs and home ice for the first-round.

The Southeast Division title is still able to be won. The Florida Panthers have had the lead for awhile, but they saw their lead shrink to just two points when the Washington Capitals defeated them on Thursday. The Panthers play the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, but are just 1-3-5 in their last nine games. The Capitals will win the division if they beat the New York Rangers on Saturday and the Panthers lose to the Hurricanes. These two teams are fighting for the pride that comes with the division title, the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the first-round home ice that comes with it.

2012 NHL Playoff Hunt

With the season drawing to a close, teams fight for a playoff berth. I breakdown the teams in the hunt for the last remaining spots.

Eastern Conference

Clinched Playoff Spot

New York Rangers (103 points)

Pittsburgh Penguins (100 points)

Philadelphia Flyers (96 points)

Should Be In

Boston Bruins (93 points)

Florida Panthers (89 points)

New Jersey Devils (92 points)

On the Bubble

Ottawa Senators (88 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 2 home, 3 away
• 3 vs. quality teams
• 5 vs. Eastern Conference opponents

Buffalo Sabres (86 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 2 home, 3 away
• 3 vs. quality teams
• 5 vs. Eastern Conference opponents

Washington Capitals ( 84 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 2 home, 3 away
• 4 vs. quality teams
• 5. vs. Eastern Conference opponents

Western Conference

Clinched Playoff Spot

St. Louis Blues (105 points)

Vancouver Canucks (101 points)

Detroit Red Wings (97 points)

Should Be In

Nashville Predators (96 points)

Chicago Blackhawks (93 points)

On the Bubble

San Jose Sharks (88 points)

• 6 games remaining
• 2 home, 4 away
• 5 vs. quality teams
• 6 vs. Western Conference opponents

Dallas Stars (87 points)

• 6 games remaining
• 2 home, 4 away
• 5 vs. quality teams
• 6 vs. Western Conference opponents

Phoenix Coyotes (87 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 3 home, 2 away
• 2 vs. quality teams
• 5 vs. Western Conference opponents

Los Angeles Kings (86 points)

• 6 games remaining
• 2 home, 4 away
• 3 vs. quality teams
• 6 vs. Western Conference opponents

Colorado Avalanche (86 points)

• 4 games remaining
• 2 home, 2 away
• 3 quality teams
• 4 vs. Western Conference opponents

Calgary Flames (85 points)

• 5 games remaining
• 4 home, 1 away
• 4 vs. quality teams
• 5 vs. Western Conference opponents

Who's Marching Into March, and Who's Not?

Marching Forward

1. Pittsburgh Penguins - 83 points, 4th place in the Eastern Conference

The Pittsburgh Penguins won their sixth in a row tonight and are 8-2-0 in their last ten. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has been a rock in the net. The win tonight gave him four straight seasons with 35 or more wins. He is one of only four goaltenders in NHL history to accomplish the feat. The winning streak has pushed the Penguins past the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

2. St. Louis Blues - 89 points, 2nd place in the Western Conference

The St. Louis Blues are marching to the tune of 5-1-0 in the last six. The streak has the Blues tied with the Red Wings for the Central Division lead. Center T.J. Oshie, who leads the team in points, has seven points in his last five games. The Blues begin a three game homestand tomorrow, before heading on a big seven game road trip. That road trip could have a lot to say about who will win the Central Division.

3. Chicago Blackhawks - 79 points, 6th place in the Western Conference

The Chicago Blackhawks are 7-3 in their last ten, including a nice 2-1 win at the Detroit Red Wings. The streak has pushed them ahead of the pack trying to get the last couple playoff spots in the Western Conference. Backup goaltender Ray Emery is a main reason why. He was named the NHL's third star of the week, due to his efforts last week. Emery was 3-0-0 with a 1.12 goals against average and a .959 save percentage. The Blackhawks travel to St. Louis tomorrow and host the New York Rangers on Friday night.

Marching Backward

1. Boston Bruins - 79 points, 2nd place in the Eastern Conference

The Boston Bruins are mired in mediocrity right now. They've slipped to 2-3-1 in their past six. The top spot in the Eastern Conference seems to be out of the question right now, as they are far more concerned with the Ottawa Senators who are now only three points back for the Northeast Division lead. Goaltender Tim Thomas has struggled lately, letting 13 goals in past five games. However, Thomas is unlikely to see a break with backup Tuukka Rask out the next four-to-six weeks. The Bruins did sign veteran netminder Marty Turco, but his conditioning is in question.

2. San Jose Sharks - 73 points, 8th place in the Western Conference

The San Jose Sharks have gone from being in comfortable control of the Pacific Division to barely hanging on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The reason why? The Sharks have just four wins in their past fifteen games. They now sit third in the Pacific Division are in danger of falling out of the playoffs altogether. If the Sharks are going to win the division or at least make the playoffs, they better start turning things around soon, before it it too late.

3. Washington Capitals - 69 points, 9th place in the Eastern Conference

The Washington Capitals seemed to be heading in the right direction when they won three games in a row, but they've now been shutout both of their last two games. Everyone thought this team was going to make a charge into the playoffs, but this team looks less and less like it everyday. The Capitals might go from playoff flop to missing them all together. This has been a disappointing season to say the least.

NHL Teams Rising and Falling as They Start 2012

We are ten days into 2012, and the NHL standings show teams on the rise and teams on the fall. I will take look at three of each.

Teams on the Rise

1. New York Rangers - The New York Rangers got the come-from-behind win in the Winter Classic and haven't looked back. They are winners of five straight and nine of their last ten. The win streak also gives them the most points of any team in the NHL. Things are going well to say the least for John Tortorella's club right now.

2. San Jose Sharks - The San Jose Sharks have a nice win streak going as well. They've won four in a row and are 8-1-1 in their last ten. The offense is starting to come together for the Sharks, who now lead the Pacific Division. If they can maintain their success, they will be eyeing the best record in the Western Conference.

3. Ottawa Senators - The Ottawa Senators may be overachieving right now, but one can't deny how well the team is playing. They are an impressive 9-2-2 in their last thirteen games. With this streak of great play, the Senators have even pulled themselves into the thick of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.

Teams on the Fall

1. Chicago Blackhawks - It is a surprise to see the Chicago Blackhawks on this list, but the team has lost four games in a row. During the losing streak, they have given up sixteen goals. The Blackhawks need to pull it together on defense and in the net. The team has already fallen to third in the Central Division standings.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins - Life simply isn't treating the Pittsburgh Penguins very well right now. It appears that Jordan Staal and James Neal will be joining Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang in rehab with substantial injuries. The team has lost four in a row and scored only five goals in those games. The question becomes whether or not this team will be able to pull it together and make the playoffs.

3. Minnesota Wild - The Minnesota Wild continue to fall farther and farther as their team's offense continues in its continual drought. The Wild have only won one game in their last twelve. During that stretch, their offense has only managed to score seventeen goals. If this team doesn't find some offense soon, they are going to keep on plummeting.

Sidney Crosby Looks Like His Old Self

The Pittsburgh Penguins were already tied for first with the most points in the NHL. The Penguins have been playing great. Could things get any better? They just did. Superstar Sidney Crosby returned to the ice for the first time in 10 months following a serious concussion. What does he do in his first game back? He scores 2 goals and has 2 assists. Should we be surprised? I don't think so. This is what we've come to expect from him. It's just wonderful to see him back on the ice.

In other NHL News:

The San Jose Sharks are on fire right now. After starting the season 1-3-0, the Sharks have now gone 11-2-1 in their last 14 games. The Sharks have 25 points in 19 games on the season, giving them the best winning percentage (.694).

The Boston Bruins say not so fast. Do you think the Sharks are hot? You should check us out. The Bruins are currently on a 9 game winning streak. They may have started the season 3-7, but that seems like a faint memory now.

The Minnesota Wild have won 4 in a row and are tied for the most points in the NHL with 27. How are they doing it? The Wild are without doubt the stingiest team in the NHL. They are allowing only 1.95 goals per game. The problem though is on the other end of the ice. The Wild's offense is ranked 28th in the NHL. If they offense improves at all, this could be an even tougher team to beat.

ESPN's Scott Burnside's take on Sidney Crosby's return to the ice: http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/12412/size-of-stage-no-match-for-sidney-crosby

NHL.com examination of the Minnesota Wild: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=602473