Forget about lambs, NHL teams all want March to come in like a lion.
Call it moving month, where the playoff contenders step up their game and hone their play for the second season, while the also-rans being planning their offseason excursions.
Last year, the Phoenix Coyotes went 10-2-1-1 in March to make a late run at the Pacific Division title before eventually settling for the Western Conference's sixth seed. Sean Burke went 9-1 with a .947 save percentage last March, but with trade rumors floating around him, it could be up to Brian Boucher and Zac Bierk to key the Coyotes to a similar surge.
While Phoenix was finishing with a flourish, underachieving Dallas went just 6-5-4, basically treading water en route to a 10th-place finish in the West.
Inspired by their desire to clinch the Presidents' Trophy and rest some of their older players, the Red Wings went 8-3-2 in March before sloughing off to a 0-3-2-2 finish in April. Once they had clinched the best record on March 28, they didn't have much to play for and were just resting for the postseason.
The eventual Eastern Conference champion Hurricanes posted a 7-2-3 record in March, which helped them hold off the fast-closing Caps who put together a 9-5-1 month.
Some of this season's bubble teams might be in a position to imitate the Coyotes' roar through March of a year ago.
The Panthers (12th in East) play nine of their 15 games in March on the road, but that shouldn't be too discouraging since they are 12-9-5-4 away from the Office Depot Center, but just 7-13-6-5 at home.
The Oilers (8th in West) play the Blue Jackets, Coyotes and Predators twice each, and could take advantage of teams below them in the standings to make a late run.
Los Angeles (10th in West) stays home for 10 of its 15 games in March, where the Kings' 16-13-1-0 record at the Staples Center could help them down the stretch.
Phoenix (11th in West) appears to be hitting its stride late in the season again with a five-game unbeaten streak, and the Coyotes have a six-game homestand from March 12-22.
Conversely, the Lightning (7th in East) hit the road for nine of 15, including a three-game stretch at Ottawa, at the N.Y. Islanders and at Detroit, followed later in the month by a trip to California. And the Rangers (10th in East) play just 12 games next month, making each one even more crucial with the ground they have to make up.
It's impossible to peer into the crystal ball and know exactly what is going to happen -- though we like to try every week, nonetheless -- but it's a safe bet to assume that the final regular-season standings six weeks from now will have a different look thanks to some hockey-style March Madness.
Red Wings to get big boost With a six-game unbeaten streak, it looks like Detroit is doing fine with the status quo. But it's doubtful the Wings will turn their captain away from the lineup. Steve Yzerman could make his return Monday against the Kings or Thursday against the Maple Leafs. After offering one of the most inspirational performances by playing all last postseason on a ripped-up knee, a healthy Yzerman could give the champs a big boost down the stretch, perhaps serving as this year's version of Peter Forsberg in the playoffs.
Bill back in Beantown Bill Guerin usually doesn't make a quiet exit when he moves on to a new team, and he'll probably have a boisterous greeting in his first game back at the FleetCenter. The Stars head to Boston to face the Bruins on Tuesday, marking Bill Guerin's first game back in his hometown since leaving as a free agent last summer. Guerin's 48 points and 113 penalty minutes are dearly missed right now by the slumping Bruins.
N.Y. Islanders @ Toronto -- Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST Ten months may be enough time to cool off most emotions, but the intensity of their epic first-round series is still fresh. Michael Peca has steadily improved since returning from his knee injury, while playoff foils Darcy Tucker and Shayne Corson languish on the Leafs' fourth line and in the press box, respectively.
Dallas @ Ottawa -- Thursday, 7 p.m. EST The top two teams in the league meet for the second time in the month, with the Sens having fallen victim to a three-goal third period in a 5-3 loss at Dallas on Jan. 27. Ottawa has 15 points in its past 10 games and is 22-5-2-1 at home, while Dallas has points in 22 of its past 24 games.
Toronto @ Detroit -- Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST Curtis Joseph gets a second crack at his former team ... unless, of course, the Wings decide again that it's Manny Legace's "turn" to start. Legace made 30 saves in the Wings' 2-1 win in Toronto on Nov. 16, but fans in Hogtown were deprived of the chance to cascade boos upon their former netminder.
Washington @ New Jersey -- Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST The Capitals travel to the Meadowlands for a primetime battle of division leaders. New Jersey is 2-1 against Washington this season, outscoring the Caps 8-5. Jeff Friesen has four goals in the past five games, though the rest of his teammates have chipped in with just eight goals during that stretch.
Plus: Vancouver Canucks After stringing together a 10-game win streak in November, the Canucks have now put together a team-record 12-game unbeaten streak (8-0-4). Vancouver has proven it is capable of dominating over multiweek stretches, which bodes well for the playoffs.
Minus: Patrice "Paris" Brisebois About the only Montreal resident who is pleased with Brisebois right now is his travel agent. A sojourn to the Left Bank likely wasn't what the Habs had in mind when team doctor David Mulder told Brisebois to take a week away from hockey after he suffered a stress-induced arrhythmia during warmups on Feb. 8.
Plus: Nik Antropov The Maple Leafs' recent hot streak has coincided with Antropov's emergence as one of the team's go-to scorers. The 6-foot-6 Kazakhstan native has a four-game points streak, and has tallied 13 points in the past 11 games, during which Toronto is 10-1.
Minus: Tommy Salo Maybe he doesn't like February or something. Salo celebrated the one-year anniversary of his Olympic quarterfinals header against Belarus on Thursday by letting in four goals in 29:30 against the Wings. He is now 2-6 with a .883 save percentage in the past eight games.
Plus: Olli Jokinen The first-time All-Star has six goals and eight assists during a career-best eight-game scoring streak. Jokinen isn't going to shave his head until his streak is over, and the way he's been carrying the Panthers he could have a shaggy 'do well into the postseason if this keeps up.
Minus: Geoff Sanderson After scoring 20 goals in the first 37 games, Sanderson has just three goals in the past 23 games, and only one in the past 18. With an average of 3.1 shots over that 18-game stretch, it's clear that Sanderson is getting chances but is just mired in an untimely slump.
Plus: Jarome Iginla Once his name started coming up in trade talks, Iggy suddenly started playing like he did during his breakout 96-point season a year ago. Iginla has nine goals and two assists in the past nine games, during which he has been taking an average of 5.4 shots per game.
Minus: Olaf Kolzig Godzilla is just 3-6 since the All-Star break, and he has allowed 11 goals in the past two games while stopping just 80 percent of his shots faced. His goals-against average has jumped from 2.27 to 2.42 in the past eight days as the Caps have allowed the Lightning to creep back into the Southeast race.
"He's an embarrassment to the league. He's not worthy of putting on an NHL uniform."
-- Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart after Blue Jackets winger Jody Shelley piled up 29 penalty minutes in the third period of San Jose's 6-0 win over Columbus on Friday.
"That's one of those things that if you look at the scoreboard and decide how you're going to play for the rest of the game, then you're going to lose a lot of them. We always try to blow it off. We didn't have a period we liked in the second and we just said, 'We might not win, but let's get rid of the way we're playing.'"
-- Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn after his team came back to beat the Canadiens 5-3 on Saturday for Toronto's seventh victory when trailing after two periods.
"Sometimes when things are going your way, you need a little humble pie. Tonight we got that. Ottawa is a better team. They did a lot of good things and defensively they didn't allow us any sustained penetration. We made some poor decisions, and you can't do that against the Ottawa Senators. We didn't do enough to win."
-- Predators coach Barry Trotz after the Senators shut out Nashville 4-0 on Saturday.
"For sure, I've been frustrated, but I want to put that on the side and forget about the season. The team has played well and right now I want to focus on the last couple games, and get ready for the playoffs because that's going to be my second season and I want to show everybody what I can do."
-- Flyers left wing Simon Gagne addressing rumors that he could be traded before the March 11 deadline.
"As an offensive player, I'm going through the neutral zone and I've got a guy tugging me through the whole way. If I don't go down, I'm not going to get a call because they are not going to make the call. You don't want to see diving, but at the same time you have to call the obstruction or you're going to see it."
-- Mighty Ducks left wing Paul Kariya on if the NHL's obstruction crackdown has led to an increase in diving.
Ramzi Abid, LW, Coyotes The 22-year-old Montreal native had 43 points and 214 penalty minutes with AHL Springfield last season, but has been even more impressive in his first NHL action. Abid has 10 goals and eight assists in 28 games since getting called up for keeps on Dec. 15.
The Colorado Avalanche originally selected Abid with the 28th pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, but didn't sign him despite a 137-point, 148-PIM season with Halifax in the QMJHL in 1999-2000. The Coyotes then grabbed him with the 85th pick in the 2000 draft and have watched him gradually emerge in their system ever since.
Abid has surprised with his touch around the net so far, which more than makes up for his average skating ability. He has very good hands for a big man, and his love of physical play makes him a perfect target in front of the net.
.667
Colorado's winning percentage on the road (16-6-4-4) compared to just a .550 mark (12-9-7-2) at home.
22.0
Shooting percentage for Marian Hossa (38 goals on 173 shots), tops among players with 100 or more shots.
32.3
Average shots per game faced by Blue Jackets goalie Marc Denis.
43
Wins Martin Brodeur is on pace for, which would tie his career high set in 1997-98 and 1999-2000.
Our latest best guess at what the postseason seeding will look like.
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Ottawa Senators
Dallas Stars
New Jersey Devils
Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals
Detroit Red Wings
Toronto Maple Leafs
Colorado Avalanche
Philadelphia Flyers
St. Louis Blues
New York Islanders
Minnesota Wild
Boston Bruins
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Tampa Bay Lightning
Edmonton Oilers
Each week during the season, this space will be devoted to your comments on a particular issue.
Last week's topic: Who would get your vote for coach of the year thus far?
I say give it to Jacques Lemaire. Look at what they are doing in Minnesota. They have one really good player (Marian Gaborik), several other name guys, (Cliff Ronning, Andrew Brunette) some promising kids (Nick Schultz and Pierre-Marc Bouchard) and then a bunch of guys who might have been stars in junior but that is it. Mike Sterzuk, Winnipeg, Manitoba
The coach of the year has to be Paul Maurice of the Carolina Hurricanes for being able to convince everyone that he deserves to keep his job. Tony Sines, Raleigh, N.C.
Easy choice. Jacques Martin of the Senators has managed to keep his team focused on hockey in spite of some huge financial distractions surrounding the team. The Sens are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and they come to play every night. And Jacques is without a doubt the best dressed coach in the league as well. John S. Dover, Ottawa, Ontario
Pat Burns has to be considered coach of the year at this point, which would be his fourth Jack Adams Award and the fourth time in his first season with a team. What Burns has done with the Devils, who have very little offensive firepower, is amazing. They find ways to win games. Defense wins championships and there is no better defense than the one in the swamps of New Jersey. Adam Jupiter, Boston
Craig MacTavish gets the nod. He has guided a young, low-budget team that missed out on the playoffs last year into a squad that is still in the thick of the race for home-ice advantage. Plus, his ripping out of the Calgary mascot's tongue was the one of the funniest events this season. Matt Rice, Belleville, Ontario
Without a doubt, Joel Quenneville. No coach has had to deal with the number of injuries to top players (Chris Pronger, Brent Johnson, Doug Weight, Keith Tkachuk, Martin Rucinsky, Petr Cajanek and Jamaal Mayers) and still have their team contending for the Conference lead in points. The Blues have wins from six goalies this year. No truth to the rumor though that American Airlines has added a non-stop route from Worcester, Mass. to St. Louis, Mo. Matt Jaeger, Fenton, Mo.
Let's be radical -- I nominate Bob Hartley. He'll be the first coach to be fired from one team and lead another team to the playoffs. The margin he's overcome is fantastic. Mark Orlicky, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Peter Laviolette should certainly be coach of the year. The sophomore coach has helped the Islanders overcome a miserable start, has this very young team playing hard every night. They currently can beat any team in the league and can make a legitimate run at the Cup (if they can avoid playing Ottawa and Washington). As a clincher, he has even found a way to break through to Oleg Kvasha who has been standing around much less frequently. Al Furst, Commack, N.Y.
Dave Tippett should definitely get coach of the year. He has taken the Stars who looked plain lazy last year and turned them into the most explosive in the NHL this year. He has also facilitated the successful chemistry between the long time Stars (Mike Modano, Derian Hatcher, Darryle Sydor, etc.) and the new signees this year (Bill Guerin, Philippe Boucher, and Aaron Downey). He has also been successful in keeping the defense tough but also giving this team offense that it hasn't had in years, even in the Stanley Cup year. All in all, he has turned them into perhaps the most balanced team in the league. Chad Blacklock, Arlington, Texas
My vote goes to Bryan Trottier for having enough sense to appreciate
being fired by the Rangers. The further away from that bunch, the better. Brad Brooks, Arlington, Va.
The coach of the year this season is without a doubt Jacques Lemaire of the Minnesota Wild. He's taken an expansion team and in three years has them in the heart of the playoff race. Besides Marion Gaborik, the casual fan would have trouble naming two players on the Wild, yet they are primed for their first playoff appearance in team history. Robin Cook, Shakopee, Minn.
This week's topic: Which team likely to finish in the top four in its conference is a candidate to be upset in the first round?
Click here to send us your choice, with a short (75 words or less) explanation. Brevity and humor are good; naughty words and personal attacks are not so good. And don't forget to include your name, hometown and home state/province.
Jon A. Dolezar covers the NHL for SI.com. "Week at a Glance" appears each Sunday during the regular season.
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Ramzi Abid, LW, Coyotes
