Foppa on top

Forsberg back at his brilliant best, despite nagging injuries

More in this column: * Financially troubled teams * Alexander the Great * Dafoe's struggles * Rumor mill * Worth noting

For a shy Swede, Peter Forsberg sure does well when the spotlight is on him.

Forsberg played brilliantly while Joe Sakic was out with an ankle injury, netting five goals, eight assists and a plus-9 in those six games.

Some stars seem to shine brighter when needed, as Forsberg's recent surge is much like Sergei Fedorov's offensive bursts whenever Steve Yzerman is out of the lineup.

After missing the entire regular season and then scoring 27 points in 20 games in the playoffs, many expected Forsberg to contend for the Hart Trophy this season. A slow start and some nagging injuries hurt his cause, but Forsberg's two-week surge has lifted him into sixth in the scoring race with 42 points.

Forsberg's career average of 1.25 points per game is impressive, but his inability to stay healthy has always been a mark against him. With 130 regular-season games missed over the past four seasons, his injury history makes him a target for opponents who want to knock one of Colorado's three big guns out of the game.

Crowds in opposing arenas ride him mercilessly, believing him to be an accomplished diver and a dirty player.

Maybe the extra attention comes because Forsberg is the rare skilled European player who doesn't shy away from the tough aspects of the North American game.

With 42 points in 33 games this season, Forsberg is on pace to score 96 points if he doesn't miss another game. He is also on pace to net 32 goals, which would be a career high and just the third time in his career he eclipsed 30 goals.

"He's one of the best in the business when he's on, there's no question about it," Nashville coach Barry Trotz told the Denver Post after falling victim to Forsberg's second career six-point game on New Year's Day.

Forsberg's monster game in the Music City on Wednesday was just the seventh time in the past six seasons a player has scored six points in one game. And Forsberg is the only one with his name on that list twice, having also recorded a six-point game on March 3, 1999, at Florida.

"I'm a little disappointed in you with six points," Alex Tanguay said jokingly as Forsberg walked into the dressing room. "It should have been seven or eight."

Like many of his teammates, Forsberg has picked up his game since Tony Granato replaced Bob Hartley as Colorado's head coach.

"It has nothing to do with me being here or who's behind the bench," Granato told the Rocky Mountain News.

"Peter's one of those players that can do that any time. The last couple games are a perfect example of plays that only certain players in the world can make, and he made them."

Had Colorado beaten Detroit in Game 7 of the Western Conference final, Forsberg, and not Nicklas Lidstrom, likely would've been the first European to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

After the Avs' terrible start this season, Forsberg is hoping to earn another crack at the playoffs and make amends for last season's disappointing finish.

Financial woes worrisome in Buffalo and Ottawa

The check is in the mail.

It's a common excuse that many of us have used when we haven't quite had the funds in our checking account to pay an outstanding bill but we want our debtor to think they'll be getting their money any minute.

In essence, that was the message the Ottawa Senators received this week when owner Rod Bryden put an IOU in an envelope instead of their paychecks.

The Senators' players acted like it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Then they went out and destroyed the Thrashers 8-1 on Thursday.

"We're not thinking that this is any big deal," Sens captain Daniel Alfredsson told the Ottawa Sun. "They told us this is going to be cleared up in the next couple of days, and we're confident that's going to happen. I don't think this is anything we have to worry about."

OK, Daniel, I'll worry about it for you.

You know that $4.55 million salary you make? Well, there's no money to pay you that this week. If all goes well and the planets align, perhaps next week we'll have some spare dough. Sound good?

Perhaps those of us who make 1/100th of that amount have a bit more realistic perspective, as a missed paycheck in our lives would have a more damaging effect.

"I'm not the kind of guy who runs to my locker on payday to see if my paycheck is there," defenseman Zdeno Chara told the Sun. "We had a short meeting. They told us because the financing had fallen through, it's going to be resolved in the next couple of days. Hopefully, that's the case and we can move on."

The uncertainty in Ottawa has overshadowed the team's incredible play over the past two months. Marian Hossa's four-goal game was incredible, but in light of an uncertain future for the team, the enthusiasm was a bit tempered.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday that the Sens could have new funding in place by the middle of next week, while the Mark Hamister group has been given a one-week extension in its bid to buy the Sabres.

There is a very real possibility that Buffalo and Ottawa could either fold or be playing elsewhere next season. Canadians would be devastated if the United States picked up another team, leaving them with just five NHL teams. But Houston and Portland, Ore., are possible destinations if the franchises can't survive in their present locales.

But pardon me for being skeptical based on the failure of past efforts. I'll believe it when I see it, but at least things are looking better than they were a few days ago.

Alexander the Great

The biggest story at the world junior championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has been 17-year-old Russian sensation Alexander Ovechkin.

The odds-on favorite to be the top pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Overhkin is tied for fifth in the tournament in scoring and has two hat tricks in five games. Russia's 4-1 win over Finland on Friday has the Russians in the gold-medal game on Sunday against Canada. With an impressive performance in the final, Ovechkin could become the first 17-year-old since Wayne Gretzky to lead the tournament in scoring.

Ovechkin has looked good centering the Russian team's top line consisting of wingers Alexander Polushin and Yuri Trubachev. The troika has combined for 23 points in the tournament, and brings to mind such famous Russian forward combinations like Valery Kharlamov-Vladimir Petrov-Boris Mikhailov and Vladimir Krutov-Igor Larionov-Sergei Makarov.

"This tournament is taking place in a very special country, which is the birthplace of the game of hockey, so it's very important for me," Ovechkin said Wednesday at a news conference.

"My personal goal is not so much to show what I'm capable of doing, but to win the gold medal."

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound forward missed being eligible for the 2003 draft by two days, and his Russian teammate Nikolai Zherdev likely will be the first name called on June 21 in Nashville. But scouts say if Ovechkin were eligible, he'd likely be the top pick this year.

His skills have been compared to Thrashers left winger Ilya Kovalchuk, but Ovechkin is said to be better than Kovalchuk, Sergei Samsonov, Pavel Bure, Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Mogilny or Alexei Yashin were at age 17.

Ovechkin already plays a regular shift with Dynamo Moscow and has five goals and four assists in 21 league games this season.

"My goal now is to win the gold at this tournament and then come back to my team and play well for the Dynamo."

Dafoe on the decline?

The Atlanta Thrashers already benched one underperforming goaltender this season -- might Byron Dafoe be next?

After allowing four goals in 12:03 in the first period on Thursday, Dafoe's goals-against average soared from 3.95 to 4.29 and his save percentage dipped from .867 to .856. Milan Hnilicka was sent to the minors after starting the season win nine straight losses, but the bad defense in front of him received much of the blame.

Meanwhile, Pasi Nurminen has a 7-9-1 record with 2.98 GAA and a .895 save percentage while playing behind that same porous defense.

"I'm not going to make excuses," Dafoe told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I have to stop some of those shots."

Dafoe has allowed at least three goals in each of his 10 starts and has given up four or more in seven games. Sitting out several games with a strained groin surely didn't help, but Dafoe has had six weeks to knock off the rust from his long layoff and hasn't been able to do it. Meanwhile, Nurminen has given up two or fewer goals nine times.

"Byron is healthy," Thrashers general manager and interim head coach Don Waddell told the AJC. "Obviously, he wasn't game sharp."

Atlanta's luck with signing free-agent goalies has been very disappointing, to say the least. Damien Rhodes was a bust after inking a four-year, $10 million deal to become the first free agent to sign with the Thrashers. And Hnilicka's two-year, $2.7 million deal, as well as Dafoe's two-year, $4.75 million pact both look suspect at this point.

Since Dafoe's deal was for one year with a second season at his option, he could opt out of the second year, which would allow them to bring star prospect Kari Lehtonen over from Finland to back up Nurminen next season. Lehtonen has a 3-1-1 record with a 1.80 GAA and a .953 save percentage in five starts in leading the Finns to the semifinals of the world junior championships, before falling to Russia on Friday. Lehtonen and the Finns will play the U.S. in the bronze-medal game on Sunday.

Rumor mill

Bryan Trottier might have been fired if the Rangers hadn't downed the Hurricanes 2-0 on Tuesday. With Jim Schoenfeld also on the bench, Glen Sather wouldn't have to look far for a replacement. ... Rangers winger Radek Dvorak could end up in Anaheim, where he would be reunited with Ducks general manager, and former Panthers GM, Bryan Murray. ... The Lightning might dip into their past to try to improve their blueline. Tampa Bay is reportedly interested in reacquiring Roman Hamrlik from the New York Islanders, with young but underachieving Pavel Kubina offered as the trade bait. ... The Kyle McLaren rumblings are warming up again now that the holiday roster freeze has passed. The most logical one has the Bruins dealing him to the Lightning for Martin St. Louis, who would give Boston some scoring punch on the wing with Samsonov sidelined. A McLaren-for-Rick DiPietro swap was also a hot rumor before Christmas, but has died down lately. ... The Wild also may have an interest in DiPietro and have some talented youngsters to offer in Rickard Wallin and Kyle Wanvig. ... Alexei Kovalev's name has popped up in a couple of different trade scenarios. One rumor has the Pens sending him to the Devils for Brian Rafalski and Christian Berglund, while another has him heading to Toronto for Nik Antropov. Kovalev also was mentioned as a possibility in a Pens-Bruins deal that would've had McLaren end up in Pittsburgh. ... Terry Murray is the clear front-runner to land the job in Atlanta, and he appears to have been Don Waddell's choice to coach the Thrashers all along. A league source says Waddell spoke highly of Murray prior to letting Curt Fraser go. ... Dave Reid's name is mentioned most often for the vacant assistant coaching spot in Colorado. ... The Canucks may be interested in dealing for Sabres center Chris Gratton to add depth in the middle. If Buffalo has to cut salary to pay the bills, Gratton ($2 million) and Alexei Zhitnik ($3.55 million) are the two most likely candidates to go.

Worth noting

Thrashers wingers Dany Heatley and Kovalchuk were each minus-6 in Thursday's 8-1 loss at Ottawa, while teammate Patrik Stefan was minus-5. ... Tomas Vokoun is 4-4-2 with a 2.51 GAA and a .907 save percentage since Dunham was dealt, but in the past three games he is 1-2 with a 5.36 GAA and a .827 save percentage. ... Blues winger Reed Low sat out Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Blackhawks while serving an automatic one-game suspension after accumulating 53 penalty minutes and three game misconducts in Tuesday's 5-1 loss at Detroit. ... Edmonton has never lost in regulation time to Minnesota (10-0-2-2), but has now lost two in a row to the Wild in overtime after a 12-game unbeaten streak. ... Minnesota center Cliff Ronning is just two points from tying John Ogrodnick and Doug Wilson in 100th place on the NHL's career scoring list with 827 points. ... The Flyers are struggling terribly with the man advantage, having gone just 3-for-48 on the power play in their past 12 games. ... Ken Hitchcock was 20-5-3 against the Kings while he was with the Stars, so the Flyers' 4-1 win in Los Angeles on Thursday shouldn't be that surprising. ... The Panthers have 22 points on the road this season, second only to the Sens' 24 in the Eastern Conference. Florida is 6-0-4-4 in its past 14 road games after beating New Jersey and Colorado on Wednesday and Thursday. ... The Flames had been 1-for-34 on the power play over the previous nine games, but busted out with three power-play goals in five tries on Thursday against the Lightning. ... Milan Hejduk has a league-high points streak of 13 games. ... The Stars and Red Wings tied all four of their regular-season games, which is fitting considering the lifetime series between the two teams, which Dallas leads 88-87-33 through 208 games. ... The Blackhawks really didn't miss defenseman Boris Mironov, going 8-2-3 during his 28-day walkout. ... The Lightning are 34-79-10-2 lifetime in January. ... Dick Tarnstrom's return should help the Penguins' already good power play return to the incredible efficiency rate it was enjoying earlier this season. Despite missing 15 games with a broken foot, Tarnstrom is 10th among defensemen in scoring with 25 points.

Jon A. Dolezar covers the NHL for CNNSI.com.

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