|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
Sour play Ducks aren't getting it done with man advantagePosted: Wednesday November 21, 2001 3:46 PMUpdated: Wednesday November 21, 2001 4:15 PM
The struggling Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have been undermined by a clueless power play that has run out of steam and ideas. Before Paul Kariya scored one Tuesday night, the Mighty Ducks had not scored a power play goal in their past 28 opportunities. Kariya suggested that if the slump continued, the team would have only two options: Bomb shots at the net and hope for deflections or rebounds ... or abandon the power play units in favor of regular line combinations in an effort to improve the cohesiveness. The problem is that Anaheim's shooters seem unable or unwilling to set up for one-timers, the most effective way to score with the man advantage.
Flyer finding the right mixAfter a few years of taking one step forward, one step back, the Philadelphia Flyers seem ready to start to steamroll their way through the Eastern Conference -- in no small measure do to the return of center Jiri Dopita from a broken leg. One general manager told me that by season's end, the soon-to-be 33-year-old newcomer from the Czech Republic would be the Flyers best player. That's high praise given the team has perennial All-Stars such as John LeClair and Jeremy Roenick. Dopita is big -- 6-foot-3, 215 pounds -- and uses a long stick like Jaromir Jagr, accentuating his reach and size. He can't dangle like Jagr, but he is a solid offensive player and an even better defender. The GM said he was devastated when the already loaded Flyers were able to convince Dopita, originally drafted by Boston in 1992, to come to the NHL.
As Olie goes ...Washington Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig's indifferent play has been mirrored by his team, but his recent strong play has coincided with the arrival in town of Caps goaltending consultant Dave Prior, who has worked with Kolzig for five years. Prior knows how to massage Kolzig's occasionally balky psyche in addition to fine tuning his game, which he has been doing the past 18 months. Instead of dropping immediately into his butterfly, Kolzig is now staying up a little longer, giving himself more options in making saves. Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
| ||||||||||||||||
