Johnny Gaudreau, the 2013-14 Hobey Baker Award winner as the NC

American Thanksgiving is the point of the NHL schedule where teams take stock of where they are in the standings. Some have met expectations, others not so much. Same with players and we take a look at those who are deserving of an extra helping of acknowledgement with quarter-season awards and honours. Best Player Rank Player GP G A PTS +/- 1 Sidney Crosby (PIT) 20 9 20 29 +6 2 Tyler Seguin (DAL) 22 17 11 28 +6 3 Steven Stamkos (TB) 22 14 10 24 +2 Crosby has been the best and remains the best. Seguin is getting better. Building upon an outstanding 2013-14 season, the thought of him not yet reaching his full potential has to make opponents shudder at what he may be capable of doing. Stamkos may not have eye-popping numbers but his game has become more complete and he impacts without having to score. Sounds like his GM, Steve Yzerman. Hart Trophy Rank Player GP G A PTS +/- 1 Mark Giordano (CGY) 23 6 18 24 +11 2 Sidney Crosby (PIT) 20 9 20 29 +6 3 Vladimir Tarasenko (STL) 22 12 11 23 +15 Giordano has been outstanding for the Flames. What he does on a game in game out basis has allowed the Flames to rekindle thoughts of the playoffs. Vladimir Tarasenko gives the Blues something they haven’t had since Brett Hull. A scoring threat who can win games single-handed. Vezina Trophy Rank Player GP W-L-OT GAA SV% SO 1 Pekka Rinne (NAS) 18 14-3-1 1.97 .927 1 2 Jonathan Quick (LA) 18 10-4-4 2.22 .932 2 3 Jaroslav Halak (NYI) 14 10-4-0 2.23 .922 3 Rinne has been in net for every Nashville win to date. Enough said. Where would the Kings be without Quick? He has stolen points for a team that has uncharacteristically surrendered lots of shots. Halak is one part of Garth Snow’s off-season moves that has allowed the Islanders to be one of the NHL’s best teams. His overall numbers may not reflect his importance but the last seven games he has played certainly do. Norris Trophy Rank Player GP G A PTS +/- 1 Mark Giordano (CGY) 23 6 18 24 +11 2 T.J. Brodie (CGY) 23 5 13 18 +13 3 Shea Weber (NAS) 21 6 7 13 +9 If you are the MVP, then it follows you are the best defenceman. Brodie deserves accolades for forming a duo that is arguably the NHL’s best defence tandem. His abilities complement Giordano and he has been a huge catalyst for the Flames’ success. Weber will remain in the Norris discussion for the foreseeable future. Nicklas Lidstrom began his annual hold on the Norris Trophy at the age of 31 and Weber is looking to follow suit as a top defenceman in his thirties. Best Defensive Defenceman Rank Player GP PTS ATOI +/- 1 Shea Weber (NAS) 21 13 26:59 +9 2 Ryan Suter (MIN) 20 11 29:13 +13 3 Duncan Keith (CHI) 21 13 25:27 +2 Weber is known for his tremendous shot but his defensive game is outstanding. Suter continues to master the balancing act of high minutes and superb play. A two-time Norris Trophy winner, Keith begins with defensive play that is a foundation of his overall success. Calder Trophy Rank Player GP G A PTS +/- 1 Filip Forsberg (NAS) 21 9 13 22 +18 2 Aaron Ekblad (FLA) 19 2 9 11 E 3 Johnny Gaudreau (CGY) 22 3 12 15 +6 HM John Klingberg (DAL) 8 3 5 8 +6 Forsberg brings skill, power and intensity that is leading the way for the Predators and leading the way for the Calder. Ekblad’s maturity may not be widely noticed but he is playing very effectively in a very difficult position for an 18-year-old. Can Gaudreau follow a Hobey Baker Award with a Calder? That is the question now, not whether or not he can play in the NHL. Klingberg has been outstanding in his first eight games in the NHL. The sample size is small but if his play continues over the longer haul, he will move himself into top contending status. Lady Byng Trophy Rank Player GP G A PTS PIM 1 Henrik Sedin (VAN) 22 5 16 21 2 2 Jakub Voracek (PHI) 20 7 22 29 6 3 Patric Hornqvist (PIT) 20 10 14 24 6 Sedin is producing again. He may epitomize the Lady Byng Trophy; a determined competitor who does it in a ‘within the rules’ framework. The interesting aspect of both Voracek’s and Hornqvist’s games is that they play with a power element. Playing that style is not conducive to Lady Byng consideration but perhaps the times they are a-changing. Frank J. Selke Trophy Rank Player GP G A PTS CORSI% 1 Jonathan Toews (CHI) 21 9 9 18 64.32 2 Jeff Carter (LA) 22 7 11 18 60.92 3 Patrice Bergeron (BOS) 23 5 11 16 56.99 Bergeron will always be in this discussion and he could easily be first but I like Toews’ ability to make an impact defensively and, at the same time, continue to contribute offensively. In Jonathan’s case one builds off of the other. Carter may be a surprise but since his move to centre ice, he has shown to be an exemplary defensive player. Given that he has worked with two relatively young wingers in Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli, his all-around game deserves recognition. Top General Manager Rank GM GP W-L-OT PTS 2013-14 FINISH 1 Garth Snow (NYI) 21 15-6-0 30 34-37-5 2 David Poile (NAS) 21 14-5-2 30 38-32-3 3 Jim Benning (VAN) 22 15-6-1 31 36-35-4 The Islanders are where they are in the standings because of Snow. His off-season moves have proven to be exactly what the Islanders needed. Experienced forwards, an accomplished goalie who stabilizes the position and the coup-de-grace in acquiring Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk on the eve of the season, have shown him to be both calculating and bold. Poile has added key offensive players to the Predators. The trade for Filip Forsberg in March, 2013 is one of the decade’s very best and along with James Neal and taking a chance on Mike Ribiero, Nashville doesn’t have to hope for scoring they can generate it. Jim Benning took over a franchise that many thought no longer had a ‘window’ to compete for a Stanley Cup. Hiring Willie Desjardins, navigating a very tricky situation with Ryan Kesler, shoring up the goaltending with the signing of Ryan Miller and adding Radim Vrbata to play with the Sedins has allowed the Canucks to return to form. Jack Adams Award Rank Coach GP W-L-OT PTS 2013-14 FINISH 1 Bob Hartley (CGY) 23 13-8-2 28 35-40-4 2 Willie Desjardins (VAN) 22 15-6-1 31 36-35-4 3 Michel Therrien (MTL) 23 16-6-1 33 46-28-5 Hartley has high expectations so regardless of what others’ expectations were for the Flames, he has done a magnificent job. Keep in mind that he has lost three centres to injury: Matt Stajan, Mikael Backlund and Joe Colborne and they continue their winning ways. Desjardins led the Texas Stars to the Calder Cup championship last season and is showing a deft touch with the Canucks. Hopes have rebounded for the team in Vancouver. Expectations may not have been higher anywhere than in Montreal after the run to the Conference Final last season. The Canadiens are showing they are a team that don’t rely on any one player and their coach has instilled a belief in the team that they can be better than last year. Custom Nike Minnesota Twins Jerseys . Chris Capuano. Shane Greene. And now, Esmil Rogers. Custom Nike Washington Nationals Jerseys . – Team Canadas Brooke Henderson carded a 4-under 67 at Craigowan Golf and Country Club to jump into the lead at the Canadian Womens Amateur Championship on Wednesday. https://www.customnikebaseballjerseys.com/241n-custom-nike-st-louis-cardinals-jerseys-baseball.html .com) - Tonight will go a long way in determining the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Outlet . - Mark Sanchez found out the New York Jets had acquired Tim Tebow on a conference call with team management. Cheap Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping . However, the intensity and physicality that has characterized the postseason so far has caught Gretzky by surprise. "Its a little bit risqué right now," Gretzky told Philadelphia radio station 97.The Winnipeg Jets scored six times in a season-opening win, but the offense has nearly disappeared during the clubs current three- game losing streak. The Jets hope to get back to scoring on Sunday when they welcome the Calgary Flames to MTS Centre. You can listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg starting at 5pm CT/6pm ET. Winnipeg recorded a 6-2 win at Arizona to begin the season, but has been outscored by a combined 9-1 margin in losing its next three tilts. The Jets were shut out for the second time in three games on Friday, losing their home opener against Nashville by a 2-0 score. The Jets outshot the Predators 31-27, but had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. Pekka Rinne made 31 saves to post the shutout for Nashville, while James Neal and Mike Ribeiro scored the goals. Ondrej Pavelec made 25 saves for the Jets, who ranked 15th in the NHL in scoring last season with an average of 2.67 goals per game. After Fridays loss, Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice suggested his team needs to take a kitchen sink approach to scoring until the offense gets untracked. The simple answer is weve got to put more of the basic stuff to the net so that we can find a way to bang some ugly ones in until the offensive guys get that good feeling around the net, said Maurice. Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler have accounted for five of Winnipegs seven goals this season, with Little leading the way with three markers. The Jets are playing the second part of a five-game homestand tonight. They have only hosted Calgary once in Winnipeg since relocating from Atlanta prior to the 2011-12 campaign, dropping a 5-4 shootout decision against the Flames on Nov. 18 of last season. However, the Jets won the next two meetings in Calgary to take the season series with a 2-0-1 record. Calgary, which relocated from Atlanta after the 1979-80 campaign, had won four straight against the Jets before losing two meetings to end last seasons series. The Flames played Friday night in Columbus and had a two-game winning streak snapped after dropping a 3-2 decision. Calgary did fight hard to get back in the game, scoring twice in the third period after falling behind 3-0 in thee early going.dddddddddddd Matt Calvert gave the Blue Jackets a three-goal cushion less than eight minutes into the second period, but Mason Raymond and Josh Jooris, making his NHL debut, scored in the third period for the Flames. Calgarys Mark Giordano hit the post with less than two minutes remaining, but the Flames couldnt get the equalizer. We put on quite an effort, but we just couldnt get that tying goal, said Flames head coach Bob Hartley. Karri Ramo gave up three goals on 26 shots for the Flames, who are 2-2-0 on a five-game road trip that ends tonight. Jooris, an undrafted free agent, was recalled Thursday from Adirondack of the American Hockey League and he scored in his first foray into the NHL. Giordano hit Jooris with a stretch pass and the 24-year-old beat Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on a breakaway. Hes a good young man. He wants to learn. He brings a lot. Hes responsible defensively and he gave us a big goal, Hartley said of Jooris. Meanwhile, a much more heralded Flames rookie is still looking for his first point of the season. Johnny Gaudreau, the 2013-14 Hobey Baker Award winner as the NCAAs top mens hockey player, has failed to reach the scoresheet in five games this season and was a healthy scratch on Friday when he was replaced in the lineup by Jooris. Gaudreau, a 21-year-old Boston College product, did record a goal in his only NHL game last season, scoring against Vancouver in Calgarys final tilt of 2013-14. Gaudreau could be back in the lineup Sunday after Jooris suffered an upper- body injury against the Blue Jackets. In other news, Calgary defenseman Deryk Engelland missed Fridays game due to a lower-body injury and is questionable for Sundays test. Jets projected lines Forwards Ladd-Little-Byfuglien Perrault-Scheifele-Wheeler Thorburn-Lowry-Frolik Galiardi-Slater-Peluso Defence Stuart-Trouba Enstrom-Bogosian Pardy-Postma Goaltender Pavelec Hutchinson Flames projected lines Forwards Raymond-Backlund-Gaudreau Glencross-Stajan-Setoguchi Colborne-Monahan-Hudler Bollig-Bouma-Byron Defence Giordano-Brodie Russell-Wideman Smid-Diaz Goaltender Hiller Ramo ' ' '