CarterHud

      Speed pays off in the NHL. Speedy winger Jason Chimera has had a long career because of his speed. Fellow New York Islanders winger Shane Prince also has very good speed, and he takes advantage of that on the ice. The Rochester, New York native was drafted in the 2nd round (61 overall) of the 2011 NHL draft by the Ottawa Senators. But, Prince never got the opportunity to play full time for the Sens. He played just 44 games there, with 13 points (3 goals and 10 assists). At the 2016 trade deadline, the Sens traded Prince and a 7th rounder to the Islanders for a third rounder. In just a season a half, Prince has played more games with the Isles. He\’s played 70 of them, and recorded 23 points (8 goals and 15 assists).
       At his teammate Anders Lee\’s Kan Jam event, I was able to catch up with Shane. Here are the questions I asked him.

      Me: \”How did the team change from December to March?\”
      Prince: \”Obviously you never like to be in last place. It\’s good for our team to come back and be in a playoff spot.\”

      M: \”Was it tough to go from Ottawa to the Isles in a span of a minute last year?\”
      P: \”It was a big change, it changes your life, the team your with and all the people in front of it. It definitely is a big change. It\’s good for me, and I\’m happy to be here.\”

      M: \”How has Joshua Ho-Sang impacted the team in his rookie season?\”
      P: \”He\’s a good player, we know he\’s skilled. We\’re happy to have him here. We\’re hoping he can help us win games.\”

      M: \”What do you think of this event Anders Lee is running?\”
      P: \”It\’s a great event for a good cause. We have a lot of great guys on the team. We\’re all happy to be here, and we\’re all having a good time.\”

     Not many NHL players have the luxury of getting drafted. New York Islanders center Alan Quine is on the extremely short list of players who were drafted TWICE. The Belleville, Ontario native was drafted 85th overall (3rd round) of the 2011 NHL draft by the Detroit Red Wings. However, he did not sign with the Wings. So, he was eligible to be drafted again. In the 2013 draft, the New York Islanders took him in the 6th round, 166th overall. This time, Quine signed. When the Islanders wanted to rest their stars at the end of the 2015-16 season, after they clinched the playoffs, the recalled Quine for the final two games, the first of his NHL career. Quine scored in the first one. The team was impressed, and started Quine in the playoffs. In double OT of game 5 of round one against the Florida Panthers, Quine scored a PP goal, winning the game. The next game was won by the Isles, clinching their first playoff series win in 23 years. In 63 career NHL games (all for the Islanders) that year and the next one, Quine scored 19 points, with 6 goals and 13 assists.
     At his teammate Anders Lee\’s Kan Jam event, I was able to catch up with Alan. Here are the questions I asked him.

     Me: \”How did the team change from December to March?\”
     Quine: \”We came together as a group. All the guys turned a page after Christmas, and started playing for each other. We\’re right in the hunt for a playoff spot. We all wanted to be in [the playoffs], and be in it for the fans.\”

     M: \”For the past couple of weeks*, you\’ve been injured. You finally came back this week. Was it tough not playing for some time?\”
     Q: \”It was tough. I stayed home when the guys went on the road trip. It\’s tough to watch them doing their own thing. Of course I wanted to be there. But, it\’s a part of the game. Once you get older, stuff like that is bound to happen. It\’s the way you deal with it, the way you come back stronger. It\’s good to be back.\”

     M: \”Last year, you got the chance to play your first couple of NHL games, and then scored a big goal in overtime. Was it tough to go from an AHL player to suddenly an NHL playoff player?\”
     Q: \”I think the AHL is a good development league. I like the way the Islanders have done, as they don\’t like rushing guys. I was hoping for an opportunity, at a point in my third [AHL] season, I felt like I was ready, and to be an impact player. I was fortunate enough to get that opportunity.\”

     M: \”What do you think of this event Anders Lee is running?\”
     Q: \”Anytime we can go help the community, support a cause, whether that would be cancer or diabetes, or children\’s foundation, whatever it is, make a wish, stuff like that where we can give back is important to us. All the guys showed up. I think it shows a lot about Anders as a person. He\’s a special person. He\’s an idol for many people out there. It\’s awesome that he can do that for us.\”

     *this was recorded March 18, and Quine was injured weeks before March 18

Penalty killing is important in the NHL. New York Islanders winger Nikolay Kulemin specializes in killing penalties. The Magnitogorsk, Russia native was drafted 44th overall (second round) in the 2006 NHL draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. But, he stayed with the KHL\’s Metallurg Magnitogorsk for an extra season. When he finally went to the Leafs, Kulemin became good friends with teammate Mikhail Grabovski, who was his center. In 6 years with Toronto, Kulemin scored 195 points (84 goals and 111 assists) in 421 games. Before the 2014-15 season, Kulemin signed a 4 year, $16.75 million deal with the Islanders. On the same day, the Isles signed Grabovski to a 4 year, $20 million deal. In three seasons since, Kulemin has 76 points (36 goals and 40 assists) in 235 games.
    At his teammate Anders Lee\’s Kan Jam event, I was able to catch up with Nikolai. Here are the questions I asked him.

    Me: \”How did the team change from December to March?\”
    Kulemin: \”We didn\’t play very good during the [beginning] of the year. We had a couple of bad games at the start. We bounced back, and everybody played hard. We found a way to get back on track.\”

   M: \”You\’ve replaced Matt Martin on the infamous 4th line. What\’s it like to go from a scoring line to a checking line?\”
   K: \”We don\’t really have a checking line. All lines can score. It doesn\’t matter who I\’m playing with.\”

   M: \”What do you think of this event Anders Lee is running?\”
   K: \”It\’s a great experience. It\’s good to give back, and do fundraising for the kids that get sick. It\’s a hard disease. Everyone likes to support the kids.\”

     Jason Chimera has had a long NHL career. Most players do not play until they\’re 37, and Chimera is 37, and can still play for a few more seasons. Probably the biggest reason why Chimera stayed in the league is his speed. He\’s one of the fastest players in the NHL. The Edmonton, Alberta native was drafted 121st overall (5th round) of the 1997 NHL draft by his hometown Edmonton Oilers. In four seasons with the Oilers (2 full), Chimera scored 36 points (19 goals and 17 assists) in 130 games. He was then traded to the Phoenix Coyotes (now the Arizona Coyotes) for draft picks. The lockout occurred that season. Chimera was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Geoff Sanderson. Chimera spent 5 seasons there, with 136 points (62 goals and 74 assists) in 331 games. The Jackets traded him to the Washington Capitals for Chris Clark and Milan Juncina. Chimera played 7 seasons there, with 197 points (82 goals and 115 assists) in 490 games. In 2016, he signed with the New York Islanders to a 2 year, $4.5 million deal. In one season with the Isles, Chimera scored 33 points (20 goals and 13 assists) in all 82 games. Altogether, he has 402 points (183 goals and 219 assists) in 1033 games.
     At his teammate Anders Lee\’s Kan Jam event, I was able to catch up with Jason. Here\’s the questions I asked him.

     Me: \”How did the team change from December to April?\”
     Chimera: \”We weren\’t playing really well. Then everyone got together and decided that we needed to start doing things differently. Everyone started scoring, and it was good.

      M: \”Was it tough to sign with the Islanders after playing for their rivals, the Capitals?\”
      C: \”I have two kids, so I think it\’s tough when you get a chance to change teams, there\’s an all new team, an all new place to live, all that stuff. So getting all those things settled is pretty hard. All of the guys on our team are really good dudes, all really good guys. They made it really easy for me.\”

      M: \”What do you think of this event Anders Lee is running?\”
      C: \”I think it\’s huge. It shows support for those people, it shows support for those kids. It\’s not only kids, it\’s other people. It\’s nice for Anders [Lee] to have this, to raise money for kids, and all kinds of stuff. So it\’s nice for him to do that.

    

Very soon, the 2017 NHL playoffs will begin. So, I\’m previewing each and every series. Today, I\’ll preview the matchup between the 2nd and 3rd teams in the Pacific division. That is the Edmonton Oilers (2) and the San Jose Sharks (3). First, let\’s look at the teams.

     Edmonton Oilers
Connor McDavid is just 20, and has an Art Ross (most points) under his belt. Leon Draisaitl is a good linemate for him. Milan Lucic, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins form a solid second line. Defense is weaker. Adam Larsson, Oscar Klefbom, Kris Russell and Darnell Nurse are all good, but not great. Goaltender Cam Talbot will need to play really well if Edmonton wants to win.

    San Jose Sharks
Star centers Logan Couture and Joe Thornton are questionable, and the Sharks need them. But, they do have Joe Pavelski, Mikkel Boedker, Joonas Donskoi, Patrick Marleau and Tomas Hertl. Defenseman Brent Burns will be a finalist for the Norris trophy (best defenseman). Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Justin Braun and Brendan Dillon are all very good. Martin Jones showed last postseason that he can be an all-star caliber goalie.

   My prediction: San Jose Sharks
If I was comparing offenses, I\’d give the Oilers the win, a close win. Besides McDavid, I\’d say the Sharks win in a heartbeat. But, one man can\’t do it all. The defense is heavily in favor of the Sharks. Jones beats Talbot. But, It\’ll be a close series. I would be shocked if it doesn\’t go to 7 games.