Stats

Here is what we know about the 2009-2010 Montreal Canadiens through 42 games:

1)  They have accumulated 43 points as a .500 team, winning one more game than they have lost.

2)  They have scored 109 goals, which represents a mean of 2.60 goals per game.

3)  Among games in which they have scored four goals or more, their record is 9-1.

I was hoping that I could hold off until New Year's Day to write this article, so the "New Year's Resolutions" title cliche could be worked into the title, but it seems that Eric Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes aren't focused on catchy headlines at the moment.

After falling quickly down to last place in the NHL, the 'Canes have crept along in the standings for their entire season so far. But a recent jump in liveliness and offense has brought a little bit of confidence on the Hurricanes' bench.

A 3-2 win last night against Florida started off the Canes "Holiday Homestand" on a high note, while also continuing a fairly nice run so far in December.

However, the Hurricanes are still 13 points out of eight place in the Eastern Conference and eight points away from the 29th spot in the NHL standings, and it looks like this will just have to end up being a rebuilding year for Carolina.

Once again, I am weighing in on Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle.

Before I go any further, and all you Kaberle fans skip to the end and chastise me for picking on him, hear me out.

The San Jose Sharks' miscues while up a man this season are becoming quite the pesky problem.   

For the second time in five games, the dreaded Short Handed Goal Against (SHGA) reared it’s evil head and forced an abrupt end to a promising Sharks winning streak.   

Notching a tally in the SHGA column is one of the gravest sins you can commit in the game of hockey. 

After 12 years of existance in North Carolina after the transfer from Hartford, Connecticut, the Hurricanes have seen it all.

Superstars to draft pick surprises, trade jewels to trade busts, the Carolina Hurricanes have been filled with talented players and memorable moments. They've won Stanley Cups, Eastern Conference finals, and many division titles. They've sparked fantastic comebacks, but given up big leads, too. They've scored last-second goals, but also fallen in the closing minute. They've had winning runs and losing streaks.

But that's happen to a lot of NHL teams.

Let me begin by stating that I am a huge Steve Mason fan. In fact, I'll even go as far to admit that I have a vanity license plate which refers to Steve Mason.

Be that as it may, as much as it pains me to say this, I have to: Steve Mason is in the throws of the dreaded sophomore jinx.

A case could have been made for his extremely high goals-against average, as well as his extremely low save percentage during those games, in which stud defender Jan Hejda was out with a knee injury.

There are a lot of reasons why the Penguins are in as bad of a slump as they are right now, but here are the top three contributing factors.

3. Offensive Scoring Drought

The Pittsburgh offense has started to get better during the past few games against Anaheim and Boston, but it was a bigger factor during the four game losing streak that the Penguins dealt with.

During those four games, the Pens only scored three goals, a statistic that I'm sure you are way too familiar with. However, a lot of this happened when Malkin left with his injury.

Possession.  Some will say its nine tenths of the law. 

But in sports, possession (of the puck or ball) is 100 percent the goal.

Without possession, getting points up on the board is practically impossible.  That is why in hockey, owning the puck off the face off is tremendously important if any team hopes to display steady success in this cutthroat league.  

The Nashville Predators, despite averaging around 2.1 goals per game, are staying afloat as they continue a West Coast road swing.

In a losing effort, the Preds managed to go toe-to-toe with the NHL's top team, San Jose, but allowed a feeding frenzy in the final minute.  Sharks' defenseman Dan Boyle sneaked a harmless wrister through Dan Ellis' legs, cementing a result at the HP Pavilion.