During his 104-game stint (including the playoffs) in New York, Sean Avery became a popular figure at Madison Square Garden. I'd say most Rangers fans were disappointed to see him leave for the greener ($$$) pastures of Dallas. I don't know if I could say the same of the majority of his former teammates, who privately may admit they weren't always thrilled with his antics.
On Monday night, the Garden faithful will get a chance to see their old pal, albeit in a visiting sweater. Avery returns to MSG with the Stars, who'll be starting a three-games-in-four-nights sweep through the New York metropolitan area. I think Avery will get a warm welcome from the New York fans, but at some point during the evening, Avery likely will do something to irritate the home team. When that happens, I suspect fans might have a change of heart about their old friend. Either way, it will be a fun night to be at the Garden.
So far, the Rangers have been fine without Avery (and Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan), running out to a 6-1-1 start. There was some concern the Rangers couldn't live without Avery. The numbers seemed to indicate that. The Rangers were 60-28-16 with him in the lineup, and a much less-impressive 10-14-3 without.
The Stars, meanwhile, aren't getting the benefit of the Avery effect yet. They've opened with just one win in five games. The Stars' defense has been shockingly leaky, allowing a league-high 23 goals. That's not good. Certainly, Dallas misses veterans Sergei Zubov and Jere Lehtinen, who both remain sidelined by injuries. Still, the Stars' defensive game shouldn't fall off the map because of two players. In goal, Marty Turco's 4.70 goals-against average and .841 save percentage are flat-out awful for a stopper of his ability. We figure he'll get his game together. His struggling team needs him to do it ASAP.
Special, and not too special, teams
The Blues have gotten off to a fast start, winning four of their first five games. A big part of their early success has been their power play, which is clicking at a league-best 40.9 percent success rate. That's a monster jump from last season, when they finished dead last with a 14.1 conversion rate. LW Paul Kariya has been the triggerman, setting up six of their nine power-play goals. Fellow vet Keith Tkachuk has scored four on the man-advantage, while Brad Boyes has chipped in two others.
On the flip side, the struggling Ducks -- who dropped to 1-5-0 with a 3-1 home ice loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday -- have been dreadful with the extra man. Through six games, their power-play percentage is a league-worst 4.2. That reminds me of the scene in "Animal House" when Dean Wormer is addressing the Delta House gang about their grades. "Daniel Simpson Day … you have no grade-point average." The Ducks' penalty-killing unit isn't exactly scaring people, either (18th in the league at 80.6 percent).
Speaking of the penalty kill, the Wild, Sabres and Kings (yeah, the Kings!) have been perfect, not allowing a single power-play goal. Keep up the good work, guys.
E.J. Hradek
