Ever since Ryan Miller's magnificent performance in the Olympics, and perhaps a few weeks before, many hockey experts have been tripping over themselves to declare Miller the winner of this year's Vezina Trophy.  If feel good stories counted on equal footing with stats, then that may be true.  However, a closer look at the situation reveals that this year may be one of the hardest seasons in recent memory for the GMs to select a winner.  No doubt, Miller is the front runner for the prize, but there are several over contenders worthy of serious consideration.

When it comes to rating goaltenders, there are four major stats to consider: Wins, GAA, Save % and shutouts.  Taking a look at the top 5 Vezina candidates in these categories only adds confusion.

GAA - This is perhaps the most important stats, and this is where Miller shines with a 2.23.  That puts him slightly ahead of Kiprusoff at 2.27, and significantly better than Nabokov at 2.47.

Wins - As always, Brodeur is the leader here.  His 40 win seasons are more predictable than the Panthers missing the playoffs.  Miller sits 3 wins behind Brodeur at this point.  Kiprusoff sits way back at 35.

Shutouts - The crown jewel for the goaltender is the shutout.  This is the one stat that Miller is most behind on.  He has a respectable 5 on the year, but can't catch the 8 from Bryzgalov and Brodeur.

Save % - Once again, Miller takes the lead in this stat.  His .928 dwarfs Brodeur's .915.

So who is the odds on favorite with a week left to play?  Time to play the elimination game.

Kiprusoff will most likely be the first to go.  It's almost unheard of to give a major award to a player on a non-playoff team, and Calgary is in serious danger of missing the show.    Besides, his 4 shutouts and 35 wins place him at the bottom of the stack.

Nabokov will most likely miss the cut as well, based on some serious stretches of inconsistent play.  His wins and save percent  keep him in the running, but his GAA doesn't match up well, and his 3 shutouts shut him out.

That leaves us with three worthy finalists: Brodeur, Bryzgalov, and Miller.

The reality is that Vezina voting is often tilted toward sentiment and reputation.  That kind of leaves Bryzgalov on the outside.  Despite the fact that he's been one of the top stoppers in the game since leaving Anaheim for the desert, he just hasn't gotten the press that Miller and Brodeur enjoy.

So, is it a done deal, or is there still time for Brodeur to hold off Miller for one more season, and add another trophy to his impressive case?  With 4 games to go, it seems unlikely, but possible.  He has matchups with Atlanta, Florida, and the Islanders, which means a shutout or two isn't too much to expect.  If he catches fire and finishes with 9 or 10 shutouts to Miller's 5, it may be enough to give him the nod.  Otherwise, it seems, the experts have been right all along.  It appears that Miller's Time has arrived.

In case you missed us… we're back now.  Landshark hockey experienced some painful server issues over the past couple of months, so we bit the bullet and changed our hosting provider.  The process is now complete, so we are now back and live.  Look for new features and insightful, life-changing commentary in the weeks to come as we prepare for the stretch drive. 

Sorry for the downtime.  Better times ahead.

When you look across the rosters in the NHL, it's remarkable to note just how many brothers there are suited up in the NHL these days.  A quick glance at some of the European Olympic rosters next week with demonstrate just how prevalent the family ties have become: Sedins, Ruutus, Koivus, Lundqvists, Kostitsyns, Hossas, and the list goes on.  With all the blood connections in the league these days, it's hardly even noteworthy to see two brothers face off against each other.  So, the question remains, which set of the brothers represent the best pair (or trio) in the NHL today?  Here are my picks, brother:

9. Kostitsyns (Sergei & Andrei)

Though it's questionable if both brothers will remain in the NHL for long, they're the 2nd best duo playing on the same roster.

8. Kronwalls (Henrik & Staffan)

The Swedish defensemen are two of the hardest hitting players in the league today. 

7. Michaleks (Zbynek & Milan)

Though they play different positions, these big Czech players are still emerging as stars in the league.

6. Millers (Ryan & Drew)

The only goalie / skater combo on the list (since Joel Lundqvist left the NHL).  Ryan obviously carries the weight for these two.

5. Ruutus (Tuomo & Jarkko)

Imagine the scrums at the table with these kids growing up.  Most irritating (and fun to watch) pair on the list.  Tuomo is an all-around good player.

4. Niedermeyers (Scott & Rob)

This may be the last season for both of these long-tenured players.  One's heading for the Hall of Fame, the other is a fine role player in his own right.  Most Cups on this list by far.

3. Koivus (Saku & Mikko)

The Koivu brothers will be key contributors to team Finland over the next couple of weeks.  Both are complete players and great leaders.  Mikko's a little more deadly with his shot.

2. Sedins (Henrik & Daniel)

Though they've never played on separate teams, Henrik proved this season that he can survive (and thrive) without his twin.  Hard to imagine them in different sweaters.  The Sedins may ultimately do battle with the likes of the Espositos, Stastnys, Sutters and Savards as one of the best sets of bros of all time.

1.  Staals (Eric, Jordan & Marc)

Much like the Sedins, the story of the Staals is quickly becoming legendary.  With one more on the way, they could rival the Sutters for sheer quantity of NHL stars.  Eric is already a superstar with a Cup to his name.  Jordan also wears a Stanley Ring and would be a #1 center in almost any town but Pittsburgh.  Marc is a steady presence on the New York blue line, and youngster Jared's fate is yet to be determined.  All told, the Staal family crest gets the top spot for best brothers in the league today.

It's been a pretty good year so far for job security in the NHL ranks compared to recent history, but nothing lasts forever.  Last season, 1/3 of the teams changed coaches.  This year, (not counting Gretzky "stepping down"), only one coach has been fired so far, and the results of that move haven't been spectacular.  So, it remains to be seen how many more dominoes will fall this season. 

Part of the reason for the lack of management changes can be explained by a look at the standings.  Many of the bottom feeders are either in a rebuilding mode already (Toronto, NY Isles) or have made coaching changes in the past year or so already (Edmonton, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Montreal).  That's not to say that these bosses are exempt from the nervous whims of their GM's.  Speaking of which, we have also gone a long stretch without a GM change, and when that happens, coaches are often let go when the new boss arrives.  There are a handful of GM's who have to be considered on a short leash, making their coaches at risk as well.  Meanwhile, many of the coaches who could have been considered to be at risk before the season started have started to turn their teams around this year (LA, Florida, Buffalo, Nashville).

With that in mind, here are the coaches most likely to be looking for work by the end of the season:

1. Ken Hitchcock - Columbus

After making the postseason for the first time last year, expectations were high in Ohio that the Blue Jackets had finally turned the corner.  So far this season, they've taken a major step back.  Hitchcock's signature over the years has been a stingy defense, from his days in Dallas and Philadelphia, to his first several seasons in Columbus.  Nearing the half way point of this season, his Jackets are dead last in goals allowed.  Aside from Nash, this team isn't built to win games by scoring a bunch of goals.  Add to that the fact that they've won just one game in their last 10, and it wouldn't be surprised to hear that Hitchcock is being handed his papers before I finish typing this sentence.

2. Bob Gainey / Jacques Martin - Montreal

Poor Jacques Martin.  After suffering through heartbreak, instability, and failure in Florida over the past three seasons, he left the sun and fun of South Florida to be placed on a sinking ship in the heart of hockey.  There are too many things going against his chances of being a permanent resident in Montreal. 

First off, Bob Gainey torpedoed this team over the past year.  He took a team that challenged for the Presidents Trophy a couple seasons back, let half the squad walk, and did a patchwork job of assembling an overpaid roster this summer. Not surprisingly, the results have not been grand.  The Canadiens have been less than mediocre this season.  If it weren't for their amazing record in overtime, they'd be floating in the basement with the Hurricanes.  If things continue to slide into the Olympic break, don't be surprised to see a new GM show up this spring.  And a new GM typically means a new coach.

Add to that fact that there is new ownership in town, and new owners tend to want to bring their own guy in, particularly when things haven't gone to plan.  All told, Martin may have a very short tenure in Montreal.

3. Glen Sather (GM) - NY Rangers

This is more of an indictment of Sather than it is of the coaching, but the GM shouldn't be very comfortable in front of the fireplace this Christmas.  After all, Sather is one of the longest tenured GMs in the NHL and what does he have to show for it?  At least for the past few seasons, the team has been a playoff participant, but little more than that.  At some point, Messier's going to come knocking on the door once again and he'll be granted the chance to do better.  While the Rangers haven't been horrible this season, they're currently out of the playoff list.  They're basically a losing streak / injury to Gaborik away from inevitable change in New York.

Every NHL season inevitably brings us many twists and turns that no expert could have seen coming.  If this weren't the case, it wouldn't be very interesting to watch.  This year is certainly no exception.  We're  about 1/3 of the way through the 09-10 campaign, and here are a handful of the biggest surprises so far:

The Good

Strong Starts Out West

It's a tossup for which is more surprising: Los Angeles or Colorado.  Most observers expected LA to be in the running for the playoffs this year, but nobody expected them to push the Sharks for the Division Title.  The overdue emergence of Kopitar as a top 10 scorer isn't shocking, but compared to his performance last year, it is a surprise.  As for the Avalanche, they were picked by most to challenge for the first overall draft selection.  Instead, they're a fair bet to reclaim their long-held grip on the Northwest division title.  A big part of their success so far has been the surprising play of newcomer Craig Anderson.   Both LA and Colorado are currently in the top 10 of points in the league, a feat that none could have predicted.

The Return of Richards

In terms of personal performances, to me the most surprising is the resurgence of Brad Richards.  I had all but written him off as a top notch forward in the NHL.  After several mediocre seasons, punctuated by various injuries, I didn't see how he would ever return the point-per-game player he was during the Lightning's Cup run in 2006.  But here he is, back in the top 10 and carrying the load for the Stars.  Hats off.

The Bad

Redwings - Outside Looking In

Coming out of the lockout, I (and many others) predicted (or was that prayed for?) the inevitable demise of the Redwings.  After all, the team whose payroll resembled the Yankees couldn't possibly compete if forced to play on equal footing.  Year after year, Holland made us look silly, until the point where we came to believe this franchise was infallible.  Now, after 2 consecutive years in the finals, we're looking at the possibility of Detroit actually missing the playoffs.  Something they haven't done in 20 years.  Through 27 games, the Wings already have piled up 10 losses.  And there's no real cause for optimism (or pessism, depending on your perspective).  The biggest injury they're dealing with is Franzen, and he's not due back for months yet.  It may be time to come to terms with the possibility of a postseason without the Wings.

Hurricane Demise

A few teams have struggled more than expected to start the season, but none compare to the shockingly awful start by the Canes.  Carolina seemed to be back on the upswing after rallying late last season and driving their way into the semifinals.  Apparently they're still hurting from the smack laid down by the Pens last spring, as they've shown absolutely no signs of life this season.  Injuries to Staal and Ward have only made things worse.  The defense is the worst they've seen since moving from Hartford.  What's particularly surprising about their start is that they didn't really change much in their lineup from last year.  There's still time to turn this around, but at this point, they're looking to lock in last place by the Olympic break.

Eric Staal, Martin Havlat, Steve Mason

Tough to pick who has been the most disappointing surprise in terms of individuals this season, but these guys are all in the running.  Injuries have further scarred the situation for Staal and Havlat, but these guys should have been sent to their rooms without desert long before that even happened.  Maybe I'm especially bitter because I drafted 2 of these guys and it's killing me now.

The Stupid

Ovechkin Finally Suspended

One of the most surprising events of the season is that the league finally got the pills to suspend Ovechkin 2 games after yet another blatant attempt to injure another player.  It's too bad they passed on the opportunity when he did the exact same thing to Gonchar in last year's playoffs, or a week ago when he boarded Kaleta from behind, or any one of other countless cheap shots he's laid on his unsuspecting opposition.  Campbell's job isn't easy, but he's made criticizing his decisions easy by clearly biasing his punishments based on the box office draw of the accused.