Hello there everyone, and a very happy Valentine's Day weekend to all those who partake.  For those who don't....happy Olympics Opening Weekend?  It's the best I can do.

In our efforts to get some hockey into the blog, we will continue on with our Saturday Puck-Fests.  The Islanders are playing a matinée right now, which they are in the familiar position of trailing...2-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.  As they and the Rangers continue to flirt with mediocrity, the Devils are in their usual spot among the Eastern Conference elite.  The NHL season will go on hiatus for about 2 weeks so the players can represent their countries in the Olympics.  After that. the stretch run will really be in high gear.

I'll break this hockey stuff into a few sections.  First there will be some regular thoughts/analysis for the hockey diehards out there.  Then I'll construct some CliffsNotes bullet-points for those who have no idea what I'm talking about in the first section and/or are casual fans just looking to get some simple information.  Last and certainly not least, a 'What About Conor' section concerning the Valentine's Day festivities. 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS: 24-28-8 (56 Points- 13th in Eastern Conference)

Last Week: Carolina (Lost, 3-1) Nashville (Won, 4-3) @Pittsburgh (Lost, 3-1)
This Week: Tampa Bay (Today) Ottawa (Tomorrow)

It all looked so promising for the Isles.  It was late January when New York (eh, Long Island?) had won 10 of 14 games and looked to be a real playoff threat in the East.  Just about three weeks later, they have lost 8 of their last 9 games and now look to be heading for another very high draft pick (which is probably for the best.)  Much like last year, when they traded captain Bill Guerin to the contending Penguins, the Isles will probably be selling off some current assets to build for the future.  First and foremost will be goaltender Martin Biron, who became the third wheel once Rick DiPietro returned from injury.  In the mediocre, closely-bunched conference though, it may just take a mini-hot streak for the Islanders to sneak their way back into the race.


NEW YORK RANGERS: 27-27-7 (61 Points- 11th in Eastern Conference)
Last Week: New Jersey (Won, 3-1) Nashville (Lost, 2-1) @Pittsburgh (Won, 3-2)
This Week: Tampa Bay (Tomorrow)

This team is tough to figure out.  Just ask coach John Tortorella, who shows signs of vomiting 4-5 times per game.  Never playing great nor horribly, the Rangers were floating their way towards a low playoff seed all season long.  But after a recent ugly skid (losing 8 of 11) they find themselves on the outside looking in.  Marion Gaborik is an all-world talent that has carried the team all season long, and the Rangers will be able to make a run once somebody (anybody) steps up and contributes.  Even so, the team has frustrated its fans so much that they are constantly calling for the heads of Tortorella and general manager Glen Sather.  They will want to beat Tampa tomorrow to keep their fans content for that Olympic break.


NEW JERSEY DEVILS: 37-20-3 (77 Points- 2nd in Eastern Conference)

Last Week: @Rangers (Lost, 3-1) @Philadelphia (Lost, 3-2) Nashville (Won, 5-2)
This Week: @Carolina (Tonight)

From two teams with a whole lot of questions, we move to the team that always, always, ALWAYS has all the answers.  This team rotates and plugs in new pieces from year to year, yet you always find them as one of the top playoff seeds in the end.  As long as they have Martin Brodeur in goal, they are a lock to make the playoffs and a threat to go all the way.  New Jersey made a huge splash this week by acquiring Ilya Kovalchuk from Atlanta on February 4th.  Kovalchuk has had a little trouble fitting in so far, though it would be tough for him to live up to his incredible numbers right away.  Expect him to get on track and for the Devils to go about their business of winning, winning, winning for the rest of the season.


Around the League...
With their absurd winning streak, the Washington Capitals have played themselves into ridiculously-high expectations for the playoffs.  In exactly one month, the Caps won 17 of 18 games to propel themselves head-and-shoulders above everyone else in the conference.  They are in the top spot by 12 points...the same point differential as the 4th seeded Penguins and 9th seeded Lightning.  Incredible.  It's very rare that a 'Stanley Cup or Bust!' motto comes out this early.  But the Capitals have earned that burden.  And it may allow dangerous teams such as Ottawa and Buffalo to fly in way under the radar.

While the East has one team, and then 'all the rest,' we can say that the Western Conference has 2 teams way ahead.  As expected, San Jose and Chicago have dominated play this season and will likely be 1-2 at the end of the season.  While the Sharks certainly score more goals, the Blackhawks combo of Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi have given up the fewest goals in the West.  The race will probably come right down to the wire.


CLIFF NOTES FOR CASUAL FANS AND/OR THOSE WHO HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT

• Hockey is a fast-paced, very entertaining sport that doesn't get the main stream coverage of baseball, football, or basketball.
• The tri-state area has 3 teams.  The Islanders and Rangers are good about once every 5 years.  The Devils aren't good once every millennium.  Unfortunately, the amount of Devils fans is believed to be in the teens.
• Alex Ovechkin plays in Washington D.C. and Sidney Crosby plays in Pittsburgh.  They are regarded as the best players and hockey usually hits the mainstream when they face off against each other.  They will probably play against each other in the playoffs for the next 15 years.
• The Vancouver Canucks have two brothers that play on the same line and have all this cool chemistry and moves.  Their names are Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the latter is a top-player in all the league.
• Like the Devils, the Detroit Red Wings are always at the top of the league.  They have been just ok this season, and people are wondering if/when their crazy winning streak will occur.
• The Olympics start in about a week, it's the best display hockey has to offer, and a great way to get into in as a fan.  Go ahead and watch.

Last and hopefully not least, here's the Valentine's Day section of the Puck-Fest.  In the coming and going 'What About Conor' fun-fact tradition, now's the perfect time to reveal Conor's top-5 celebrity Valentines.  It's something every male human thinks about (how could you not) and I feel comfortable revealing my top candidates to the free world.  First, some parameters that will explain the choices and how I came about choosing them...

1.  The Valentine can't be over 30 (no particular reason) nor under 18 (many, many reasons.)
Apologies to: Kate Hudson, Shakira, Charlize Theron, Kate Beckinsale, Heather Graham, Justin Bieber.

2.  The Valentine can't give off the aura of hating the world and all the people in it.
Apologies to: Megan Fox (Yep...deal with it.) Blake Lively, Kristen Cavallari

3.  The Celebrity can't be passed around from guy to guy like cigarettes at an OTB.
Apologies to: Taylor Swift, Kristen Stewart

Ok, glad we got the rules and regulations out of the way.  Just kidding about the Taylor Swift one, by the way.  Sorry to say you didn't make it though, Tay Tay.  Always next year.  Go ahead and click the name for the best photo (clean, of course) I could find of each one.

5.  Natalie Portman
Interestingly, this slot is actually the hardest one to decide.  The cut-off point, where 10 celebrities at least are all in the running, and you can only choose one.  I'm going to cheat a little bit and say that also considered for this spot were: Mila Kunis, Hayden Panettiere, Keira Knightley, and others.  But we'll give it to Natalie, a kinda-sorta Long Island girl that may have gone to one or two Islander games in her hayday.  Ok, probably not.  But the possibility of that happening gives her this slot.

4.  Kelly Kelly
Who?  What?  Who??  Hopefully you'll click the name and know why Kelly Kelly makes the list.  Truth be told, I don't even know her actual name.  We can iron that out on our first date.  A WWE 'Diva' you know she will keep herself healthy and in good shape, which counts for a lot these days.  You got it going on, Ms. Kelly.

3.  Minka Kelly
From a (presumably) fake-named Kelly to the ultimate Kelly.  Minka has gained a lot of steam the past few months because of her reported engagement to Derek Jeter.  I don't think she would leave him to sit by my blogging side, and maybe that reality knocks her down unfairly on this list.  I don't think she'll lose any sleep over it.

2.  Ashley Tisdale
Another under-the-radar pick here.  I'm not ashamed of it.  Tisdale became (kinda sorta) mainstream with all her High School Musical work.  Now she just kind of makes provocative music videos that probably make the Disney execs cringe a little bit.  I've been an Ashley booster from the start, and it certainly won't stop now.  Now that High School Musical has come and gone, maybe she'll become less famous and lower her standards by the 800-900% that I'll need to have a chance.  I'll be here, Ashley.  I'll be here.

1.  Carrie Underwood
Yep.  She's the one.  I was never a big American Idol fan, so I suppose I was late jumping on the Carrie bandwagon.  Her music is actually pretty good if you ask me.  The real tipping point was when I was working my behind the scenes/set-up job at Boston University's Agganis Arena.  We were setting up chairs for Carrie's concert when we had the joy of witnessing her sound-check.  There she was, 20 feet from us workers, singing in sweatpants and flip-flops in an empty arena.  It remains the most wonderful experience of my life to date.  So thanks, Miss Underwood.  You made my life, and you didn't even know it.  Bonus points because she's about to marry a hockey player and this is after all a puck-fest.  Congrats, Carrie.

Thanks for reading.  And the Islanders just came back and beat the Lightning, 5-4.  Great game, hopefully great blog, too.  Comments/scrutiny welcome as well for the Valentine's section.  The floor is yours...