Martin St. Louis has won the Lady Byng twice, once in 2010 and again in 2011. This will be the 5th nomination St. Louis has received for the award since he came into the league in 1998. He recorded 60 points in 48 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and had only 14 penalty minutes.

Matt Moulson was named a finalist for the second year in a row. Brian Campbell won the award last year however. Moulson played in 47 games and had only 4 penalty minutes. Moulson had 15 goals and 29 assists this season.

Patrick Kane was also named a finalist for the Lady Byng. Kane skated in 47 games this season and matched his 23 goals he scored last season in 82 games. Kane added 32 assists this season as well. Kane had only 8 penalty minutes on the season.

Martin St. Louis had the best season when it comes to points, but Matt Moulson’s 4 penalty minutes are hard to argue with for me. I think Moulson will be the Lady Byng winner this season. What do you think?

Feb 13, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ottawa Senators center Jim O

Round two of the NHL Playoffs starts tonight. A 7:30 pm face-off is set for the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators. The Senators finished the regular season with a record of 25-17-6, that record was good for 7th overall in the Eastern Conference. The Senators earned the right to take on the second seeded Montreal Canadiens in the first round. Ottawa was able to beat the Canadiens in just five games (4-1). Pittsburgh ended the regular season with a record of 36-12-0.  The number one seed Penguins took on the eighth seeded New York Islanders in what turned out to be one of the top series in round one. The Penguins were able to crawl out of round one (4-2). This round two match-up should prove to be classic Playoff series. Pittsburgh beat the Senators three games to none during the regular season, but I’m not sure that this series will go the same way.

The Senators are a defensive team, they do not try to do too much. During the regular season the Sens had a goal differential of +12. The offensive style of the Penguins lead to a goal differential of +46. Pittsburgh had trouble playing the more physical Islanders, and they will be seeing more hard-hitting in your face play from the Senators. In order for the Penguins to move on to round three they will need to solve Craig Anderson. The Ottawa goal tender has been lights out. In a round one series victory Anderson put up MVP type numbers (GAA 1.80 SV% .950). Pittsburgh has the fire power needed to break through and light up the score board, but I am not sure they have the poise to wait for the openings to do it. If they can wait and they get solid goal tending from game one starter Tomas Vokoun  (GAA 1.41 SV% .957) the Pens should be able to go up 1-0 in the series. On the flip side if the Senators are going to continue their run  they will need to keep Pittsburgh’s big guns off the score board. Ottawa will need to use Anderson as a crutch. The Senators will also need timely scoring and a solid special teams effort to foil the Penguins hopes of advancing. If the Senators stay disciplined, and can keep the unnecessary penalties to a minimum they should win game one, and maybe the series.

Inside the Numbers Ottawa Senators  Goal Leader: Kyle Turris 3 Points Leader: Daniel Alfredsson 6 +/-: Daniel Alfredsson +6 Goal Tending: Craig Anderson, 4-1 ,GAA 1.80, SV% .950 PP: 24% 6 goals PK” 84.21% Pittsburgh Penguins Goal Leader: Pascal Dupuis 5 Points Leader: Evgeni Malkin 11 +/-: Paul Martin +5 Goal Tending:  Tomas Vokoun, 2-0, GAA 1.41, SV% .957 Marc-Andre Fleury, 2-2, GAA 3.40, SV% .891 PP: 33.33% 7 goals PK: 90%

This series should come down to which team is able to play their game. If the Senators can sit back and close off the neutral zone, and keep Pittsburgh at bay they should be able to drag out a series win. However if the Penguins play Pens hockey and can skate and find space this series will go to the Penguins.

Prediction: I’m going to go out on a limb, and take the Senators in 7 games. After watching the Penguins have trouble with the Islanders; it seems to me that Ottawa should be able to wear down the battle tested Penguins.

Side Note: Something to think about. As if a playoff series needs more hype; the Senators have a bit of revenge to deal with. On February 13 Matt Cooke took out Senators star Erik Karlsson. The hit tore 70% of  Karlsson’s Achilles tendon . After missing 31 games due to the injury Karlsson showed little rust in round one putting up 6 points ( 1 G, 5 A)

May 9, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) at the face-off circle against the New York Islanders during the third period in game five of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Sidney Crosby has participated in 36 of the 48 regular season games, missing 12 due to an injury he sustained during a game against the Islanders. In this 36 game run, he managed to score 15 goals and 41 assists. If he hadn’t missed the 12 games, it is debatable to say that he could have won the Art Ross Trophy instead of Martin St. Louis. He was ranked 2nd in the league with assists. He had three power play goals and 124 shots in his 36 games. His passing has definitely helped them get into the playoffs. Of course, the mass movement the Pens GM enforced before the trade deadline helped, too. Crosby, along with the whole Penguins’ squad, has mashed well with the acquired Jarome Iginla, Brenden Morrow, and Douglas Murray. With Sidney Crosby playing this way, it’s hard to say he isn’t Hart Trophy material.

May 2, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) participates in warm-ups prior to game one of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs against the New York Rangers at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Ovechkin is one of the favorites this year in the playoffs. I feel he deserves to finally win the Stanley Cup, but that’s neither here nor there. Ovechkin had probably the best season in the NHL. In the beginning of the season, he looked dead as a corpse. He wasn’t playing well, but he turned it around. He rallied a total of 32 goals and 24 assists, which most of them came in the second half of the season. He was in first place in the NHL in goals. His four game-winning goals helped him notch his way to the playoffs, and he was 1st in the NHL in shots, with 220 shots. Alex Ovechkin has played well every year, and last year people thought it was his year to terrorize the playoffs and win it all. This year is looking a lot more promising, and he really wants it now. He has a goal and an assist in his four games this post-season, and he is looking to add a lot more of each.

May 9, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Islanders center John Tavares (91) carries the puck up ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period in game five of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

John Tavares has been one of the faces of the New York Islanders. Tavares led the Islanders in scoring for the fourth-straight season, recording 47 points (28 goals and 19 assists) in 48 games. He finished third in goals, scoring 28 goals, including a league-high 19 even-strength goals and a team leading five game-winning goals.  The Islanders finished 15-6-2 when Tavares scored a goal and 20-7-2 when he recorded a point. He led team forwards in average TOI at 20:46. With these stats, John Tavares has led the team to the playoffs. I personally don’t understand why he isn’t the Isles’ captain, but I don’t know how Mark Streit is on and off the ice.

All three players are well qualified for this award, and I think this will be a close vote. It’s hard to tell, but what do you think?