Welcome to the newest addition to the hockey coverage here at RealGM with our new hockey blog called Hockey Talk. Running on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Hockey Talk will examine player and team trends as well as take a more in-depth look at the game. This is an interactive project, so feel free to email your opinions to Douglas.Benton@realgm.com and your thoughts may just appear in this space. January 18 They will finish second in their division unless something major and unforeseen happens to the Ottawa Senators, but this shouldn?t discredit the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens. After winning 3-2 at Atlanta on Thursday, the Canadiens are 24-14-8 (56 points) and winners of four of their last five games. In net, the Canadiens have Cristobal Huet, who is a notch below the elite goaltenders, but definitely a reliable starter who can win games by himself from time to time. His 2.39 GAA and .923 save percentage are even more impressive when you consider the Canadiens are 27th in the NHL in shots allowed. However, it is the offense which has propelled Montreal, who is fourth in the league at just over three goals per game. They are led by 34-year old right winger Alexei Kovalev, who is a former Stanley Cup winner with the New York Rangers. Montreal is a long shot to win the Eastern Conference, but with a veteran-laden team, they could be a tough out for a younger, less experienced team. The Buffalo Sabres are winless in their last ten games, and now rumors are beginning to circulate that defenseman Brian Campbell is on his way out by most likely a trade. In these ten games though five of the losses have come in a shootout and over this time, they have played Ottawa three times, New Jersey three times, and Pittsburgh twice. This doesn?t mean the Sabres are playoff-bound, but it does illustrate that this team is better than their recent record shows. Now, we just have to wait and see if Lindy Ruff and his staff can turn these close one-point losses into two-point wins. January 16 Don?t look now, but the defending Stanley Cup champions are starting to round into form. With their 4-2 win over a good Dallas Stars team Tuesday night, the Ducks have now won four in a row and 10 of their last 13 games. One of the main reasons has been the return of defenseman Scott Niedermayer from his early season absence during which he was contemplating retirement. In 13 games thus far, he has a goal and seven assists, has been active on the power play, and is already averaging over 21 minutes of ice time. In those same 13 games, the Ducks have only allowed more than three goals once, and in six games, they have allowed one goal or less. The Ducks, now 25-17-6 and at 56 points, are just points behind San Jose in the Pacific Division. He gets lost in Tampa Bay, but center Vincent Lecavalier is still one of the better offensive players in the world. This season, he is fifth in goals (28), ninth in assists (35), and first in points (63). He even has been able to carry a +3 rating this season for the 17-24-5 Lightning. He did receive some national recognition with a starting spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the 2008 All-Star Game. January 14 Ever since Josh Harding replaced Niklas Backstorm in a 4-4 tie at Detroit on Thursday, he has been rock solid. He helped the Wild beat the Red Wings in a shootout and followed it up with a road win against Chicago on Friday and then a home victory over Phoenix on Sunday. In all, he has stopped 93 of 97 shots. It is expected that Head Coach Jacques Lemaire will continue to rotate the goaltenders depending on who's hot which has been his trademark throughout his time in Minnesota. The Wild, usually tough on defense, have struggled this season. They are 18th in goals allowed per game (2.77) and 23rd in shots allowed (30.7). The suspect play among the defensemen and the inconsistency in net has contributed to these unusually low defensive rankings. Fresh off beating Detroit in a January showdown, the Ottawa Senators are now without super right wing Dany Heatley. He is expected to be out four to six weeks with a dislocated right shoulder. He has 25 goals and 31 assists so far this season and a +31, second best in the league. The offense will be able to sustain with their weapons, but this will put more of an onus on goaltender Martin Gerber.