NHL Realignment approved, Eller Goes Beast Mode (and other links)

So, Lars Eller went crazy last night, eh? He scored at even strength, fired 7 EV shots on goal, had a chance differential of + 6, and was plus 19 (!) on Corsi (29 events for/10 events against), all in fewer than twelve minutes of even strength ice time. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a better performance by an individual Hab this season. Factor in his ridiculously low salary, a cap hit of $1,325,000, which makes Ben Eager a comparable, and it's hard not to love the Great Dane.

In summary, Eller is awesome and the Habs are enjoying phenomenal success, still sitting atop the eastern conference and sporting a four game winning streak. Here are a collection of links that will hopefully keep the good times rolling:

Habs News and Analysis:

• Not much news from a roster perspective. Greg Pateryn has been sent back to Hamilton while Jarred Tinordi has been called up. Also, congratulations are in order for Gabriel Dumont, who recorded his first NHL point last night.
• The fine folks over at Silver Seven recap last night's action. Peter Raaymakers makes a special note of Daniel Alfredsson's performance. Alfie scored the goal that brought the game to 3-2 and was one of only three forwards with a non-negative corsi on the evening.
• On a personal note, Daniel Alfredsson has always been a player that I greatly respect. From the angst he seems to cause Leafs fans, to his insane longevity, hair, and loyalty he's shown Ottawa, Alfie is a super sweet guy. If that's the last time I ever get to see him face off against the Habs, (we don't play Ottawa again this regular season) I really want to thank him for the awesomeness over the years
• Here's the game summary from NHL.com's Arpon Basu.
• Travis Yost over at Hockey Buzz has been tracking score-adjusted Fenwick this season. Score-adjusted Fenwick, which was developed by Eric Tulsky over at Broad Street Hockey, is a weighted sum of Fenwick stats for (almost) all scoring situations. The purpose of it is to adjust for score effects while maintaining the largest sample size possible. As of March 12th, the Habs rank 11th in the NHL and 6th in the East.

General News and Analysis

• The biggest story today is that the NHL Board of Governors has officially approved the league's divisional alignment and playoff proposal for the 2013-2014 season. NHL.com has the definitive breakdown, with all the scheduling information you need.
• Vice's Gregory Pike rebuts Jeremy Allingham's polemic against fighting. Pike cites the magical star protecting ability of fighting without accounting for things like Marc Savard's career ending with Milan Lucic on the ice.
• David Johnson over at HockeyAnalysis.com questions the importance of zone starts, especially in light of Eric Tulsky's research on zone entries. If entries are as important as they seem, wouldn't starting your "Henrik Sedins" outside of the offensive zone, so that you can take advantage of their "entering" skills, make more sense than loading them with o-zone starts?
• Mark D over at Lighthouse Hockey takes a (non-comedic) look at Rick Dipetro's legacy with the Islanders.
• Justin Bourne of Backhand Shelf looks at Sidney Crosby's season-to-date production relative to some of the best statistical seasons ever. According to Bourne, Crosby's "assists and points place him right in the middle [of the pack]." These "best seasons" include Jagr and Lemieux in 95/96 and Gretzky in 81/82.
• Here's a video, compiled by NBCSN, of the top ten hits over the last several years.
• Corey Perry has been suspended four games for his hit on Jason Zucker. Here's the reaction from Hockey Wilderness and Anaheim Calling.
• Speaking of reactions, John Tortorella pooped his big boy pants the other day, ranting and raving about his team's performance against the Buffalo Sabres.

Archive Material and EOTP News

• I don't want to tip the hand of senior management, but an individual season review for a certain Russian defenseman is coming down the pipe. Why not take a look at some of these fine articles about said defenseman?
  
• Writing positions are still available! EOTP needs people for breaking news, game previews, and Habs history pieces. If you're interested in volunteering, contact Andrew at habseyesontheprize@gmail.com with the position you're interested in as the subject heading.