Official 2017-2018 NHL Thread v. Break the Ice

[King Postwhore]

It's too bad about Marchand.  He's an elite tallent but can't stop the dirty s***.

[KevShmev]

Once a dirty bastard, always a dirty bastard.

[TAC]

I am shocked that Brad Marchand resorted to dirty tactics today, said no one ever.

So he cross checked some dude after getting hit from behind. Guys have been running him all year, and the refs are looking the other way.

Once a dirty bastard, always a dirty bastard.

Says a one time dirty bastard..

[King Postwhore]

They run him because of his actions. They know they'll elicit a response. Brad needs to wait for his moment and run a guy cleanly.

[King Postwhore]

 I also get where Tim is coming from. Today's NHL isn't the same as I grew up with. I miss the days of retaliations or a goon protecting a star player. I like the violence in hockey but of course as time goes on we learn more about injuries and concussions and that stuff has to be taken out. All Marchand had to do is take his hand off of the stick and punch with his hand.

[axeman90210]

Big win for the Devils tonight against the Canadians, in a game they didn't deserve to win based on the first two periods. Up seven points now on Florida for the wild card, so hopefully that's enough distance that we'll be able to end our playoff drought.

Go Bruins in their two remaining games against the Panthers, but once those are over I hope someone stabs Marchand in the dick with a rusty knife

[pg1067]

So...it's Monday morning in the Wild West.

Colorado had a 3-1 lead against Anaheim early in the third period and choked it away.  As a result, Anaheim leapfrogged the Kings for third place in the Pacific Division by one point, with both teams having three games to play.  Thanks for nothing, Colorado (I still can't believe some Kings fans used to lobby for Jonathan Bernier over Jonathan Quick).

Notwithstanding, the Kings currently hold the first wild card spot by a point over Colorado and two points over St. Louis.   The Kings need to take care of business tonight against Colorado.  A win puts them back in third place.  A loss won't be the end of the world, but it will depend on what St. Louis does against Washington.  Go Caps!  St. Louis also has a tough three games in four nights to end the season, with the last game against Colorado possibly determining who's in and who's out.

[gmillerdrake]

the last game against Colorado possibly determining who's in and who's out.

I was hoping that StL would have taken care of business by then to where they wouldn't be forced to win AT Colorado to make it in. I just don't see that happening. Honestly, it wouldn't shock me to see them go 1-3 in these last four games. Tonight's game will tell the tale. If they can win against the Caps then that's some good momentum and gives them the tiniest of a breath. They lose tonight and it's butt pucker time and all but forces them to win out the final three games to get in.

[jingle.boy]

Now that the Caps have clinched the Metro, perhaps they might be letting out a sigh of relief, and play pretty flat.

[romdrums]

Kinda mad that the Red Wings have now decided they'd rather win games than improve their draft position. On one hand, it is nice seeing the young guys leading the charge on this win streak, but man, if they end up outside the top 10 in the draft, I'm going to be disappointed.

[gmillerdrake]

Now that the Caps have clinched the Metro, perhaps they might be letting out a sigh of relief, and play pretty flat.

I hope. Although, I suspect Ovechkin wants that (50) goal mark so I'm sure he'll pump in at least one tonight.

[Dittomist]

For a Blues fan, the past weekend was a fucking nightmare. Not only did they lose twice, but both the Ducks-Avalanche game and the Ducks-Kings game went to Overtime. If the Avalanche-Kings game also goes to overtime tonight, then I'll assume there's a conspiracy. Also, I hate knowing that those damn Blackhawks might be ending our season yet again. This week is going to be emotionally exhausting for sure

[gmillerdrake]

For a Blues fan, the past weekend was a fucking nightmare. Not only did they lose twice, but both the Ducks-Avalanche game and the Ducks-Kings game went to Overtime. If the Avalanche-Kings game also goes to overtime tonight, then I'll assume there's a conspiracy. Also, I hate knowing that those damn Blackhawks might be ending our season yet again. This week is going to be emotionally exhausting for sure

Yeah....this week is going to wreak havoc on the Blood Pressure        Would love to get the 2 pts tonight and be able to take the tiniest of breaths. An LA win over Colorado with a Blues win would ease things a bit as well given we still have a game in hand on them.

[KevShmev]

That got ugly fast. 

[gmillerdrake]

That got ugly fast. 

Nothing like watching your teams season slip away in real time.

[KevShmev]

Well, they got one back and are swarming again, so they aren't going down without a fight.

[gmillerdrake]

That’ll do it for the Blues season. Especially if Colorado wins tonight.

[Anguyen92]

For a Blues fan, the past weekend was a fucking nightmare. Not only did they lose twice, but both the Ducks-Avalanche game and the Ducks-Kings game went to Overtime. If the Avalanche-Kings game also goes to overtime tonight, then I'll assume there's a conspiracy. Also, I hate knowing that those damn Blackhawks might be ending our season yet again. This week is going to be emotionally exhausting for sure

That's a funny thing about that.  When I saw the scoreboard for Ducks/Avalanches at the end of the 2nd, yesterday, it was 3-1 Avs.  Then I saw the scoreboard about a few hours later, 4-3 Ducks in OT, I'm like "WTF?  Those guys are straight up colluding against the Kings.  Avs shouldn't deserve a point after that one."

Kings beat Avalanches in regulation a few minutes back, which is insanely great to see.  It gives you Blues fans some hope there, I think.  Now I really wished that the Avs lost in regulation yesterday.

[Dittomist]

Yes, it was definitely a relief to see the Avalanche lose in regulation for a change! The past few days have been soul-crushing for Blues fans, but I bet Avalanche fans are feeling even worse right now because they have to play the Sharks next, and the Blues have a game in hand. Talk about a crazy finish to this rollercoaster of a season! It could very well come down to the final game to determine which team advances, and if it goes into overtime, my nerves might force me to turn off the TV.

[jingle.boy]

Dear Canucks fans,

Earlier this year we wrote a letter to the city, and to everyone who has supported us for the past 18 years. Many people were asking what the future holds. We said we'd take it one year at a time. We said when the time was right, we'd talk with our families and sit down with management to discuss it.

We started the year with the mindset that a decision would be made in the postseason. But it became clear, after discussions with our families throughout the year, that this will be our last season. This feels right for all of us.

Being part of the Canucks family for 18 seasons has been the best period of our lives. But it's time to focus on our families and life after hockey. It's time to help with homework every night. It's time to be at every birthday party and to stand in the cold at every hockey rink, soccer game and riding lesson on weekends. It's time to be at home for dinner every night.

We're saying it now because we want to share these final three games with you. We also want to share these games with our families, friends, teammates, coaches, trainers, staff and everyone at the Canucks who have supported us. You've all been with us every step of the way, and we want to thank you.

It's time to let the next generation of young players lead the Canucks. Travis is building a strong culture and emphasizes a style of play we know will be successful. The team is in great hands, with people who care about its success and it's headed in the right direction. We know there is a bright future for the Canucks.

As we've said before, Vancouver has become home. This is our family's home. We plan to be part of this community long after we retire. Vancouver has given us so much and we've tried to give everything we have in return. That won't change.

In the meantime, we still have some games to play, and we still have some work to do.

Henrik and Daniel

End of an era.  I seriously doubt there'll never be a brother duo like these two ever again in my lifetime.

[King Postwhore]

You mean two pussies Chad?







Sorry, that was the Marchand in me speaking up.

[TAC]

Such a shame that here in the East, we just never saw enough of them. I wish the NHL, or NBC, would somehow give some of these Western teams some exposure.

I am so sick of seeing the Penguins, Rangers, and Blackhawks. Bring on the Canucks, the Jets, the Flames.

[King Postwhore]

I'm too old to stay up to see the western games.  I only get to see the highlights on the NHL Network.

[TAC]

Well, that's just it. I feel like the NHL never cashed in on the Sedins like they should have. If the Sedins played in an Eastern city, they would be such bigger stars. I mean they are stars, and first ballot HOFers, but I still feel they were ultimately undersold.

[King Postwhore]

That is the benefit that the west coast sport fans have over us.  They can see all the games.

[gmillerdrake]

It gives you Blues fans some hope there

     You used the word 'hope' in a sentence when speaking about the St. Louis Blues      The only thing they do with 'hope' is send it through a wood chipper then boil it in acid....not just any acid, but the acid that the Xenomorph's from ALIENS bleed.

Blues 1 pt behind Colorado with a game in hand. Play two against Chicago and final game of season is at Colorado. I guess best case is Blues Chicago twice and Colorado loses their next game.....that'd seal the deal. But, it's the Blues so I'm sure that Final game of the season will be a winner gets in game....of which something heartbreaking will happen

[mikeyd23]

Such a shame that here in the East, we just never saw enough of them. I wish the NHL, or NBC, would somehow give some of these Western teams some exposure.

I am so sick of seeing the Penguins, Rangers, and Blackhawks. Bring on the Canucks, the Jets, the Flames.

A lot of that has to do with the NHL making a bad deal to pretty much exclusively give national coverage in the states to NBC.

Looking at the NFL, they have deals with CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN. Same with MLB - they are on FOX, ABC, ESPN, TBS, etc... The NHL limited their nationally televised audience pretty dramatically by only contracting with one network group.

[TAC]

I've seen enough Capital/Flyers games to last forever.

Ironically, I'm in an Atlantic city, and all we get are Metro games.

[jingle.boy]

Such a shame that here in the East, we just never saw enough of them. I wish the NHL, or NBC, would somehow give some of these Western teams some exposure.

I am so sick of seeing the Penguins, Rangers, and Blackhawks. Bring on the Canucks, the Jets, the Flames.

A lot of that has to do with the NHL making a bad deal to pretty much exclusively give national coverage in the states to NBC.

Looking at the NFL, they have deals with CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN. Same with MLB - they are on FOX, ABC, ESPN, TBS, etc... The NHL limited their nationally televised audience pretty dramatically by only contracting with one network group.

The joys of being Canadian.  There's a consortium of networks that banded together a couple years ago to provide close to 100% coverage of all Canadian teams - and before that, Saturday provided full coast-to-coast coverage along with every Leafs and Canadiens game.  My only limiting factor nowadays is how long I can stay conscious.

[mikeyd23]

The joys of being Canadian.  There's a consortium of networks that banded together a couple years ago to provide close to 100% coverage of all Canadian teams - and before that, Saturday provided full coast-to-coast coverage along with every Leafs and Canadiens game.  My only limiting factor nowadays is how long I can stay conscious.

Yup, consider yourself lucky for sure! Outside of a regional sports network for the specific team in your area, we in the states are limited to whatever NBC wants to broadcast (which usually isn't much). The NHL really needs to get out of an exclusive agreement with NBC to spread the coverage around to a couple more network groups.

[TAC]

The NHL network also broadcasts games. I mean, there are opportunities to see Western Conference games, but it requires staying up way too late.

I get that NBC wants to show the Rangers, but how about Rangers/Jets as opposed to Rangers/Flyers.?

[Nick]

I've seen enough Capital/Flyers games to last forever.

How about Rangers/Jets as opposed to Rangers/Flyers?

Hater.

[TAC]

No offense!


Might be seeing a whole lotta Philly next week.

[mikeyd23]

The NHL network also broadcasts games. I mean, there are opportunities to see Western Conference games, but it requires staying up way too late.

I get that NBC wants to show the Rangers, but how about Rangers/Jets as opposed to Rangers/Flyers.?

For sure, but I'm talking about major network diversification.

That would be like saying you wanted to watch Sunday night football, but the game was on the NFL network instead of NBC. I'm sure a small fraction of the people that have access to NBC have access to the NFL network. The NHL would just be well served to be on a couple major national networks, that's all.

As to your other point about certain teams being shown more than others, I'm sure that just comes down to ratings.

[Nick]

No offense!


Might be seeing a whole lotta Philly next week.

Or might not, it's so up in the air right now. We have the easiest schedule to finish out of the teams running tight in the East, but anything can happen. We could play the Pens or Blue Jackets home or away, or start on the road against the Bruins, Lightning, or Capitals. Hell, I think we could still theoretically get 2/3 in the division with New Jersey and play them first round.