NHL (2021-2022) v. Congrats Avs. Jack Johnson is a Stanley Cup Champion.

[TheCountOfNYC]

In the meantime, Binnington has looked great his last few starts, so hopefully he is turning it around to where both he and Husso can be great options come playoff time.  Goalies can be so darn fragile.

The Rangers are currently dealing with this fragility. While Shesterkin is currently the Vezina favorite, Georgiev has been a liability in net far more than he’s been an asset, a far cry from being one of the best backups in the league like he was a few years ago. The Rangers are one Shesterkin injury away from being absolutely screwed, and that’s scary.

[Anguyen92]

So, I rather not want to talk about today's Kings/Bruins game.  Sucks that a five game winning streak ends this way.  Yeah......

[King Postwhore]

Seems like Marchand being back has sparked the team. DeBrusk he played well on the 1st line.

[jingle.boy]

Solid W by the Leafs last night.  Their dreaded 3-1 lead slipped away, but they iced it with a good 3rd period.  Tavares is in an 11-game (or something like that) goalless slump, but was otherwise terrific with 2 very nice helpers.  Commentary on the game highlighted that Ovi has 7 EN goals this year - most in the league!  Matthews??  One.  Guess Laviolette is doing his part to help Ovi break Gretz's record  .  I don't think many people would peg Ovi as a go-to 'shut-down' guy in the last minute of play with a 1-goal lead.  Though, he is 2nd all-time behind Gretz in EN goals.  I'd be curious to know how many of them were with a 1-goal lead vs 2-goal lead. 

Also, until last night, the Leafs were the only team not to give up a SHG.  Their (#1 ranked) PP has been dreadful the last few games - 0-for-4 last night, with only 1 SOG.

[pg1067]

So, I rather not want to talk about today's Kings/Bruins game.  Sucks that a five game winning streak ends this way.  Yeah......

Yeesh...that game was over before it started.  The less said the better.

[jingle.boy]

Another regular time loss to a shit-kicker team.  RT losses to Montreal, Buffalo, and Phoenix a few weeks back are going to haunt this team.  At best, they could/should be in 1st in the Atlantic if they take 4, 5, or 6 of those points.  At worst, if Campbell and/or Mrazek don't get their heads out of their asses, they might find the Bruins catching them - and end up in a WC spot facing (likely) the 'Canes.

Fuck this team is frustrating.

[jammindude]

I was just noticing that we might the 3rd worst team in the league, but we’re only 3-4 points behind the Flyers, Devils, Senators, and Sabres. So if we suddenly got hot…

 

It’s the little things when you’re a cellar dweller.

[King Postwhore]

Another regular time loss to a shit-kicker team.  RT losses to Montreal, Buffalo, and Phoenix a few weeks back are going to haunt this team.  At best, they could/should be in 1st in the Atlantic if they take 4, 5, or 6 of those points.  At worst, if Campbell and/or Mrazek don't get their heads out of their asses, they might find the Bruins catching them - and end up in a WC spot facing (likely) the 'Canes.

Fuck this team is frustrating.

B's won 5-2 ar the Golden Knights last night. They are on a roll.

[jingle.boy]

Jesus... Coyotes beating the Avs in regular time, and finish 2-1-1 against Colorado this season.  Wow.  That goalie can get very hot - he's the kid that stonewalled the Leafs to a 2-1 win at the beginning of Jan.

[jingle.boy]

Man, that Pacific division looks gnarly.  Knights are now in 4th??  And 5 points separates 2nd from 6th

As opposed to the Atlantic and Metro, where the Top 4 are all but a lock - Bruins are 16 up on the Wings; Caps are 10 up on the Jackets.

Leafs have a stretch of 6 games against teams with not great records.  They better take 8+ points out of this run.  If not, it's gonna get interesting with Boston only 4 points in their rear view atm.

[King Postwhore]

Tough anyway to look at it Chad.  Top 3 teams are really playing well.  No on wants to play the Canes, Bolts or Panthers right now.

[TAC]

The Panthers don’t scare me come playoff time. Tampa will win the division.

[King Postwhore]

The Panthers don’t scare me come playoff time. Tampa will win the division.

They are really playing well though.  But then again, hockey playoffs are hard to figure out sometimes.

[pg1067]

I was just noticing that we might the 3rd worst team in the league, but we’re only 3-4 points behind the Flyers, Devils, Senators, and Sabres. So if we suddenly got hot…

...your draft lottery position will worsen.   

Man, that Pacific division looks gnarly.  Knights are now in 4th??  And 5 points separates 2nd from 6th

Yeah...it's crazy.  I'm encouraged that, despite playing like complete ass the last two games, the Kings are still in second place.  AND all of the contending Pacific Division teams except Calgary have played the same number of games as, or one more game than, the Kings.  Calgary probably has the division in the bag, but if you had told me at the start of the season that, with 17 games remaining, the Kings had a great chance to take second place in the division and an outside chance at first place, I'd have been elated.  Keep in mind that this is a team that, in its 54 seasons played, has only won the division ONCE.

The east is weird.  Has there ever been a season like this where the playoff teams are basically set this early, with just the positions to play out?

[King Postwhore]

Feels like that pg.  The gap between 8 and 9 would have to be a catastrophic demise for a team to sneak into the playoffs. 

[Anguyen92]

Another thing to note, if the Golden Knights continue this skid they are in, the Stars has two games on hand on them.  They could actually fall out, which no one could ever thought that is a possibility.  A lot of middling teams in the West are really wedged in those positions.  Whose going to play the best in those roughly 30 games is anyone's guest at this point.

[jingle.boy]

Caps have a new policy for fans in Capital One arena:



"No Ukraine/Russia signs"

Stay classy Washington.

[SchecterShredder]

I'm wondering if this attention is really starting to get to Ovi, so they wanted to put something in place to shield him? Either way, shitty, shitty move from ownership.

Any context to that picture? It sounds like it applies to the arena itself, so is this something that whomever actually owns and operates the arena is decreeing? I don't even know who else plays in that arena. Wizards?

[Anguyen92]

Things are getting ugly in that front.  I have read articles that mentions something about agents, that has Russian NHL players as their clients, stating that their clients are being given random threats or something.  All I can say is I hope for the best for everyone and people can enjoy the game without any BS, but it's probably not going to be the case.

[Nick]

I see two things a lot on social media when it comes to Russian players.

1. They aren't individually responsible for what's going on.
2. Their families could be in danger if they speak out.

Both are very true statements.

But here's the thing. Millions of Ukrainians are being put in danger every day, many are dying or having their lives destroyed.  Russian hockey stars tend to be well revered in Russia, and have influence there. Either they are using that power to help or they are not, and frankly at this point I don't give two shits about their difficult position.

I definitely do not think any and every Russian should be discriminated against or treated poorly in any way, but these stars are not just run of the mill people, they can, even if it's ever so slightly, move the needle towards peace, and if they aren't doing that then frankly I give them and their situation no sympathy.

[Anguyen92]

Well, after blowing a 3-1 lead against the Stars, the Kings made it up by coming back from 3-1 against the Blue Jackets to win it in OT.  They almost lost the game in OT, but the offside rule bailed them out.  Arvidsson with the hat trick.  Him and Phillip Danault has been huge difference makers this season.  Them and Trevor Moore has made an excellent 2nd line that's been rolling well in the last two months.

[TAC]

Well, after blowing a 3-1 lead against the Stars, the Kings made it up by coming back from 3-1 against the Blue Jackets to win it in OT.  Arvidsson with the hat trick.  Him and Phillip Danault has been huge difference makers this season.  Them and Trevor Moore has made an excellent 2nd line that's been rolling well in the last two months.

Interesting watching some of the game as the Bruins will be in Columbus tomorrow night, and they host the Kings on Monday.

[TAC]

Classy for the B's to put the "A" on Nick Foligno for his return to Columbus tonight, and to take part in the ceremonial puck drop.

[Anguyen92]

Well, missed the entire game due to work-related stuff. I was ready to accept a 2-1 loss against the Bs thinking "At least, the Kings didn't get crushed 7-0 like last week," but nope.  Thousand Oaks, CA native Trevor Moore (who they got from the Jack Campbell trade a few years back, so that trade isn't becoming as lopsided as one would think) managed to tie the game with like 30 seconds to go and then the Kings went on to win in OT.  This feels like such a dream at the moment.

Well, onto going to play the Sharks for the next two games.  The Sharks have lost a couple in their last stretch, so I'm sure they will be in a pissy mood and try to clown the Kings like they did in the last time they faced off (in which Timo Meier scored five goals that game).  The Kings just got to clown them back on the scoresheet like they used to in the glory days.

[SchecterShredder]

Well, the Oil are in trouble. Big, big trouble. They're quickly falling (further) behind in the playoff race, the big guns aren't firing, goal tending is a joke (see every single Mike Smith start in 2022), and almost no sign of turning things around. It's going to be interesting as the trade deadline approaches. Some of the angrier fans in town are actually suggesting the Oilers should be in a selling position. The case being made is that a player like Evander Kane could fetch a reasonable return, as he's very much looking like a $7M player on a $2M contract that expires this year. The more level headed fanbase is still hoping they can make a push for the playoffs, but as the magic 8-ball says: outlook not so good.

[jingle.boy]

Knights (on paper) have a lock.  Oil should have a lock too... but if the Canucks and Flames get their shit together, and the Kraken gel out of the gate (including Grubauer playing like a Top 5 goalie), things could get dicey - especially if Smith plays like most 40-year olds do, and Koskinen plays like Koskinen.

I'd be nervous if I'm an Oil fan.

AND

For fuck's sake! I saw an Edmonton journal headline this morning about the oil's success being on the shoulders of Smith and Koskinen, but i didn't bother reading the article.

So you're saying a wildcard spot would be a successful season!  Damn dude, I feel for you.  I really do.

Seems I wasn't far off - though who would've predicted the Kings and Ducks that would be making things difficult/complicated for the Knights/Oil!!?!?  Though, Vancouver is only 2 behind the Oil.

So sorry for you guys, Rich.  Seriously.  What that organization has done to cluster fuck themselves for the last 12 years is astonishing.  I mean, who in their right mind could possibly think that Smith/Koskinen was the tandem to bank on?

[SchecterShredder]

It's truly painful, and we're fast burning through the McDavid Draisaitl window. I have serious doubts McDavid is resigning here. He's always made it clear he wanted to be closer to Toronto, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him sign in either TO or Buffalo once this deal expires. Holland hasn't exactly done much with this team to make them better, so we're past blaming this solely on Chiarelli's ineptitude. At some point Holland has to be accountable, and that might be this off season if the Oil miss the playoffs.

[pg1067]

Well, missed the entire game due to work-related stuff. I was ready to accept a 2-1 loss against the Bs thinking "At least, the Kings didn't get crushed 7-0 like last week," but nope.  Thousand Oaks, CA native Trevor Moore (who they got from the Jack Campbell trade a few years back, so that trade isn't becoming as lopsided as one would think) managed to tie the game with like 30 seconds to go and then the Kings went on to win in OT.  This feels like such a dream at the moment.

Well, onto going to play the Sharks for the next two games.  The Sharks have lost a couple in their last stretch, so I'm sure they will be in a pissy mood and try to clown the Kings like they did in the last time they faced off (in which Timo Meier scored five goals that game).  The Kings just got to clown them back on the scoresheet like they used to in the glory days.

I got home and, after doing a couple things, remembered that the game was on.  I turned it on with about 4 minutes left.  That was pretty damn epic and, I think, a lot more representative of the two teams relative to each other than the 7-0 game.

For a brief moment, the Kings were only 2 points behind the Flames, but then they beat Edmonton...and they still have 3 games in hand on the Kings.  Things are way too close for comfort and any team (other than the Flames) that falters for a few games is going to find itself outside looking in PDQ.  Calgary at Colorado on Sunday should be a good litmus test for the top 2 teams in the West.

[jingle.boy]

It's truly painful, and we're fast burning through the McDavid Draisaitl window. I have serious doubts McDavid is resigning here. He's always made it clear he wanted to be closer to Toronto, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him sign in either TO or Buffalo once this deal expires. Holland hasn't exactly done much with this team to make them better, so we're past blaming this solely on Chiarelli's ineptitude. At some point Holland has to be accountable, and that might be this off season if the Oil miss the playoffs.

While I agree that McDavid would be wise to cut bait and bolt from a team that seemingly couldn't do a worse job of building a team around him, and while a combination of him with Marner or Matthews might give most Toronto fans a raging stiffy, I don't see how to make that work against the cap given the following expirations:

'25: Matthews/Nylander - $18M
'26: Marner/Tavares - $22M; Draisatl - $8.5M
'27: McDavid - $12.5M

What do the Leafs do to get McDavid.  They'd have to free up at least 2 of those salaries to afford him, and what do you replace Tavares with to keep them competitive in '26-27?  The chances of retaining Matthews look better and better the more of a joke the Coyotes organization becomes.  But, if AZ were to get Connor Bedard next year, I can see Matthews pulling a 'Tavares'.  That'd be a pretty sweet pair to build a team around.

[Anguyen92]

The fans that have stuck around with the Coyotes (and I'm in a hockey Discord channel that has like 10k people in it, and there's quite a few of them out there.  Very vocal as well) during the team's off-ice business turmoil, deserve a lot better than being reduced to watch in a building that only holds up to 5,000 people.  Hopefully, things turn around with them nabbing a top 2 pick in this year's draft, next year's draft, uses a buttload of picks they got in trades well, secure a new arena building and is able to stay there for a substantial amount of time, and maybe, just maybe, hockey can work in Arizona markets on a bigger scale.

[jingle.boy]

The fans that have stuck around with the Coyotes (and I'm in a hockey Discord channel that has like 10k people in it, and there's quite a few of them out there.  Very vocal as well) during the team's off-ice business turmoil, deserve a lot better than being reduced to watch in a building that only holds up to 5,000 people.  Hopefully, things turn around with them nabbing a top 2 pick in this year's draft, next year's draft, uses a buttload of picks they got in trades well, secure a new arena building and is able to stay there for a substantial amount of time, and maybe, just maybe, hockey can work in Arizona markets on a bigger scale.

Maybe.  Or Bettman could move it to Houston that has a willing and committed ownership group, city, and raving fan opportunity.  I don't get why he's so stuck on forcing it to work in a market that has never shown any sustained ability to keep it going.

[Anguyen92]

I mean moving to Houston would be another good option (probably should have been the best option rather than going with moving the Coyotes into a smaller building), but Bettman seems hell-bent on wanting to save the Coyotes in Arizona no matter what, at all costs.  I mean the TV market should be great there, but no one really wants to see a team that has not shown any signs of forward stability recently.

[jingle.boy]

I mean moving to Houston would be another good option (probably should have been the best option rather than going with moving the Coyotes into a smaller building), but Bettman seems hell-bent on wanting to save the Coyotes in Arizona no matter what, at all costs.  I mean the TV market should be great there, but no one really wants to see a team that has not shown any signs of forward stability recently.

And by "recently" you mean, "ever".  Ok, ok... they had 3 good years out of 24.

[Anguyen92]

I just trying to be nice and hopeful for the area.  I know that it's been pretty garbage there.  But if areas like Vegas, Nashville, two Florida cities, Dallas, Carolina, etc. works.  I mean there should be no reason that it shouldn't work with stable management, but it hasn't and Bettman is a moron for pursuing it at a sunk cost.

[jingle.boy]

I just trying to be nice and hopeful for the area.  I know that it's been pretty garbage there.  But if areas like Vegas, Nashville, two Florida cities, Dallas, Carolina, etc. works.  I mean there should be no reason that it shouldn't work with stable management, but it hasn't and Bettman is a moron for pursuing it at a sunk cost.

I mean, in 16 years as the Jets, the franchise won 2 playoff series - but they had the bad fortune of being in the Smythe in the 80s.

In 24 years as the Coyotes, they've won 2 playoff series - both in the same year, making it to the conference finals when Mike Smith was actually a good goalie (sorry, Rich).