Pretty good, thanks. My predictions hold up pretty well, but this is such an interesting league! The best in the sporting world!
Never expected the coaching changes in Toronto, Vegas, Calgary, Dallas or Nashville. And the trade deadline will certainly throw things around.
Toronto looking decent without Babcock. Would you rather play Tampa than Boston in the first round?
Going into the season my money was layed on Vegas. Still hold them favourites to track down Vancouver, win the Pacific and go on a deep Playoff run.
Pittsburgh going much better than I expected, but Metro will be thight with 6 Playoff contenders. Maybe even 7. If Rangers trade the old Sweede and move forward with the two young Russian goaltenders, I believe they might push all the way. It certainly worked for Columbus, with two young goaltenders really stepping up after the Bobrovsky trade.
Good to see St. Louis going strong again. Dont understand why this still surprises some. And I personally have a soft spot for Ottawa, but that rebuild is so slow, and I am worried a Pageau trade slows it down even more.
I fear for the Leafs. Big chunk of the salary cap taken up on Matthews, Marner & Tavares - so getting decent defense was always going to be tough and not been helped by recent injuries to Reilly & Muzzin. The play offs are about good defense and at this point they are not even guaranteed a play off spot. Need to do something before trade deadline.
This is all being played out in front of a very expectant and impatient media/fan base. I think the success of the Raptors in the NBA has made things worse for the Leafs.
Bruins seem to be over their wobble, would love to see where they would be in the table if the games were only over 2 periods. Been awful in 3rd period and OT but put together a few wins since after the all star weekend.
Crying out for a 2nd line right winger and also a properly tough enforcer type as the boys have been pummelled recently, they thought it could be Brett Ritchie but after he recently shit out on the ice he’s been dropped to providence.
The ASB definitely came at the right time for the Bruins who were starting to look tired. The first coupleof games back they’ve looked much better. Certainly getting Ritchie and Backes out of there helps, but they do need some more size.
If Miller can come back, that adds size and a bit more intimidation on the D, but trading for a top 6 right wing is what they really need.
It is good to see the Battle of Alberta back on. I think most fans would rather see more Division games to get those rivalries really going. It’s hard to really hate a team you only see 3 time a year. Apart from the Canadiens, it’s really easy to hate them even if they are crap.
Bruins seem to be over their wobble, would love to see where they would be in the table if the games were only over 2 periods. Been awful in 3rd period and OT but put together a few wins since after the all star weekend.
Crying out for a 2nd line right winger and also a properly tough enforcer type as the boys have been pummelled recently, they thought it could be Brett Ritchie but after he recently shit out on the ice he’s been dropped to providence.
Anyone see the latest team added to the NHL? Say hello to the 32nd franchise:
Seattle Kraken
And their jersey
The renovation of the Climate Pledge Arena (formerly KeyArena) could also pave way for a return to Seattle for an NBA team, no doubt bringing back the iconic SuperSonics name
It was either that or Sockeyes. Think this is better - though the mockup someone did a few months back of what the jerseys could look like is better than what they've come up with.
Oh, its great fun! Really enjoyed the games last night: 9 goals in New York, 11 in Tampa. As well as Montreals win in Toronto. Not so much the Tavares injury. Scary stuff.
Hope we get some Game 7-series, so wouldnt mind Caps and NYI claw back to 2-2 with wins over Boston and Pittsburgh this weekend. Blues down 0-2 and short of defencemen (thank you, Kadri), but would really like to see them to pull one back against Colorado.
Anyone watching the playoffs? There have been some cracking games so far.
Yeah - scary injury for Tavares the other night 😬
Pens doing well to come back from losing game 1 - especially with both game 2 & 3 being close - Islanders started to goon it up in the 3rd yesterday and the Pens got involved a bit too much with it, which played into their hands. Picking up Carter at the deadline was a bit of genius by the Pens front office
Some scary talent on show in the West this year - the Avs look frightening (McKinnon is on an absolute rampage) and expect the Oilers to go deep too - even though they got beat in the first game
Oilers disappointing in the opener - hopefully McDavid and Draisaitl start firing tonight. McDavid is on a different level this year so if the Oilers can't make some headway this season they likely never will.
Oilers disappointing in the opener - hopefully McDavid and Draisaitl start firing tonight. McDavid is on a different level this year so if the Oilers can't make some headway this season they likely never will.
Oilers disappointing in the opener - hopefully McDavid and Draisaitl start firing tonight. McDavid is on a different level this year so if the Oilers can't make some headway this season they likely never will.
Can't solve the Jets, can they? 😬
Defences well on top in this series and the Jets are doing a great job on the Oilers so far. If last night’s game was a Football match I’d describe it as a scrappy affair and it was as close as you can get in hockey to a smash and grab win. I just sensed that sucker punch goal was coming. Big job on now.
I dunno - McDavid doesn't seem like the sort of man to throw his toys out the pram. I think the Oilers are building - but they haven't got the mix right yet. Think they need to get meaner and bigger. Also, the playoffs often seem to result in the best players cancelling each other out - which means the supporting cast needs to up their game. The Oilers supporting cast ain't exactly great...
Yeah, that is the Oiler's problem for sure. They have two Rolls Royce in the in garage, but too many third hand Ford Escorts. They’re like Arsenal under Wenger, capable of the odd bit of brilliance but just lacking something fundamental to deliver really consistently. I’m mean, it’s hardly like the Jets have walked all over them, all three have been tight games but last night some old problems resurfaced - primarily a soft under belly. They are building but they’ve been building for a decade or more. I don’t see McDavid giving up, he is pretty singularly focussed but needs a few more teammates to be the same way, and everyone only has so much patience. He has the chance to put his name up there with the likes of Crosby and Gretzky but he ain’t going to do that in this current Oilers team.
The salary cap makes it hard to build a solid team if you pay the top players high wages. The money The Oilers and the Leafs (and to a lesser extent the Sabres) have given their top guys inevitably means it’s hard to fill out the lower lines with effective players. Unless you have a steady flow of good young talent, you’re always hoping a player comes good.
I don’t care how good McDavid is, $12.5m is too much in a capped league like this, although it’s not as ridiculous as the Leafs spending half their Cap on 4 forwards.
I think the Leafs have benefitted tis year by having Spezza, Simmons and Thornton all agreeing to play for League minimum. This will be our best chance this year because of that.
I think lots of teams were expecting the cap to go up and then COVID hit which meant it stayed the same.
In other news, the Jets sweep the Oilers. Really didn't see that coming, but I guess they've all been tight games, fine margins and all that.
Leafs beat the Habs to go 2-1 up with the second half of a back to back tonight.
Very disappointing end for the Oilers, but it was already pretty much over before last nights marathon. I think I read somewhere that a team as been 3-0 after 3 games in a playoff series 197 time (I guess 198 now) and they've only come back to win 4-3 on 4 occasions so the odds were massively stacked against them progressing once they lost game 3. 3 of the 4 went to over time and triple overtime in the case of last night, and in each one they had a chance to win it which shows they aren't miles away, but hopefully this will prompt the management to take a really long hard look at where the flaws are and correct them.
Pens on the brink (again). This is the last chance saloon now - go out in the first round again and whatever's left of a cup challenging team around Crosby will be dismantled in favour of a rebuild. Suspect Malkin will be traded (though not sure who would pick up his salary), and Letang and Guentzel will probably follow. Getting rid of Zucker to free up cap space would be a big win - he's been useless, considering he was brought in as a foil for Malkin (who, admittedly, looks like time and injuries have caught up with him).
Thing is, Sullivan has actually been pretty good at getting a misfiring group of players to find a way to win games. But I suspect he'll carry the can for it if they get pumped in round one again.
I didn’t buy a Game 7 ticket for the Bruins in the next round as I was sure the Pens would get through, making Game 7 in Pittsburgh. Fortunately, as they’ve lifted COVID restrictions they just opened up the rest of the tix, so I’m good to go if it gets that far and the Isles get through.
Leafs win 4-0 and go 3-1 up. Hope we can close it out home in Toronto on Thursday night. Nylander has been a beast, but special mention to Jack Campbell. What a surprise he’s been. When Freddy got injured and lost form I really thought Goaltending would cost us this season, but Jack has been immense.
I feel @WelshAddick might be on to something though, I think Colorado or Vegas will be the team to beat. The Avs probably just shade it for me, MacKinnan is in unreal form, he could be the difference.
Campbell's form will impact the decision re: Freddie Andersen and his contract situation. I believe Freddie is a UFA at end of this season. His current cap hit is $5M and with Hyman's contract also up, the Leafs need some wiggle room with salary cap. Sadly, it looks like Freddie is on his way out.
Comments
Never expected the coaching changes in Toronto, Vegas, Calgary, Dallas or Nashville. And the trade deadline will certainly throw things around.
Toronto looking decent without Babcock. Would you rather play Tampa than Boston in the first round?
Going into the season my money was layed on Vegas. Still hold them favourites to track down Vancouver, win the Pacific and go on a deep Playoff run.
Pittsburgh going much better than I expected, but Metro will be thight with 6 Playoff contenders. Maybe even 7. If Rangers trade the old Sweede and move forward with the two young Russian goaltenders, I believe they might push all the way. It certainly worked for Columbus, with two young goaltenders really stepping up after the Bobrovsky trade.
Good to see St. Louis going strong again. Dont understand why this still surprises some. And I personally have a soft spot for Ottawa, but that rebuild is so slow, and I am worried a Pageau trade slows it down even more.
This is all being played out in front of a very expectant and impatient media/fan base. I think the success of the Raptors in the NBA has made things worse for the Leafs.
Seattle Kraken
And their jersey
The renovation of the Climate Pledge Arena (formerly KeyArena) could also pave way for a return to Seattle for an NBA team, no doubt bringing back the iconic SuperSonics name
Looking forward to the 'play ins'
Hope we get some Game 7-series, so wouldnt mind Caps and NYI claw back to 2-2 with wins over Boston and Pittsburgh this weekend. Blues down 0-2 and short of defencemen (thank you, Kadri), but would really like to see them to pull one back against Colorado.
Pens doing well to come back from losing game 1 - especially with both game 2 & 3 being close - Islanders started to goon it up in the 3rd yesterday and the Pens got involved a bit too much with it, which played into their hands. Picking up Carter at the deadline was a bit of genius by the Pens front office
Some scary talent on show in the West this year - the Avs look frightening (McKinnon is on an absolute rampage) and expect the Oilers to go deep too - even though they got beat in the first game
I think lots of teams were expecting the cap to go up and then COVID hit which meant it stayed the same.
In other news, the Jets sweep the Oilers. Really didn't see that coming, but I guess they've all been tight games, fine margins and all that.
Leafs beat the Habs to go 2-1 up with the second half of a back to back tonight.
Thing is, Sullivan has actually been pretty good at getting a misfiring group of players to find a way to win games. But I suspect he'll carry the can for it if they get pumped in round one again.
I feel @WelshAddick might be on to something though, I think Colorado or Vegas will be the team to beat. The Avs probably just shade it for me, MacKinnan is in unreal form, he could be the difference.
I just bloody love the Playoffs!