No Olympic break this time around (boooooo!)
but still plenty of interesting pucks to look forward to
Dellow covers hockey analytics
https://theathletic.com/119073/2017/10/05/dellow-16-questions-about-the-eastern-conference/
Quote14. Is Scott Darling the solution? Carolina was my darkhorse pick to win the Stanley Cup, so I guess my answer here is "He better be." Even just getting an average save percentage would be a godsend for the Hurricanes. Carolina was 20th in the NHL last year in save percentage on the PK. Despite this, they gave up the sixth fewest goals per 60 minutes of penalty kill time because they were so good at preventing the other team from shooting.
They finished 29th in the NHL in 5-on-5 save percentage. League average would knock out another 20+ 5-on-5 goals. It's a strange thing to say, because bad goaltending is soul destroying for a hockey team but if you're going to have a problem, a goaltending problem like Carolina's is the kind of problem to have. If you can find a solution, your team can rocket up the standings or through the playoffs — just ask the 2005-06 Edmonton Oilers (an example with which Hurricanes fans will be familiar as to what happens when a team loses a goalie who had lifted an otherwise fine team to a great run), the 2007-08 Washington Capitals or the 2010-11 Tampa Bay Lightning. All teams with a lot of good things going on that bolted a goalie on to the operation and exploded. Darling's history suggests that there's a pretty reasonable chance he can do that.
looking back on this, the answer on Scott Darling is "no"
LOL. Yeah, he has not exactly panned out...
HOCKEY IN SEATTLE BABY!!!!!
A remarkable thread
(Click thru to read it all)
https://mobile.twitter.com/SlavaMalamud/status/971595788315918336
Here's your totally-awesome-hockey-story of the season
http://www.espn.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400962799
Damn. Pens thumped the Flyers last night 7-0. Sidney Crosby had 3 goals. Dude is a machine.
Watched the avalanche get thumped last night by the predators, but I'm pulling for Winnipeg this postseason.
First period of Bruins/Maple Leafs game 6 was insane.
Uh oh looks likes Mirth is about to be all Red Sox all the time with the Bruins not looking good in must win game.
Ugh. That hurt. Still hate baseball.
The worst Stanley Cup ever is possibly shaping up. Los Vegas against Tampa Bay. Not a mm of naturally occurring ice between the two locations.
Quote from: Bison on May 07, 2018, 06:41:11 AM
The worst Stanley Cup ever is possibly shaping up. Los Vegas against Tampa Bay. Not a mm of naturally occurring ice between the two locations.
It's not like the Canadian teams didn't have a chance at being better this year. They just suck worse than any of them want to admit
The Bruins sucked in that series against Tampa. Defense was slooooooooow and way too many turnovers.
The Bruins definitely had some defense issues in the series.
Holy crap! A Canadian team just made it to the conference finals!
Quote from: mirth on May 11, 2018, 09:47:55 AM
Holy crap! A Canadian team just made it to the conference finals!
Yeah, our Western conf options are a Canadian team that are refugees from Atlanta, or a brand new expansion team in a city that no one is from...
And on the Eastern side, we've got a Russian who can't ever win anything against a Sun Belt team of Scandinavians and Canadians based in God's waiting room.
Good times, hockey!
Can you imagine the disaster of a TV rating that Tampa v Winnipeg is going to get?
It won't be a ratings disaster up here... would be if Tampa and Vegas are the final two... :buck2:
It's still better than watching baseball.
Vegas in the final we'll get some casual viewers just for the novelty of the expansion team going for the Stanley Cup. The Capitals will give you hours just to see if Ovechkin can finally win. But even people from Tampa Bay don't care about Tampa Bay, and no one cares about Winnipeg
Quote from: mirth on May 11, 2018, 10:04:52 AM
It's still better than watching baseball.
:bd:
Quote from: bayonetbrant on May 11, 2018, 10:05:20 AM
.... and no one cares about Winnipeg
All of Canada does right now....
I'd rather watch Winnipeg than a hockey team from Vegas.
Jets! Jets! Jets!
I'm all in for whoever comes out of the West. They're both fast and fun to watch.
Well another year to add on to the drought of a Canadian team winning the cup.
Stupid Vegas.
And Go Caps!
Vegas vs Tampa - the series no one will watch
or
Vegas vs DC - "Will Ovechkin ever go home from Vegas?"
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/22/vegas-golden-knights-stanley-cup-nhl-success-reasons (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/may/22/vegas-golden-knights-stanley-cup-nhl-success-reasons)
GO CAPS!!!
Yes, yes they did go
And let's all wait for the inevitable Russian Collusion jokes as all of DC cheers like mad for Ovechkin for the next 10 days.
Screw Ovechkin. Go Vegas!
Quote from: Arctic Blast on May 24, 2018, 08:26:30 PM
Screw Ovechkin. Go Vegas!
Good grief! How could you possibly cheer for the stupidest place for a hockey team?!? #:-)
And yer Canadian! #:-)
Quote from: Barthheart on May 24, 2018, 08:29:47 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on May 24, 2018, 08:26:30 PM
Screw Ovechkin. Go Vegas!
Good grief! How could you possibly cheer for the stupidest place for a hockey team?!? #:-)
And yer Canadian! #:-)
I cannot cheer for the Washington Capitals to finally get it done and win after decades of crapping all over themselves. It will trigger the end of the Earth itself!
Quote from: Arctic Blast on May 24, 2018, 08:31:17 PM
Quote from: Barthheart on May 24, 2018, 08:29:47 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on May 24, 2018, 08:26:30 PM
Screw Ovechkin. Go Vegas!
Good grief! How could you possibly cheer for the stupidest place for a hockey team?!? #:-)
And yer Canadian! #:-)
I cannot cheer for the Washington Capitals to finally get it done and win after decades of crapping all over themselves. It will trigger the end of the Earth itself!
We're doomed either way..... :buck2:
Quote from: Barthheart on May 24, 2018, 08:34:16 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on May 24, 2018, 08:31:17 PM
Quote from: Barthheart on May 24, 2018, 08:29:47 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on May 24, 2018, 08:26:30 PM
Screw Ovechkin. Go Vegas!
Good grief! How could you possibly cheer for the stupidest place for a hockey team?!? #:-)
And yer Canadian! #:-)
I cannot cheer for the Washington Capitals to finally get it done and win after decades of crapping all over themselves. It will trigger the end of the Earth itself!
We're doomed either way..... :buck2:
Barth knows...
Quote from: Barthheart on May 24, 2018, 08:34:16 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on May 24, 2018, 08:31:17 PM
Quote from: Barthheart on May 24, 2018, 08:29:47 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on May 24, 2018, 08:26:30 PM
Screw Ovechkin. Go Vegas!
Good grief! How could you possibly cheer for the stupidest place for a hockey team?!? #:-)
And yer Canadian! #:-)
I cannot cheer for the Washington Capitals to finally get it done and win after decades of crapping all over themselves. It will trigger the end of the Earth itself!
We're doomed either way..... :buck2:
Probably.
But I also really can't stand Ovechkin, and wish he'd go back home and hang out with his good buddy Putin for the rest of his career.
GO CAPS!!!
And take the Redskins with you!
More Russian collusion in DC
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/sports/stanley-cup-washington-capitals-vegas-golden-knights.html
At least stupid Vegas didn't win :P
Yep, I'm sure someone is going to freak out about Trump inviting a Russian to the White House ;D
The Caps win. Clearly, Armageddon will commence any moment now.
Every WaPo cover from every Washington sports title (spoiler: there's only 8)
click thru to see them all
https://twitter.com/PostSports/status/1005129310154428416
Love the one w/ in mid WW2
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/emotional-oshie-overcome-joy-following-stanley-cup-win/
Here's something no one was expecting
https://twitter.com/airandspace/status/1006511760453570563
that's pretty awesome though
(and let's all spare a chuckle for the fact that they're doing it while Trump is out of town :) )
https://theathletic.com/401952/2018/06/21/what-nhl-teams-considering-signing-slava-voynov-should-know/
Man I hope no one signs this guy
I hope Bettman doesn't let him back into the League.
That dick should be run over with a truck.... >:(
Quote from: Barthheart on June 25, 2018, 11:56:57 AM
That dick should be run over with a truck.... >:(
No argument there
Yep, he's pond scum. But he's scum who can play defense, so he'll get a new deal somewhere.
Meanwhile, I'll enjoy watching the Islanders and Canadiens crap all over themselves as they attempt to build a team, or whatever the Hell they call whatever it is that they're doing this offseason.