NHL 2014-2015

[Speedy Cerviche]

Also hilarious; without Price and Subban? Advanced stats show Montreal would be a negative corsi and fenwick team.. to the rough degree of Ottawa. Basically two players are able to make a non-playoff team into one of the best teams in the East.

Oil fans obsession with the east conf is really weird, I guess that record is something optimistic to latch onto but it's meaningless. The Habs have a brutal record overall vs non playoff teams, they'd be in pres trophy otherwise. There's preparation issues where they don't show up against bad teams, or in the 1st period, it's kind of weird really. Also not many teams would be great without their stars so I don't get your point really. And yeah they aren't a big possession team, but they have really figured out a way to leverage their speed and good breakout passing into a dangerous counter attacking weapon that has been very effective. Add in a disciplined, tight defensive structure backed by price and they're winning lots of hockey games against good teams.

[Strazos]

Also, the Flyers beat the Preds (ok, in a shootout, still counts), so take that Western Conference.

[Ginaz]

Also, the Flyers beat the Preds (ok, in a shootout, still counts), so take that Western Conference.

Oilers have a winning record against the east.

[Ginaz]

Looks like Patrick Kane is out for ...12 weeks.  To me it looks like an attempted dive gone wrong because there's no way that little cross check should have had the result it did.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/patrick-kane-out-of-blackhawks-lineup-12-weeks-1.2971053

And the Kings got the veteran 2-way D man they needed.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/andrej-sekera-acquired-by-kings-1.2972789

[Speedy Cerviche]

brutal for the hawks...

[Bunk]

Brutal for the City. Happened pretty much the same day the Bulls lost Rose again.

[Phildo]

The real tragedy here is that Kane just sunk both of my fantasy teams.  Dick.

[Ceryse]

The Kane issue is hilarious; mainly due to the fans/media crying for a suspension. If you watch the replay closely, you can see that the problem wasn't the common and relatively gentle cross-check to the hip, but that Kane's left skate slipped/skid instead of biting into the ice when he put his weight onto it. Accidental, imo, and, yeah.. a huge blow to the team, but I don't see it as the end of the world for the Hawks as I've seen some calling it. As good as Kane is.. he's one guy on a team as good as the Hawks.. and his name isn't Toews.

Also, Speedy, OIler fans don't have an unusual obsession with the eastern conference. Most fans of western conference teams follow the east with the same eye of; 'my god they suck, we'd be..', as the western conference is wildly regarded as the "real" conference by both fans and media (and more than a couple players.. there's been a few UFA signings that have mentioned not wanting to play in the west because it's a harder conference). What brought it to a boil instead of just something you talked about occassionally, however, was after the realignment you started to see eastern conference-based players/management and media call for a change in playoff format (drop the west down to 7 playoff spots and increase the east to 9) because more teams meant it would be harder to make the playoffs in the east, and easier in the west. Which was bullshit and everyone knew it.

As for the reason why Oiler fans constantly talk about it? Simple; when even the Edmonton Oilers (regarded as a joke franchise) have had a 0.600+ record against the East over the last eight years it's a talking point.. and it isn't as if Oiler fans have much else to talk about between slaggings of our management group for being incompetent. That and in Alberta it is a normal past-time to take anything remotely capable of mocking the Eastern part of the country and beating it like a dead horse (which amusingly enough, stems from two sources.. and neither is suited for a sports thread).

[Ginaz]

Surprised no one has talked about the Toronto/Columbus trade.  Both GM's should be fired for signing Clarkson and Horton to such huge, long term contracts.  Horton was already injured when he signed and Columbus failed to insure his contract while Clarkson has never scored even 50 points in a season.  I can't believe some media people are praising Toronto GM Dave Nonis for making this deal.  As one person put it today, thats like congratulating the guy who crashed your car for calling the tow truck.  The Leafs are basically eating around $25 million in salary because Horton will never play again.  He might even have a hard time just walking.  I feel bad for the guy because I'm sure he'd rather be playing and earning that money on the ice rather than sitting at home struggling to get out of bed with a bad back.

[Speedy Cerviche]

Your boy Petry didn't go for much, guess he wasn't valued as high by GMs. Although Marc Bergevin is has been pretty good at working deadline deals.

[Ceryse]

Your boy Petry didn't go for much, guess he wasn't valued as high by GMs. Although Marc Bergevin is has been pretty good at working deadline deals.

I knew he wasn't going to fetch much, despite how good he is. He's a top 3 D-man on most teams just hitting his prime, but because he was an Oiler, and our top d-man his rep wasn't that good (even though he was performing miracles having to drag the Ference boat-anchor around and still managing decent advanced stats). Also, of course MacT showed zero class in handling the trade, but that's the Boys on the Bus for you. Oiler fans knew Petry was gone though, and are merely hoping the Oilers somehow manage to trade Ference (some interest in him, but the team reportedly has yet to approach Ference, who has a NTC, about moving him) as it will be addition through subtraction. Ference is a guy who needs to play in the East and not the West; he simply cannot handle the Western play-style on a constant basis; he isn't big enough, skilled enough, or fast enough.

[Special J]

Surprised no one has talked about the Toronto/Columbus trade.  Both GM's should be fired for signing Clarkson and Horton to such huge, long term contracts.  Horton was already injured when he signed and Columbus failed to insure his contract while Clarkson has never scored even 50 points in a season.  I can't believe some media people are praising Toronto GM Dave Nonis for making this deal.  As one person put it today, thats like congratulating the guy who crashed your car for calling the tow truck.  The Leafs are basically eating around $25 million in salary because Horton will never play again.  He might even have a hard time just walking.  I feel bad for the guy because I'm sure he'd rather be playing and earning that money on the ice rather than sitting at home struggling to get out of bed with a bad back.

Well the back problems Horton has were different from the bad shoulder when he signed. But yeah, not insuring a deal on a guy that already had shoulder surgery?    Even for a team that's tight for cash, that's one hell of a gamble. Kekalainen gets a pass simply because he was just hired and this was his first big move.

And yeah I don't see how Nonis gets any praise (actually I do - his cousin and personal press secretary Darren Dreger).  My favourite analogy: It's like praising someone doing a good job cleaning up after they puked all over the floor.

Really just dumb luck that a unique set of circumstances could make this deal happen.  Two dead contracts: one is dead money, the other is dead cap space.

[murdoc]

And now Clarkson is done for the season hahah

http://www.tsn.ca/jackets-lose-clarkson-for-4-6-weeks-1.222312

[Special J]

Oh hai Bruins! 

[Speedy Cerviche]

Some pretty big fails so far.

Going to be interesting off-seasons in San Jose & Boston. Would love to see the Canadiens swing a trade for Jumbo Joe. I think he could do great in a post-superstar role  on a 3-line team.

Some early season hot teams are also backing into the playoffs. Wouldn't consider betting a nickel on Washington, Nashville or Detroit in the 1st round at the moment. The Islanders aren't looking so great either but if they wind up playing the Pens it would be a gong show of a series.

[Shannow]

Bruins are fading fast. Chiarelli better get fucking fired after this season. The Reilly Smith contract...

Maybe we could luck into Connor McDavid.....One local wag commented here that if that happened we'd trade him after 2 years cause he doesn't fit into Julien's system. 

[Speedy Cerviche]

Cam Neely would turf him if he showed up with a hipster haircut.


Oh yeah forgot to add the Ducks to teams I wouldn't bet a nickel on...Their goaltending at the moment is as bad as it was in the LA series last year.

[Lucas]

If you like Hockey (err, guess I'm in the right thread :D), be sure to check this message on the PC/console gaming sub-forum:

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=19896.msg1354914#msg1354914

[Speedy Cerviche]

The Pens & Isles falling apart faster than Chinese motorcycles.

Flames vs Kings Thursday, chance to eliminate L.A.

Ottawa in striking distance of 4 teams still. They don't have ROW tiebreaker on anyone though, but there's a decent chance that one of those teams fails to pick up more than a point or two in their last 2 games. They put up an interesting stat last night in the Sens v Pens game that Mark Stone is #5 in points since Jan 1st. As a Habs fan I'm not sure I want them to blast in past one of these limping teams since it's potentially a more difficult match up, but damn is it interesting drama.

[Bunk]

If you like Hockey (err, guess I'm in the right thread :D), be sure to check this message on the PC/console gaming sub-forum:

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=19896.msg1354914#msg1354914

If it even remotely reminds me of the old Wayne Gretzky Hockey from the 486 days, which was 90% simulation/management, I'll be all over this.

[WayAbvPar]

Canucks in the playoffs through a few minor miracles. Best one is LA losing in Edmonton. I am still laughing at that one. God I hope they get eliminated. I can't wait to see a pic of Dustin Brown captaining his golf cart instead of playing in the playoffs. Because fuck him. Unto death.

[WayAbvPar]

Canucks in the playoffs through a few minor miracles. Best one is LA losing in Edmonton. I am still laughing at that one. God I hope they get eliminated. I can't wait to see a pic of Dustin Brown captaining his golf cart instead of playing in the playoffs. Because fuck him. Unto death.

And the Canucks celebrated their new-found fortune by signing their 2 worst players to contract extensions. Jim Benning is a fucking retard.

[Speedy Cerviche]

remember when Sbisa was traded for Pronger as a top prospect? What a disappointment he's been.

[WayAbvPar]

He is truly awful. He fails both the eye test (he makes egregious mistakes that anyone watching can spot easily) and the advanced metrics test (his Goals Above Replacement stat is 6th worst for D in the entire league, and dead last for playoff teams). Dorsett is mildly more useful, but still utterly replaceable. The AHL and FA market are teeming with guys who can be just as shitty as these two without having to pay them like top 6/top 4 players. Just a terrible, terrible move.

[Strazos]

Sbisa is a great example of a player being rushed to the NHL before they're ready.

In other news, I managed to win my fantasy league. 

REALLY hoping the Pens can find a way to fail out of the playoffs, because #lolpenguins.

[Phildo]

REALLY hoping the Pens can find a way to fail out of the playoffs, because #lolpenguins.

You take that back, you big meanie!

[Ceryse]

I'm hoping the Pens fall out of the playoffs and the Pens pick wins the lotto because the head explosions across the league would be insane.

Won't happen of course; there's a reason the lotto isn't being broadcast live this year...

[WayAbvPar]

If there was any way for the Pens and the Bruins to both choke I would jizz.

[Strazos]

REALLY hoping the Pens can find a way to fail out of the playoffs, because #lolpenguins.

You take that back, you big meanie!

http://streamable.com/lmbd?t=10.7 

[Bunk]

Sorry Way, I'm going to totally disagree with you. Dorsett has been one of the most steady, reliable forwards they've had this year. Yea, he's a 3/4 liner, but they use him on pk, they put him out to hold leads at the end of games, and he happens to be a guy that will let John Scott ragdoll him if its the best thing for the team at that moment. He's a great locker room guy (which really can matter) and a tough guy that's never a liability on the ice. Those are rare.
He's second in the NHL in fighting majors and weighs under 200 pounds. At 25 points, he's the most point productive fighter in the league, and has a positive +/-. The only guy on pace with him is Roussel in Dallas, who has half as many fights.

Sbisa... well, apparently the coach totally loves him, so I guess there must be something there. He's definitely gotten better as the seasons gone on and he's gotten more top pair minutes. I would have cried if this deal happened at the beginning of the year, but Sbisa has shown some growth. He's 25, decent sized, and a good hitter. 

[WayAbvPar]

Look at Dorsett's advanced stats. He is bad, and literally makes every line mate that gets stuck with him worse. He is fine for a 4th liner getting 8 minutes a night, but he is now grossly overpaid for his talent/production  level.

[Bunk]

Bo Horvat has a -10 SAT/60 if we want to look at those stats, clearly we should waive him. Stats like that are interesting, but they can't incorporate which lines they play against, how many offensive zone faceoffs they get vs defensive...

If you want to cherry pick, Dorsett's on the ice for more shots for/60 minutes than Daniel.

I've watched a lot of goons and grinders over the years - this guy is different. I tried finding a record of how many times he's been suspended - I couldn't find any. At all. He's not an "agitator" or a shit weasel, he's a guy who plays tough, stands up for his team mates, and contributes offensively.

[Ginaz]

Look at Dorsett's advanced stats. He is bad, and literally makes every line mate that gets stuck with him worse. He is fine for a 4th liner getting 8 minutes a night, but he is now grossly overpaid for his talent/production  level.

According to advance stats, Calgary shouldn't be sitting in a playoff spot, either.

[WayAbvPar]

Bo Horvat has a -10 SAT/60 if we want to look at those stats, clearly we should waive him. Stats like that are interesting, but they can't incorporate which lines they play against, how many offensive zone faceoffs they get vs defensive...

If you want to cherry pick, Dorsett's on the ice for more shots for/60 minutes than Daniel.

I've watched a lot of goons and grinders over the years - this guy is different. I tried finding a record of how many times he's been suspended - I couldn't find any. At all. He's not an "agitator" or a shit weasel, he's a guy who plays tough, stands up for his team mates, and contributes offensively.

Bo Horvat was saddled with Dorsett on his line for quite a while. Check his stats out with and without Dorsett. The guy is a millstone.

[Shannow]

The Bruins have managed to vomit all over themselves in the last two games which I'm sure will be met with squeals of glee from most of you. Frankly I'm kind of glad , this team wasn't going anywhere, Chiarelli has to go and quite possibly Julien as well. His continued refusal to give real ice time to his younger players, the same players who are the only ones showing any sign of offensive life, has gotten ridiculous. In the game vs Washington he broke up what had been his most successful line (Lucic-Pasta-Spooner) and gave more ice time to Gregory fucking Campbell.
Too many old players, too many shitty contracts. Blow it up.