#78 elite columbus

[78elite-blog]

To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goet

[patriotsnet]

Are The Republicans Winning The Primaries

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-the-republicans-winning-the-primaries/

Are The Republicans Winning The Primaries

Democrats Have The Wind At Their Backs But Can They Capitalize

Which GOP candidate can win the Latino vote?

Despite low national approval ratings, a steady stream of administration controversies and the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election led by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, nothing has shaken President Trump’s enduring popularity among Republicans, where his approval ratings hover around 90 percent.

Veteran House and Senate campaign strategist Andrea Bozek says in 2018 Republicans are less concerned with the old, familiar metrics that used to drive primary campaigns, like conservative vote ratings, or whether candidates had signed an anti-tax pledge. “I think now it’s how much support have you given the president in the past, and what can you do to support his agenda going forward?” she said. The conservative groups that used to drive those wedges in primary campaign debates, like the anti-tax Club for Growth, agree that the politics of Trump’s personality are a more decisive factor in this political environment. The group’s president, David McIntosh, says Republicans primary voters see a president under siege, by Democrats and the media, and they are motivated above all else to vote for the candidate who will fight on his behalf.

Senate candidates Luke Messer, Todd Rokita and Mike Braun, from left, participate in a Indiana Republican Senate Primary Debate, Monday, April 30, 2018, in Indianapolis. Darron Cummings/APhide caption

toggle caption

Correction March 18, 2019

Can Donald Trump Run Again In 2024

The short answer is yes.

Only Grover Cleveland has served two non-consecutive terms as president in US history, serving his first from 1885-1889 and his second from 1893-1897. Despite the fact that Trump just got the second-most votes for a presidential candidate in US history, there is one big reason why he may have an uphill climb to secure a third nomination from the Republican Party.

In June of 2024, Trump will turn 78 years old. That would make him the oldest major-party presidential candidate in US history, setting him up to be pushing 83 when his potential second term would end.

UK books currently favor Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Ivanka Trump to be the GOP nominee in 2024. Either Haley or Ivanka Trump would be the first female presidential nominee in the history of the Republican Party. Ivanka Trump would also be the first daughter of a president to receive such a nomination.

External Validity Of The Sample

To investigate the external validity of the findings, we can compare the sample to the larger set of all primary elections. The left panel of Figure A.1 plots the distribution of the Democratic district presidential normal vote for all districts and for those entering the analysis. We see that the distributions overlap closely; districts that enter the sample do not appear to differ ideologically from the overall population of primary races.

Notes

FIGURE A.1. Characteristics of the Sample: U.S. House Primary Elections, 19802010

In the middle panel, on the other hand, we see that the primaries entering the sample are much more likely to occur in open-seat races. This makes sense; incumbents have a significant advantage in both primary and general elections . As a result, a large number of incumbent-held seats have uncontested or uncompetitive primary elections in both parties and thus do not enter the sample. Finally, the right panel shows that observations in the sample are roughly equally likely to be either Democratic or Republican primaries, and occur consistently over time, with the early 1990s being the most common era represented in the sample.Footnote 40

Read Also: Democrats Switched Platforms

Interest Groups Prefer Moderates

Another possible mechanismseparate from those that depend on particular characteristics of the two types of candidatesis that strategic interest groups and other political actors might support the campaigns of more moderate candidates more than those of extremists in the general election. We know, for example, that interest groups are more moderate than voters on average . In the first column of Table 4, I re-estimate the RDD with the share of nonindividual contributions the nominee receives from PACs in the general election as the outcome variable. The nomination of the extremist appears to cause a large decreaseapproximately a 30 percentage-point decreasein the share of contributions coming from PACs.Footnote 37 The results suggest that PACs may play a role in encouraging the penalty to extremists. In addition, we might suspect that the PAC effect is also a proxy for the behavior of other political elites in the district who may likewise withdraw support from extremist nominees.

TABLE 4. Testing Mechanisms, U.S. House 19802010

Notes: The first column shows that extremist nominees receive fewer contributions from PACs in the general election. In the second column, we see that the penalty to extremist candidates is larger in districts with greater media congruence and thus more information about the nominee. Robust standard errors in parentheses. Optimal bandwidth from Imbens-Kalyanaraman implemented using rdob in Stata, estimated using local linear OLS.

Trump Pick Wins Us House Special Republican Primary Election In Ohio

Vehicles are parked outside the U.S. Capitol building the morning the Senate returned to session in Washington, DC, U.S., July 31, 2021. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Aug 3 – Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist endorsed by former President Donald Trump, won a crowded primary contest on Tuesday for the Republican nomination to a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 15th district.

With 96.5% of precincts reporting, Carey was ahead of his closest contender, state representative Jeff LaRe, by 37% to 13.3%, results from the Ohio secretary of state’s office showed.

The outcome in Ohio’s traditionally Republican 15th District south of Columbus was being closely watched as a measure of Trump’s clout in the Republican Party, coming just a week after a Trump-backed candidate for the U.S. Congress suffered a surprise loss to a fellow Republican in north Texas.

“Tonight, Republicans across Ohio’s 15th Congressional District sent a clear message to the nation that President Donald J. Trump is, without a doubt, the leader of our party,” Carey declared in a statement after his victory.

Trump also issued a statement thanking Ohio voters and praising the “Great Republican win for Mike Carey. Big numbers!”

“We have looked across the promised land, but … we will not cross the river,” Turner told supporters at an election night watch party outside Cleveland.

Democrats currently have a narrow 220-212 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Read Also: Did The Republicans And Democrats Switch Platforms

Ties To George Norcross

The results in at least two races, in the 37th and 26th districts, may also have been influenced by hundreds of thousands of dollars in dark money pumped into them. A report Monday from the Election Law Enforcement Commission showed an independent spending committee with ties to South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross spent almost $700,000 of a total $722,000 in outside spending for Johnson or against Huttle in the 37th. The greatest dark money spending through May 25 was more than $900,000 spent by five organizations in the 26th District race.

The primary winners and candidates who file to run as independents will face one another in the November general election.

The primary election was the first one statewide to be conducted primarily in person in 18 months, as last years elections were conducted mostly using mail-in ballots. Still, close to 200,000 people had submitted mail-in ballots leading up to Election Day, more than in any previous primary prior to 2020.

New Jersey has a closed primary, so Democrats and Republicans vote for their respective candidates. Unaffiliated voters can cast ballots by declaring a party at the polls. The total turnout is not likely to be known until next week after all valid mail-in ballots are tallied.

Rdd Estimates Across Bandwidths And Specifications

The choice of RDD bandwidth and specification is somewhat arbitrary, so it is important to demonstrate that conclusions are not driven by these choices.

Figures A.3 and A.4 plot the RDD estimate1 from Equation 1across bandwidths for four specifications: the local linear, estimated separately on each side of the discontinuity, and quadratic, cubic, and quartic specifications of the running variable. The plots start from a bandwidth of 3 to ensure a reasonable number of data points enter the estimates. Below 3, the regressions rely on very few observations and, though estimates typically become even more negative, they vary greatly. Since no estimates are presented in the article at bandwidths this small, I omit them from the figures.

FIGURE A.3. RDD Estimate for General-Election Vote Share Across Bandwidths from 3 to 50

FIGURE A.4. RDD Estimate for General-Election Victory Across Bandwidths from 3 to 50

As the figures show, the conclusions drawn in the article do not vary based on the choice of bandwidth or specification. No matter what specification or bandwidth is used, a large negative effect is found on both vote share and victory, as presented in the article.

FIGURE A.5. Local Linear RDD Estimate for General-Election Vote Share Across Bandwidths from 3 to 50

FIGURE A.6. Local Linear RDD Estimate for General-Election Victory Across Bandwidths from 3 to 50

FIGURE A.7. Local Linear RDD Estimate for Nominee Previous Office-Holder Experience Across Bandwidths from 3 to 50

Also Check: How Many Republicans Are Registered To Vote

Generally When Women Leave Congressional Seats They Are Not Succeeded By Other Women

Across the whole time period studied, of the 70 female representatives who left office, only 15 passed their seat on to another woman . This pattern is not getting better in recent elections: in 2010, 3 women left Congress and only 1 was replaced by another woman. In 2012, 11 women left or lost seats; only 2 were replaced by women.

Political Primaries: How Are Candidates Nominated

Republicans Follow A Winning At All Costs Strategy Into The Midterms

Article two, section one of the United States Constitution discusses the procedures to be followed when electing the president of the United States, but it does not provide guidance for how to nominate a presidential candidate. Currently, candidates go through a series of state primaries and caucuses where, based on the number of votes they receive from the electorate, they are assigned a certain number of delegates who will vote for them at their party’s convention.

Earlier party conventions were raucous events, and delegates did not necessarily represent the electorate. Mrs. J.J. McCarthy describes her convention experience:

I can picture … the great Democratic convention of 1894 at the old coliseum in Omaha… right now I can hear the Hallelluiahs of the assembled. Oh how I wish I had back the youth and the enthusiasm I felt that night, I jumped on a chair and ask that by a rising vote the nomination be made unanimous, how the people yelled, how the packed gallories applauded, it cheers an old man now to think about it.

Politics played a big part in the life of this town years ago. Campaigns were hot, and there was always a big celebration afterwards. … Votes used to be bought — that is before the secret ballot was adopted. Some sold ’em pretty cheap. I remember one old fellow who sold out to one party for a dollar — then sold out to the other for the same price.

Read Also: How Many Republicans Are There In The Senate

Change Seen As Most Important

As was the case in Iowa and New Hampshire, change has become a major theme of the national primary campaign. Overall, more than a third of voters rate the ability to bring about needed change as the most important candidate quality, followed by saying what the candidate believes , having the best experience , and caring about average people .

Roughly four-in-ten Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters view the ability to effect change as the most important candidate quality more than double the percentage naming any other trait. Among Democratic voters, liberals are the most likely to view change as most important.

Among Republican and Republican-leaning voters, change is not valued as highly as a candidate quality. For about a third , a candidate saying what they believe is most important, while 27% see the ability to bring needed change as most important.

There is greater agreement among Democrats and Republicans about the kind of change they would most like to see in Washington. A plurality of both Democratic voters and Republican voters say that getting the two major parties to work together is most important. Smaller numbers in each party view reducing the influence of money and special interests, or changing foreign and domestic policies as most important.

Some Californians Are Seeking Ways To Curb Recalls After Tuesdays Election

Detractors of Californias special election, which Gov. Gavin Newsom won on Tuesday, say the recall process is democracy gone off the rails, a distraction from crises that require the governments attention, and a waste of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Californias forests are on fire, with wildfire smoke sending thousands of residents fleeing. Towns are running out of water from severe drought. And some rural hospitals are packed with coronavirus patients.

Many voters who went to the polls on Tuesday said the election was an unwelcome distraction that preoccupied Mr. Newsom and, some critics said, might have prevented him from taking on tough decisions.

This recall is so dumb, said Frankie Santos, a 43-year-old artist who voted in Hollywood on Tuesday. Its so not a good use of resources. She said that if she could have scrawled absolutely no to recalling Mr. Newsom without invalidating her ballot, she would have.

Anthony Rendon, the speaker of the State Assembly, and other legislative leaders have already said discussions were underway to place a constitutional amendment regarding recalls before voters in 2022.

This is a system that was put in place 100 years ago, said Mr. Rendon, referring to the current recall rules. Well be asking if this is whats best for the state.

Statewide, some 13 million ballots were left to be cast or postmarked on Election Day, but the race was expected to have high turnout overall for an off-year election.

You May Like: How Many Senate Seats Do The Republicans Have

Allegations Of Inciting Violence

Research suggests Trump’s rhetoric caused an increased incidence of hate crimes. During his 2016 campaign, he urged or praised physical attacks against protesters or reporters. Since then, some defendants prosecuted for hate crimes or violent acts cited Trump’s rhetoric in arguing that they were not culpable or should receive a lighter sentence. In May 2020, a nationwide review by ABC News identified at least 54 criminal cases from August 2015 to April 2020 in which Trump was invoked in direct connection with violence or threats of violence by mostly white men against mostly members of minority groups. On January 13, 2021, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for incitement of insurrection for his actions prior to the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob of his supporters who acted in his name.

Republicans Will Likely Take Control Of The Senate By 2024

The usual midterm House losses by the White House party dont always extend to the Senate because only a third of that chamber is up for election every two years and the landscape sometimes strongly favors the presidential party . But there a still generally an out-party wave that can matter, which is why Republicans may have a better than average chance of winning in at least some of the many battleground states that will hold Senate elections next year . If they win four of the six youll probably be looking at a Republican Senate.

But its the 2024 Senate landscape that looks really promising for the GOP. Democrats will be defending 23 seats and Republicans just 10. Three Democratic seats, and all the Republican seats, are in states Trump carried twice. Four other Democratic seats are in states Trump won once. It should be a banner year for Senate Republicans.

Read Also: What Republicans Voted For Impeachment In The House

Read Also: How Are Republicans Responding To Impeachment

The 2024 Presidential Election Will Be Close Even If Trump Is The Gop Nominee

One very important thing we should have all taken away from both the 2016 and 2020 presidential contests is that the two major parties are in virtual equipose . The ideological sorting-out of the two parties since the 1960s has in turn led to extreme partisan polarization, a decline in ticket-splitting and and in number of genuine swing voters. Among other things, this has led to an atmosphere where Republicans have paid little or no price for the extremism theyve disproportionately exhibited, or for the bad conduct of their leaders, most notably the 45th president.

Indeed, the polarized climate encourages outlandish and immoral base mobilization efforts of the sort Trump deployed so regularly. Some Republicans partisans shook their heads sadly and voted the straight GOP ticket anyway, And to the extent there were swing voters they tended strongly to believe that both parties were equally guilty of excessive partisanship, and/or that all politicians are worthless scum, so why not vote for the worthless scum under whom the economy hummed?

The bottom line is that anyone who assumes Republicans are in irreversible decline in presidential elections really hasnt been paying attention.

Former President Donald Trump

The biggest question mark for Republicans is if Trump will run for president in 2024. He hasnt exactly frozen the field, since Republicans are already positioning themselves to run, but perhaps hes refrigerated it a bit?

Trump is the 800-pound gorilla, said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor. Trump has got command of the organs of the party and is going to have an enormous amount of resources and name ID and the ability to throw these rallies in the fall of 2022. I think that sets him up very well to being pole position for 2024 if he wants.

Trump, 74, is currently bettors top candidate on PredictIt, an online prediction market, and hes also led in several early polls, including a February Morning Consult/Politico poll. The poll found 54% of Republican voters would back Trump if the 2024 primary were held today. Those kinds of numbers would mean game over in a primary, but they also suggest many Republicans are eager for a new face.

During a recent podcast interview, Trump said he would make his decision on whether he will run in the 2024 presidential election sometime later, and after being asked which Republicans he thought represented the future of the party, he listed off some of the politicians youll see later on this list, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

Don’t Miss: Can Republicans Vote In The Nevada Caucus

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Trouba, Parise, Sergachev, Klingberg, Domi & TBay Chasing History (April 3)

  The season is quickly winding down. Several playoff series are already locked into place, division titles have been decided, and teams are dressing lineups with that in mind. Look no further than Calgary to see the results of a team shutting it down.

  This was heading into Monday night’s game.

At optional morning skate at Staples Center. As Brad Treliving told the boys this morning, no Backlund, Tkachuk, Giordano, Brodie, Hamonic, or Hanifin tonight vs. LA.

Bennett, Quine, Fantenberg, Kylington, Stone, and Valimaki will all come in. #Flames

— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) April 1, 2019

  If your league still plays meaningful games in the final week of the regular season, this should be enough evidence to convince them otherwise.

  **

Tuesday night still offered some matchups with repercussions though. The Wild took on the Jets in a true must-win game. A loss by Minnesota or an Avalanche victory would result in their elimination from the second season. That was all the motivation they needed. Minny jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back, defeating their Central division rivals 5-1.

  Zach Parise scored two goals and Devan Dubnyk made 29 stops.

  It’s been a terrific late-career jump by Parise. The total now sits at 28 goals and 61 points for the 34-year-old. This is also as healthy as he’s been in the last six campaigns. Don’t expect this to be replicated in 2019-20.

  Jacob Trouba continued to skate on the top power-play unit despite Dustin Byfuglien getting his legs under him after missing a couple of months. Trouba scored the lone goal for the Jets – a shorthanded tally.

  There it is!

: @JacobTrouba : @BiggieFunke

4-1 MIN | #GoJetsGo | #WPGvsMIN pic.twitter.com/ahcGvgNJLS

— x – Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 3, 2019

  The soon-to-be RFA will once again be a topic of discussion this offseason. The Jets will need to make some changes as their cap structure shifts with Patrik Laine (RFA), Kyle Connor (RFA), and Tyler Myers (UFA) also in need of new deals this summer. It will be interesting to see if the Jets can manage to lock him down to a long-term deal after consecutive bridge-deals, or if the trade-market finally opens up for the 25-year-old.

  Blake Wheeler recorded his 70th assist of the season on Trouba’s goal. That set a new franchise record, passing Marc Savard’s 69 apples from the 2005-06 season with the Atlanta Thrashers.

  **

So how did the Avs do? Well, they allowed two first-period tallies by the Oilers in a cruel attempt to give the Wild hope before rattling off six straight to win 6-2.

  Alex Kerfoot potted two goals, Tyson Barrie had a goal and an assist, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 for the victory. It was just the second start in over two weeks for Varlamov as the Avs look more and more comfortable rolling Philipp Grubauer.

  I know which goalie I’ll want next season.

  Speaking of netminders, Mikko Koskinen started on back-to-back nights despite the Oilers being eliminated on Monday. This was his 24th start in the last 25 games – the one he missed was due to illness. He has a 0.904 save percentage over that period. Not exactly world-beating.

  It will be difficult to see a path to the post-season for the Oilers next season if they return with the same defence corps and masked men.

  **

The Stars defeated the Flyers in a similar 6-2 fashion to punch their ticket to the post-season. They’re one of the few teams who doesn’t know their opponent yet, as the Blues, Preds and Jets could all still pluck the Central Division title.

  Alex Radulov scored two goals and two assists to extend his point streak to six games and 10 points. The 32-year-old is just two behind his career-high 72 from a season ago, but he’s done so in 14 fewer games. This is one vet that I’m okay buying in on next season. Dallas rides the big horses and that won’t be changing next year. Another 70-point season seems very doable.

  John Klingberg recorded two assists to bring his total to 44 in 62 contests. The 26-year-old has been something of a forgotten man in the elite defender conversation this year due to those missed games. But his 58-point pace is nothing to sneeze at.

  He should still be considered a top-10 D heading into drafts next fall.

  **

Nashville defeated Buffalo 3-2 to help drive the tank further for the Sabres. Since the deadline, Buffalo is a league-worst 2-15-2. That includes zero regulation wins, five games without a goal, and being outscored 78-37.

  These dudes know how to improve their lottery odds.

  **

Do you know who doesn’t know how to improve their lottery odds? The Canucks. Despite long being out of it, Vancouver finished up their home schedule with a 4-2 victory over the Sharks. It was their third win in a row.

  Tanner Pearson potted two goals for the home team. However, no one cares about that. You all just want the Quinn Hughes highlights, and I’ve got you.

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/04/Hughes-to-BB.mp4

  Hughes will be on the top unit next season and his presence will go a long way in vaulting Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and the Canucks offence to another level in 2019-20 and beyond.

  Get him early in your keeper drafts next year.

  Oh yeah, Martin Jones was poor in this one once again. The Sharks have the worst save percentage in the league (0.888). Will anyone really be surprised if San Jose is quickly dispatched by the Golden Knights in the first round?

  I sure won’t be.

  **

The Lightning took on the Habs with a chance to make some history. They came into the night with an eye on their 61st win of the season. That would move them into sole possession of the second-most in NHL history. Nikita Kucherov was aiming to make some history of his own too. His 86 assists are just one shy of Jaromir Jagr’s all-time record by a winger. That blows my mind.

  Unfortunately, for fans in South Florida, neither managed to happen on Tuesday evening.

  The Habs desperately needed to keep pace with the recently surging Blue Jackets and found a way against the NHL’s best, outshooting the Lightning 45-24 and winning 4-2. Artturi Lehkonen produced the game-winning goal, an assist and five shots on net.

  Meanwhile, Max Domi scored his 28th goal and his 71st point of the campaign. Domi hasn’t ever really been considered a goal-scorer. However, the seven percent conversion rate he played at for the 140 games before being dealt to Montreal seemed mighty low.

  Unfortunately, its a buyer beware situation as his 14.5 percent clip this year seems a touch high. His shot volume has improved from a career-average of <2 shots per contest to the 2.5 he’s put on net this season. If he can maintain a similar volume next season, but with the expected regression in conversion rate, we can pencil Domi in for 20-22 goals next season and around 60-points.

  I won’t be drafting him for too much more than that next fall.

  **

No Victor Hedman in this one as the Norris contender is out with an upper-body injury. We don’t yet know the extent of the ailment and whether it will limit his availability in the post-season next week.

  With him on the shelf, Mikhail Sergachev was seeing top-four minutes at even-strength and practiced on the team’s top power-play unit. Unfortunately, the Bolts didn’t draw a penalty in this one. Sergachev skated 22:14 with a shot, three blocks and five hits. He could be a nice sleeper pull in playoff pools if Hedman misses real time.

  **

Montreal’s victory brought them into a tie with Columbus who took on Boston on Tuesday. Joonas Korpisalo got the nod but quickly got the hook as he allowed two goals on the first five shots. That was all the head starts the Bs needed as they cruised to a 6-2 victory.

  Jake DeBrusk scored two and added an assist to bring his totals to 27 goals and 41 points in 66 games. He’s producing legitimate top-six metrics in his second season and you’d have to expect there is more to come.

  He sees top power-play deployment on a high-end team. He has developed nice chemistry to David Krejci on line two, and despite a conversion rate that will likely slip next season, he’s displaying an ability to find the back of the net on a consistent basis. The breakout may not be next season, but I see a 65-point season in his future.

  **

Arizona laid a big old egg against the Kings losing 3-1 and basically ended their hope of a post-season appearance. They’ll need to win their final two games against Vegas and Winnipeg in regulation, and see Colorado lose their final two games against Winnipeg and San Jose in regulation.

  Unlikely.

  It’s been a nice run for the Coyotes; something to build on for next season. But good intentions don’t bring in playoff gates, and this organization needs those in a bad way.

  **

Follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-trouba-parise-sergachev-klingberg-domi-tbay-chasing-history-april-3/

[takenews-blog1]

What Hugh Masekela Meant To South Africa's Freedom Fighters

New Post has been published on https://takenews.net/what-hugh-masekela-meant-to-south-africas-freedom-fighters/

What Hugh Masekela Meant To South Africa's Freedom Fighters

Many individuals have paid tribute to the musical genius of Hugh Masekela, generally known as the daddy of South African jazz. However he was not simply recognized for his musicianship. The artist, who died on Tuesday at age 78, used his public platform to talk out in opposition to apartheid and substance abuse.

Masekela’s profession as an artist was groundbreaking from the beginning. He collaborated with different South African artists to file the primary fashionable jazz file by an all-black band in South Africa. His music shaped a part of what author Sisonke Msimang, writer of All the time One other Nation, calls the “soundtrack of the revolution,” made by artists who have been a part of the wrestle in opposition to apartheid.

Msimang was born to folks who have been in exile. Her dad was an apartheid freedom fighter who fled South Africa when he was 21, she advised NPR. She grew up with Masekela’s music within the background. She lived in Zambia, Kenya and the U.S., and moved to South Africa after the tip of apartheid.

“The factor about apartheid was that it wasn’t simply race-based discrimination, which is horrible in its personal proper,” Msimang says. “Something that allowed black folks to make use of their thoughts and their creativity was a risk.”

James Corridor, a author and editor primarily based in southern Africa, acquired to know Masekela through the 1980s and ’90s. He co-wrote an autobiography of Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who was married to Masekela for 2 years within the 1960s.

“They may have simply performed music,” Corridor says of the 2 musicians, who remained shut even after their marriage ended. “However they at all times have been concerned within the anti-apartheid wrestle through the many years when it actually wasn’t understood. Africa was so distant from Western sensibilities at the moment [during the 1970s]. By the mid-’80s it was a hot-button subject.”

After Masekela’s demise, Corridor tweeted about his remorse at not collaborating on an autobiography with Masekela, too. (Masekela does have an autobiography, Nonetheless Grazing: The Musical Journey Of Hugh Masekela, that NPR reported on in 2004.) He remembers the musician’s enthusiasm and good humor. However there have been moments of stress as nicely. Throughout the years that Masekela couldn’t enter South Africa, Corridor might journey freely in and in a foreign country.

“He was annoyed at not with the ability to recharge his batteries on the fountainhead, the bottom of his creativity.” When Corridor was as soon as speaking with Masekela about South Africa, the author remembers, “I believe at one level he mentioned, ‘Simply shut up.’ And naturally he was proper.”

Msimang remembers how Masekela spoke out brazenly and truthfully about his wrestle with drug and alcohol abuse for many years. He reportedly acquired clear in 1997, NPR reported, and went on to discovered the Musicians and Artists Help Program of South Africa to assist different performers.

And he or she praised the best way he was true to his beliefs: “Many individuals have been heroes [of the freedom struggle] who changed into political elite that we now not acknowledged. And we by no means stopped with the ability to acknowledge him. At a time when so many individuals who participated within the freedom wrestle have turn into discredited in South Africa due to their post-apartheid actions, he stands as any person who by no means allow us to down.”

“He by no means modified,” says Msimang. “We at all times knew precisely who he was.”

Courtney Columbus is a multimedia journalist who covers science, international well being and shopper well being. She has contributed to the Arizona Republic and Arizona PBS. Contact her @cmcolumbus11

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

NHL Power Rankings: Predators looking like the team to beat out West

Raise your hand if you think the Predators are the best team in the Western Conference? (John Russell/Getty Images)

(Hey everyone, we here at Puck Daddy are doing real power rankings for teams Nos. 1-31 — well, those numbers but like, reversed. Actually, it’s just me doing it. Anyway, here they are, based on pretty much only how I am feeling about these teams, meaning you can’t tell me I’m wrong because these are my feelings and feelings can’t be wrong. Please enjoy them.)

31. Buffalo Sabres

I saw both “The Room” and “The Disaster Artist” this weekend and I am not one of those guys who loves to watch a bad movie. Often, I think watching a bad movie is a waste of time that is in no way fun. “The Room” is an incredibly fun, baffling movie, and “The Disaster Artist” highlights why: You have the ability to watch it with incredulity, but you have to respect the vision and drive of the weirdo happily, enthusiastically steering the ship into the rocks.

Meanwhile, there have been plenty of movies with troubled productions that were frustrating to all involved, but in the end turned out to be truly great films. “The Shining” and “Apocalypse Now” stand out as masterpieces of their genres despite a lot of very bad stuff happening along the way.

The thing that is truly bad about the Sabres — apart from, y’know, “everything” — is that this isn’t even a team that’s bad and fun to watch. They’re just bad. They’re also boring. They’re also frustrating. They’re also guided with no clear vision that is, at this point, in any way discernible (probably a function of a first-year tandem of both coach and GM).

Maybe at some point we will look back on these trying times and say, “Well, that turned out to be worth it.” But the way things are going right now, it’s more likely Jason Botterill ends up saying, “Thanks for enjoying my comedy film,” on the way out the door.

30. Arizona Coyotes

29. Philadelphia Flyers

Yikes. There’s nothing else to say here, really. I’m trying to remember some other notable 10-plus game losing streaks in the past decade or so and I can’t come up with too many. I feel like maybe Calgary and Edmonton had them a while back. That feels right, at least spiritually.

And look, when you’re being compared to those late-2000s Flames/Oilers teams, that’s extremely bad.

28. Florida Panthers

27. Detroit Red Wings

Ken Holland has to get fired soon, right? Like, this team is basically talking to a man about the collective embarrassment they feel for how they’ve played. And while no one is “lose 10-1 on a regular basis” bad, this team is “lose on an incredibly regularly basis” bad for sure.

26. Ottawa Senators

Did you see that box score from Sunday night? There was a point early in the second period where the Jets had as many goals (five) as the Senators had shots. This is not a good team, and they’ve only won nine of their 25 games. Remember when people thought they could make the playoffs again? Adorable.

25. Colorado Avalanche

24. Edmonton Oilers

Hey, all they needed was that weird own goal in a game with 12 total goals to stop the Flames comeback. If they can get the other team to start scoring for them on a regular basis, I say we give Chiarelli the GM of the Year award.

23. Anaheim Ducks

In all honesty the Ducks should probably be lower on this list but with all these injuries, I can’t dock them too much.

Also, I don’t think this team is good or anything.

22. Boston Bruins

21. Carolina Hurricanes

What a frustrating team, honestly. Every time it feels like they’re figuring it out, they say, “Ah ha, the joke here is on you, my friend, because we’re still not quite as good as the Bruins, even though we should be.”

Nonetheless, I have faith in these guys! I’ll see how I feel about all that later.

20. Calgary Flames

The Flames’ defensive woes are probably not good news for Brad Treliving since his big offseason acquisition was a defenseman whose performance so far this season, to be nice, stinks.

Watch a Flames game and you go, “This is a team with how many good defensemen?” I still think it’s a function of their forward depth needing improvement, but they shouldn’t be wasting a great season from … Mike Smith?

19. Chicago

Sucks to face a reckoning, in my opinion.

18. Montreal Canadiens

Amazing that Montreal has scored just 78 goals this season, and 19 of them have come in two games. Anyway, this team is currently third in their division. I don’t know what everyone was so worried about! (Just kidding yes I do.)

17. Vancouver Canucks

16. New York Rangers

15. San Jose Sharks

The Canucks, Rangers, and Sharks are three teams where I’m like “Well, I guess they’re winning, but also they aren’t good. But also they aren’t that bad either.” So oh well. That probably puts you right around the middle of the league.

14. Minnesota Wild

I keep waiting for these guys to get their feet under them. Good team, solid roster, great coach. Something’s kinda missing there, but as long as Bruce Boudreau keeps shouting out the analytics department, I have nothing but love.

13. Washington Capitals

The Caps have a negative goal difference, and unlike the Penguins they haven’t been blown out a few times. I don’t know if that’s good or bad for them, but it seems like it’s the latter, right?

12. Pittsburgh Penguins

11. New Jersey Devils

The Devils have no goal difference at all. Dead even. Which is kind of amazing considering they’ve won many more games than they have lost.

Anyway I thought the Sami Vatanen trade was interesting. Vatanen is a guy who does really well against lower-tier competition but is probably a little overrated league-wide. The same can be said of Adam Henrique. So it was one of those trades where both teams deal from a position of strength to address a weakness and no one really comes out on the losing end.

10. Dallas Stars

This is a good team and even though I don’t trust Ben Bishop at all I will stick by this statement until they prove me wrong. At which point I will be mad at them.

9. Vegas Golden Knights

Well they’ve got the points, still, but things seem to be turning back to what everyone expected for these guys. They don’t seem to beat anyone but Arizona lately, which isn’t a big deal because y’know, it’s the Coyotes.

8. New York Islanders

7. Toronto Maple Leafs

6. St. Louis Blues

I said it in WWL this week but they weren’t gonna get this kind of performance from Jake Allen all year. And that’s fine. He doesn’t have to be .920-plus all year for this team to succeed. It’s just regular old “good” at hockey anyway.

5. Los Angeles Kings

Credit where it’s due: This is a better club than anyone expected. I’m still kinda waiting to see when the bottom drops out.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

I suspect, though, that the bottom will not drop out for Columbus. Also just regular old good but also with an elite goaltender.

3. Nashville Predators

Starting to look like this is the team that’s going to come out of the West again. They have a little more of a basis for their success than the Jets.

2. Winnipeg Jets

But also the Jets are really good at every position. They can tighten some things up, obviously, but overall? Very good team that just so happens to be playing some of the best hockey in the league.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Bolts have hit a little bit of a lull here, with a wholly unimpressive record through their last 10 games, but let’s be honest: This is the best team in the league so far this season from just about any perspective you want to apply.

—

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

(All stats via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)

[junker-town]

The ‘Crosstown Shootout’ could be on the verge of a golden age

For the third straight year, Xavier and Cincinnati will play one of America’s most contentious rivalry games with both teams owning national rankings.

After 15 years of struggling to turn a profit, the Cincinnati Royals NBA franchise packed its bags and moved to Kansas City in 1972. Three years later the franchise would become the Kansas City Kings, and a decade after that it would relocate to Sacramento.

Despite the Bengals and Reds being mainstays in America’s two other major professional sports leagues, Cincinnati has never even flirted with landing another NBA team. It’s not that the area doesn’t have a passion for roundball, it’s just that it doesn’t have a passion for the professional version of the sport.

In Ohio, just like in its border states of Kentucky and Indiana, college is still king. Areas like Dayton and Columbus have seen their hometown team enjoy its fair share of success over the years, but the passion for the sport burns the brightest in The Queen City. It’s here where you’re either a Bearcat or a Musketeer, and here where one of college basketball’s fiercest rivalries takes center stage each winter.

"Really, it's the city that makes it a rivalry,” former Cincinnati standout Nick Van Excel said in 2012. “The players coming into it, like I said, I knew nothing about it. It's the city. It's the people who go to the two different schools that really pump this thing up."

Xavier and Cincinnati met on the hardwood for the first time in 1927, with the Musketeers pulling out a narrow 29-25 victory at Schmidt Field House. The schools, which are separate by just 2.7 miles, have met 83 times since, with Cincinnati currently owning a 50-34 all-time series advantage.

The unapologetically local rivalry is attractive to outsiders for a number of reasons, the most obvious being the extreme contrast between the major players.

Cincinnati is a public school with a current enrollment of just under 45,000. Xavier is a Jesuit school with an enrollment of only 6,700. The Bearcats have been a national player for as long as anyone can remember, winning the NCAA tournament in 1961 and 1962, and finishing as its runner-up in 1963. The Musketeers were largely irrelevant to the rest of the country until the past three decades. They had never made a Sweet 16 before 1990 and had never even won a game in the NCAA tournament before 1987. Cincinnati is still perceived as the bruising bad boy, while Xavier, despite its status as a member of the Big East, still gets painted as something of a lovable little guy.

Combine all these factors and you have two of the most intriguing hours of the college basketball season every time the Bearcats and Musketeers step on the court together.

“Cincinnati vs. Xavier is off the charts,” former UC head coach Bob Huggins said in 2013. “I mean, it’s off the charts. I think a lot of it is proximity. The whole thing starts two weeks before the game with Xavier people calling WLW. It is non-stop. It’s like you probably shouldn’t play for two weeks, because those other people you are playing really don’t matter. You got husbands who went to Xavier and wives who went to UC and vice-versa. It’s crazy.”

The rivalry has produced a number of high-profile clashes, tremendous finishes, and the most notorious in-game fight that college basketball has seen in the last decade. Said fight was so ugly that it briefly resulted in the name of the rivalry being changed from the “Crosstown Shootout” to the “Crosstown Classic,” and for the game itself to go from being played on campus to a neutral location at U.S. Bank Arena.

So why isn’t Cincinnati-Xavier viewed on the same plane as North Carolina-Duke or Louisville-Kentucky? The easiest answer is that those other four programs have all had more success when it comes to making Final Fours and winning national championships. Cincinnati hasn’t been to a Final Four since 1992, hasn’t played in a regional final since 1996, and has made just one Sweet 16 since 2001. Xavier, though it’s been to the Elite 8 three times since 2004, has now established a reputation for itself as perhaps college basketball’s best program to have never crashed the Final Four.

Those less than flattering facts attached to both programs could be altered in a few short months. Xavier is 6-1 with quality victories over Wisconsin and Baylor and a single loss to 6-0 Arizona State. This Cincinnati team is widely believed to be the best Mick Cronin has fielded. The Bearcats are unbeaten, but untested, with their average margin of victory in seven games sitting at 32.6 ppg.

When the 11th-ranked Bearcats and 21st-ranked Musketeers square off at noon on Saturday, it’ll be the first time in the history of the series that the teams have both been nationally ranked in three consecutive meetings. A year ago, UC broke a three-game losing streak with an 86-78 win in a game that was a far cry from the (sometimes literal) slugfests of years past. Xavier has still won 14 of the last 21 meetings, several times as a heavy underdog against Huggins’ powerhouse teams of the late ‘90s and early 2000s.

With Xavier’s emergence and Cincinnati appearing poised to return to the dominance it last knew when Kenyon Martin and Danny Fortson were sporting red and black, the Crosstown Shootout has a real chance to get the national attention it’s been owed for some time. All the other elements have always been there.

"I like to think this is about two basketball programs and teams," former Xavier coach Sean Miller said in 2006. "This game's bigger than any one person. It's bigger than that. What a war. What an amazing game."

[78elite-blog]

The question you should be asking isn’t, “What do I want?” or “What are my goals?” but “What would excite me?

Tim Ferris

[amtushinfosolutionspage]

DGB NHL Season Preview: The Question Marks, Contenders, and Playoff Picks

Yesterday, we covered half the league with a look at the bottom-feeders and the middle-of-the-pack. Today, we wrap up the season preview with a look at the very best teams the league has to offer, plus a full set of predictions and a Cup winner. Spoiler alert: It’s a little anti-climactic.

But first, let’s work on our exasperated shrugs as we tackle the league’s misfits and question marks.

The Your-Guess-Is-As-Good-As-Mine Division

This is always my favorite division, for two reasons. First, by definition I can’t actually be wrong about any of the teams here. And second, it’s fun to watch fans read through the first half of the preview, not see their team listed, and get all excited about them being considered contenders. Not so fast…

Buffalo Sabres

Last season: 33-37-12, 78 points, last in the Atlantic, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They fired the coach and GM. As far as the roster, the emphasis was on the blueline, which looks better with Marco Scandella and Nathan Beaulieu added.

Outlook: This year feels like a crucial one, where you’d want to see big progress to justify all the misery that came before. There’s enough young talent here that you could certainly imagine it all coming together. Sounds encouraging, right? The problem is I cut-and-pasted those two sentences from last year’s preview, and then the team went backwards. It can’t happen again… can it?

In the spotlight: Jack Eichel, and not just because he’s the team’s best player. Fair or not, Eichel was viewed as having a hand in those firings, and some Sabres fans joke that he’s become the team’s de facto GM. And he still needs an extension. It’s fair to say there’s a lot riding on this year.

Oddly specific prediction: I really want to find a way to get them higher than sixth in the Atlantic. I’m not sure I can. I cut-and-pasted that part, too.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Last season: 50-24-8, 108 points, third in the Metro, out in the first round

Offseason report: Other than that Brandon Saad/Artemi Panarin deal and dumping David Clarkson’s contract on the Knights, nothing big.

Outlook: A year ago, everyone had them pegged for last in the Metro and John Tortorella was going to be the first coach fired. Then they won 50 games. Was it a fluke? Not necessarily, but it’s fair to say that the hockey world wants to see it again before they’re convinced.

In the spotlight: Zach Werenski. Other than goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, nobody was a bigger piece of last year’s rise than the rookie blueliner. He’s on track for full-blown stardom, but he also just turned 20 and some guys struggle in their second season. The Jackets may not be able to afford that.

Oddly specific prediction: They break through with the most successful playoff run in franchise history. Which is to say they lose in the first round in seven games.

Los Angeles Kings

Last season: 39-35-8, 86 points, fifth in Pacific, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They fired Dean Lombardi and Darryl Sutter, essentially hitting reset on their Stanley Cup era.

Outlook: Those two Cups feel like they were a long time ago, as the Kings have won just a single playoff game since 2014. They’re still a good team on paper, and some new voices could spark a temporary return to the league’s elite. But this is basically the same roster as last year, just older, and you have to figure that big changes are coming sooner or later.

In the spotlight: Drew Doughty. If the Kings can rebound, Doughty will be a big reason why. If they can’t, expect his contract status—he’ll be a UFA in 2019—to start to loom large. Especially if he keeps saying stuff like this.

Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Oddly specific prediction: They hang tough early, but the wheels come off by mid-November and they finish sixth in the Pacific.

Florida Panthers

Last season: 35-36-11, 81 points, sixth in the Atlantic, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They confused everyone at the expansion draft, said goodbye to Jaromir Jagr, hired a new coach, and basically tried as hard as they could to hit CTRL-Z on everything they did a year ago.

Outlook: They were really bad last season, and on paper they just got even worse. But last year felt like a worst-case scenario, and they still have one of the better young rosters in the league. There may not be a team in the league with a wider range of realistic outcomes heading into this season.

In the spotlight: Aleksander Barkov. He was the team’s second leading scorer last year, trailing only [squints at scoresheet] Vincent Trocheck. Barkov has always been an excellent two-way player, but has yet to crack 60 points. With three of the other top six scorers shipped out for essentially no return, the Panthers will need him to be an offensive force.

Oddly specific prediction: Jonathan Huberdeau stays healthy and has his breakout year, leading the team in scoring.

Washington Capitals

Last season: 55-19-8, 118 points, won the Presidents’ Trophy, then remembered they were the Capitals

Offseason report: They didn’t blow it all up, despite rumors they were considering it. But they certainly didn’t get any better, losing Justin Williams, Nate Schmidt, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Karl Alzner.

Outlook: Yet another loss to the Penguins seems to be the one that finally broke the Capitals—the players, the front office, the fans, everyone. With this year’s team featuring the same core but less depth, it sure seems like there’s only one direction to go. Then again, maybe that’s the key. Maybe the Caps are the team that can’t handle the pressure of being the favorite, but get dangerous once they’re written off. We’ll find out, because man, these guys have been written off so hard the pencil tore through the paper and carved “CAPS SUCK” into the table underneath.

In the spotlight: Barry Trotz. They’re totally going to fire him if they start slow, aren’t they?

Oddly specific prediction: The Capitals make the playoffs, face the Penguins, and beat them. I don’t remotely believe that, I just wanted Washington fans to remember what happiness felt like for a moment.

Winnipeg Jets

Last season: 40-35-7, 87 points, fifth in the Central, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They signed Steve Mason and Dmitry Kulikov to UFA deals. Then they gave the coach and GM extensions, since organizational stability is crucial when you’ve got zero playoffs wins in six years.

Outlook: The roster is (mostly) young and (mostly) very good. It has to click eventually, you’d think. And yet here we are, once again, talking about this finally being the season the Jets break through and actually do something. We’ve been down this road for years, and it just never seems to happen. Meanwhile, other Central teams are making aggressive trades, firing people, and finishing ten points ahead of Winnipeg year after year.

Photo by Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

In the spotlight: Mark Scheifele. The best forward whose name you still have to look up to spell correctly every single time broke through in 2015-16, then did it again last year. Was that his peak? He’s 24, so maybe not.

Oddly specific prediction: Connor Hellebuyck wins the starting job, Patrik Laine scores 50, and the Jets make the playoffs. What the hell, I’ll be right one of these years.

Nashville Predators

Last season: 41-29-12, 94 points, fourth in the Central, lost in the final

Offseason report: They lost their captain, Mike Fisher, to retirement, and saw James Neal head to Vegas. They also signed Nick Bonino away from the Penguins.

Outlook: The Predators’ playoff run was so much fun that it’s easy to forget that this team finished last year with the same point total as the Islanders. They have the talent to make another push for a title, but the margin for error isn’t as big as you might assume. And the recent history of Cup final losers isn’t pretty.

In the spotlight: Roman Josi. He’s the new captain, and with Ryan Ellis out for a few months, he’ll have to be at his best. There’s been some debate in recent years as to whether Josi is one of the league’s most underrated players, or sneakily overrated. We’ll get some clarity this year.

Oddly specific prediction: The team struggles to score early on. In an unrelated story, Matt Duchene is starting every interview by mentioning how much he loves country music.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Last season: 40-27-15, 95 points, second Eastern wildcard, out in the first round

Offseason report: They signed Patrick Marleau to a three-year deal that would raise serious salary cap questions if this were the sort of team that worried about the rules.

Outlook: You know when your phone is completely dead and you figure it will take a while to charge back up but then you plug it in and suddenly it’s at like 78% right away and on the one hand you think “Oh awesome that was fast” but on the other hand you’re like “That’s not supposed to happen, I think something might be wrong here.” That’s how longtime Maple Leaf fans feel about the rebuild.

Photo by Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

In the spotlight: Jake Gardiner. The Leafs are stacked with young talent up front and seem adequate in goal, but still don’t have that No. 1 stud defenseman. Or do they? Fans have been hoping that Morgan Rielly would grow into the role, but the oft-maligned Gardiner might be closer.

Oddly specific prediction: With everyone in the world seemingly convinced the Leafs are either headed directly for a championship or about to collapse, they annoy everyone by finishing with the exact same 95 points they had last year.

The Contenders Division

If your favorite team hasn’t shown up yet, that can only mean one thing: They made the cut for the final group, the one featuring the teams with the best shot at the Stanley Cup. Well, that or I forgot about them and left them off the list completely. Crap, I probably should have double-checked this thing.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Last season: 50-21-11, 111 points, second in the Metro and overall, won the Stanley Cup for the second straight year

Photo by Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Offseason report: They kept the core intact, but the depth took a major hit with several departures. That includes longtime fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury, who’s now a Golden Knight.

Outlook: There hasn’t been a three-peat in the NHL since the Al Arbour Islanders—even the Gretzky/Messier Oilers and Lemieux/Jagr Penguins never won three straight—so doing it in the cap era would seem like a borderline miracle. Still, the Penguins are already two wins deep, and they come into this year looking like the favorites. The depth is a big concern, though.

In the spotlight: Kris Letang. He’s back healthy, and with him in the lineup the Penguins can make a reasonable case that their opening night lineup is better than the one they won the Cup with. Obviously, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are the keys, but Letang playing a full season for the first time since 2010-11 would be enormous.

Oddly specific prediction: Jake Guentzel goes five rounds too early in your office hockey pool.

Chicago Blackhawks

Last season: 50-23-9, 109 points, first in the Central, swept in the opening round

Offseason report: They swapped Panarin for Saad, dumped Niklas Hjalmarsson’s contract on the Coyotes, and lost Marian Hossa to a rare skin disorder.

Outlook: Between age, the salary cap, and some questionable roster moves, you can see the cracks starting to form. The question is: When things finally start to crumble, how fast does it all come down?

In the spotlight: Brent Seabrook. The Toews/Kane/Keith core is locked in forever, and Hawks fans are fine with that. But Seabrook’s deal is tougher to defend, especially given his recent play. A return to form would be nice, but that’s asking a lot from a 32-year-old with plenty of miles on him.

Oddly specific prediction: The Hawks hold off the inevitable for another year, cracking 100 points yet again.

Anaheim Ducks

Last season: 46-23-13, 105 points, first in the Pacific, lost in the conference final

Offseason report: The lost Shea Theodore to the Knights, which will hurt someday but is manageable now. They also added Ryan Miller on a cheap deal, and brought back deadline rental Patrick Eaves.

Outlook: The Ducks were a trendy pick to regress last year after replacing Bruce Boudreau with Randy Carlyle, but they had another strong season. The cap is jammed and the core is getting old, so the window is closing here. But for now, they look like contenders.

In the spotlight: Corey Perry. After scoring 110 goals over three years, the former MVP and Rocket Richard winner plummeted to just 19 last year. Even the best have off-years, and the Ducks better hope that’s what this was, because Perry is 32 and makes big bucks for the next four years.

Photo by Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Oddly specific prediction: Hampus Lindholm has a breakout year, infuriating the analytics guys who insist he’s already had several.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Last season: 42-30-10, 94 points, fifth in the Atlantic, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They finally traded Jonathan Drouin, re-signed several guys, and added veterans Chris Kunitz and Dan Girardi.

Outlook: It’s rare for a team that missed the playoffs one year to head into the next as a consensus Cup favorite. Then again, it’s rare for a team this good to miss the playoffs at all. On paper, the Lightning are as good as anyone out there, and with a healthy Steven Stamkos they’re already better than last year’s edition. Last year was about as bad as it could possibly get for this group, and they still only missed the playoffs by one point.

In the spotlight: Steve Yzerman. I know, I know, he’s everyone’s pick as the best GM in the league right now. But last year, he misplayed his Ben Bishop hand, made the call to sell at the deadline, and then lost out on the final wildcard spot by a single point to one of the teams he sold to. He had to do some of that to clear up cap space, sure. But then he used that cap space on Girardi, who even the most loyal Ranger fans had soured on. Are we completely sure he’s playing 3D chess here? OK, just making sure.

Oddly specific prediction: Victor Hedman finally wins the Norris Trophy.

Dallas Stars

Last season: 34-37-11, 79 points, sixth in Central, missed the playoffs

Offseason report: They loaded up, adding Bishop, Alexander Radulov, Martin Hanzal, and Marc Methot. They also brought Ken Hitchcock back as coach.

Outlook: Wait, a 79-point team in the contenders section? Welcome to the parity era. But no team was a bigger disappointment last season, and no team did more to bring in reinforcements over the summer, so all signs point to a big rebound season in Dallas. The blueline remains a question mark, but there’s so much firepower up front that they can cover for some of that.

In the spotlight: Bishop. Goaltending has killed the Stars for years, and GM Jim Nill finally went out and got the guy we all assumed he’d wind up with all along. But is it already too late? Bishop wasn’t great last year, and he’s a big guy on the wrong side of 30. If he slumps or gets hurt, look out.

Oddly specific prediction: The Benn-Seguin-Radulov line is the league’s most entertaining until Hitchcock decides they’re taking too many chances and breaks them up in the third period of the season opener.

Montreal Canadiens

Last season: 47-26-9, 103 points, first in the Atlantic, out in round one

Offseason report: Radulov left and Andrei Markov retired, but they added Drouin, Alzner, and Ales Hemsky. Most importantly, they got Carey Price locked in on a long-term extension.

Outlook: While the roster underwent some changes, when it all shakes out this year’s Canadiens look a lot like last year’s. Which is to say, they’re good enough to make the playoffs and maybe even win the division, but it’s hard to see a path to the Stanley Cup that doesn’t involve Price stealing a few series along the way. Which he might.

Photo by Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

In the spotlight: Alex Galchenyuk. Despite all the changes over the summer, GM Marc Bergevin never did find the surefire first-line center everyone in Montreal wants him to get. Maybe that ends up being Drouin. Maybe they try Galchenyuk again someday. Or maybe we all just keep talking about this forever. After five years in the NHL, the team still doesn’t seem quite sure what it has in this kid.

Oddly specific prediction: Drouin hits the 60-point mark for the first time. It’s not enough for Montreal.

Minnesota Wild

Last season: 49-25-8, 106 points, second in the Central, out in round one

Offseason report: They swung a deal with the Sabres for Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno, signed Matt Cullen, and extended captain Mikko Koivu.

Outlook: Does it feel like we’re stretching the whole “contender” thing here? It kind of does. The Wild are usually good, usually make the playoffs, and usually exit pretty quickly. Last year’s team was quite possibly their best ever, so there’s something to build on here, and the Central seems kind of wide open. Could they win it all? Sure, I guess.

In the spotlight: Zach Parise. Remember him? Last year he had 42 points to rank eighth on the team. He’s 33, and still signed for another eight years. Those 2020 lockout compliance buyouts can’t come fast enough in Minnesota.

Oddly specific prediction: Parise scores 30 goals and makes me eat that last paragraph.

Edmonton Oilers

Last season: 47-26-9, 103 points, second in Pacific, out in round two

Offseason report: They gave Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl all the money. Oh, and they traded Jordan Eberle to help pay for it.

Outlook: With a generational franchise player and some momentum from last year, the Oilers seem destined to win a Cup in the very near future. But is this year too soon?

Photo by Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

In the spotlight: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Obviously McDavid is the big name here, and Draisaitl will be analyzed to death due to his new deal. But Nugent-Hopkins has become a bit of a forgotten man in Edmonton. This seems like the year when we figure out whether the former first overall pick can be a key supporting piece for a contender, or a salary cap albatross who has to be shipped out, Eberle-style.

Oddly specific prediction: McDavid becomes the league’s first 120-point player in a decade.

Predictions: I’ve got four new playoff teams; history tells us that’s two or three teams too few. Still, you have to give me credit for mixing it up a bit and not just sticking with the same-old same-old, right? Uh, feel free to skip the Cup pick.

Atlantic

1) Lightning* 2) Canadiens* 3) Maple Leafs* 4) Bruins 5) Senators 6) Sabres 7) Panthers 8) Red Wings

Metro

1) Penguins* 2) Capitals* 3) Blue Jackets* 4) Hurricanes* (wc) 5) Rangers* (wc) 6) Islanders 7) Flyers 8) Devils

Central

1) Wild* 2) Blackhawks* 3) Stars* 4) Predators* (wc) 5) Jets* (wc) 6) Blues 7) Avalanche

Pacific

1) Oilers* 2) Ducks* 3) Flames* 4) Sharks 5) Coyotes 6) Kings 7) Canucks 8) Knights

* = playoffs; (wc) = wildcard Eastern Conference final: Penguins over Lightning Western Conference final: Oilers over Stars Stanley Cup pick: Penguins over Oilers in five

Click here for more preview stories on the 2017-18 NHL season

DGB NHL Season Preview: The Question Marks, Contenders, and Playoff Picks syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6

[flauntpage]

DGB NHL Season Preview: The Question Marks, Contenders, and Playoff Picks

Yesterday, we covered half the league with a look at the bottom-feeders and the middle-of-the-pack. Today, we wrap up the season preview with a look at the very best teams the league has to offer, plus a full set of predictions and a Cup winner. Spoiler alert: It's a little anti-climactic.

But first, let's work on our exasperated shrugs as we tackle the league's misfits and question marks.

The Your-Guess-Is-As-Good-As-Mine Division

This is always my favorite division, for two reasons. First, by definition I can't actually be wrong about any of the teams here. And second, it's fun to watch fans read through the first half of the preview, not see their team listed, and get all excited about them being considered contenders. Not so fast...

Buffalo Sabres

Last season: 33-37-12, 78 points, last in the Atlantic, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They fired the coach and GM. As far as the roster, the emphasis was on the blueline, which looks better with Marco Scandella and Nathan Beaulieu added.

Outlook: This year feels like a crucial one, where you'd want to see big progress to justify all the misery that came before. There's enough young talent here that you could certainly imagine it all coming together. Sounds encouraging, right? The problem is I cut-and-pasted those two sentences from last year's preview, and then the team went backwards. It can't happen again... can it?

In the spotlight: Jack Eichel, and not just because he's the team's best player. Fair or not, Eichel was viewed as having a hand in those firings, and some Sabres fans joke that he's become the team's de facto GM. And he still needs an extension. It's fair to say there's a lot riding on this year.

Oddly specific prediction: I really want to find a way to get them higher than sixth in the Atlantic. I'm not sure I can. I cut-and-pasted that part, too.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Last season: 50-24-8, 108 points, third in the Metro, out in the first round

Offseason report: Other than that Brandon Saad/Artemi Panarin deal and dumping David Clarkson's contract on the Knights, nothing big.

Outlook: A year ago, everyone had them pegged for last in the Metro and John Tortorella was going to be the first coach fired. Then they won 50 games. Was it a fluke? Not necessarily, but it's fair to say that the hockey world wants to see it again before they're convinced.

In the spotlight: Zach Werenski. Other than goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, nobody was a bigger piece of last year's rise than the rookie blueliner. He's on track for full-blown stardom, but he also just turned 20 and some guys struggle in their second season. The Jackets may not be able to afford that.

Oddly specific prediction: They break through with the most successful playoff run in franchise history. Which is to say they lose in the first round in seven games.

Los Angeles Kings

Last season: 39-35-8, 86 points, fifth in Pacific, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They fired Dean Lombardi and Darryl Sutter, essentially hitting reset on their Stanley Cup era.

Outlook: Those two Cups feel like they were a long time ago, as the Kings have won just a single playoff game since 2014. They're still a good team on paper, and some new voices could spark a temporary return to the league's elite. But this is basically the same roster as last year, just older, and you have to figure that big changes are coming sooner or later.

In the spotlight: Drew Doughty. If the Kings can rebound, Doughty will be a big reason why. If they can't, expect his contract status—he'll be a UFA in 2019—to start to loom large. Especially if he keeps saying stuff like this.

Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Oddly specific prediction: They hang tough early, but the wheels come off by mid-November and they finish sixth in the Pacific.

Florida Panthers

Last season: 35-36-11, 81 points, sixth in the Atlantic, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They confused everyone at the expansion draft, said goodbye to Jaromir Jagr, hired a new coach, and basically tried as hard as they could to hit CTRL-Z on everything they did a year ago.

Outlook: They were really bad last season, and on paper they just got even worse. But last year felt like a worst-case scenario, and they still have one of the better young rosters in the league. There may not be a team in the league with a wider range of realistic outcomes heading into this season.

In the spotlight: Aleksander Barkov. He was the team's second leading scorer last year, trailing only [squints at scoresheet] Vincent Trocheck. Barkov has always been an excellent two-way player, but has yet to crack 60 points. With three of the other top six scorers shipped out for essentially no return, the Panthers will need him to be an offensive force.

Oddly specific prediction: Jonathan Huberdeau stays healthy and has his breakout year, leading the team in scoring.

Washington Capitals

Last season: 55-19-8, 118 points, won the Presidents' Trophy, then remembered they were the Capitals

Offseason report: They didn't blow it all up, despite rumors they were considering it. But they certainly didn't get any better, losing Justin Williams, Nate Schmidt, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Karl Alzner.

Outlook: Yet another loss to the Penguins seems to be the one that finally broke the Capitals—the players, the front office, the fans, everyone. With this year's team featuring the same core but less depth, it sure seems like there's only one direction to go. Then again, maybe that's the key. Maybe the Caps are the team that can't handle the pressure of being the favorite, but get dangerous once they're written off. We'll find out, because man, these guys have been written off so hard the pencil tore through the paper and carved "CAPS SUCK" into the table underneath.

In the spotlight: Barry Trotz. They're totally going to fire him if they start slow, aren't they?

Oddly specific prediction: The Capitals make the playoffs, face the Penguins, and beat them. I don't remotely believe that, I just wanted Washington fans to remember what happiness felt like for a moment.

Winnipeg Jets

Last season: 40-35-7, 87 points, fifth in the Central, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They signed Steve Mason and Dmitry Kulikov to UFA deals. Then they gave the coach and GM extensions, since organizational stability is crucial when you've got zero playoffs wins in six years.

Outlook: The roster is (mostly) young and (mostly) very good. It has to click eventually, you'd think. And yet here we are, once again, talking about this finally being the season the Jets break through and actually do something. We've been down this road for years, and it just never seems to happen. Meanwhile, other Central teams are making aggressive trades, firing people, and finishing ten points ahead of Winnipeg year after year.

Photo by Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

In the spotlight: Mark Scheifele. The best forward whose name you still have to look up to spell correctly every single time broke through in 2015-16, then did it again last year. Was that his peak? He's 24, so maybe not.

Oddly specific prediction: Connor Hellebuyck wins the starting job, Patrik Laine scores 50, and the Jets make the playoffs. What the hell, I'll be right one of these years.

Nashville Predators

Last season: 41-29-12, 94 points, fourth in the Central, lost in the final

Offseason report: They lost their captain, Mike Fisher, to retirement, and saw James Neal head to Vegas. They also signed Nick Bonino away from the Penguins.

Outlook: The Predators' playoff run was so much fun that it's easy to forget that this team finished last year with the same point total as the Islanders. They have the talent to make another push for a title, but the margin for error isn't as big as you might assume. And the recent history of Cup final losers isn't pretty.

In the spotlight: Roman Josi. He's the new captain, and with Ryan Ellis out for a few months, he'll have to be at his best. There's been some debate in recent years as to whether Josi is one of the league's most underrated players, or sneakily overrated. We'll get some clarity this year.

Oddly specific prediction: The team struggles to score early on. In an unrelated story, Matt Duchene is starting every interview by mentioning how much he loves country music.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Last season: 40-27-15, 95 points, second Eastern wildcard, out in the first round

Offseason report: They signed Patrick Marleau to a three-year deal that would raise serious salary cap questions if this were the sort of team that worried about the rules.

Outlook: You know when your phone is completely dead and you figure it will take a while to charge back up but then you plug it in and suddenly it's at like 78% right away and on the one hand you think "Oh awesome that was fast" but on the other hand you're like "That's not supposed to happen, I think something might be wrong here." That's how longtime Maple Leaf fans feel about the rebuild.

Photo by Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

In the spotlight: Jake Gardiner. The Leafs are stacked with young talent up front and seem adequate in goal, but still don't have that No. 1 stud defenseman. Or do they? Fans have been hoping that Morgan Rielly would grow into the role, but the oft-maligned Gardiner might be closer.

Oddly specific prediction: With everyone in the world seemingly convinced the Leafs are either headed directly for a championship or about to collapse, they annoy everyone by finishing with the exact same 95 points they had last year.

The Contenders Division

If your favorite team hasn't shown up yet, that can only mean one thing: They made the cut for the final group, the one featuring the teams with the best shot at the Stanley Cup. Well, that or I forgot about them and left them off the list completely. Crap, I probably should have double-checked this thing.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Last season: 50-21-11, 111 points, second in the Metro and overall, won the Stanley Cup for the second straight year

Photo by Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Offseason report: They kept the core intact, but the depth took a major hit with several departures. That includes longtime fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury, who's now a Golden Knight.

Outlook: There hasn't been a three-peat in the NHL since the Al Arbour Islanders—even the Gretzky/Messier Oilers and Lemieux/Jagr Penguins never won three straight—so doing it in the cap era would seem like a borderline miracle. Still, the Penguins are already two wins deep, and they come into this year looking like the favorites. The depth is a big concern, though.

In the spotlight: Kris Letang. He's back healthy, and with him in the lineup the Penguins can make a reasonable case that their opening night lineup is better than the one they won the Cup with. Obviously, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are the keys, but Letang playing a full season for the first time since 2010-11 would be enormous.

Oddly specific prediction: Jake Guentzel goes five rounds too early in your office hockey pool.

Chicago Blackhawks

Last season: 50-23-9, 109 points, first in the Central, swept in the opening round

Offseason report: They swapped Panarin for Saad, dumped Niklas Hjalmarsson's contract on the Coyotes, and lost Marian Hossa to a rare skin disorder.

Outlook: Between age, the salary cap, and some questionable roster moves, you can see the cracks starting to form. The question is: When things finally start to crumble, how fast does it all come down?

In the spotlight: Brent Seabrook. The Toews/Kane/Keith core is locked in forever, and Hawks fans are fine with that. But Seabrook's deal is tougher to defend, especially given his recent play. A return to form would be nice, but that's asking a lot from a 32-year-old with plenty of miles on him.

Oddly specific prediction: The Hawks hold off the inevitable for another year, cracking 100 points yet again.

Anaheim Ducks

Last season: 46-23-13, 105 points, first in the Pacific, lost in the conference final

Offseason report: The lost Shea Theodore to the Knights, which will hurt someday but is manageable now. They also added Ryan Miller on a cheap deal, and brought back deadline rental Patrick Eaves.

Outlook: The Ducks were a trendy pick to regress last year after replacing Bruce Boudreau with Randy Carlyle, but they had another strong season. The cap is jammed and the core is getting old, so the window is closing here. But for now, they look like contenders.

In the spotlight: Corey Perry. After scoring 110 goals over three years, the former MVP and Rocket Richard winner plummeted to just 19 last year. Even the best have off-years, and the Ducks better hope that's what this was, because Perry is 32 and makes big bucks for the next four years.

Photo by Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Oddly specific prediction: Hampus Lindholm has a breakout year, infuriating the analytics guys who insist he's already had several.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Last season: 42-30-10, 94 points, fifth in the Atlantic, missed playoffs

Offseason report: They finally traded Jonathan Drouin, re-signed several guys, and added veterans Chris Kunitz and Dan Girardi.

Outlook: It's rare for a team that missed the playoffs one year to head into the next as a consensus Cup favorite. Then again, it's rare for a team this good to miss the playoffs at all. On paper, the Lightning are as good as anyone out there, and with a healthy Steven Stamkos they're already better than last year's edition. Last year was about as bad as it could possibly get for this group, and they still only missed the playoffs by one point.

In the spotlight: Steve Yzerman. I know, I know, he's everyone's pick as the best GM in the league right now. But last year, he misplayed his Ben Bishop hand, made the call to sell at the deadline, and then lost out on the final wildcard spot by a single point to one of the teams he sold to. He had to do some of that to clear up cap space, sure. But then he used that cap space on Girardi, who even the most loyal Ranger fans had soured on. Are we completely sure he's playing 3D chess here? OK, just making sure.

Oddly specific prediction: Victor Hedman finally wins the Norris Trophy.

Dallas Stars

Last season: 34-37-11, 79 points, sixth in Central, missed the playoffs

Offseason report: They loaded up, adding Bishop, Alexander Radulov, Martin Hanzal, and Marc Methot. They also brought Ken Hitchcock back as coach.

Outlook: Wait, a 79-point team in the contenders section? Welcome to the parity era. But no team was a bigger disappointment last season, and no team did more to bring in reinforcements over the summer, so all signs point to a big rebound season in Dallas. The blueline remains a question mark, but there's so much firepower up front that they can cover for some of that.

In the spotlight: Bishop. Goaltending has killed the Stars for years, and GM Jim Nill finally went out and got the guy we all assumed he'd wind up with all along. But is it already too late? Bishop wasn't great last year, and he's a big guy on the wrong side of 30. If he slumps or gets hurt, look out.

Oddly specific prediction: The Benn-Seguin-Radulov line is the league's most entertaining until Hitchcock decides they're taking too many chances and breaks them up in the third period of the season opener.

Montreal Canadiens

Last season: 47-26-9, 103 points, first in the Atlantic, out in round one

Offseason report: Radulov left and Andrei Markov retired, but they added Drouin, Alzner, and Ales Hemsky. Most importantly, they got Carey Price locked in on a long-term extension.

Outlook: While the roster underwent some changes, when it all shakes out this year's Canadiens look a lot like last year's. Which is to say, they're good enough to make the playoffs and maybe even win the division, but it's hard to see a path to the Stanley Cup that doesn't involve Price stealing a few series along the way. Which he might.

Photo by Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

In the spotlight: Alex Galchenyuk. Despite all the changes over the summer, GM Marc Bergevin never did find the surefire first-line center everyone in Montreal wants him to get. Maybe that ends up being Drouin. Maybe they try Galchenyuk again someday. Or maybe we all just keep talking about this forever. After five years in the NHL, the team still doesn't seem quite sure what it has in this kid.

Oddly specific prediction: Drouin hits the 60-point mark for the first time. It's not enough for Montreal.

Minnesota Wild

Last season: 49-25-8, 106 points, second in the Central, out in round one

Offseason report: They swung a deal with the Sabres for Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno, signed Matt Cullen, and extended captain Mikko Koivu.

Outlook: Does it feel like we're stretching the whole "contender" thing here? It kind of does. The Wild are usually good, usually make the playoffs, and usually exit pretty quickly. Last year's team was quite possibly their best ever, so there's something to build on here, and the Central seems kind of wide open. Could they win it all? Sure, I guess.

In the spotlight: Zach Parise. Remember him? Last year he had 42 points to rank eighth on the team. He's 33, and still signed for another eight years. Those 2020 lockout compliance buyouts can't come fast enough in Minnesota.

Oddly specific prediction: Parise scores 30 goals and makes me eat that last paragraph.

Edmonton Oilers

Last season: 47-26-9, 103 points, second in Pacific, out in round two

Offseason report: They gave Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl all the money. Oh, and they traded Jordan Eberle to help pay for it.

Outlook: With a generational franchise player and some momentum from last year, the Oilers seem destined to win a Cup in the very near future. But is this year too soon?

Photo by Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

In the spotlight: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Obviously McDavid is the big name here, and Draisaitl will be analyzed to death due to his new deal. But Nugent-Hopkins has become a bit of a forgotten man in Edmonton. This seems like the year when we figure out whether the former first overall pick can be a key supporting piece for a contender, or a salary cap albatross who has to be shipped out, Eberle-style.

Oddly specific prediction: McDavid becomes the league's first 120-point player in a decade.

Predictions: I've got four new playoff teams; history tells us that's two or three teams too few. Still, you have to give me credit for mixing it up a bit and not just sticking with the same-old same-old, right? Uh, feel free to skip the Cup pick.

Atlantic

1) Lightning* 2) Canadiens* 3) Maple Leafs* 4) Bruins 5) Senators 6) Sabres 7) Panthers 8) Red Wings

Metro

1) Penguins* 2) Capitals* 3) Blue Jackets* 4) Hurricanes* (wc) 5) Rangers* (wc) 6) Islanders 7) Flyers 8) Devils

Central

1) Wild* 2) Blackhawks* 3) Stars* 4) Predators* (wc) 5) Jets* (wc) 6) Blues 7) Avalanche

Pacific

1) Oilers* 2) Ducks* 3) Flames* 4) Sharks 5) Coyotes 6) Kings 7) Canucks 8) Knights

* = playoffs; (wc) = wildcard Eastern Conference final: Penguins over Lightning Western Conference final: Oilers over Stars Stanley Cup pick: Penguins over Oilers in five

Click here for more preview stories on the 2017-18 NHL season

DGB NHL Season Preview: The Question Marks, Contenders, and Playoff Picks published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Panthers Producing, Tampa Chasing History, Binnington, Murray, & Couturier (Feb 20)

  Don’t look now, but the Ducks have won three of their last four games. Two via the shutout including a 4-0 victory over the Wild on Tuesday evening. None of these contests have seen John Gibson, either. Ryan Miller is healthy and providing exactly what’s expected of him: providing legitimate netminding if/when Gibson isn’t in the crease.

  Anaheim is just three points back of the final Wild Card spot – held by the struggling Wild. This despite boasting a league-worst -50 goal differential.

  That Pacific Division is yuck.

  **

Those cats from Minny are trying their darndest to fall out of the playoff picture. They’re 1-6-3 over their past 10 games. They sure appear to miss Mikko Koivu a great deal.

  **

On the other side of the ledger, the Blues simply refuse to lose. They put their 10-game win streak on the line against the Leafs on Tuesday and despite blowing a 2-0 lead in the third period, came away victorious in overtime off the stick of Ryan O’Reilly.

  Robert Thomas has been toiling away on the fourth line during even-strength play, but the rookie pivot is beginning to look awfully comfortable on the top power-play unit. He didn’t have any points in this one but he has six in his last seven games.

  Thomas should be considered a real threat to break out in 2019-20. Keep that one in your back pocket for draft season next fall.

  Another start for Jordan Binnington and another victory. He hasn’t lost in a full month with 13 of his 15 starts in 2019 have been quality – meaning at or above league average save percentage – around 0.910. 

  He’s been a key figure in the revolution happening in Missouri these days. The real question is where we peg him as an asset moving forward? Obviously, this type of run will not be sustained. No one can run hot forever. But a 25-year-old who appears capable of leading a playoff-calibre team should be worth some serious action in drafts next season.

  **

Andreas Johnsson returned to action. He skated 15:27 alongside Nazem Kadri and William Nylander at evens. The Leafs didn’t receive a power plays in this one, but Johnsson was practicing on the left point on the second unit.

  Johnsson is a very interesting player moving forward. Will he price himself out of Toronto as an RFA this summer or is he destined to be a swiss army knife for the squad? He’s a sleeper right now; let’s see if that lasts through the summer.

  **

For those leagues who employ two-week playoff matches, this week was the kickoff to the 2019 Fantasy Post-Season. The team with the healthiest schedule is the Panthers, and they got things moving and shaking in the right direction on Tuesday with a 4-2 victory over the Sabres.

  Florida plays eight contests over the next two weeks including six at home. They may not be a playoff team, but they score like one – kicking around the top half of the league for goals for. Their big cats really flashed their teeth late in this one.

  Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov both chipped in three points – all accrued in the third frame to seal the victory. They were some pretty tallies too.

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/Hubey-deke.mp4

    Barkov has seven points in his last two games and remains above a point-per-game pace. On the other hand, Huberdeau’s production has to be a welcomed sight for those owners who were getting used to his early season dominance. The skilled winger came into this tilt with just three points in his previous eight games.

  His name has been in trade rumours leading up to the deadline. 30 teams should be calling if Dale Tallon is dumb enough to move him. 

  **

No points for Rasmus Dalin despite leading all Buffalo skaters in PPTOI with 5:59.

  **

The illness-riddled Penguins overcame a couple of one-goal deficits to defeat the flailing Devils 4-3. Sidney Crosby posted an assist to extend his point streak to six contests, while Evgeni Malkin’s apple pushed his personal streak to eight games.

  Matt Murray stopped 33 in this one, including some bell ringers in the final frame. He has three wins in his last four tries. He’s 14-5-0 with a 0.931 save percentage since returning from injury in mid-December.

  The Pens are third in the Metro and just two points behind the Caps.

  **

Carter Hart was given the Tampa Bay treatment on Tuesday. The 20-year-old netminder surrendered three goals on six shots before getting the yank. No sweat, kid the Bolts are chasing history as one of the all-time great teams.

  Here’s a look at the a few of the top seasons of all-time (Win %)

1929-30 Bruins (0.875) – 44 GP

1943-44 Habs (.830) – 50 GP

1976-77 Habs (.825) – 80GP

2012-13 Blackhawks (.811) – 45GP [Lockout season]

1977-78 Habs (.806) – 80GP

1944-45 Habs (.800)  -50GP

1995-96 Red Wings (.799) – 82GP – 62 wins [NHL RECORD]

1975-76 Habs (.794) – 80GP

2018-19 Tampa Bay (.787) – 61GP – on pace for 62 wins

1970-71 Bruins (.776) – 78GP

  Yes, we can look to the shootout and overtime frame as boosters for this squad, but their RPt% (regulation point-percentage) is still a very pretty 0.730.

  This is a special team, doing special things.

  Sadly, Nikita Kucherov was held off the scoresheet and wasn’t able to hit triple-digits on Tuesday despite the Lightning beating Philly 5-2. Tampa has now won seven straight games for the THIRD time this season.

  Nutty.

  **

Sean Couturier continued his hot streak by adding two assists. The 26-year-old has recorded four consecutive multi-point outings; has 22 points in his last 15 games, and is playing just a hair below a point-per-game output on the campaign.

  His 132 points over the last two seasons sit tied with Sebastian Aho and Brent Burns for 27th most. Not bad company to keep.

  **

Henrik Lundqvist made 43 stops as the Rangers defeated the Hurricanes 2-1 a crucial tilt for Carolina. The loss kept the Canes a single point out of the final Wildcard spot held by Columbus.

  **

Speaking of Columbus, they weren’t able to create any extra separation on Tuesday when they fell 3-2 to the Canadiens. Tomas Tatar tallied the game-winner with under seven minutes to play in this one. Tatar has been a very shrewd pickup for many poolies. Left for dead in Vegas, he’s risen from the fluorescent ashes of Sin City to be a contributing member of the fantasy landscape once again.

  The 28-year-old has 11 points in his last 12 games and has vastly outperformed the player who went the other direction in Max Pacioretty.

  Jesperi Kotkaniemi chipped in with two assists in the win. The 18-year-old is posting a very respectable rookie campaign, clicking right at the half-point-per-game mark. 

  He's the real deal. 

  **

For those gearing up for a lottery pick, get excited for Kaapo Kakko. The recently turned 18-year-old is scoring goals in the Finnish Liiga at an unheard of rate.

  {source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kaapo Kakko- making goal-scoring history among u-18 players in Finnish Elite League… check this out. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Octagon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Octagon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2019NHLDraft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2019NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/OTISEamGFP">pic.twitter.com/OTISEamGFP</a></p>— Andy Scott (@Andy_Scott15) <a href="https://twitter.com/Andy_Scott15/status/1097946211468730368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2019</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

  **

Roman Josi tallied two goals and an assist, Ryan Ellis chipped in three assists, and Pekka Rinne made 36 stops as the Preds defeated the Stars 5-3. The Stars have lost three straight and are heading the wrong direction heading into the trade deadline next Monday. 

  **

The Oilers were without Connor McDavid on Tuesday against the Coyotes due to illness. I'd be a little queasy too seeing my team tumbling to the bottom of the standings once again.  

  The Oilers stuck to the script and lost their fifth straight and 11th of their last 12 with a 3-2 shootout defeat. 

  **

Kucherov has been getting most of the attention these days, and for good reason. Before his scoreless evening on Tuesday he had 18 points in his previous five games and has a whopping 99 points in 61 games. He’s on pace to be the first player to break 130 points in nearly 25 years.

  Here’s the thing though, Patrick Kane is somehow running even hotter right now. He has an incredible 65 points in 37 games stretching back to Nov. 24th. He recently surpassed Mike Hoffman’s earlier season point streak of 17 games for the longest run of the season.

  Kane has produced 40 points on his current 18 games run. 40.

  In the Last 10 years, the top streaks are:

  Kane – 26 games in 2015-16

Crosby 25 games in 2010-11

Taylor Hall – 19 games in 2017-18

Steven Stamkos – 18 games in 2009-10

Corey Perry – 19 in 2009-10

Phil Kessel – 18 in 2008-09

  Don’t take these lengthy point-streaks for granted. They don’t come around too often. 

  And don't go handing that Hart trophy to Kuch just yet. If Kane can drag the Blackhawks to the post-season – and they're only one point back right now, his massive point totals and lack of surrounding talent will be difficult to argue against. 

  **

Follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

      from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-panthers-producing-lightning-chasing-history-binnington-murray-couturier-feb-20/

[othersportsnews-blog]

NHL - Fantasy hockey - Prime 250 rankings just after free company, expansion and the draft

New Post has been published on https://othersportsnews.com/nhl-fantasy-hockey-prime-250-rankings-just-after-free-company-expansion-and-the-draft/

NHL - Fantasy hockey - Prime 250 rankings just after free company, expansion and the draft

There are a couple of chips remaining to slide, but not numerous. Pursuing an fascinating NHL offseason that included an expansion draft to go together with the standard bevy of additions via free company, investing and the entry draft, the roster photograph for NHL groups has been typically settled.

There are nevertheless a couple of free agents lingering that could have some impression, but very little earth shattering. Jaromir Jagr, Thomas Vanek, Andrei Markov and — in the suitable situation — the likes of Jarome Iginla or Jiri Hudler could locate their way into a fantasy-pleasant role. But people adjustments will be simple plenty of to track as we go ahead.

The issue is that we have plenty of information now to clear the books and re-rank our fantasy belongings heading into the time.

Instead than go via the risers and fallers specially, we are likely to consider some further time to track the new faces that are between the leading 250 (or could be there just before the time starts), as nicely as contact on some players who switched jerseys. We are going to also glimpse at the goaltender carousel which took a couple of much more turns than we get in most offseasons.

Introductions

Vadim Shipachyov, F, Vegas Golden Knights (enters ranks at No. 150): A shiny new addition for the Golden Knights, Shipachyov played for the powerhouse KHL squad SKA St. Petersburg for the past 4 seasons. This past time, he typically played on a line away from Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk, nevertheless finished with 76 details. That was excellent for 3rd in the league, just two details guiding Kovalchuk (and in 10 less video games). He can develop details, and will undoubtedly be supplied the role of No. one centre out of the gate. Now thirty yrs aged, Shipachyov is no rookie and has never played in the NHL just before. His 26 objectives and fifty assists in just fifty KHL video games previous time will not likely translate right, of training course, but he has the profile of a 20-intention, 40-guide pivot in the NHL, with loads of rising area.

Pursuing the Vegas Golden Knights’ expansion draft choices, we project how the group must complete in 2017-18 why they missed an chance to build a significantly far better blue line and why they have a shot at the playoffs up coming spring.

With his new 8-calendar year, $a hundred million deal that kicks in just after the 2017-18 time, Connor McDavid is the highest-compensated participant in the NHL. How lengthy will he keep that title? Here are the candidates to consider the throne.

With the 2017 NHL draft in the books, Corey Pronman grades all 31 groups on their hauls. The Vegas Golden Knights strike the jackpot, adding 4 superior-end potential customers, but which other groups did nicely?

two Relevant

Evgeny Dadonov, F, Florida Panthers (enters ranks at No. 169): A linemate of Shipachyov’s previous time, Dadonov experienced thirty objectives and 36 helpers in fifty three video games to complete fourth in KHL scoring. He is also crossing the pond, but to rejoin his authentic NHL franchise in south Florida. Dadonov experienced 20 details in fifty five video games overall throughout a few NHL seasons just before bolting for Russia in 2012. He is more compact and speedy, and profiles to generally swap the role played by Jonathan Marchessault previous time on the leading line and leading power-participate in unit. Marchessault experienced a excellent time actively playing with Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr, but nevertheless only finished 165th on the ESPN fantasy hockey Player Rater. Dadonov will have to demonstrate that his abilities translate to the NHL to press greater. Though Artemi Panarin is a excellent tale of a KHL import acquiring his game immediately, there are circumstances these kinds of as Roman Cervenka, Jiri Sekac and Sergei Plotnikov that failed to pan out nicely in new seasons.

Nico Hischier, F, New Jersey Devils (enters ranks at No. 174): With very little remaining to demonstrate in junior, Hischier is a near lock to get started in the NHL just as earlier to start with general picks Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid. Oops … I shouldn’t have pointed out people names. Hischier is nowhere near the generational talent of Matthews or McDavid, and very little of that kind must be envisioned from him. That explained, he’s a talented two-way participant with loads of offense and acumen on the power participate in. The Devils could use him as their No. one centre about Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac, and it is really not likely any one would bat an eye. He could also just as quickly marinate on the Devils’ 3rd line, nevertheless. There is some upside here, but not practically as significantly as we’ve experienced from past pair rookie crops. He must be on a fantasy group, but as a late-stage, hopeful pick.

Nolan Patrick, F, Philadelphia Flyers (enters ranks at No. 183): He missed a ton of previous time owing to accidents, but was nevertheless a stable decision by the Flyers with the No. two general pick in the draft. He is a surefire leading-6 ahead, likely starting this time. That explained, he nevertheless sits guiding Claude Giroux at centre on the depth chart, so he’ll possibly have to participate in on the next line or switch to the wing. The Flyers’ offense is a bit much more crowded than the Devils’ while, so Patrick will have to battle for time with the biscuit much more than Hischier will. Thus, he ranks a little guiding his draft counterpart for now.

Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins: (enters ranks at No. 229): A sterling playoff debut has McAvoy penciled in to participate in a important role for the Bruins out of the gate this time. Great matter, way too, as Zdeno Chara isn’t getting any young. In actuality, McAvoy could immediately swap Chara on the next power-participate in unit. He has loads of offense to his game, as evidenced by higher than-common scoring in faculty and dominance at the Environment Juniors.

Dylan Strome, F, Arizona Coyotes (up 5 spots to No. 232): This isn’t our to start with introduction to Strome, but the Coyotes can’t preserve him out of the NHL this time. Following getting a cup of coffee with the Desert Dogs previous time, Strome went again to the OHL to avoid his entry-stage offer from kicking in. He immediately scored at far better than a two-details-per-game pace for the 35 video games he played with the Erie Otters in the normal time, experienced 10 details in seven video games at the Environment Juniors, 34 details in 22 playoff video games and 11 details in 5 video games at the Memorial Cup. In other terms, he created anyone else in junior hockey glimpse silly. He’ll be a leading-6 centre for the Coyotes and, if his teammates are up to the undertaking this time, the could very nicely translate into some stable fantasy generation.

Familiar faces, new sites

How significantly will Alexander Radulov up his scoring totals if he skates with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin in Dallas this time? Kim Klement-Usa Now Sports

Artemi Panarin, F, Columbus Blue Jackets (down 12 spots to No. 35): Only 6 players have much more details than Panarin throughout the past two NHL seasons, his to start with two seasons in the NHL. But how significantly of that generation has arrive from his elite-stage chemistry on the ice with superstar ahead Patrick Kane? There is no question that Panarin brought a ton to the table for the partnership, but there’s no denying Kane’s all-world talent, possibly. The Blue Jackets’ other leading-line winger is slated to be 1 of Cam Atkinson, Josh Anderson or Nick Foligno. Atkinson experienced a fantastic 2016-seventeen time, but he’s no Patrick Kane.

Alexander Radulov, F, Dallas Stars (up fifteen spots to No. fifty five): With 54 details in 76 video games, Radulov experienced a excellent — not excellent — return to the NHL previous time with the Canadiens. Boy, oh, boy did he indicator in the suitable place for this coming time. Radulov is penciled in to fill the revolving door that has been up coming to Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin on the Stars’ leading line for the past pair seasons. This is an fascinating blend — specially on the power participate in — that could drive Radulov up to the thirty-intention mark for the to start with time in the NHL.

Kevin Shattenkirk, D, New York Rangers (down 4 spots to No. sixty five): When you might be a bona fide superstar NHL defenseman, there isn’t significantly wiggle area to locate a huge improve in worth just by changing jerseys. Shattenkirk’s position will not likely alter significantly now that he’s with the Rangers. The general talent in entrance of him might be just a hair less than what he experienced in St. Louis with Vladimir Tarasenko main the charge, but the Rangers have loads of offense, way too. Even now in his key yrs at 28, Shattenkirk has the potential to be a No. one fantasy defenseman that gets appeared at much more like a No. two throughout drafts.

Jordan Eberle, F, New York Islanders (up 69 spots to No. eighty four): From a situation exactly where he would likely be lingering down the depth charts on a talent-packed Oilers roster, Eberle lands in a situation exactly where he could see the ice each time John Tavares does. That is a very excellent matter. Even now only 27 yrs aged and with loads of offensive prowess on his résumé, Eberle could be the scoring linemate Tavares lacked previous time.

Patrick Marleau, F, Toronto Maple Leafs (up 78 spots to No. 92): Extremely almost certainly slated for operate on the leading line with Auston Matthews (who must be getting much more ice time and responsibilities), Marleau could be in for a renaissance time at the age of 38 (in September). Though his assists have been down with the Sharks in new seasons, Marleau has 52 overall objectives throughout the past two campaigns. Actively playing with a talent like Matthews — or, for that make any difference, any of the Leafs’ other youthful guns — must have Marleau sensation youthful yet again, way too.

James Neal, F, Vegas Golden Knights (down 4 spots to No. a hundred and twenty): Neal was handed by a number of Predators players for actively playing time and accountability previous time, ending up with the lowest somewhat nutritious time totals of his job. But there is no 1 to contend with him for all the key ice time with the Golden Knights. Neal is the team’s key intention scorer, and it is really not really even a opposition. Even now, right until we see some thing from him and his new teammates, we don’t know if Neal will give us 1 if his damage-riddled fantasy headache campaigns or 1 his sniper-centered fantasy gold campaigns.

Swift hits: Brayden Schenn moves from 1 crowded depth chart with the Flyers to another with the St. Louis Blues. It can be the same situation for him, as his worth is tied to his role on the depth chart. … Derek Stepan makes a somewhat lateral move to the Coyotes. His game isn’t as tied to his linemates as others in the league. He is a stable, puck-going centre with a nose all over the web. Count on his worth to continue to be the same, with the provision that he could be in for a breakout if some of the youthful Coyotes exceed expectations all over him. … Brandon Saad and Patrick Sharp give the Chicago Blackhawks two prodigal sons returning to the fold. Do they immediately return to their familiar lofty position between the leading 6? Or have contributions from Nick Schmaltz and Richard Panik supplied coach Joel Quenneville the self esteem to unfold out his assault? … Jonathan Drouin nevertheless has a good deal to demonstrate in the NHL, but his frame of mind must boost now that he’s in Montreal. He experienced a stable marketing campaign with Steven Stamkos out previous time, but don’t neglect his demotions and suspensions for not reporting to the AHL the time prior. We’ve viewed flashes of his potential, which include the 2016 postseason when he experienced fourteen details in seventeen video games, but we’ve viewed a good deal of inconsistency, way too. He is nevertheless only 22, so the alter in jerseys could be what aids him split out.

Goaltender carousel

Marc-Andre Fleury must have a really stingy defense actively playing in entrance of him this time, but the Golden Knights might not feature very significantly offensive pop. Bruce Bennett/Getty Photographs

Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars (up 74 spots to No. 67): The Stars have created some big advancements, not the least of which is adding stalwart defender Marc Methot on the blue line. Bishop delivers a good deal much more poise and consistency to the table than Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi ever did. This blend must bring Bishop again to elite position between fantasy goaltenders.

Brian Elliott, Philadelphia Flyers (down 16 spots to No. 116): Elliott strike his stride late in the time for the Flames, but it wasn’t plenty of to clean away the bitter flavor of his to start with half. He’ll get a likelihood to strike the reset button as the No. one in Philadelphia. The Flyers have a good deal to offer you in the way of safety and two-way participate in, but they have a youthful defensive group and some inexperienced forwards peppered in the ranks. This could go exceptionally nicely or exceptionally improperly for Elliott. But, fantasy entrepreneurs are much more than prepared for the wild swings Elliott will offer you.

Mike Smith, Calgary Flames (up 88 spots to No. 137): Clearing their crease from any reminiscences of previous time, the Flames have handed their goaltending reins to Smith. He is put up some very stable numbers (considering his situation) for the past couple of seasons with the Coyotes. Calgary offers 1 of the ideal 1 via 6 defensive ranks in the NHL, so this is an intriguing blend for fantasy entrepreneurs. Smith must certainly be drafted as a No. two goaltender.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights (down 4 spots to No. 166): Though he escapes from the shadow of Matt Murray to be an unquestioned No. one goalie yet again, the Golden Knights don’t accurately glimpse like contenders on paper. Fleury can win video games by himself, and this group will likely development toward restricted defense with a absence of pop up entrance, but how numerous video games can we be expecting him to win?

Antti Raanta, Arizona Coyotes (up 32 spots to No. 176): Though the Coyotes are almost certainly nevertheless a calendar year away from providing a likelihood at 40 wins for a goaltender, they could surprise if all the potential customers simply click. Raanta appeared the portion of a potential starter even though filling in for a spiraling Henrik Lundqvist previous time. There is a good deal of upside here.

Scott Darling, Carolina Hurricanes (up fifty three spots to No. 187): Similar to Raanta, Darling gets his to start with crack at a commencing gig with a soaring youthful group. That explained, the Canes don’t glimpse prepared to be a leading contender (on paper) and Cam Ward is nevertheless waiting around in the wings. Darling is far better served on your group as a No. 3 goaltender that can possibly patch holes or be trade bait if he exceeds expectations.

Swift hits: Steve Mason will examination Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck much more than his predecessors did. In actuality, he could examination him so significantly that he wins the No. one goaltending position. This is wanting like a potential timeshare fantasy nightmare. … Jonathan Bernier confirmed he nevertheless has the potential abilities of a No. one NHL goaltender even though filling in for John Gibson late previous time. If Semyon Varlamov looks anything like Varlamov from 2016-seventeen, Bernier will get another likelihood really immediately. Regretably, he could locate defending twine for the Avs is a good deal distinct than the Ducks. … Ryan Miller usually takes Bernier’s role guiding Gibson in Anaheim. Though Miller’s birthday cakes are getting really crowded with candles, Anaheim is a good deal safer place to participate in web than Vancouver, and Miller could shine if he’s referred to as on for any purpose. … The same could be explained for equally Antti Niemi and Ondrej Pavelec, who be a part of the Penguins and Rangers, respectively. Niemi was in goaltending hell with Dallas, even though Pavelec was in purgatory with the Jets. Backing up Murray and Lundqvist could be at ease for equally veterans. We might end up seeing them much more than envisioned, way too, as Murray has a checkered damage heritage and Lundqvist has been declining for two consecutive seasons.

Prime 250 rankings

This is my midsummer update of the leading 250, which include exactly where every participant ranks at his situation. The “previous 7 days” column has been replaced by a reference to exactly where every participant was rated in my update posted just after the normal time.

Take note: Sean Allen’s leading 250 players are rated for their envisioned efficiency in ESPN normal leagues. ESPN normal stats contain objectives, assists, power-participate in details, shots on intention, plus/minus, penalty minutes and common time on ice for skaters, and wins, objectives-against common and save proportion for goalies.

Resource website link

[lastank-blog]

NHL Discussion.

disappointments of this season-  Johnny Hockey. 

Johnny Gaudreau is a skilled forward who didn’t really live up to the hype this season after a career year with Calgary last season. The forward was only able to produce 61 points this season, now don’t get me wrong that doesn't sound all that bad but for a guy who had 30 goals last year and 78 points johnny was only able to put the put in the net a total of 18 times. when you're a top line guy in the NHL and poses the skill Guadreau has 18 goals isn’t good enough and only led the flames to a first round sweep by the Anaheim Ducks.

1.       Players stats- Connor Mcdavid. 

what can really be said about this guy. he had an outstanding year winning the leagues scoring race with 100 points. any player scoring 100 points in a season joins some elite company by doing so as not many players can check that one off their list but the best thing about this players stat is that he did it with still another year of junior hockey eligibility. the guys 20 years old and putting up 100 points and leading the best hockey league in the world in scoring. Now that’s something. 

2.       Team standings- Colorado Avalanche

What a shock. A team with players Like Matt Duechane, Gabrial Landaskog, and Nathan Mackinnen finishing last place in the entire league! these guys are all star caliber players and not doing their job in Denver. This team finishing last in the NHL is surprising also when you have a former Vesna trophy nominee Semyon Varlamov between the pipes and a strong defensive core from guys like Tyson Barry and veteran defense man Corry Sairch. A team with guys like this must be shaking their heads along with prospect Tyson Jost.      

3.       Trades- Ben Bishop trade to Dallas.

May 9th 2017 one of the leagues elite goaltenders was traded from the LA Kings to the Dallas Stars for a 4th round draft pick in the upcoming draft. Not only was this a bad trade for the LA kings it was one of the worst trades I’ve heard of in recent history. A player like Ben Bishops value to a team like LA with Johnathan Quick’s career at a shaky point and the team in total rebuild mode now after missing the playoffs, having an elite goaltender like Ben Bishop would be huge to the start of a rebuild and not only that this years draft is star strutted with a bunch of busts with the talent in this years draft class being less than ones in recent history. a fourth round player in this draft i can bet wont amount to the caliber of player Ben Bishop is.

4.       Injuries- Steven Stamkos. 

A former 60 goal scorer and one of the leagues biggest stars has run into some injury trouble in the last few years. last season Stamkos broke his leg making him miss about 8 weeks of play and this season Stamkos missed almost the entire year after falling awkwardly into the boards ultimately putting the bolts star on the shelf for an estimated 4-6 months after under going surgery to repair a lateral tear in his right meniscus. this happening so early in the season was a big turning point in the bolts season and with out the support of Stamkos the bolts missed the playoffs.  

5.       Goalies- Sergei Bobrovsky

The Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender posted a career year with a save percentage of .931 which lead the league among all goaltenders. if that isn’t impressive enough the Russian born goalie also lead his team to a 16 game win streak putting them one win away from tying the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL record of 17 games.  

6.       Forwards- Sidney Crosby

Not only is Crosby the best forward in the world he is also the best player in the world. Everyone knows the impact Crosby has had on the NHL since he entered the league. he lead his team to a Stanley Cup last season and is on his way to do it again if he can get past the sens in the Conference final. he is a complete player and one you can always count on to score a big goal in a big time moment and not to mention Crosby lead the NHL in goals scored this season.

7.       Defense men- Erik Karlsson

Best Defense man in the game right now is the Senators star Erik Karlsson. one of the best moving defense men in the game does everything right he is the teams leader and you can rely on him to make a big defensive play or put up points at the other end he is a complete player and many compare his game to the great Bobby Orr’s.

8.       All-star game-

the new layout of the all-star game in my opinion was terrible. take it back to the old way where there is two conferences and the best in each conference play a game, and get away from trying to make more money by having more games by having a mini tournament between each division. I didn’t like it and wish it could go back.

9.       Playoffs- Ottawa Senators

What a magical run for the Sens this year as they have made it to the conference finals with a team no one thought would have even made the playoffs. Not only have they done very well in the playoffs they had to get through teams like the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins, and are now facing off in the conference finals against the former Stanley Cup champs and super star Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins and they are doing well as they stole game one which took place in the Pens home town stealing the game in overtime from a goal by veteran forward Bobby Ryan. and losing in game 2 by a score of 1-0 in a game which saw great goal tending at both ends.  

10.   NHL announcing not participating in Olympics-

The announcement came as a big surprise to me because the Olympics happens once every 4 years and is a showcase of the best athletes from around the world in a tournament where the athletes face off wearing their home country colours. Hockey in the Olympics has the bulk of its players coming from the NHL and rightfully so. its a showcase of the worlds best and where else do you find the worlds best hockey players other than the worlds best hockey league? I think this is a terrible thing that will only lower the quality of hockey at the Olympics and rips the chance for some of the worlds best to play in their home countries colours.    

[buddyrabrahams]

10 best coaches in college football

Who are the truly elite coaches in college football? Many coaches have an argument that they should be considered elite. Many have been successful in their careers, but a few go above and beyond, winning consistently no matter where they go. We have identified just who those coaches are.

With the 2017 season getting closer and closer, here is a list of the 10 best coaches in college football.

10) Tom Herman, Texas

One might argue that it’s too soon for Herman to appear on a list like this. After all, he has just two seasons as a head coach to his name, but he’s 22-4 in those two seasons, including a 13-1 inaugural season with the Houston Cougars. They slipped to 9-3 a season later, but even that year featured victories over two top-five teams at the time in Oklahoma and Louisville.

Though Houston lost a few surprising games during his tenure, Herman had them ready for the big ones. Herman’s Cougars never lost to an AP Top 25 opponent or a Power-5 foe, going 6-0 and 5-0 respectively. He parlayed his success into a move to Texas, where, by his own admission, he has his work cut out for him.

It may take time, but it’s hard to imagine him not being a success there.

9) Mark Dantonio, Michigan State

Dantonio’s star has indisputably fallen after a miserable 3-9 season in 2016 plagued by issues on and off the field, but one bad year doesn’t erase what he had accomplished at Michigan State before that.

When he took over the Spartans’ program in 2007, they were a middling group not on the national radar, being dubbed “little brother” by in-state rival Michigan. Despite no top-tier recruiting classes, Dantonio had the Spartans in the top 15 within four years, ultimately winning the school’s first Rose Bowl in 26 years back in 2014. In spite of losing numerous pieces from that team to the NFL, he followed up the Rose Bowl season with Michigan State’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff two years later.

Dantonio boasts a 90-42 career record at Michigan State and three Big Ten titles. It’s fair to say that he’ll have the Spartans bouncing back from their terrible 2016 sooner rather than later.

8) Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

Sooner fans aren’t always happy with Stoops, but he gives the Oklahoma program remarkable consistency and a chance to compete for a championship virtually every season. Stoops has a remarkable ten Big 12 titles to his name in 18 years at the school and has never once missed out on a bowl game. In 11 of his 18 years, his Sooners have finished in the top ten, appeared in four BCS Championship games, and he’s the only BCS-era coach to have won all four of the traditional “BCS bowls” — the Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta.

Stoops’s detractors do have some valid criticisms.

Despite being in regular contention, he has only won one national championship, and that was back in 2000. He’s just 9-9 in bowl games, with a sub-.500 record in BCS/College Football Playoff appearances. Still, there’s something to be said for consistency, and Stoops has never had an outright bad season. Oklahoma is pretty much guaranteed to be a factor nationally under him.

7) Jimbo Fisher, Florida State

Jimbo has been nothing but a success since succeeding Bobby Bowden as Florida State coach. He once led the team to 29 consecutive victories across three seasons, including a national title in 2013. The departure of quarterback Jameis Winston for the NFL only proved a temporary stumbling block; Fisher led the teams after his departure to consecutive 10-win seasons, including an Orange Bowl win in 2016.

In seven seasons at Florida State, Fisher has gone 78-17, posted a 5-2 mark in bowl games, and never finished a season ranked outside of the top 25. He was given the extremely difficult task of succeeding an iconic coach, and he has done so with distinction. Moreover, he’s committed to Florida State, having dismissed interest from a top SEC school twice.

6) Chris Petersen, Washington

Petersen rose to national prominence on January 1, 2007, when his remarkably gutsy playcalling — who could forget the Statue of Liberty play? — led the unheralded Boise State Broncos to a Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma, completing a 13-0 season. Peterson ended up going 92-12 at Boise, adding another BCS bowl win along the way, before finally being tempted away by Washington.

It took Petersen two seasons to get the Huskies into their stride, but they did so in 2016, romping through Pac-12 play on the way to a College Football Playoff appearance. It marked his third BCS/CFP appearance in 11 seasons as a head coach, none of them coming at traditional power programs. He’s one of the brightest offensive minds in the nation, and he has the Washington program trending toward sustained national prominence.

5) Gary Patterson, TCU

When Patterson took over the Horned Frogs job in 2000, the school was in the Western Athletic Conference, on the verge of a move to Conference USA. The TCU program has grown in a major way in the decade and a half since, and Patterson has masterminded every step of it. Their rise from one of college football’s “mid-major” programs to Big 12 contender under Patterson is no coincidence.

A brilliant defensive coach, Patterson has a number of signature achievements.

TCU’s time in the Mountain West established them as a national power, with Patterson taking the school to two BCS bowls, including a 13-0 season in 2010 capped with a Rose Bowl win and a No. 2 end-of-season rank in both the AP and Coaches Poll. Some feared that a move to the Big 12 might be too much for the school, but Patterson proved the doubters wrong with a 12-1 season in 2014 and an 11-2 follow-up the next year, both seasons ending with top-ten rankings. He’s succeeded with TCU at pretty much every level of competition.

4) Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Swinney’s time at Clemson has essentially made “Clemsoning” a thing of the past, with the program becoming one of college football’s consistent best. After Tommy Bowden failed to post double-digit wins in any of his years at Clemson, Swinney did it in his third full season of 2011 and has done it every year since. Clemson has won six of their last seven bowl appearances under him, with the only loss coming in 2016’s National Championship Game.

The numbers say it all for Swinney: an 89-28 career record and consecutive title game appearances, with the second resulting in a national championship. Plus, the guy seems like an absolute blast to play for.

He could move even higher on lists like this if his success continues.

3) Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Harbaugh is a serial winner. He turned the University of San Diego into an FCS power, made Stanford a top-five team in just four seasons, and promptly jumped to the NFL, where he went 44-19 with the San Francisco 49ers, with an NFC championship in 2013. Frankly, nobody would bat an eye if he went back to the NFL; he’s proven he can win there.

That said, Harbaugh seems perfectly happy at his alma mater of Michigan.

True to his reputation, he returned them to credibility the instant he set foot on campus in 2015, and quickly restored them to national power status on the field as well. He beat expectations with a 10-3 season in 2015, and had the Wolverines in College Football Playoff contention for virtually the entire 2016 season. He’s a gifted recruiter who loves to do unconventional but really cool things with his players, and Michigan will be a national power as long as he’s at the helm.

2) Urban Meyer, Ohio State

A three-time national champion at two different schools, Meyer’s resume speaks for itself. He won at Bowling Green; he moved to Utah and promptly posted an undefeated season in year two; he jumped to Florida and posted one of the most successful stretches in college football history. One of two coaches with multiple titles, he took his magic to Columbus, where he grabbed a program struggling after the Jim Tressel-era scandals and promptly won 61 of his first 67 games at Ohio State and won the national championship in his third season there. It took until his fourth season with the Buckeyes for him to lose a regular season conference tilt.

Meyer’s impact has been felt throughout college football, with his acclaimed spread offense sparking a revolution. He’s a top-level recruiter who has replenished Ohio State with bags of talent every season no matter who leaves for the NFL. The same will be true in 2017.

1) Nick Saban, Alabama

There can be only one, and Saban remains at the top of the coaching mountain.

He’s a five-time national champion, including three in four seasons between 2009 and 2012. He has made Alabama the unquestioned top program in college football, going 114-19 under his tenure — not counting five vacated wins due to violations committed under predecessor Mike Shula. In fact, six of Saban’s 19 career Alabama losses came in his first season there — he’s lost just 13 games in the last nine years.

Saban’s Alabama teams churn out tons of NFL talent, perpetually finish in the top ten, and always contend for the national title. His standards are ridiculously high, but are vital in pushing his ridiculously talented teams to the next level. The guy has been talked about in the same sentence as Bear Bryant and even floated as the best collegiate coach ever. There can be no disputing his spot on this list.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2pXMTEW

[junker-town]

NHL’s best players under age 25 for 2017: Zach Werenski arrives at No. 11

Werenski’s incredible rookie season pushed him to No. 11 in our rankings.

Note: This is SB Nation NHL’s top 25 players under age 25 series! We’ll be covering each player from No. 25 to No. 1 over the next few weeks leading up to training camp time. See the complete list and information on how the rankings were compiled.

It’s hard to avoid the hype when you’re a 19-year-old NHL defenseman putting up nearly 50 points as a rookie, but Zach Werenski was playing under the shadow of Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine last season. In a lot of other years, he would’ve been a prime candidate to win the Calder Trophy.

Werenski’s debut performance with the Blue Jackets is a big part of why the team turned around from lottery team to one of the best in the Eastern Conference. Following a pair of very good years at the University of Michigan, he made a seamless transition to playing hockey at its highest level.

Over 78 games with the Blue Jackets, Werenski recorded an impressive 11 goals and 36 assists. He was 13th among NHL defensemen in points and tied for 11th in shots on goal. Those are usually positive signs for the future, and it’s clear Werenski’s will be bright in Columbus.

He’s already one of the best offensive defensemen in the league, and as he gets older, his all-around game should only get better. With Seth Jones to his right, the Blue Jackets should boast one of the best top defensive pairings of any team in the league for the next several years.

Nobody expected Werenski to be quite that good right out of the gate, but he’s already shown that he can be a star in the NHL. Don’t be surprised if he’s competing regularly for Norris Trophies in the near future.

Past accomplishments

The Blue Jackets selected Werenski with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft after an impressive freshman year at Michigan. He recorded 25 points in 35 games during a season that he began as a 17-year-old after leaving the U.S. development program.

Werenski returned to Michigan for his sophomore season and put up 36 points in 36 games before signing an entry-level deal with the Blue Jackets last year. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 13, 2016, against the Bruins, and the rest is history.

It was quite the rookie season for the 19-year-old. He finished third in Calder voting (behind Matthews and Laine) and 18th in Norris voting. In addition to all those points, he also posted a 54.1 percent even strength Corsi when on the ice, per Hockey-Reference, which is 6.2 percent higher than Columbus’ figure without him.

Among NHL defensemen to play at least 60 games last season, only two saw greater swings in EV Corsi when on the ice: Calgary’s Dougie Hamilton and Boston’s Colin Miller.

So Werenski was among the best at his position in terms of both producing points and driving possession. As a 19-year-old.

Future impact

Werenski doesn’t need to improve that much from here to become one of the premier defensemen in the league. He’s already firmly in the top 20, and could challenge for Norris Trophies in the near future if he can hit another gear.

Not that we want to directly compare anyone to Erik Karlsson, but consider how his game improved from when he was 19 years old. Karlsson recorded 26 points in 60 games at age 19. Two years later, he blew up with 78 points in 81 games en route to his first Norris.

Werenski probably won’t follow the same kind of path, but it hints at the idea that he could get even better given how good he was at such a young age. Defensemen often make improvements from their age-19 seasons, so while the possibility of a sophomore slump is real, there’s also a chance that he can hit an even higher gear.

One reason for optimism is that the Blue Jackets have an elite partner for Werenski in Jones. That pairing should be dominant whenever it’s on the ice, and that should mean a lot of opportunities for Werenski to fill up the box score.

Is this ranking too high or too low?

Werenski’s upside as a No. 1 defenseman is impossible to ignore, but it’s also reasonable that there’s some hesitation given he’s only played one season. If he keeps progressing from what he did as a rookie, then there’s a good chance No. 11 will seem way too low for him in a year.

But you could also look to John Klingberg as an example of how the sophomore slump can get to a player. Klingberg was stunningly good as a rookie, then stumbled a bit last season in a new pairing with Esa Lindell. Werenski won’t have to carry a lesser player like Lindell since he’ll likely be paired up with Jones, but the hype surrounding Klingberg has quieted a bit after a relative down season.

That could happen to Werenski, but it’s also firmly possible he finishes in the top 10 of Norris voting next season.

Highest rank: No. 3 Lowest rank: Not ranked

[78elite-blog]

“Focus your energy on one goal, work at it, and you will find great success.” – Elliott Hulse

Elliott Hulse

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What We Learned: Blackhawks face the new normal

(Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend’s events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.)

Take solace in the affirmation that Stan Bowman won’t, in fact, fire Joel Quenneville.

There would have been a lot of psychic catharsis in canning someone in the wake of not only a second straight first-round bounce-out, but also the first-ever sweep by a No. 8 seed of a No. 1 seed in the history of not only the NHL, but the NBA as well. It would have been a dumb move, given that Quenneville is one of the three best coaches in the game, but if people wanted blood, that would have been Bowman’s best option to do so.

Well, not “best,” but certainly “easiest.”

Instead, Bowman used a lot of tough words, including saying “unacceptable” about 600 times, about making significant changes. But you really have to question whether it’s a promise on which he can actually follow through. The amount of money Chicago necessarily has to spend on its core starting next season is massive, and there probably aren’t a lot of contracts that are feasibly movable.

Toews and Kane? Well, you’d probably get a lot of interest if you were to put them on the market, but come on. You can’t put Toews or Kane on the market.

Brent Seabrook? Yeah, for some reason it’s tough to see a lot of interest in a “defense-first” guy 32-year-old who’s signed at that price for another seven years, especially because he has a no-move until 2022.

Corey Crawford? He’s 32 and signed for three more seasons, and has a partial-no-trade-slash-no-move.

Marian Hossa? That’s the price you pay for all those cheap years when he was younger and good. Now that he’s 38, that contract’s stuck. He, too, has a no-move.

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Duncan Keith? He’s your No. 1 D (for better or worse at this point) and he’s almost 34, and he’s signed for six more seasons. And he has a no-move.

Artem Anisimov? Four more years for him, and he has a no-move. (Why does Anisimov have a no-move?)

Niklas Hjalmarsson? He’s one of the better defensemen at what he does in the league, and he has a modified no-trade and a no-move.

Panarin? He starts a new contract next season, and he just signed, but he has no protections from trades.

Those are just about the only guys you could move who would make any sort of big difference, right? All of them are at least difficult to swap out, in part because Bowman felt like he had to give out no-trades and no-moves to keep the core together at something resembling a low price point. And of course, these eight guys make a combined $59.33 million. Next year’s salary cap is projected to land somewhere in the $75-76 million range, and even on the high end there, that’s nine guys eating 78 percent of your total cap number.

It gives you about $17 million to play with, which sounds like a decent amount.

It’s not.

Because in addition to those core guys, Marcus Kruger makes a little more than $3 million for the next two seasons. Now you’re north of $62.4 million (and 82 percent of the cap) on 10 guys. Add in all the entry-level guys, plus a few vets who still have cheap contracts for next year and you’re looking at more than $69.65 million. That’s 91.6 percent of the cap. It gives you $6.35 million to work with.

Oh and of course, because certain players hit their performance bonuses this season, Chicago also has a sizable cap overage: $3.558 million. That bumps you to $73.2 million. You have $2.79 million to spend. And that’s without re-signing three RFAs.

And even if you feel like you have a little wiggle room coming off the books with Johnny Oduya and Brian Campbell, you don’t. You need to replace two defensemen and find a backup goalie with that money.

This really isn’t a pretty picture here.

This is all, of course, “in theory.” Bowman has proven himself adept at getting out of cap-related jams in the past several years, and the good news is that he probably does have options to move even one of the more intractable contracts on the team. Given how seemingly hell-bent he is on shaking things up, there’s no telling who he exposes in the expansion draft in a few months.

But again, given all the no-moves on that roster, what’s your best option in the expansion draft? Hope they take Kruger, probably. There’s no way you can let Panarin be exposed there. He may cost $6 million, but can you replace his offense for less than that via free agency? Even if you don’t look for a Panarin replacement on the open market, who could you trade for to keep this train going? And with what?

The good news is a lot of GMs are likely to be more than willing to help Bowman out. We’ve seen plenty of times in the past that anyone coming out of Chicago is viewed as a capital-W Winner who helps them immediately. Whether that continues now that they’ve won three playoff games in the past two seasons and Chicago is looking vulnerable for the first time in like eight years. Why help them now? Why not let them twist in the wind? Almost anyone they’ll be looking to trade — unless they really want to blow this thing up — won’t be a huge help to you.

The one thing that’s weird about all this is Bowman’s apparent level of surprise that things worked out this way. Chicago has been on the decline for years now, and while this team won a Cup as recently as two seasons ago, the changes he’s been forced to make by the salary cap and his own team’s success were always going to lead to this point.

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Granted, if you’re looking at the corsi numbers or any other “advanced” stats, they’re not going to tell the full story about how good this team is because it has above-average players at every position, and that’s going to allow you to win more games than you statistically “should” simply because that’s the talent level you bring to the table. Crawford will always stop more shots than the average goalie, Toews/Kane/Panarin will always score more than the average shooter.

But the concessions made because of the cap finally caught up with this club. Over the past three years, things have gotten dire in a hurry.

In terms of expected-goals, to go from “outperforming 53 percent” to “outperforming 49 percent” is gonna knock you on your ass. Especially because, come playoff time, most teams you play are always going to have elite players that allow their team to outperform their own numbers, whatever they happen to be. (And this season, Nashville’s was 52 percent, while Chicago’s was 48.9 percent.)

It’s not totally Bowman’s fault that he painted himself into this corner. The Seabrook contract is horrible, and was horrible the day it was signed. No doubt about that, it’s a huge mistake. And you can argue Toews and Kane are overpaid — they are — but any GM in the league would have given them those deals and walked away smiling. That’s the cost of doing business when you win three Cups.

So the problem for Bowman, and Quenneville, is that they’ve worked magic by bringing in good young players on ELCs for more than half a decade. It doesn’t seem to be working any more. Maybe you blame the aging core, which simply isn’t as good as it used to be, for not being able to bring those guys along.

And maybe you change one or two things this summer — although, again, I don’t see how — and revitalize certain aspects of the team for one last ride.

The point is, Bowman can be upset and call this unacceptable all he wants. But this was always going to come down the tracks. And even if he makes near-seismic changes, Chicago losing in the playoffs is going to be the norm moving forward. Partly because no one wins all these Cups forever. And partly because time, like a pack of wolves, catches up with everyone.

But if you win three Cups, you have to say it was worth it.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: What makes the Ducks a Cup contender? Maybe they can trick the Oilers into taking a bunch of dumbass penalties too.

Arizona Coyotes: Hey no big deal it’s just another arena deal that died before anyone had a chance to care about it. I bet this team stays in Arizona forever. Sure.

Boston Bruins: This is the kind of trenchant analysis we need more of in hockey.

Buffalo Sabres: Don’t get cheap on me, Dodgson.

Calgary Flames: How about clearing out all the horrible players at the bottom of the roster that really ended up holding the team back? Nah, you gotta throw big money at the 30-year-old coming off a .910 season. That’s the smart play.

Carolina Hurricanes: “Solve needs?” Is Klas Dahlbeck a goalie all of a sudden?

Chicago: I get the argument that Chicago just suffered from a lot of bad luck against the Predators and that overreaction wouldn’t be wise (which is why they call it “over”reaction) but like, something drastic has to change if this team wants to materially improve.

Colorado Avalanche: Haha. Good one, guys. Great joke.

Columbus Blue Jackets: This team should have decided to go on its 16-game winning streak in the playoffs, gang.

Dallas Stars: Hmm, this is a take that usually goes over well.

Detroit Red Wings: When guys focus on being “hard to play against” they usually become the opposite.

Edmonton Oilers: You jerks don’t even live on the east coast! Come on!

Florida Panthers: Yeah this is probably the end of the road for Roberto Luongo as a “1a” starting goalie. Hall of Fame career. What a player.

Los Angeles Kings: Okay, sure. That’s fine.

Minnesota Wild: This team probably needs like two or three borderline-elite forwards to make them truly competitive, up from the approximately zero they have now. Where do you get ’em? I don’t know.

Montreal Canadiens: It’s almost as if focusing solely on getting players who play physical hockey is, like, bad. Why didn’t anyone think of this before right now?

Nashville Predators: This is truly a weird matchup for the Predators. Like they Blues, they have a few high-end offensive talents, no forward depth, a solid blue line, and a goalie who punched well above his weight in the first round. Should be fun.

New Jersey Devils: Uhh, what.

New York Islanders: Move the Islanders to Quebec.

New York Rangers: Mats Zuccarello is awesome. Shout out to the little fella.

Ottawa Senators: Wow, yeah, remember how the Senators traded Mika Zibanejad? Derick Brassard was pretty bad in the regular season but this first round went well for Ottawa. Sens win the trade!!!

Philadelphia Flyers: This is the big deal, huh? Valtteri Filppula? Okay, I believe you.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Still no word on most of the injured guys. It’s probably gonna matter in the second round since they’ll have to play an actual good team.

San Jose Sharks: Don’t think there’s any “may have” about it. The Sharks as we’ve known them for like a decade are pretty much over. I think you might have to blow ‘er up.

St. Louis Blues: Wow, Magnus Paajarvi is still in the league.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Nikita Kucherov has a new agent. Hmm. Hmmmmm.

Toronto Maple Leafs: My son is making everyone proud.

Vancouver Canucks: Nikita Tryamkin leaving is not perplexing. The Canucks are a mess and if he goes back to the KHL he can play in the Olympics. I’ve cracked the case. You’re welcome.

Vegas Golden Knights: Hey, the practice rink is coming along nicely. Cool.

Washington Capitals: Yeah it’s because Tom Wilson is a meathead who sucks at hockey.

Winnipeg Jets: Say whatever you want. This team isn’t the next Leafs. They don’t have the coach or the talent. Period.

Play of the Weekend

This Tarasenko guy might be pretty good.

Gold Star Award

Well I guess you gotta give this to the guy who went .950-plus in the first round. Big ups to Jake Allen.

Minus of the Weekend

Weak. Second year in a row he chose not to go. https://t.co/mLoigvkqN8

— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) April 21, 2017

Here’s an Eric Francis tweet from Friday about TJ Brodie turning down the World Championships due to what others in the Calgary media termed “family” issues. In what may or may not be a related note, Brodie’s fiancee has multiple sclerosis. Good tweet, Eric.

Perfect HFBoards Trade Proposal of the Year

User “The Price is Right” is wrong.

Galchenyuk + Beaulieu + and Habs 2017 first rounder

For Eichel

Signoff

You still owe me 10 more Iroquois twists.

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

(All stats via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)

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