#Sebastien Meier

[ohtheseskaters]

A goodbye

After almost 12 (!) years, it’s time for me to say goodbye to this blog. It will not be deleted though.

Here’s a (pretty rough and I’m sure not full) list of skaters featured here. They’re listed in alphabetical order by the first name (so “Ashley Wagner” is under “A” and not “W”). I know it’s not the correct way to do this thing but it was easier for me. Also, if you can’t find someone, try searching within the blog or just general Tumblr search.

Thank you for the company and bye!

Women

Adelina Sotnikova

Akiko Suzuki

Alaine Chartrand

Alena Kostornaia

Alena Leonova

Alexandra Trusova

Alexia Paganini

Alina Zagitova

Alissa Czisny

Alysa Liu

Amber Glenn

Amelie Lacoste

Anna Pogorilaya

Anna Shcherbakova

Ashley Wagner

Audrey Shin

Bradie Tennell

Carolina Kostner

Christina Gao

Cynthia Phaneuf

Ekaterina Gordeeva

Elena Radionova

Elene Gedevanishvili

Elizabet Tursynbaeva

Elizaveta Nugumanova

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva

Emmi Peltonen

Eunsoo Lim

Evgenia Medvedeva

Gabrielle Daleman

Gracie Gold

Haein Lee

Irina Slutskaya

Jenna McCorkell

Jenni Saarinen

Joannie Rochette

Josefin Taljegard

Joshi Helgesson

Julia Lipnitskaya

Kaetlyn Osmond

Kailani Craine

Kanako Murakami

Kaori Sakamoto

Karen Chen

Kiira Korpi

Kristi Yamaguchi

Ksenia Makarova

Lara Naki Gutmann

Laura Lepisto

Laurine Lecavelier

Loena Hendrickx

Madeline Schizas

Mae Berenice Meite

Mai Mihara

Mao Asada

Maria Artemieva

Maria Sotskova

Mariah Bell

Marin Honda

Michelle Kwan

Miki Ando

Mirai Nagasu

Polina Edmunds

Polina Korobeynikova

Pooja Kalyan

Rachael Flatt

Roberta Rodeghiero

Rika Hongo

Rika Kihira

Samantha Cesario

Sarah Meier

Sasha Cohen

Satoko Miyahara

Shizuka Arakawa

Sofia Samodurova

Stanislava Konstantinova

Viktoria Helgesson

Yelim Kim

Yu-Na Kim

Wakaba Higuchi

Zijun Li

Men

Adam Rippon

Adian Pitkeev

Alban Preaubert

Alexei Bychenko

Alexei Yagudin

Artur Gachinski

Brendan Kerry

Boyang Jin

Brian Joubert

Brian Orser

Chafik Besseghier

Daisuke Takahashi

Daniel Samohin

Denis Ten

Deniss Vasiljevs

Dmitri Aliev

Evan Lysacek

Evgeni Plushenko

Florent Amodio

Han Yan

Ilia Kulik

Jason Brown

Javier Fernandez

Jeffrey Buttle

Jeremy Abbott

Jeremy Ten

Johnny Weir

Joshua Farris

Jun-Hwan Cha

Max Aaron

Ryan Bradley

Michal Brezina

Keegan Messing

Keiji Tanaka

Kevin Aymoz

Kevin Reynolds

Kevin Van Der Perren

Kurt Browning

Matteo Rizzo

Mikhail Kolyada

Maxim Kovtun

Misha Ge

Moris Kvitelashvili

Nam Nguyen

Nan Song

Nathan Chen

Nobunari Oda

Patrcik Chan

Richard Dornbush

Sergei Voronov

Shawn Sawyer

Shoma Uno

Stephane Lambiel

Stephen Carriere

Takahiko Kozuka

Takahito Mura

Tatsuki Machida

Tomas Verner

Vincent Zhou

Yuma Kagiyama

Yuzuru Hanyu

Pairs

Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim

Alexandra Boikova and Dmitri Kozlovski

Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam

Aljona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy/Bruno Massot

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig

Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hey

Anastasia Mishina and Alexander Galliamov

Ashley Cain and Timothy Leduc

Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin/Joshua Reagan/Hamash Gaman

Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett/John Coughlin

Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang

Deanna Stellato and Nate Bartholomay / Maxime Deschamps

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor

Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov

Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze

Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov

Felicia Zhang and Nate Bartolomay

Gretchen Donlan and Andrew Sperroff/Nate Bartolomay

Haven Denney and Brendan Frazier

Jamie Sale and David Pelletier

Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison/Sebastien Wolfe

Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau

Katarina Gerboldt and Alexander Enbert

Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker

Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch/Michael Marinaro

Kristina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov

Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov

Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Mausiradze/Dylan Moscovitch

Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov

Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov

Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir/Mervin Tran

Mary Beth Marley and Rockne Brubaker

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford

Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer

Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran/Ryuichi Kihara

Natalia Zabijako and Alexander Enbert

Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise

Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers

Peng Cheng and Hao Zhang/Yang Jin

Qing Pang and Jian Tong

Rena Inoue and John Baldwin

Riku Mihura and Ryuichi Kihara

Stefania Berton and Ondrej Hotarek

Tae-Ok Ryom and Ju-Sik Kim

Tarah Kayne and Denny O'Shea

Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin

Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov/Maxim Trankov

Valentina Marchei and Ondrej Hotarek

Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres

Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov/Andrei Deputat

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han

Xiaoyu Yu and Yang Jin/Hao Zhang

Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao

Xuehan Wang and Lei Wang

Yuko Kavaguti and Alexaner Smirnov

Ice Dance

Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski

Alisa Agafonova and Alper Ucar

Alexandra Aldridge and Daniel Eaton / Matthew Blackmer

Alexandra Nazarova and Maxim Nikitin

Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte

Anna Yanovskaya and Sergei Mozgov

Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus

Cecilia Torn and Jussiville Partanen

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri

Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev

Ekaterina Riazanova and Ilia Tkachenko

Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov/Ruslan Zhiganshin

Elisabeth Paradis and Francois-Xavier Ouellette

Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates

Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali

Federica Testa and Lucas Csolley

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron

Isabella Tobias and Deividas Stagniunas/Ilia Tkachenko

Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje

Kana Muramoto and Chris Reed / Daisuke Takahashi

Kavita Lorenz and Panagiotis Polizoakis

Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill

Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson

Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein / Evan Bates

Madison Hubbell and Kiefer Hubbell/Zachary Donohue

Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani

Mari-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac

Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon

Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat

Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas

Meryl Davis and Charlie White

Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto

Nelli Zhiganshina and Alexander Gazsi

Natalia Kaliszek and Maksim Spodyrev

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat

Nicole Orford and Thomas Williams/Asher Hill

Nora Hoffmann and Maxim Zavozin

Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin

Olivia Smart and Adria Diaz

Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland

Pernelle Carron and Lloyd Jones

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier

Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz

Sinead Kerr and John Kerr

Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu

Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto

Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

Tiffany Zahorski and Jonathan Guerreiro

Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier

Viktoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov

[dollprose0-blog]

Does Free Agent Status Matter Anymore?

I still hear and read the term “buying free agent years” when people discuss NHL contracts, but I’m not sure it is relevant anymore.

It is interesting to note that since a salary cap was put in place after the 2005 lockout, the salaries of NHL players has actually changed significantly. Players don’t have to wait until unrestricted free agency to get paid huge money.

In 2003/2004 only two players in the top-30 highest paid were under 28 years of age: Jarome Iginla and Joe Thornton. Iginla was in his eighth season and was ninth in salary at $8 million, while Joe Thornton was the 29th highest paid player at $5.5 million in his seventh season.

Only four other players were in their twenties, while 24 of the top-30 highest salaries were 30 years of age or older.

In 2005/2006, the first year out of the lockout, we saw immediate change in the distribution of salaries.

Nine players 27 years of age and younger were now in the top-30 in cap hit, and 12 were under the age of 30.

By 2010/2011 the NHL pay structure had swung in the favour of younger players.

Only 12 players in the top-30 cap hits were 30+ years of age.

The top-three paid players were Alex Ovechkin ($9.5m), Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin ($8.7m each). They were 24, 22 and 23 and all on their second contract. They were the elite scorers in the game, so it makes sense they got paid big money, but other young players who were good and just out of their entry-level contracts like Anze Kopitar and Nicklas Backstrom were 17th and 18th in cap hit, while Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were tied for 26th in cap hit at $6.3 million.

In the three previous seasons Ovechkin, Malkin and Crosby were first, second and third in total points, Backstrom was eighth, Kane 17th, Kopitar 20th and Toews 38th. Toews had just finished second in Selke voting, and the others were all-stars. There were two D-men in the top-15 in cap hit: Zdeno Chara (ninth) and Brian Campbell (11th), while Henrik Lundqvist was the top goalie (16th). There were a total of three goalies in the top-30 and seven D-men.

Fast forward to today and the NHL salary structure is poised to change once again, at least for forwards.

Currently, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews are #1 and #2 in cap hit. Both are early into their second contracts. Jack Eichel (eighth) and Leon Draisaitl (23rd) are the only other players under 24. There are five D-men and two goalies in the top-30 cap hits.

But we are about to see a major influx of young players jump into the top-30, and likely the top-20.

Mitch Marner (94 points), Brayden Point (92), Mikko Rantanen (87), Sebastien Aho (83), Matthew Tkachuk (77) all finished in the top-31 in NHL scoring this year and will be 22 or 23 years young this season. Patrik Laine had a down season, by his standards, with 30-20-50, but over the past three seasons he is sixth in goals with 110 and trails only Matthews (111), McDavid and John Tavares (112), Nikita Kucherov (120) and Ovechkin (133). Laine will get a hefty raise, but I see him getting a bridge deal.

Jeff Skinner was a pending UFA and he signed an eight-year deal worth $72 million earlier this week. His $9 million cap hit is the 16th highest in the NHL. He had a career best 40 goals and 63 points last season. I think this was a desperate signing by the Sabres. They couldn’t afford to lose him, especially after how bad the Ryan O’Reilly trade looks less than a year later. Skinner is a good player, but he isn’t elite and has never produced more than 63 points, yet he makes $9 million a year.

Point had 41 goals and 92 points. Do you think his agent will want him taking less than Skinner? Can’t see why.

I think the days of buying UFA years are over for productive forwards. It used to be only the truly elite like Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin got big money out of their ELC, but this summer that is going to change, and once that door opens it will be impossible for NHL GMs to close.

Apr 17, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner (16) pursues the play against Boston Bruins in game four of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

I’d argue this is a good thing for teams. They will be locking up young players just entering their prime, instead of paying 27-30-year-olds big money. Your chances of having a young player not living up to his big contract are much lower than an older player. We have decades of data to prove what are the most productive years for the vast majority of NHL players, especially forwards, and it isn’t between the ages of 28-34.

I’m curious how teams and the agents will approach the signings.

Mitch Marner’s agent is looking for $10+ million/year contract, and if he gets it why wouldn’t Rantanen, Point or Aho command the same?

The past two seasons Marner has produced 48-115-163 in 164 games (.99 points per game), the 19th most points in NHL over that span. Rantanen has 60-111-171 in 155 games (1.10 PPG). 16th most points in NHL. Point has 73-85-158 in 161 games (0.98 PPG). 23rd most points in NHL. Aho has 59-89-148 in 160 games (0.94 PPG). 29th most points in NHL. Tkachuk has 58-68-126 in 148 games (0.85 PPG). 57th most points in NHL.

Then you look at some other stats courtesy of Corsica.

Player           P/60       GF%       CF%         PDO Marner        2.43        56.7         51.9         102.5 Rantanen    2.12        57.6         51.9         101.9 Point           2.50        60.5         52.0         103.3 Aho             2.16        57.9         55.5         101.1 Tkachuk      1.99        51.5         57.0          98.2

You can look at PK ability, the fact Point is the only centre and the best goal scorer, and I don’t see how anyone can suggest Point isn’t worth as much, if not more than Marner. I see Rantanen in same boat as Marner. I think Aho is right there as well. He doesn’t have the elite linemates like the other three and still has great numbers. Tkachuk is slightly below, but his ability to draw penalties and antagonize adds to his value as well.

I don’t see any of them coming in under $8 million a year, which would tie them for 28th in AAV next season courtesy of PuckPedia.

It will be fascinating to see which one signs first. Will that set the bar? Point plays in Tampa Bay and tax implications could impact his AAV. He will be taxed less than the others, so will his cap hit reflect that? Other teammates in Tampa have taken a lower cap hit because of this.

Which team signs their top-end RFA first?

I’ve heard for years about an offer sheet, and who should/would make one, but we haven’t seen one since the Calgary Flames offered Ryan O’Reilly a two-year deal during the 2013 lockout shortened season. Colorado matched it.

Until I see one I won’t believe a team would do it, but here is the compensation chart if you are interested.

$1,395,053 or below: None $1,395,054-$2,113,716: 3rd round pick. $2,113,717-$4,227,437: 2nd round pick. $4,227,438-$6,341,152: 1st and 3rd round picks. $6,341,153-$8,454,871: 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks. $8,454,872-$10,568,589: Two 1sts, one 2nd and one 3rd round picks. $10,568,590+: Four 1st round selections.

Offering $10.5 million makes the most sense as it only costs you two firsts, and one second and a third. However, I don’t see that being enough money to scare off any of those teams.

Would you want one of them at $12 million and sacrifice four first rounders? I can’t see it.

I think it is more realistic to see teams make an offer sheet on a middle six player on a team up against the cap.

Outside of these five young players, and Laine (who I think takes a bridge deal, which will still pay him at least $6 mill), there are some other good, young RFAs who are going to get big raises.

Timo Meier had 30 goals and 66 points. Kyle Connor had 34 goals and 66 points. What will the Canucks do with Brock Boeser (26-30-56 in 69 games)?

This will be the summer of the RFA, and despite Skinner having UFA status, I suspect at least four of these RFAs end up with a higher AAV this summer.

The younger players are getting more money early, and I don’t think the term “buying UFA years” carries the same cache it once did.

Source: https://oilersnation.com/2019/06/12/does-nhl-free-agent-status-matter-anymore/

[thrashermaxey]

November Top 100 Roto Rankings

Welcome back to the Top 100 Roto.

For newcomers joining us, this Top 100 is driven by a set of categories.  Know that this is not a points-only ranking, rather a roto ranking geared towards rotisserie and head-to-head leagues. The categories included are G, A, PIM, PPP, Hits, Blocks, GWG and SOG. This list is also built towards winning.

Through the first quarter, a few roto stories have popped out including Gabriel Landeskog’s unreal pace. Reflected in a 47 spot jump on the list, Landeskog is one of the hottest roto grabs. Other big jumps are Kyle Palmieri and Thomas Chabot, who are also putting up monster performances.  

On the flipside, players like Nick Foligno, Max Pacioretty and Jeff Carter fell out of the Top 100. Roto machines of old are getting pushed out by new blood. Of the 16 new players on the list, the majority of them happen to be 24 years of age and younger.  Something to watch going forward.

As always, feel free to leave a comment with any of your roto questions!

Rank Name Team Tier September 1 Ovechkin, Alex WAS 0 1 2 Burns, Brent SJS 0 2 3 McDavid, Connor EDM 1 3 4 Marchand, Brad BOS 1 9 5 Byfuglien, Dustin WPG 1 6 6 Benn, Jamie DAL 1 4 7 Crosby, Sidney PIT 1 5 8 Wheeler, Blake WPG 1 8 9 MacKinnon, Nathan COL 1 7 10 Tavares, John TOR 2 23 11 Malkin, Evgeni PIT 1 14 12 Kucherov, Nikita TBL 1 11 13 Trocheck, Vincent FLA 2 16 14 Karlsson, Erik SJS 1 10 15 Hall, Taylor NJD 2 17 16 Seguin, Tyler DAL 2 15 17 Kuznetsov, Evgeny WAS 2 31 18 Ristolainen, Rasmus BUF 2 22 19 Hedman, Victor TBL 1 13 20 Landeskog, Gabriel COL 2 67 21 Kane, Evander SJS 2 21 22 Forsberg, Filip NSH 2 29 23 Giordano, Mark CGY 2 34 24 Pastrnak, David BOS 2 30 25 Doughty, Drew LAK 2 19 26 Schenn, Brayden STL 1 12 27 Bergeron, Patrice BOS 2 57 28 Subban, P.K. NSH 2 25 29 Scheifele, Mark WPG 2 27 30 Laine, Patrick WPG 2 20 31 Carlson, John WAS 3 36 32 Matthews, Auston TOR 2 26 33 Stamkos, Steven TBL 2 18 34 Palmieri, Kyle NJD 3 64 35 Lee, Anders NYI 3 60 36 Dubois, Pierre-Luc CBJ 3 75 37 Aho, Sebastien CAR 3 86 38 Ekman-Larsson, Oliver ARI 3 46 39 Hamilton, Dougie CAR 3 38 40 Letang, Kris PIT 3 41 41 Wilson, Tom WAS 3 44 42 Panarin, Artemi CBJ 3 55 43 Simmonds, Wayne PHI 3 33 44 Kane, Patrick CHI 3 35 45 Marchessault, Jonathan VGK 3 32 46 Giroux, Claude PHI 3 51 47 Kessel, Phil PIT 3 52 48 Miller, J.T. TBL 3 39 49 Kopitar, Anze LAK 3 28 50 Jones, Seth CBJ 3 48 51 Dumba, Matt MIN 3 66 52 Josi, Roman NSH 3 59 53 Backstrom, Nicklas WAS 3 56 54 Klingberg, John DAL 4 54 55 Kreider, Chris NYR 3 42 56 Eichel, Jack BUF 3 43 57 Larkin, Dylan DET 4 78 58 Tarasenko, Vladimir STL 3 50 59 Voracek, Jakub PHI 4 58 60 Kadri, Nazem TOR 3 45 61 Chabot, Thomas OTT 4 New 62 Rantanen, Mikko COL 4 63 63 Pavelski, Joe SJS 3 24 64 Yandle, Keith FLA 4 New 65 Nurse, Darnell EDM 4 81 66 Lucic, Milan EDM 4 68 67 Zucker, Jason MIN 4 83 68 Gaudreau, Johnny CGY 4 69 69 Horvat, Bo VAN 4 New 70 Rakell, Rickard ANA 4 53 71 Huberdeau, Jonathan FLA 5 90 72 Provorov, Ivan PHI 4 74 73 Reilly, Morgan TOR 5 New 74 Ekblad, Aaron FLA 5 76 75 Meier, Timo SJS 5 New 76 Muzzin, Jake LAK 5 61 77 Gostisbehere, Shayne PHI 4 65 78 Skinner, Jeff BUF 5 94 79 Pietrangelo, Alex STL 4 71 80 Zibanejad, Mika NYR 4 New 81 Ferland, Michael CAR 4 New 82 Monahan, Sean CGY 5 85 83 Stone, Mark OTT 5 New 84 Domi, Max MTL 5 New 85 Johansen, Ryan NSH 5 70 86 Parayko, Colton STL 5 87 87 Barkov, Aleksander FLA 6 88 88 Lindholm, Elias CGY 5 New 89 Granlund, Mikael MIN 5 New 90 Tkatchuk, Matthew CGY 5 82 91 Staal, Eric MIN 6 72 92 Oshie, T.J.  WSH 5 New 93 Draisatl, Leon EDM 6 97 94 Arvidsson, Viktor NSH 6 91 95 Gourde, Yanni TBL 6 New 96 Marner, Mitchell TOR 6 New 97 Hoffman, Mike OTT 6 New 98 Suter, Ryan MIN 6 New 99 Barzal, Mathew NYI 5 77 100 Gallagher, Brendan MON 6 93

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/hockey-rankings/november-top-100-roto-rankings/

[365footballorg-blog]

Preview: Dortmund v Frankfurt

Borussia Dortmund will be looking to bounce back quickly from their recent defeat when they host an Eintracht Frankfurt side aiming to leapfrog them.

Bundesliga 11 March 2018 Gameweek 26 Kick-off: 16H30 local time Venue: Signal Iduna Park Referee: D. Aytekin Assistants: C. Dietz, E. Beitinger Fourth official: G. Kleve

Head-to-head summary:

TEAM MATCHES WIN DRAW LOSS

Dortmund 92 45 17 30 Frankfurt 92 30 17 45

😃 Heute in Dortmund… pic.twitter.com/xqxJ8PMXqt

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) March 9, 2018

Previous encounter:

Frankfurt 2-2 Borussia Dortmund 21/10/2017 (Bundesliga)

Frankfurt goalscorers: S. Haller (pen 64′), M. Wolf (68′)

Dortmund goalscorers: N. Sahin (18′), M. Philipp (57′)

Players to watch:

Marco Reus has been influential since returning from his long-term injury. The winger has scored three goals in his last three Bundesliga games, while Andre Schurrle was on target on Thursday.

Sebastien Haller has been leading the goalscoring charts for Frankfurt thus far this campaign. The 23-year-old striker has bagged 12 goals and six assists in 28 games across all competitions.

Team form and manager quotes:

Dortmund’s form has waned in recent weeks. They played out three consecutive 1-1 draws before a surprising 2-1 defeat at home to Salzburg in the UEFA Europa League last-16 on Thursday.

Peter Stoger’s side have dropped from second to third in the league standings and are now level on points with Frankfurt, who trail them on goal difference. A win for either team could see them climb into the runners-up spot.

Speaking after the defeat to Salzburg, Stoger told the press: “The team didn’t keep the speed high. So the game for the opponent became easier. Salzburg adjusted more and more during the match. They became braver and gained more confidence.

“In several moments we had the feeling we could change something about the result. But, between these good stages, our performance wasn’t very dedicated. I’m not happy with it.”

Meanwhile, Niko Kovac’s men have hit their stride recently, winning four of their last five games in all competitions. They beat 1. FSV Mainz 05, 1. FC Köln, RB Leipzig and Hannover 96, while losing 1-0 at VfB Stuttgart.

The Eagles are currently on track to claim their highest Bundesliga finish since 2013 when they placed sixth in the top flight. However, they have not beaten Dortmund in their last three encounters, losing twice.

Kovac recently told the press: “Eintracht are not a world-class team, just an ordinary one. We have room for improvement. Not by talking, though, but by doing.”

#BVBSGE “The pressure we’re feeling is very positive” – Niko #Kovac’s key quotes ahead of Dortmund trip 👉 https://t.co/yosx2xCEeb | #SGEpic.twitter.com/Irq58gOigi

— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_eng) March 9, 2018

Team news:

Dortmund have two fresh injuries in the team with Jeremy Toljan and Lukasz Piszczek in doubt for the clash.

Frankfurt are unlikely to be able to call upon Alexander Meier as he is lacking match fitness.

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Preview: Dortmund v Frankfurt was originally published on 365 Football

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Rantanen, Aho, Burns, Barzal, Drouin, and Tampa’s Nuclear Option (Oct. 27)

Sebastien Aho. James Guillory / USA Today Sports Images

  I’d like to take a moment to congratulate a couple of the Dobber boys. First, to Steve Laidlaw. Stevie has been editing my work and managing this site for years. His work has always spoken for itself. He’s been a tremendous leader and content creator. His presence on the site will be sorely missed. We wish you all the best, pal.

  Secondly, to Ian Gooding. Ian has been equally instrumental in my early work not showing up with a few dozen errors. He’s been churning out top-notch ramblings for years and will be terrific in his new role as Managing Editor.

  **

  It’s not too often that a team plays a must-win game in October, but that’s exactly what the Colorado Avalanche faced on Friday evening. Their playoff lives weren’t on the line. They weren’t looking to end a lengthy slide to save some jobs. They weren’t looking to exact revenge on the team that beat them in a seven-game Cup final the spring before.

  No, they were playing the Ottawa Senators. As we all know, the Avs own the Senators’ top pick in the 2019 draft. A pick many forecasted to provide tasty odds to snag a Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko. Surprisingly, the Sens are off to a reasonable start. And that simply won’t do for Colorado fans and those who love to pile on the Sens for inept ownership and management.

  It was the Sens who came out rolling first though. Ryan Dzingel popped an early tally. Thomas Chabot and Chris Tierney with the assists. Tierney just continues to roll on with his new squad. He’s up to 10 points in nine games. He’s seeing 2:18 on the man-advantage and is already halfway to matching his career-high for PPPs with four on the year. 

  Keep him on the roster while the heater lasts. He’s definitely tracking for some career-highs with this early action and improved deployment.

  Chabot isn’t doing too poorly either as the Karlsson replacement. Three goals and 11 points in nine contests for the 21-year-old. Over three minutes on the top power-play unit, but it’s his five-on-five production that’s the most impressive. Nine of his 11 points have come at evens.

  We saw the potential in junior. It’s manifesting itself into NHL production now.

  **

  In the end, it was the Avalanche who took over. They scored five unanswered goals to take the game 6-3. It’s a big surprise where the offense came from too. Gabriel Landeskog and Nate MacKinnon each had a goal and two assists, while Mikko Rantanen chipped in with a goal and three helpers.

  That places Rantanen as your new league leader in points (20) and assists (15). MacKinnon sits second (18) and Landeskog (15) is tied for fifth. 

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/10/Avs.mp4

  That line is giving the Boston trio a serious run as the best line in hockey.

  **

  We had a rare non-weekend 3:00 pm PST start time on Friday as the Lightning and Golden Knights faced off in the desert.

  Tyler Johnson got things rolling quickly with an unassisted tally just three minutes in. It was his first point in five games. Johnson had a hat trick and a two-assist game early but had been icy in every other contest. Not exactly the model of consistency. This despite the fact he’d been lining up next to Kucherov for the last little while.

  Shea Theodore evened things up a couple of minutes later when he blasted home a one-timer. It’s the first of the year for the talented blueliner. And just his second point in 10 games to go along with a minus-9 rating. Not the type of production many were hoping for from the QB on Vegas’ top power play.

  Theodore has been shooting the puck a good deal which should hopefully be indicative of some further production coming soon. He put five shots on net on Friday evening and has averaged 3.83 over the last six contests. 

  **

  TBay has been tossing Stamkos-Point-Kucherov on after a penalty kill lately. It’s as insane as you might expect. It took all of 30-seconds to produce a Point tally assisted by the other two.

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/10/TBay.mp4

  Loading up big lines is usually frowned upon in this league. It leaves most teams exposed to a lack of depth and easy matchup games for opposition coaches. But this is something I’d like to see more from Jon Cooper. Call it the nuclear option if you like, but god damn that’s a line that could threaten the Boston and Colorado units as the best on the planet.

  William Karlsson made it close with his third of the year but the Bolts held on for a 3-2 victory. Vegas slips to 4-5-1 on the season. That’s the second-worst point percentage in the Pacific division.

  The good fortune bender of 2017-18 is officially over.

  **

  A couple of lengthy point streaks were extending in the San Jose – Carolina game. Sebastian Aho extended his season-long point streak to 10 games and 15 points. That total lands him in a tie for fifth in NHL scoring. 

  Aho is driving the bus in Carolina. He’s sporting a Corsi rating of 64% in all situations, playing 19 minutes a game, and rocking a 4.87 points-per-60 output. He’s on a heater, no doubt. But this is a player capable of sustaining a point-per-game over the long haul.

  **

  Brent Burns grabbed a couple of early assists to extend his point streak to seven games and 12 points. He’s seeing nearly a minute less of even-strength ice compared to last season, but his production hasn’t given it away. 

  Meanwhile, Timo Meier continued his strong third season. The Swiss winger tallied a goal to extend his streak to seven games and eight points. I was championing Meier as a breakout candidate this offseason and he’s making me look smart.

  Through 10 games, the recently turned 22-year-old has six goals and nine points. He’s been a terror around the net – similar to how he spent his one season in Halifax. While he’s not getting top power play minutes, he is seeing top-line even-strength minutes and that means prolonged exposure to either Burns or Karlsson virtually every time he’s on the ice at five-on-five.

  This kid is for real.

  **

  The Canes rallied from down 2-0 and 3-1 to take the game 4-3 in a shootout. That pushes Carolina to the top of the Metropolitan division. They’ve done it with a combination of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney in net.

  Decent.

  **

  Mat Barzal has seven shots in eight games to start his season. Over the years, we’ve become accustomed to a few elite distributors who are allergic to putting pucks on net. Joe Thornton and Henrik Sedin being the most recent examples. But even those two would manage to flirt with two shots per game in their hay days.

  Barzal manage to put up 2.1 as a rookie a season ago. But this year you can’t pay him to rip the biscuit. Many expected this year to be challenging for the 21-year-old. He lost his insulation. His leader, captain and one of the best power play producers in the world. He’s the guy now.

  The hope was he’d be able to come close to replicating his production as a sophomore. Finding the back of the net a few more times would go a long way in climbing that mountain. While we’re just 10 percent through the season, he’s on pace to join a rare group of front-line centres who failed to hit triple digit shots on goal in a season.

  In the last 30 years, we’ve seen it happen just six times.

  2000-01 – Adam Oates 72 shots in 81 games (13+69)

2016-17 – Joe Thornton 81 shots in 79 games (7+43)

1998-99 – Igor Larionov 83 shots in 75 games (14+49)

1999-00 – Adam Oates 93 shots in 82 games (15+56)

2014-15 – Mike Ribeiro 96 shots in 82 games (14+47)

2016-17 – Henrik Sedin 99 shots in 82 games (15+35)

  There’s plenty of time for Barzal to start firing the puck more, and he’s still clicking at a point-per-game early on. But owners should be watching those SOG totals. Barzal will need to be the offensive leader on this team, and keeping defense schemes honest with the threat of a shot will go a long way in that.

  **

  I had a request to dig into Jonathan Drouin’s early success. As a man of the people, I’m happy to oblige.

  We know the story: Drouin was as high-flying as you could ask for coming out of junior. He was tapped third overall on draft day and carried the hype of a future superstar. Fast-forward five years and he hasn’t come close to meeting his expectations.

  So far in 2018-19, the 23-year-old has three goals and seven points in nine games. He went scoreless in his first three contests before ending a five-game point streak on Thursday night. But is this a sign of things to come in Montreal?

  Some stats of note: 71 percent of production has come on the man-advantage. He’s converting on 15.8 percent of his shots while barely putting two on net per game. His career average before this year was 10.7 percent.  He’s receiving 4:26 per game on the power play which is great, but the even-strength production is a concern.

  It’s not unreasonable to expect a player with his deployment and skill set to continue to play at a 0.7 point-per-game pace. Id’ say that’s the high-water mark for realistic expectations this season.

  **

  Watch out for Jaro Halak in Boston. The former starting netminder may have eyes for the full-time crease job with the Bruins with his and Rask's early season play. 

  Here's a look at the stats: 

  Tuuka Rask: 3-2-0 0.901 SV% 3.38 GAA

Jaroslav Halak: 3-0-2  0.945 SV% 1.43 GAA

  Bruce Cassidy proved he wouldn't shy away from cutting into Rask's workload when he ran with Anton Khudobin for stretches this year. Halak could prove to be one of the better waiver wire grabs this season. Or not. Who knows with goalies. 

  **

  Thanks for reading and feel free to follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

    from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/latest/ramblings-rantanen-aho-burns-barzal-drouin-and-tampas-nuclear-option-oct-27/