#goal of the game for the leafs to try to shift momentum

[3416]

Everytime people discuss who should be in the leadership group and start writing fanfiction about how Mitch doesn't deserve anything and doesn't do anything for the leafs, actually, I just think about this article and wonder how we got here. I think he could be captain- I actually think he could be a great one. But I guess we'll never know https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2469915/2021/03/25/mitch-marner-ohl-season/

reading that just made me so fucking emotional. i honestly think it would translate into great captaincy in the nhl too... he just happens to be on a team with auston matthews, so i get WHY it's like this (still.. if there was ever a modern case for co-captains but. too late now ig) but. i hate to say it's not the right market bc it's not his fault that this market is so fucking volatile and stupid so often, lmfao. like. he says things the same as anyone and i'll firmly defend that to death. i hate when people say even lovingly 'no he shouldnt do that' or 'i wish hed stop talking to them' like no, fuck you, lol. it's the temperament in toronto that's the fucking issue and more people should be seriosuly talking abt it and calling it out in the main journalists so they can be shamed and maybe learn responsibility. it's stripping so many of our players and staff from ever letting an ounce of personality or anything personal show whatsoever. it makes it so much less fun and WAY less marketable. it's just obnoxious to me, but mitch marner is someone who has SO MUCH leadership presence too.... like in 22-23 when HE was this team's mvp and the team was coming together to try to make stuff happen for him???? it echoes auston's chase for 70 so much. there's that other great article from a couple yrs ago abt mitch and auston and their personality differences but how both are leading the team and it's just so true. they're natural born leaders but even more than that, their work ethic and accountability to themselves is insane, you can just see it. i'm so sad we live with this era of social media as leaf fans sometimes bc it's genuinely so hostile and obnoxious to try to participate in, lol. mitch can be loud and knows how to point out when stuffs wrong and wants to work to fix it and hold ppl accountable. but on the same hand, he also wants everyone to feel like THEY can talk if they need to and that they're welcome there and valued as people and that's just like. a beautiful personality trait to have. that locker room would not be half of what it is without him, idec, lmao.

[highbuttonsports]

BACK ON TOP

It was a long time coming, not just since Canada last won a Women’s World Championship in 2012, but 650+ days since the initial start date of what was the 2020 Championships, but thanks to another “bubble” the women were finally able to get back into game action. I will be the first to admit, I haven’t paid much attention to women’s hockey over the years, mainly only tuning into Canada, USA games, but I found myself watching every Canada game this time around and I was entertained.

The speed that Canada played with throughout the tournament was something to watch. Watching them, it wasn’t just their speed that kept the games entertaining, Although they stumbled out of the gate in game 1 against the Finns, they looked hungry and played a relentless style that even kept the blowouts entertaining. It wasn’t just the speed and relentlessness they played with, but their puck possession and transition game was on a completely different level – even against the US in the round robin game. Their powerplay, even with all the fire power they had, struggled, but their penalty kill was exceptional. It was tenacious and high pressured, giving every team issues just trying to enter the zone. Without it, and some timely, stellar saves from Ann-Renee Desbiens, who made a triumphant return to action this tournament after retiring, I don’t think Canada would have been able to come back tonight.

Going into the gold medal game tonight, Canada ran through the round robin (including the US), the quarters and semis completely dominating everyone, but no one expected the gold medal game to be a walk through and it turned out to be an instant classic. With the US jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first, it didn’t look like it would be. In between the first and second, Canada flipped the switch and found another gear, dominating play and evening the game up at 2. The third was, as expected, back and forth with both teams having plenty of chances, including a post from Jamie Lee Rattray with under 2 minutes left, which set the stage for Captain Canada to do it again. MPP took a beautiful pass from Jenner in stride and unloaded a bullet that went in and out of the net so fast play continued as MPP began to celebrate as the only one knowing it went in. Much like Patrick Kane in 2010. After a few moments the horn blew confirming it did cross the line and Team Canada flew over the bench to celebrate their first World Championship since 2012. It was only fitting, that after all MPP has been through with injuries over the years that she would once again come through when Canada needed her most.

I won’t sum up every game or play here but I can tell you every player had at least a few standout moments throughout the tournament. Most notably to me, and aside from Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Melanie Daoust and Brianne Jenner it was the youngsters Sarah Fillier, Sarah Nurse, and Emily Clark upfront and Ashton Bell, Ella Shelton and Claire Thompson on the backend. As I just said, everyone had their moments, but if I covered them all, it would be weeks before this was published.

MPP, Captain Canada, Captain Clutch, whatever you want to call her is the heart, soul and engine of that team (as evidenced by blocking a shot with her neck in a 5-0 game) and might just be the only player in men’s or women’s hockey to score 2 Olympic gold medal winning goals along with the absolute rocket she scored tonight. My god what a shot (and pass from Jenner) that was. She’s been plagued by injuries over the last few years but seeing her healthy and controlling play like she did when she was deemed the “Next One” was a sight to see. Speaking of the “Next One”, this tournament was a coming out party of sorts for 21-year-old Sarah Fillier. She could have easily had 7 or 8 goals, but those damn posts kept getting in the way, but from what I saw in her play, she lived up to the hype. As Cheryl Pounder described her almost every game, she is a triple threat. She can fly up and down the ice, has incredible vision and isn’t afraid to shoot. She was the third and youngest member of what was dubbed the “Fill-Da-Nat” line with veterans Melanie Daoust and Natalie Spooner. That line was a treat to watch. Shift after shift they would control the offensive zone moving the puck from low to high and vice versa. The poise and puck control that Melo showed in the tournament was at a different level. It was the definition of the old saying “puck on a string” and her hockey IQ and vision really took center stage throughout. I’ve played against Spooner a couple times in charity tournaments and I can tell you first hand, when she’s in front of the net, she battles harder than anyone and is impossible to move, especially when the puck is within reach. Gretzky’s office was behind the net, hers is inches outside of the blue paint and she owned the front of the net throughout the tournament. While not rookies like Fillier and others, Emily Clark and Sarah Nurse had what I thought were fantastic tournaments. Every time they were on the ice, they were literally all over it. They never stopped moving and were relentless in their puck pursuit and retrieval which was rewarded with a pair of shorthanded goals early in the tournament.

On the back end, rookies Ashton Bell, Ella Shelton and Claire Thompson were stellar. Have you ever seen a team or coaching staff put so much trust in a group of rookies to play such big minutes? Sure, you’ll see one in the top 6 often, but very rarely do you see 3 of your top 6 being rookies. Not only was their defensive play solid but, their poise under pressure with and without the puck, their hockey IQ, and skating abilities helped Canada’s transition game immensely.

Winning the gold will give Canada a huge boost of momentum and confidence going into the Olympics in February and it wouldn’t surprise me if they stuck with the same roster, not just because they won gold, but how close the team has become after being in the bubble together for so long (just look at their TikToks). Going off air, Tessa Bonhomme asked, “Are you not entertained?” and it’s safe to say anyone that watched the game tonight was more than entertained. I know I’ll be watching more in February, but for now, enjoy the celebrations ladies and congratulations!

Smitty

Quick Hits:

If you haven’t already, I suggest reading this article about Ann-Renee Desbiens return to glory on Sportsnet:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/longform/meet-goalie-came-retirement-26-fight-gold/

Blayre Turnbull coming back onto the ice on a stretcher to get her medal was iconic. Surprisingly it doesn’t happen more, but she broke her leg during the celebration. Hope she has a speedy recovery and is ready for Beijing

Hats off to the all-woman panel at TSN for all the hours at the rink and the phenomenal job they did covering the tournament from start to finish

Leafs Offseason Recap – Coming Soon – Sorry all I was waiting and hoping for a trade

[lankonleafs]

Leafs Kick Off Season with Nail Biter Win

It wasn’t pretty, but they don’t ask how you win.The Leafs earned two big points to start their season against their rival Montreal Canadiens in a game that was a preview of what we should expect for the full 56 game season. 

Both teams seemed a little shaky to start things off. A shortened training camp with no preseason will do that, Things started off with good pace with some sloppy plays. Bogosian takes a bad luck penalty when his stick goes between Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s legs and is called for the trip. No harm done on the PK and we move on. 

The sloppy play continued when Ilya Mikheyev threw the puck towards the Leafs bench during a line change. Vesey jumps on for Hyman and Hyman plays the puck as he’s stepping off the ice and we get to see what the Leafs penalty kill looks like for a second time. The Habs start buzzing around the Leafs end a bit, a shot goes off the post and Andersen loses the puck. The puck finds it’s way to Nick Suzuki’s stick and puts the wrist shot past Freddie.  The first period is the same sort of play - both teams feeling themselves out, trying to push the pace, The Leafs end up with an offensive zone faceoff with just over 4 minutes left in the period. Tavares wins the draw and the puck finds its way to Willy Nylander who absolutely blasts a one timer past Carey Price and we’re all square at 1-1. Fast forward a little bit and the Canadiens end up putting the pedal to the metal a little bit and with less than a minute left in the first they win an offensive zone draw and the puck finds it’s way to Josh Anderson who takes no time to wire a wrist shot right over Andersen’s pad off the post and in. 2-1 Habs. 

In the second, Bogosian takes a holding penalty on once again: Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Leafs PK was just not firing tonight, they gave up two breakaways while shorthanded and Tomas Tatar scores the go ahead goal when he tucks a shot on Andersen’s five hole. I thought this was a stop Andersen should’ve had, his stick just wasn’t tight enough to the ice to stop the shot. 3-1 Canadiens. 

10 minutes into the period sparks start to fly when Wayne “Punch Your Head Off” Simmonds dropped the gloves with Ben Chiarot. Simmonds won the fight pretty quick, landing a few good shots on Chiarot. Chiarot went down and Simmonds was ready to throw another shot but let up and instead turned to the Leafs bench to try to send a message that their game was not where it needed to be against their rivals. It seemed to work as the Leafs went on the PP when Kulak cross checked Kerfoot. Between the PP and the momentum from the fight the Leafs PP seemed to buzz around a little bit and started to fire some shots on Price. The rest of the period seemed to be played at a decent pace with nothing too crazy of note happening. With two minute left in the period, Nylander has the puck on the face off dot in the offensive zone. He hesitates a little bit looking to pace before he WIRED a wrist shot past Price. Price had no shot on that one. 3-2 score thanks to Willy Ny the wrist shot guy. Not slowing down, the magic of Mitch Marner was shown a little bit when he fired a great pass to John Tavares in front of the net. The captain quickly tipped the puck past Price with 40 seconds left in the period to tie the game 3-3. 

A minute into the third, Suzuki wins a defensive zone draw for the Canadiens and the play ends up in a foot race along the wall between Tavares and Anderson. Tavares didn’t fully commit to taking Anderson out of the play, Anderson finds Suzuki and he tucks the puck past Anderson for the 4-3 go-ahead goal. I thought the Vesey - Tavares - Nylander line was one of our better lines tonight and they  got rewarded with a hard working shift and Jimmy Vesey was rewarded. The line just wouldn’t let the Habs get out of their zone and when Nylander gets the puck to the behind/side of the net he finds Vesey wide open in the slot and he puts the wrist shot past Price to tie the game 4-4 and we head into 3 on 3 overtime! 

The overtime period felt like an end of season game where the “bonus” point really mattered and both teams had their chances. The play was back and forth until Tavares and Rielly end up on a 2 on 1 rush. The captain puts the puck in a perfect spot and Rielly puts the pass past Price for the overtime winner! The first (of Many) wins for the Leafs this year and a huge two points in a season where every point matters.  

I thought William Nylander was the best player on the ice for the Leafs tonight. It seemed like he couldn’t be stopped and he made some really great plays. Those two goals were pure goal scorers goal and were things of beauty. 

The Leafs have some work to do but a win is a win and I’ll take them any way i can get ‘em. If this game was any indication of how the season will be played we’re in for a really exciting year. The boys are back on the ice Friday with their provincial rivals Ottawa Senators. 

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 33 - NSH - Jack for Hart

4-3 Regulation Win

Sometimes this team sucks ass. Sometimes it’s fun. In the career of Jack Eichel the results tend toward the latter. Since his sophomore season we have patiently awaited his arrival as a bona fide superstar in the NHL. We have awaited the evidence to shift from why to why not on face of the franchise. We have arrived at the nexus of the Eichel Sabres. Every goal you can think of Jack Eichel can do: tip-in, tight-angle, slapshot, snapshot, Ovechkin office, blueline, boards, up close, far back, you name it he does it. The Buffalo Sabres success or failure runs through Jack Robert Eichel. You thought his 19th and 20th goals were fun last game, well here comes 21 and 22, baby! Say it with me: Jack Eichel for Hart. Jack Eichel for MVP! We’ll get into how he took over this particular game in a minute. For right now allow me to direct your attention to the team around him. Zach Bogosian asked for a trade. All joking about what Bogo is or isn’t on the ice aside his numbers are brutal and his time with this team has been ruined by injury. Trading him will be difficult if it happens. Rasmus Ristolainen this season is proof winning can make you forget where else you want to be. However the reported request begs another question: What is the plan for this season for the Front Office? I have reason to believe, for several reasons, Jason Botterill and the Front Office of this organization targeted 2020-2021 to be their first season truly gunning for the playoffs. John Vogl replied as much to me in an Athletic subscriber Q&A and others, well informed and not, have suggested as much on social media. Whether it was Botterill’s plan from the moment he walked in the door in 2017 or not we may never know. Now, 2.5 years into the second rebuild we’re… uh… in a playoff spot with not a lot of faith we’ll still be in one come April? The other piece here is that there will be an absurd amount of cap room available in the summer. It’s the ideal opportunity to really make some big moves. Perhaps that’s the reason names like Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Jake McCabe and yes maybe even Rasmus Ristolainen are still on the team. He’s just skating an entertaining-enough roster to get to this coming summer with no intention of seriously pushing for a playoff spot. I have feelings on this theory of course but more on that later. We got a real slobber-knocker of a game tonight to talk about.

The Nashville Predators sit in a similar situation to the Sabres. They’re just kinda middling as well: a game below .500 fighting for a playoff spot. Both these teams wanted the two points tonight and both teams came out showing their intent to go get it. There was a goal scored in the first minute of this game just like Tuesday. This time it was for the other team. A weird zone entry for the Preds that you’re justified in thinking might be offsides and suddenly Matt Duchene is dangling the pants off everything that stood in his way. Even Linus Ullmark was no match and got deked out before the goal, 1-0 Nashville. It took about 15 minutes but the clap-back energy that is present in this team when they’re at their best arrived when a weird Ristolainen move up in front of the Predators net gave Jimmy Vesey the last touch on a tap-in equalizer. It can not be understated how fast paced this game was from the very first period. When Colton Sissons hammered home a long distance five-hole tally late in the first frame it seemed the home team was out-running itself, still flying to defensive positions. Then period number two came. The Jack Attack arrived in force. A long pass to Sam Reinhart got to the Captain who sized up his options and moved in on Juuse Saros. He shot it top shelf in a tight situation. It was very frankly arousing. The 1980s style graphics and music made it feel surreal and I wasn’t even in the building. Especially as the night went on the building got louder and louder. It wasn’t even a sellout but somehow it doesn’t need to be: when the team is fun so is the building. Take note, Terry.

There are a lot of guys on the team making this fun little stretch of hockey go. Brandon Montour is at full potential. He was probably the best defenseman on the ice the same night Rasmus Dahlin came back. What do you know: Rasmus Ristolainen now has seven points in eight games. Winning solves a lot of our grievance doesn’t it? Also great: Marcus Johansson. There were several rushes and neat zone entries that ran through the super center. Johansson has quickly become the wildest dreams for a second line center Jason Botterill had when he asked for Patrik Berglund. This game was too fun to bring up stuff like that. The returning Rasmus Dahlin got a puck to Henri Jokiharju at the blueline about 14 minutes into the second period. Joker took the shot and it got a tasty touch from Eichel in the slot to redirect it in. Go-ahead goal 3-2 Sabres. The clap-back was on fire. But Nashville has clap-back in spades as well. One opportunity for the visitors beat Ullmark only for the outstretched stick of the Captain to block it. This game was an F1 duel. Four minutes left in the second period and the Preds were in a sustained cycle of zone time. Ryan Johansen got a sneaky rebound the snuck over Linus Ullmark’s outstretched left pad. It was equal again at 3-3. That was probably the most merited score I’ve seen through forty minutes this season. This game, especially the middle frame was just so incredibly even. It was back and forth by the eye-test and 50/50 in most every statistical category as well. Victor Olofsson said it in postgame: “We have confidence because we’re playing like we were earlier this year… we changed the way we play in games like this… we took momentum.”

The fabulous rookie was the decider in this game. Olofsson is becoming the Swedish Artemi Panarin. YES, I’M COMPARING OLOFSSON TO PANARIN! He took over the lead in goals among rookies with a goal off his own rebound. Sam Reinhart kept the puck in the offensive zone and fired a long pass to Brandon Montour on the left boards. Montour put it net-front to Olofsson who took a shot and missed. The rebound bounced around behind the net and he collected it himself to put up and in behind Saros. It was now 4-3 Buffalo and something special unfolded. While there were select chances for Nashville, the defensive play ticked up like everyone was playing penalty kill. The Preds kept getting tied up in the neutral zone, a tale I remember vividly going the other way in an early December game with Nashville last season. This Buffalo team, much like the other one, has found the way to not only winning close games, but forcing the other team to work hard if they hope to have a chance. As the minutes and seconds in regulation ticked away you could see the visitors get more frantic. The Predators ended up outshooting the Sabres 39-32 but thanks to Linus Ullmark continuing to inspire confidence in front of him and a whole team that has discovered their defensive prowess, the goals category remained in favor of Buffalo. Even when Nashville pulled their goalie it seemed as thought they were just taking a series of slappers in the general direction of the Sabres net. None would go, the Sabres won their third straight for the first time since the fast times back in October. Buffalo honored the old Aud and the high scoring 1980s with real gunslinging kinda of a game.

So what is this fun for? It appears this team has arisen from a slump like few teams of recent years were able to. Now that is sorta appears they can, will they pursue the much-pined-for playoff berth? Long time readers of the blog will know exactly my feelings on the 2020 scenario I led this postgame with. I want playoffs now and I think this franchise needs playoffs now! I think this team was good enough to do it last season! Yeah, I’m bullish on that. However, the Alex Galchenyuk rumor, from the mouth of Darren Dreger mind you, disrupts the 2020 theory just a little bit. Galchenyuk, a reclamation project for sure, is an attempt at adding legitimate top six talent. If you get 50% of what Galch was two seasons ago, hell if you get his normal point production, you have a complete top six. Not only that but you have a top six more or less proven to be what this Coach would want to play on night-to-night basis. Love it or hate it Ralph Krueger has always come back to that same top line. Does this team plus a Galchenyuk move not look like a team trying to make the playoffs this season? Once more, how many of us twitter GMs have prognosticated that this team is one top six player away from being something great? Not great like not losing most games, great like could make the playoffs and have a fighting chance once they get there. Games as exciting as tonight are ultimately nothing but memories if they don’t contribute to a point total that can get you a spot in the dance. What does the Front Office think of this season? They can make a decisive statement with a trade, will they?

Believe it or not this was the Sabres first win against the Preds at home since 2008. It was only the second home win against the Predators in Sabres history. That’s an interesting stat. The stats that mattered tonight though are leads. The Sabres defended their last one for eleven and a half minutes against the Predators. That’s hot. More leads: Jack Eichel passed Alex Ovechkin to reach second in the league in goal scoring with his two goals while Victor Olofsson passed Cale Makar for the rookie lead in goal and points. Unreal. As crazy as this is right now the December schedule has no mercy for us. Now the Sabres fly off on a three-game road trip of the Islanders, the Leafs, and the Flyers. That’s not a cake walk. We have a strong MVP candidate on our hands and a very decent Calder Trophy candidate as well; but all our fawning has to mean something or you minus well just call this a rerun. Let’s end on a fun note though, this game merited it: When the Sabres played their last game at the Aud in April 1996 none of Jack Eichel, Rasmus Asplund, Casey Mittelstadt, Henri Jokiharju and Rasmus Dahlin were born yet. It’s a new age in Buffalo. It’s a New Look Sabres!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. Yes, I know there are also reports Botterill has put a trade on the backburner since the winning resumed. Let’s just hope that’s not the case and move on. Enjoy nice things while you have them: the Sabres are three points up on a playoff spot.

[salmonfact78-blog]

Flyers 'not taking any s---' from Penguins

Flyers 'not taking any s---' from Penguins originally appeared on nbcsportsphiladelphia.com

BOX SCORE

PITTSBURGH - It actually all started with a gentleman's agreement. 

A minute and 15 seconds after Sidney Crosby gave Pittsburgh an early 1-0 lead on the opening shift of Saturday night's game, Wayne Simmonds asked Penguins hulking defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to engage in a fight knowing he was surrendering five inches in height and 60 to 70 pounds in weight.

If this was a WBO-sanctioned event, it would have been a welterweight stepping into the ring against a heavyweight. Still, Simmonds did what needed to be done at that stage of the game.

"I just went up and I asked him immediately and I was happy he said, ‘Yeah,'" Simmonds said. "I remember playing them in the playoffs last year and trying to get him to go and he wouldn't [fight me]. I know he's a big boy. I know he can handle himself well, so I think at that point in the game, not even two minutes into the game, if I'm gonna get one, I'm gonna get it then."

From that moment, the Flyers sent the message that Saturday night wasn't going to be a replay of the previous week, when they waved the white flag in a 6-0 loss to the Maple Leafs. This time, it was a 4-2 win over their rival (see observations). 

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan didn't back down either when asked pointedly if that fight swung momentum in the Flyers' direction. 

"[Oleksiak] did the right thing. It gave us life, too," Sullivan said. "We had a great start. For me, they can talk about that all they want, it gave us life, too. Jamie did a great job of sticking up for our team."

Less than four minutes after Simmonds' fisticuffs, Travis Konecny, the Flyers' "piss pot" that former GM Ron Hextall labeled earlier in the week, answered with a breakaway goal to tie the game and send a statement this was going to be different from the six-game playoff series in April.

"We knew it was going to be like this, especially after the way our season ended last year against these guys," Konecny said. "I kind of feel like whenever we play them, they think they have this swagger over us, so it's just not going to happen anymore."

"I didn't even realize T.K. scored and he f---ing scored, I was pretty pumped," said Simmonds, who was getting treated in the locker room for his fight when Konecny tied the game. 

The Penguins had every reason to feel overly confident against the Flyers. Not only did Pittsburgh eliminate the Flyers in six games in the opening round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning convincingly 7-0, 5-0 and 5-1 in three of those victories, but the Pens also swept the Flyers in all four regular-season games, scoring five goals in each of the contests.

"I think it had to do with today. I think our guys wanted to get that swagger back," head coach Dave Hakstol said. "We had a little bit of a burn in our saddle coming in here. I'm sure a little bit of it is a carryover from the playoff series last year, but I think it's more about what's happening today with this hockey team." 

Over the years, the Flyers have proven to be successful when they play with a controlled snarl. One particular shift personified old-school Flyers hockey when Radko Gudas leveled Sidney Crosby twice on the same shift. Had that sequence played out at the Wells Fargo Center, Flyers Nation would have erupted at the sight of seeing No. 87 on his backside.

"I was excited that I did, he's a really good player and it doesn't happen too often that he gets hit like that," Gudas said. "I was fortunate enough that I was waiting for him to cut back and lucky for me he did."

Throughout the game, it was typical Flyers-Penguins bad blood. Crosschecks after the whistle. Talking smack after a stoppage in play. Matching minors between Dale Weise and Evgeni Malkin for unsportsmanlike conduct. A little hate was exactly what a desperate Flyers team needed. 

"We're at our best when we have guys sticking up for one another," Anthony Stolarz said. "You saw a couple of scrums by the benches. Guys not taking any s--- from anyone, just stepping up for each other and standing up for each other. That's what makes a good team."

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.

More on the Flyers

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/flyers-not-taking-penguins-050654428.html?src=rss

[yarnfeet40-blog]

Flyers 'not taking any s---' from Penguins

Flyers 'not taking any s---' from Penguins originally appeared on nbcsportsphiladelphia.com

BOX SCORE

PITTSBURGH - It actually all started with a gentleman's agreement. 

A minute and 15 seconds after Sidney Crosby gave Pittsburgh an early 1-0 lead on the opening shift of Saturday night's game, Wayne Simmonds asked Penguins hulking defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to engage in a fight knowing he was surrendering five inches in height and 60 to 70 pounds in weight.

If this was a WBO-sanctioned event, it would have been a welterweight stepping into the ring against a heavyweight. Still, Simmonds did what needed to be done at that stage of the game.

"I just went up and I asked him immediately and I was happy he said, ‘Yeah,'" Simmonds said. "I remember playing them in the playoffs last year and trying to get him to go and he wouldn't [fight me]. I know he's a big boy. I know he can handle himself well, so I think at that point in the game, not even two minutes into the game, if I'm gonna get one, I'm gonna get it then."

From that moment, the Flyers sent the message that Saturday night wasn't going to be a replay of the previous week, when they waved the white flag in a 6-0 loss to the Maple Leafs. This time, it was a 4-2 win over their rival (see observations). 

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan didn't back down either when asked pointedly if that fight swung momentum in the Flyers' direction. 

"[Oleksiak] did the right thing. It gave us life, too," Sullivan said. "We had a great start. For me, they can talk about that all they want, it gave us life, too. Jamie did a great job of sticking up for our team."

Less than four minutes after Simmonds' fisticuffs, Travis Konecny, the Flyers' "piss pot" that former GM Ron Hextall labeled earlier in the week, answered with a breakaway goal to tie the game and send a statement this was going to be different from the six-game playoff series in April.

"We knew it was going to be like this, especially after the way our season ended last year against these guys," Konecny said. "I kind of feel like whenever we play them, they think they have this swagger over us, so it's just not going to happen anymore."

"I didn't even realize T.K. scored and he f---ing scored, I was pretty pumped," said Simmonds, who was getting treated in the locker room for his fight when Konecny tied the game. 

The Penguins had every reason to feel overly confident against the Flyers. Not only did Pittsburgh eliminate the Flyers in six games in the opening round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning convincingly 7-0, 5-0 and 5-1 in three of those victories, but the Pens also swept the Flyers in all four regular-season games, scoring five goals in each of the contests.

"I think it had to do with today. I think our guys wanted to get that swagger back," head coach Dave Hakstol said. "We had a little bit of a burn in our saddle coming in here. I'm sure a little bit of it is a carryover from the playoff series last year, but I think it's more about what's happening today with this hockey team." 

Over the years, the Flyers have proven to be successful when they play with a controlled snarl. One particular shift personified old-school Flyers hockey when Radko Gudas leveled Sidney Crosby twice on the same shift. Had that sequence played out at the Wells Fargo Center, Flyers Nation would have erupted at the sight of seeing No. 87 on his backside.

"I was excited that I did, he's a really good player and it doesn't happen too often that he gets hit like that," Gudas said. "I was fortunate enough that I was waiting for him to cut back and lucky for me he did."

Throughout the game, it was typical Flyers-Penguins bad blood. Crosschecks after the whistle. Talking smack after a stoppage in play. Matching minors between Dale Weise and Evgeni Malkin for unsportsmanlike conduct. A little hate was exactly what a desperate Flyers team needed. 

"We're at our best when we have guys sticking up for one another," Anthony Stolarz said. "You saw a couple of scrums by the benches. Guys not taking any s--- from anyone, just stepping up for each other and standing up for each other. That's what makes a good team."

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.

More on the Flyers

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/flyers-not-taking-penguins-050654428.html?src=rss

[paradoxicalca]

r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 6: Tropical Depression Edition

/r/Hockey NHL Power Rankings Week Nov 4, 2019 - Nov 10, 2019Thank YouThank you to all of the volunteers doing the power rankings. Each ranker has their own system and have their own reasonings and analyis. It truly is a lot of work.RankersSpoilerOrganizersSpoilerVisualizationThe visualization contains historical data, so you can see how your team has done over time. Hopefully, we can run this for many years in hopes that we can see the rise and fall of teams by /r/hockey opinion.It automatically updates so feel free to bookmark. You can find it hereProcessHow does this work? Throughout the course of the week rankers are able to access an app that will allow them to rank teams. At the end of the period we calculate the average ranking for every team and collate all of the analysis provided by rankers.The app then generates a post that is first proofread and then posted to /r/hockey!Rankings (27/31 Rankers Reporting)Ranking (avg)TeamDeltaOverall RecordRecord This WeekComments1 (1.59)Washington Capitals113-2-32-0-0The boys are buzzin. The top line isn't slowing down and our shiny new second line of Vrana - Kuznetsov - Wilson is tearing up the weaker competition. MacLellan's new look bottom six is still giving teams fits with their mix of speed and size. The defense is the best it's been since Mike Green ran the PP. Samsonov is the prince that was promised. Aside from a surprise mid-season extension for Backstrom there really isn't anything more a humble Caps fan could hope for.2 (3.03)Boston Bruins-111-3-31-2-1Well, this is a slump. Nothing but sloppy, uninspired hockey this week from the Bruins. The fact that we beat the Penguins is a shocker. Lost a close game to the Habs, stunk against the Red Wings, and played 40 minutes of bad hockey against the Flyers after having 10 shots through 40 minutes. Bruins showed signs of life in the 3rd period against them but ultimately fell in the shootout. PS: Pasta, get good at penalty shots.3 (3.68)New York Islanders-12-3-12-0-1Despite the rough loss to the Penguins the point streak is still alive. All throughout the goal-tending has been fantastic by both Greiss and Varly. With Eberle now back we will have to see if he can recapture the magic he has with Barzal, which was missing at the start of this season. Even without Matt Martin, Cizikas and Clutterbuck combined to have an outstanding week. On defense, Adam Pelech is playing like a top d-man. Other teams and fans will hear more about him if he keeps it up, but for now he is one of the most underrated players around.4 (4.76)St. Louis Blues412-3-33-0-0The bad news is that the Blues really aren't playing the best hockey they're capable of. The good news is that we're still winning. Many close games but the duo of DP57 and ROR is dragging us to some wins, our D is stabalizing, and our goaltending is proving good enough to compete. Would like to see some depth pieces begin to contribute more, and the loss of Tarasenko is just beginning to set in, but at the end of the day we're leading the Western Conference and we can still definitely get better from here. There also might not be a more trusted ownership/GM combo in the League than Army and Stillman. It's a fun time to be a Blues fan.5 (6.74)Edmonton Oilers-12-5-22-1-16 (6.76)Colorado Avalanche110-5-22-1-0The Avs have awoken. It took about two weeks, but the Avs finally figured out chemistry against Nashville & Columbus. Bad News two new injuries this week, now with 6 players out with Grubauer the only one set to return soon. Sakic looks smart for acquiring all the depth this offseason. The new top line is fun, not as skilled, but no players work harder than Donskoi and Calvert and Mackinnon benefits from the chaos they create and they benefit from the chaos he creates. Francouz has been sufficient in Grubauer's absence but isn't really playing himself into a potential 1B role. Avs start a Western Canadian Road trip this week and look to keep the momentum from the last couple games. First up a big 4 point game in Winnipeg on Tuesday. Calder Watch: Makar had an insane week, with points in all three games a 3 point night and a 2 goal game with his first GWG. He is now at 17 points in 17 games which ties him for third in scoring amoung NHL dmen, Crazy!7 (9.82)Nashville Predators39-5-31-1-1I'm away from my computer this week so I'll keep this one to a single point: /u/dabz14, I'm a true believer after the Red Wings game this past week. That second period was brutal, and the Preds made sure I understood that by being on the other side of the brutality against the Avalanche.8 (10.26)Pittsburgh Penguins610-6-12-1-0Almost as soon as we got Malkin back, Crosby gets knocked out. Please start wrapping these players up in bubble wrap.9 (10.5)Carolina Hurricanes-59-7-10-3-0The lack of top tier star power is starting to show. Each of the last 4 games should have been winnable but they ended up not even being close.10 (11.53)Buffalo Sabres-49-6-20-2-0Three more games until we hit .500.11 (12.59)Vegas Golden Knights19-7-31-2-1Tough week for the Golden Knights going 1-2-1 on the road trip. Blown leads in the 3rd period has plagued the team lately and really needs to change.12 (12.91)Vancouver Canucks-39-6-30-3-1Ever since rushing to jump on the ill-conceived and somewhat forced "Team Like That marketing campaign, the Canucks have indeed become a team like that. The team like that has since lost 5 of their last 6, with their only win coming against a floundering Sharks team. Over this period the powerplay has lost some the luster shown earlier in the year, and Canucks fans must face the tough reality that a team (like that) might not win 70% of its games this year. The club remains competitive, but this string of losses should slide them down to the middle of the pack in our power rankings - the "playoff bubble" position most anticipated the team would inhabit at the start of the season.13 (13.41)Toronto Maple Leafs29-6-42-1-1The Leafs are a confusing team. The week started with a sloppy 3-1 win against the Kings on Tuesday which made it a two game winning streak, which was extended on a 2-1 OT win against the Golden Knights (Did you see Ceci's beautiful setup for Pacioretty!?), which was won by captain Tavares himself. Unfortunately that streak ended Saturday night, after the Flyers got shootout revenge, highlighted by Marner taking an awkward tumble. After trying to take another shift, he was sent to the dressing room and shut down for the game, and after an MRI, for four weeks. Looks like leaf fans are still gonna annoy r/hockey by saying this team still isn't fully healthy yet :). Is that an excuse for letting up 4 goals in the first against the Blackhawks? Oh it's the second half of a back-to-back. That excuse. Made the game close, but not close enough. Overall, another confusing week for leafs fans14 (13.5)Arizona Coyotes-19-6-21-2-115 (14.18)Calgary Flames110-7-32-0-1The Flames had a good week, getting 5 out of a possible 6 points. The team appears to have a completely different effort level when they are down in the third period, having multiple late goals to tie both Arizona and St. Louis, forcing overtime. If only they could play with the same sense of urgency at all times. Johnny Gaudreau continues a large slump. While he's still getting points, he doesn't look like himself and his turnovers and defensive game make him feel like a liability at times. The Flames have already played 20 games this year, so hopefully their schedule slowing down a bit will give them some time to solve a few issues.16 (15.18)Anaheim Ducks-59-8-10-2-0This season feels like a rerun. Looks like a losing home stand came 1 month earlier than last year. A poor effort against the oilers after 4 days off. Similarly poor effort against the wild. I don’t see the fight. I don’t see the ducks ready to start any game lately. Song of the week: Free fallin’ - Tom Petty and the heartbreakers17 (15.35)Tampa Bay Lightning28-5-22-0-0Hard to take a ton away from just a back to back against the same team, but I did like what I saw from the team. Got some depth scoring, so that was nice. 3/7 on the PP isn't too shabby, and killing off all 4 penalties is quite nice too. Very happy only seeing 4 PP's given up, seems Tampa decided they were just having no fun sitting in the box.18 (15.76)Montreal Canadiens-19-5-32-0-1This week the team made big strides in improving their penalty kill (albeit in large part to Price in the net). Victor Mete is making up for all the goals he didn’t score to start his career and it helping beat the Bruins makes it all the better. Ryan Poehling finally has first few games of the season but if all Julien is going to do is play him for 9 minutes a game I would rather see him getting more time in the AHL.19 (15.97)Philadelphia Flyers210-5-24-0-0Its been a very Fly week this week, not a Die week. Myers has been on fire since scoring his first of the season, Coots, Lindblom, and TK line is actual sex on ice, our goaltending is stabilizing, and we are making teams regret starting their backup against us. 3 games in 4 nights against teams in playoff spots, and having pulled a majority of the points from it means we are doing a good hockey. Giroux with an absolute slapper in the SO, Moose and Hart are being the tandem we need them to be, and the team responding well under AV means things are well. We may never go pointless in a game again. Also PROVY PLEASE JUST KEEP YOUR GAME SIMPLE YOU ARE TOO GOOD TO BE PLAYING AS POORLY AS YOU HAVE BEEN RECENTLY. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk pt.2. Praise Gritty20 (17.68)Winnipeg Jets-10-7-12-0-121 (19.47)Florida Panthers-38-4-51-1-1Panthers' games are absolutely crazy. 4th in GF/game and 4th most GA/game. Half their game have been to overtime...it's not good for my heart. Recap; decent game against the Caps. Good game against the Islanders, should have won but Greiss was fantastic. Good game against the Rangers, Monty was bad, but the team rallied to with it. The Panthers don't give up and that's great.22 (20.74)Dallas Stars-8-8-21-0-1Only two weeks this game. Big win over the Avalanche and a OT loss to the Jets. Standouts? Faksa, Bishop. Takeaways? We played great against the Avalanche, and the Jets loss was hard-fought A 1-1 record doesn't always spell improvement - and it's sure not as good as last week - but we're playing better than our first 10 games. That's what matters.23 (23.56)New York Rangers-7-6-22-1-1Just another week at the office for the New York Rangers. We opened the week by losing 6-2 to the Ottawa Senators. This one was tough and really showed how young this team is, but a game like this was necessary. Next, we bounced back against the Wings by winning solidly 5-1. The next day, we got to see vintage Hank against the Canes. Even though we got outshot 47-19, we somehow walked out with a 4-2 win. To cap off the week, we had a shooting gallery of a game against the Panthers, falling 6-5 in the shootout. Some positives to come out of the week were that the kids are finally catching their stride and really developing. Kakko, Chytil, and Fox have looked great the past few games. Lindgren also deserves a shoutout for his play lately. Strome continues to put up points as well. Here's to another successful and entertaining week (also hopefully Lias gets more minutes).24 (24.41)San Jose Sharks37-10-13-0-0Much better week for the Sharks, but there's still a lot of work to be done. They were able to squeeze out 3 wins, but almost blew late leads against the Hawks and Wild. If the Sharks want to be back in the playoff picture they'll have to clean it up and play consistently tight defence for the next two weeks, with the upcoming divisional games against good teams like the Oilers and Vegas. The forwards are looking better and they've had some periods with really good defence, but they can't have those 10 minute stretches where they almost blow the entire thing, because good divisional teams will pounce on those opportunities.25 (24.47)Columbus Blue Jackets-16-8-31-2-0Bemstrom got his first and his second career goals this week. The two games we were pretty close, which is an improvement over our 5 game skid, but we're still 1-6-1 in our last 8. Things are looking grim if we don't improve by American Thanksgiving.26 (26.5)Chicago Blackhawks-6-7-42-1-1After a disconcerting California road trip, the Blackhawks managed to go 2-0-1 against the Canucks, Penguins, and Leafs. Kane has 5G, 6A and points in each of our last 6 games. Keith has been playing well, and is averaging over 25 min in ATOI, which is around his career average, but is significantly higher than the past 2 seasons. Lehner has been fantastic, and is 2nd to only Greiss in SV%.27 (27.21)Minnesota Wild26-10-12-1-0Wild fans are in this weird spot right now where they want the youngsters to show signs of development but the collective team is being cheered on to tank. Kevin Fiala has shown, to quote the GM-who-shall-not-be-named, "gamebreaker" qualities in the past few games. Jordan Greenway and Joel Eriksson Ek have finally looked in the mirror and realized they have big bodies meant for a physical brand of hockey. Ryan Donato...well, he's still looking pretty lost. Can't win them all I suppose. As much as this franchise needs a number one pick, it did feel good to see four pucks go past Mr. Darcy on Saturday night.28 (28.03)Ottawa Senators36-9-13-1-0With the Sens recording 5 wins in their last 8 games, I'm suddenly feeling a sense of...what's the opposite of "shame"? Less shame. That's it. Make no mistakes folks - even though they've had a good week thanks to the heroic efforts of guys like Pageau and Nilsson playing absurdly well, this team is going to finish in the bottom 5. They NEED to finish in the bottom 3 in any case, so as to have the best chance of picking up a generational forward talent at this stacked draft. This means not winning against other bottom tier teams like the Kings and Rangers, which we unfortunately were unable to do this week. Good games for team morale but certainly not for draft position!!29 (28.26)New Jersey Devils-15-7-42-2-02-2-0 This week, nothing too out of the ordinary. Back in Sept. r/devils did a straw poll about Hynes' leash and most said he had until Halloween to turn it around. A week after the devils are 5-7-4 and severely under-performing for the talent level of the roster. This roster shouldn't be 5-11. Shero should already have a list in his mind at this point to replace Hynes. The Good: Blackwood seems to have rebounded from his rocky start and has taken the starter reins from Cory. Hughes is still playing great. He isnt always scoring, but seeing him play with hustle every shift is amazing to see. The Bad: Hall is cursed. He has 2 goals on 59 shots, only 3%, while his career shooting percent is over 10%. The Ugly: We're still barely 0.500 hockey week to week and sitting at the bottom of the metro, only 1 point above the Sens ins the same 16 games. The talk has already started on Hall's fetching price come trade deadline time.30 (28.56)Los Angeles Kings-55-11-10-2-1I was fortunate enough to watch the Kings play the Leafs in Toronto this past week. We look slower than molasses right now and its a pretty boring brand of hockey almost worse than the ‘wear you down’ of Sutter’s time as coach. Some of the young guys are doing well but its crazy to think that this core won 2 cups.31 (29.59)Detroit Red Wings-16-12-12-2-0Robbie Fabbri and Jonathan Bernier stole the week for the Red Wings. With a jam packed schedule of four games the Wings continued their walk of shame with piss poor effort against the Preds and breakdowns against the Rangers. Jimmy Howard gets the start and the hook in both games. Then the trade for Fabbri happens and Bernier gets the start in both games against Boston and Vegas and now the parade planning begins. In reality, the Bruins were at the tail-end of a 11-2-1 stretch and Vegas was back to back after getting beaten up by the Capitals. However, this is what we should expect from the Wings. The plan is to stay competitive and transition to the next phase of the rebuild. Detroit needs to be in these games against top teams who are struggling and limiting their chances. Boston and Vegas combined for 30 shots against the Wings at 5v5(47 All Situations) which is an incredible defensive performance considering the power those offenses have. r/hockey NHL Power Rankings Week 6: Tropical Depression Edition Source

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Thoughts on Dahlin, Bailey, Montembeault, Quality Starts, more goalie talk and more (Mar 18)

  Ramblings: Thoughts on Montour/Dahlin, Bailey, Montembeault, Quality Starts, more goalie talk and more

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Now available for pre-sale – the 13th annual Interactive Playoff Draft List. Pre-order it here. It will be Friday April 5. If you bought the Ultimate Fantasy Pack in the summer, this will be included in that purchase. It is not included in the Keeper Fantasy Pack.

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Travis Zajac had been having himself a great season, not only becoming one of the best defensive forwards in the game but also managing to put up decent points while doing so. A month ago his points-per-game average was higher than it’s been since 2010. But with all the injuries to the Devils Zajac no longer has a supporting cast and everything is falling apart in terms of fantasy numbers. His Hits are up and his PP time is up, but in the last 12 games he’s a minus-10 with five points. On Sunday I counted eight forwards in the lineup who have had AHL time this year plus Drew Stafford who is a regular healthy scratch.

Cory Schneider is getting regular work every second game now. The pattern has continued for 11 games and no matter how spaced apart each game is, Schneider and Mackenzie Blackwood are straight up rotating. Schneider has four consecutive Quality Starts, so this system is working well for him as he moves further down the road to recovery.

Since starting off his rookie season with 18 points in 23 games (0.78), Will Butcher has 54 points in 129 games (0.42). That’s a 34-point pace.

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The Avalanche are really trying to squeeze value, any value, out of the third-round draft pick they gave up to get Derick Brassard. He has seen 21 minutes of PP time over the last six games (3.5 minutes per game!) and has come up empty. This is while on that power play with two of the league’s leading scorers. And to make matter’s worse, he is minus-7 in that span. He is winning faceoffs though (at least 60% FOW in each of the last five games), I’ll give that much.

Since picking up Brassard, Carl Soderberg’s great season has come to end. Now he’s back to mediocre season. Soderberg has two points in his last 10 games and is minus-6 in that span.

Philipp Grubauer has posted five consecutive Quality Starts and three shutouts, including one Sunday. With Semyon Varlamov coming off four consecutive non-Quality Starts and the Avs scratching for wins here, Grubauer is going to get more starts than we would have guessed two weeks ago.

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Alexander Nylander was riding a four-game points streak (six points) for Rochester when he was called up by the Sabres last week. It took him four games but he finally got on the board for the big club, notching two assists Sunday. He was on a line with Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues.

Check out our scouting profile for Nylander, including his PNHLe graph (new feature!) here.

Brandon Montour has six points in the 10 games since joining the Sabres, and just one of those via the power play. He is getting mostly second-unit PP time and yet is still producing offense. He hasn’t impacted Rasmus Dahlin in terms of PP time, but because Dahlin is paired up with Montour at even strength, he seems to be tied down. As the better player defensively, Dahlin is stuck being responsible while Montour gets free rein. Dahlin did get an ES point Sunday, but including that one he has just two points in those 10 games that he’s been paired up with Montour. He’s also a minus-7. This pairing is something to watch and could influence projections for 2018-19.

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David Perron has points in each of his two games since returning from injury. He is filling in on the first line for the Blues, taking Vladimir Tarasenko’s spot.

It’s still early, just five games in, but it looks like the Blues are leaning towards an every-other-game goalie rotation for the time being. Allen has four consecutive Quality Starts. Last five games:

Jake Allen – 1-2-2, 2.17, 0.920, 1 SO, 4 QS

Jordan Winnington – 3-2-0, 2.04, 0.922, 1 SO, 2 QS

The numbers have been comparable, but the team is still coming together better in front of “Winnington”.

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Ryan Suter picked up an assist Sunday but he has had a tough run of late, managing five points in his last 15 games. Suter had 26 points in 31 games to start the year. Then his partner Matt Dumba suffered an injury early in Game 32. Suter has 19 points in 42 games with Jared Spurgeon by his side.

Mathew Barzal’s two assists Sunday gives him six points in six games. This is on the heels of a big slump that saw just nine points in 21 games. He’s playing with Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee now after playing most of the season with Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier.

I’m disappointed in Beauvillier given his golden opportunity this year. But I’m guessing it came about one year too soon. I’ll be still interested in landing him as a depth guy for next season and see what happens, but man – he’s had every chance this year. From linemates to ice time to prime zone starts to pretty good secondary PP time. All for maybe 30 points in the end?

Just five points in his last 13 games for Josh Bailey. And now he’s not only without John Tavares on his line, but both Anders Lee and Barzal are on another line. His linemates? Tom Kuhnhackl and Valtteri Filppula. I had enough room on my bench in my one league to hang onto him, but I certainly have no qualms about dropping him. He won’t be one of my 12 keepers and frankly if I can keep 18 I doubt he’d make that list either. We all saw this decline coming once Tavares left, but he had been hanging in there pretty well with 45 points in 59 games before this slump.

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Evgeni Malkin was honored on Saturday for getting his 1000th point last week. Later that game he suffered a shoulder injury and is considered “week to week”. To me, that puts him out for the season or at best he’s back for the last game or two. With him out of the lineup, the Sidney Crosby line remained intact (Jared McCann, Jake Guentzel). Teddy Blueger shifted to center in Malkin’s spot and Bryan Rust moved up to Blueger’s wing slot.

If you missed the Battle of Pennsylvania Sunday, the Flyers tied the game at one with 19 seconds left. Then they won the game with four seconds left in OT. The Flyers did a ton of line juggling, and that’s been the case a lot lately thanks to Jakub Voracek’s recent suspension and the team desperate for wins. But whatever line gets Sean Couturier does just fine. Couturier has become the driver, and not the passenger. He has 64 points in his last 56 games.

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  After losing his first start since being called back up from the AHL, Carter Hart had a hell of a second game Sunday. He stopped 42 of 43 for the OT win.

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Jacob Markstrom has Quality Starts in seven of his last eight games, and he stopped 44 of 46 on Sunday for the win. Since November 24 Markstrom is 19-12-7, 2.39 and 0.923 with 28 Quality Starts (73.7% QS is pretty spectacular).

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Sam Montembeault started his fifth consecutive game Saturday. He had one game of NHL experience prior to that. After three straight Quality Starts, his fourth game wasn’t a QS but he still got the win. And on Sunday, Game 5, it was a loss (three goals on 22 shots). I think, with the momentum petering out for Monty, the Panthers will return to the James Reimer – Roberto Luongo duo again, now that they’re both apparently healthy. But I’ve been a fan of Montembeault and I’m impressed with his start in the NHL. What I like most is that he’s Florida’s top goalie prospect, and at this point is their goalie of the future by default. Not by talent, but by timing. Not that he’s a terrible goalie, he’s a decent prospect, but the timing is lining up right for him. He’s 22 right now, and Reimer – Luongo are paired up for two more years. When he’s 25, he’ll step right in and in the meantime he’ll fill in for injuries (which happen a lot with these two).

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Last week the Leafs signed undrafted free agent defenseman Joseph Duszak. He had a massive junior year in the NCAA with 47 points in 37 games, plus 42 PIM. He’s 21, a little on the small side (5-10) but can move the puck. His next two season will likely see him in the AHL but I think he has potential if developed properly. You can read our scouting report and PNHLe graph on Duszak here.

Detroit signed LW Taro Hirose, a shifty winger for Michigan State, as a free agent. Hirose had 50 points in 36 games in his junior year. I included Hirose as a player to watch in the NCAA free agent section of my Midseason Guide. The Wings also signed another player I had in the MSG as a free agent to watch – Ryan Kuffner. He was Max Veronneau’s linemate and ended up outscoring the more highly-touted Veronneau 44 points to 37 (in 31 games).

Veronneau, as you know, signed with Ottawa and promptly picked up an assist in his second NHL game. He picked the right team to sign with, even if he wasn’t already from Ottawa. This team is going to be young next year and he has a reasonable shot of making it.

The Canucks signed another guy I listed in the MSG (so I had four out of the five big names last week in the Midseason Guide) – defenseman Josh Teves. The NHL squad isn’t exactly flush with prime puck-moving defensemen so I’ll be interested in seeing his impact. It’s a shame he’s not a right shooter, or I’d like him even more.

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Brendan Perlini has had his share of struggles since joining the Blackhawks, culminating in healthy scratches littered throughout February. But since getting back into the lineup March 2 he has 10 points in seven games. This is thanks to being put on the Dylan Strome/Alex DeBrincat line, supplanting Dominik Kahun. The 22-year-old Perlini was the 12th overall draft pick in 2014 so giving up on him for the long term would have been premature.

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Frozen Tools update: We added a new stat RBS (Really Bad Start…yeah, I know): If a goalie has a SV% of less than 0.850 in a game he gets an RBS. This is in the goalie profiles and game logs. We also increased the reports in the line combos section so that “Last Game Lines” now has five most common lines (up from four) and “Last 3 Game Lines” now has the six most common line combos (up from four).

Fantasy Geek update: Running reports currently gives an error. The sheer size of the data this late in the season is at the heart of this. We will shut down the site (or we did, if you’re reading this later) from 3am to 6am EST to make our fixes live. Hopefully you can run reports better after this.

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See you next Monday.

      from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-thoughts-on-dahlin-bailey-montembeault-quality-starts-more-goalie-talk-and-more-mar-18/

[highbuttonsports]

THIS WEEK IN JETS HOCKEY….

Every Thursday at The High Button, we explore the events and stories of the Winnipeg Jets on and off the ice! This week, the Jets get into the win column three times, another stellar performance from Laurent Brossoit, some new look lines and pairings, and more:

GAMES SINCE LAST THURSDAY IN THIRTY SECONDS:

Thursday February 25th: Winnipeg wins 6-3 at home over the Canadiens. Dominique Ducharme made his NHL head coaching debut for the Montreal Canadiens, and it got off to a great start with a pair of goals in the first period from former Jet forward Joel Armia. However, in the second period, the Canadiens’ let the Jets take over the game. Winnipeg had three in the 2nd and 3rd periods each, including a three-point night from captain Blake Wheeler. The Jets outshot the Habs 30-21 overall and 21-19 at 5-on-5. Overall, this was somewhat of a timid performance by the Habs. The Jets are very much like an unstoppable force once they take hold of the momentum of a game, and that was very obvious in this win. JETS PLAYER OF THE GAME: Credit where credit is due, Blake Wheeler with a goal and two assists. The captain was great.

Saturday February 27th: Winnipeg wins 2-1 at home in OVERTIME over the Canadiens. Good evening, Mr. Hellebuyck! The Canadiens outshot the Jets 36-14 (!!!) at 5-on-5, 41-21 overall, with just a 29% xGF share for the Jets. The explanation? The Canadiens were a lot more organized and careful in the neutral zone when they had possession of the puck, and we able to maintain their possessions and limit what they gave the Jets. Having said that, careful doesn’t always translate to offence. Despite the xGF disparity, the high danger scoring chances were just 12-8 for Montreal. Of those 41 shots, the Jets played organized defence and we able to limit what the Canadiens got. In short, this was one of those games that was deceiving by the numbers. Nikolaj Ehlers scored on the power play in the second period to break the ice. Additionally, Paul Stastny had the overtime winner from Ehlers and Connor. That’s right, three forwards in overtime. More on that later. JETS PLAYER OF THE GAME: Nikolaj Ehlers was able to generate some offence in a game without it, with his eleventh of the season plus an assist.

Monday March 1st: The Canucks blank the Jets 4-0 at home. The Jets were shutout at Bell MTS Place for the first time since January 12th 2020. Credit that to a very poor start. The Canucks took a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. However, that was perhaps a product of the first period lead for Vancouver. Nate Schmidt, JT Miller, and Nils Hoglander all scored in the first period for the Canucks. Following that period, the Canucks managed just six shots on net over the next forty minutes. This was particularly frustrating given the fact the Jets had the puck for most of the final 40 minutes of this game. It was one of those nights where they skated well, but weren’t particularly dangerous either. I would think there will be moments from this game referenced by the Jets video coach Matt Prefontaine in the event of a similar game down the stretch. JETS PLAYER OF THE GAME: Kyle Connor had some good chances, and skated well, even if his stat-line is nothing more than minus-one and seven shots over 15:42 of ice-time.

Tuesday March 2nd: The Jets get revenge from the night before with a 5-2 win over the Canucks. Laurent Brossoit got the start on the second half of a back-to-back to give Hellebuyck some rest. On reverse retro night, Brossoit was looking fantastic in his new kit.

https://twitter.com/NHLJets/status/1366955834866024448?s=20

Look good feel good, ya know? Brossoit made 31 saves on 33 shots, and continued his strong season of relief. More on Brossoit later.

The Jets were much better on Tuesday night than during their 4-0 loss the night prior. The Jets outshot the Canucks 35-26 at 5-on-5, 39-33 overall, and had an 62.27% xGF share. If you’re a Jets fan and you didn’t watch the game, this was genuinely one of the Jets’ strongest performances of the season. They steadily generated offense, looked dialled in defensively, and executed their game-plan of controlling possession pretty consistently with few breakdowns. This is a super positive note given the Jets upcoming schedule on the road. JETS PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mason Appleton. Despite just the one goal in a night where teammates had multi-point nights, it was an important one as it seemed to set the tone for the game. He was stout defensively, and is growing more and more important for this team.

ABANDON ALL DEFENSEMEN IN OVERTIME

Paul Maurice has shown a commitment in his two latest overtime opportunities to throw three forwards over the wall in lieu of a defensemen in overtime, and it has paid off immediately. The Jets have won their last two overtime games on the first shift, and this approach has gained attention around the league. TSN’s Ray Ferraro tweeted after Saturday’s game before mentioning it on his podcast this week:

https://twitter.com/rayferrarotsn/status/1365901309186957313?s=20

This approach may not work for all NHL teams, and while I do expect there to be some copycat attempts in the near future, the Jets are one of those teams that have long been built for this strategy. The Jets have a top-six forward group (or eight or nine really) that rival most of the best teams in the league. Given that they carry momentum when they have it like a full-steam freight train, it makes sense to try and strike while the iron is hot. This is something to keep an eye on, both for the Jets and around the NHL. I am particularly curious if another team tries it against Winnipeg, and if so, I feel like that might be the Leafs this coming week.

THE GOALTENDING PLAN

I grew up cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs, so I need to make myself very clear right from the get-go on this one: there is by no means a goaltending controversy in Winnipeg. Hellebuyck is the guy. That’s his net. However, there is an obvious conversation to have here. In the month of March, the Winnipeg Jets play seventeen games in thirty one days. Of those seventeen games, they have three back-to-back situations. This guarantee’s backup Laurent Brossoit at least three games if he is healthy and ready to go. Having said that, even with a bonafide number one, it is a good idea to give the guy an extra day off here and there. This is worth serious consideration for the Jets.

Since the start of 2016-17, Frederik Andersen is the only goaltender that has spent more time in net in the NHL than Connor Hellebuyck. While this is for good reason, the Jets have an opportunity to work in Brossoit an extra game or two this month. It is only natural for the physical toll to take effect. Of these fifteen remaining games this month, I’d like to see Brossoit in at least five of them. Hellebuyck will likely get the go in all three games next week as the Jets attempt to chase down the Leafs for top spot in the Scotia North. Aside from that, I think it’s a good idea to start Brossoit this Saturday against Montreal in order for Hellebuyck to be rested from next week, and resume the plan of rest the following week.

Do I think the Jets will do this? Perhaps not extra the way I’d map it out. However, I think it’s likely that Brossoit gets into a couple extra starts this month.

- Tyler

[highbuttonsports]

High Flying Oilers Brought Down to Earth

(Feb 25 EDM; 3, VAN; 0)

The Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to five consecutive games, shutting out the Canucks 3-0 on Thursday night.

The Oilers have a 10-2 record in their last 12 games with two shutout performances from Mike Smith who has a .944 save percentage and a 1.73 goals-against average this season.

The first was fast-paced, with both teams getting chances on the man advantage as well as on the rush. The game remained scoreless after twenty minutes of play thanks to solid goaltending at both ends of the ice.

The second period was much better for the Oilers. From the opening face-off they were first on every puck, hard on the boards, and quickly able to disrupt any rush chance the Canucks tried. Alex Chiasson was eventually able to score on the power play to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead that they would carry into the third.

Instead of battening down the hatches, the Oilers went full steam ahead, deploying the dynamic duo of Draisitl and Mcdavid late in the third to try to extend the lead.

Needless to say, it worked.

Draisitl and Mcdavid picked up the assists on Jesse Puljujarvi’s sixth of the season. While Vancouver tried to claw back into contention, Mike Smith stood strong just as he has ever since coming back from injury.

Captain Connor put the game away with an empty-net goal in the final minute of the game, securing the third star on the night.

(FEB 27 EDM; 0, TOR; 4 )

The high-flying Oilers were finally brought down to earth, shut out 4-0 by the first-place Leafs.

The Leafs, without Auston Mathews, put on a defensive clinic effectively shutting down Connor Mcdavid and limiting him to just one shot throughout the entire game.

The Oilers were wholly shut down throughout the night, unable to sustain any offensive pressure for more than a shift or two. And anytime they were able to get shots on net, they were calmly and easily stopped by Jack Campbell, who took home a 30 save shutout on his first game back from injury.

“We got beat” Said Dave Tippet postgame. “They played a strong game, we weren’t sharp enough to win.”

While the Leafs played a terrific game, showcasing why they hold first place in the NHL.

The Oilers outside of Connor Mcdavid seemed to take a night off in certain areas.

Edmonton only blocked 5 shots as opposed to Toronto’s 12, took the game’s only penalty, and gave the puck away 14 times at even strength.

“You’ve gotta use it as a lesson, we didn’t play very well… we’re gonna have to be a lot better to be competitive in games.”

The Oilers may have to learn these lessons the hard way if they want to succeed in such a tight division.

(Mar 1; EDM; 0, TOR; 3)

The Oilers surrendered the second game of their series against the leafs 3-0 on Monday, being shutout in back-to-back games against the Leafs backup goalies.

The first period started off strong for the Oilers as they set the tone early with fast physical play. But the Leafs were eager to match their playing style with Zach Hyman scoring the game’s first goal at 7;19.

The Leafs continued to apply pressure and after a series of defensive mistakes, William Nylander was able to break in with speed and bury a beautiful backhand goal on the Leafs second shot of the game, giving Toronto a two-goal lead.

Morgan Rielly would later score with a blast from the point on the powerplay to extend the Leafs lead to 3-0 going into the first intermission.

From that point on, there seemed to be no fight left in the Oilers. “Were in a little rut. Seems like nothing we’re shootings going in the net.” Said Dave Tippett postgame.

Obviously discouraged by back-to-back shutout losses, the Oilers need to rediscover some of their past momentum if they want to continue to compete for a playoff spot.

Looking Ahead

The Oilers will cap off their three game homestand against the Leafs tonight, and there's a good chance Auston Mathews will be back in the lineup. After scoring zero goals through 6 periods against the leafs, the Oilers have to shake things up to stand a chance against the dominant leafs. Dave Tippett already seems to be tinkering with the top two lines in practice, dropping Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the second line beside Draisitl and plugging in James Neal beside Mcdavid in the hopes of sparking some offense.

After the Leafs, The Oilers will continue their season series against the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. Edmonton won the last meeting 7-1, so Calgary will certainly be looking for redemption.

Can the Oilers snap the losing streak? Will the new line combinations spark the offence? We’ll discuss it all here next week.

-Dave