The NHL Thread

[Jesse James]

I wore my "Dr Hook" McCracken tshirt all day in honor of the Hockeyville game.  Was fun!

[Morgbug]

I guess I'll take a 3-1 start for the year as a good sign.  Both back to back game pairings as well, something we historically do not do well.  Granted, it is just the eastern conference.   

[GrandMoffNick]

My gut tells me not to like the 3 on 3 OT gimmick. Especially with the game being worth three points,  but I guess it's not worse than the shoot out gimmick so I'll enjoy the wide open play with that in mind.

[Morgbug]

How good is the Central Division?  It's still early but 6 of the top 11 teams in the league are in the Central, one of them would miss the playoffs.     If Tampa was in the Division, they'd miss the playoffs. 

[I Am Sith]

I tell you what, the Jets put a whooping on the Blackhawks tonight for sure.  Going to be fun to watch all season. 

[Jeff]

Two MIN vs WPG games so far...  1-1 split with 17 goals scored.  So much for all that "tough, low scoring games" talk.

[Jeff]

Malkin on Penguins: ‘We’re mad at each other and not working hard’

[looks at schedule] -> 11/17, MIN vs PIT

For Jesse's sake, I'm hoping that the Wild can return the Penguins' favor from last January.   Penguins obliterated the Wild (well, really just Backstrom) 7-1. The front office conceded we needed a change.  We traded for Dubnyk and saved our season.

Fingers crossed that we beat you so hard that Mario has no choice but to fire your coach and get you a real one who actually knows how to coach all that talent you're wasting.   

[Jesse James]

Local guy I follow on the twits said today was an "inspired practice".

I dunno.  I don't like HCMJ. Defense is important but he's got no clue what to do with these guys.  Sprong is a real talent and is living a bottom 6 role.  Kunitz on the PP?  FFS.  Just no clue.

And our team is sooooo soft too.  No intimidating D.  Tons of puck moving guys but no bangers.

BTW I think we have as many goals total this year as we scored in that game last year.    I wouldn't worry about us blowing you out at least.  I would say your biggest concern should be Fleury since he's about the only guy showing up every night.

[Jeff]

Well, I hate to blame the refs for losses but that phantom "high-stick" penalty call sucked last night.

https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/CUDumx_U8AAw-3V.mp4

Letang gets friendly fire high stick; Wild get called for it; Malkin scores on the PP because Dubnyk is distracted because he wanted a goaile interference call on Hornqvist; Wild are pissed about how it went down and forgot that Malkin is good and next thing you know it's 4-1 thanks to another Malkin goal.

Might have have gone differently...  then again, you can't give the Penguins 6 PP chances either.  Just some sloppy play from my squad, which sucked because it was a win-able game the way that Pens D was playing...   oh well, on to Boston.

ps.
Malkin is really really good.  Too bad Crosby missed the game last night.....  wait, what do you mean he was there?  I don't recall seeing much of him.   

p.ps.
Hope Maatta is ok.  I don't think it was a bad hit, maybe late hit, but just really bad timing for the door to open at that moment.   

[Morgbug]

I think the Jets played really well today (do we finally have an actual NHL goaltender?) but I can't gloat because we've stunk for the last 8-10 games.  I think Jeff should be disappointed in the Wild though. 

[Jeff]

Outside of the 4-0 drubbing of the Preds the other day, we've been hot garbage lately.  1-2-1 in a four game road trip (and the 1 win was OT vs Carolina) and now 1-2 in the last three at home.  Blech.   

There have been excuses (Parise, Fontaine, Scandella injured; a bunch of guys missing games here or there with Strep and/or stomach bug; a cavalcade of Iowa call-ups who suck) but man they've been bad lately.

And now we have Dallas on a back-to-back tomorrow.  Ugh.

[Jeff]

And now we have Dallas on a back-to-back tomorrow.  Ugh.

MN up 3-0 after two periods.  Nice. 

Then...  four unanswered Stars goals later, it's a 4-3 loss in OT.  Ugh.  At least we got a point... 

2-4-2 in our last 8 is not going to get it done in the Central.   

[Jeff]

Fun times here in MN.

3-10-4 in 2016
1-9-2 in past 12 games
0-4-2 in last 6 games
0-3-3 in last 6 home games

Just terrible.  Then again, even being a dumpster fire in 2016, somehow we're only 2 points out of a playoff spot so there's still a chance to turn things around...  don't know how many more terrible hockey games I can watch though. 

[Jeff]

we've been hot garbage lately

2-4-2 in our last 8 is not going to get it done in the Central.   

1-9-2 in past 12 games

don't know how many more terrible hockey games I can watch though. 

I guess two more was the answer for Chuck Fletcher.  Mike Yeo, out on his ass.

I really don't know what to make of all this.  When players committed to playing his system, we were puck possession monsters.  When players were afraid to go into the corners to win puck battles and had ****** shooting %, we were terrible.  I placed about 10-20% of the blame on him (not being able to figure out a good PP combo, basically).  The rest is on the players and Fletcher (for the guys he signed).

Maybe Yeo will have luck at his next stop, but Vanek, Granlund, and Pominville killed him here.  

[Jesse James]

Yeah we had our woes earlier in the year, and it's biting us in the ass now as the Pens are fighting for playoff life right now with just about everyone else in the east it seems.  Every game at this point is a playoff game it seems, and so many of ours down the stretch are in the East.  I don't think we go past the Mississippi again actually.

Since our coaching change though it's like a switch was flipped for Crosby who's back in the scoring race...  Amazing what he can do when he's not in some asinine system that sends him behind his own net to fight for pucks.    I didn't feel too bad when HCMJ was told to pound pavement.  Total different scenario here I guess, as the players bought into the system, but were stacked for offensive play and were being hemmed in their own end by their own bench crew.