re: Puckheads Unite! Season Long NHL Thread

puck philly

Jeff Blashill seems to be doing a nice job as the Wings apparently haven't lost in regulation in about a month.

Stars nab their 11th empty net goal.

Dallas is insane this year.

Almost 30 games in and Dallas is playing the Blues for the first time tonight and still haven't played the Hawks. I don't think they've played the Preds either. So they are about to hit a stretch with a ton of division games - something they haven't done yet this season.

Edit: interested to see if they maintain their winning ways once the divisional schedule picks up.

Blues take early lead on a PP goal, 1-0

Caps vs Pens tonight

Kuzy is absurd. He's just making it look easy right now.







This is a good game for the Pens. They've played like horse manure most of the year, but they still aren't that far out of a playoff spot if they get their stuff together. Additionally, they played well against the Caps last time, showing the kind of focus they've lacked all year. New coach, it's easy to get their attention for a rivalry game your first night out. Honestly, I think the Pens get the win tonight, playing their best hockey of the season. I just doubt they will keep that play up.

It's not that the Pens play good defense, it's that MAF has been playing out of his gourd this year. He's almost single-handedly keeping this from being a complete unmitigated disaster (instead of just a disaster). Give credit to Fleury, he's been amazing despite being hung out to dry by a thin, young, and not all that talented D-corps.

I feel bad for Kessel. He's going to get blamed for this, as the stink seems to follow him, but it's really just a symptom of an old problem: the Pens are extraordinarily top heavy. Over 50% of their cap is tied into 5 players, and that's simply unsustainable. To Shero's credit, he was able to keep kicking the can down the road with some creative moves, but Rutherford is no Shero. And I'm not even one of Shero's biggest fans. He created this time bomb.

The Penguins biggest issue is this: Crosby is in a steep decline. And there's not much the Pens can do but hope it's just a slump. But chances are, it isn't. Check out his Points/60 at even strength by year:

4.6 - 3.5 - 2.5 - 2.4 - 1.6.

That's what we like to call a trend. And not a good one. OK, 4.6 P/60 is absurdly great, and even if he's around 2.5, that's an All-Star level. But 1.6? That's still good, but it's not Sid Crosby. and when you have that much salary tied up in him, you can't afford him to just be "pretty good". His 5v5 Corsi has dropped from 56.1% last year to 46.5%. That's just awful. Something is very, very wrong, and the only solution is for Crosby to find some semblance of his old level of play.

The other major issue is an anemic power play, so of course when the coaches got fired, the one who kept his job was Power Play Coach Rick Tocchet. Must be nice to be friends with the owner.

Teams that control possession tend to win. Corsi measures possession. I also used straight points for you.

Listening to the Penguins broadcast on NHLN made it all the more sweet. What a bunch of crybaby homers. Also, credit to Oshie, who spent the entire game on the receiving end of Penguin cheap shots thanks to his hit on Bennett. His reaction? Scoring two goals, and not one retaliation. That's a pro.