McDavid is on pace for 41 goals and 90 points. That sounds just fine to me. The Oilers need to string together a decent run (like a 7-3 stretch or something like that) because this just won't do. The PP is struggling and I (as most Oiler fans do in times of trouble) have to question management. I was happy as a clam to see Jordan Eberle depart (he played less hard in the playoffs than he does during throwaway minutes during regular season games, so why would I want a heartless player like that on my team), but the return was not that good (a 1-for-1 for Ryan Strome), which is why we should've waited until his value was built back up a bit before trading him at his lowest possible value point ever in his career. Strome doesn't fit in as a top-6 forward, so that's a bit of a hole now. Kailer Yamamoto was filling that hole when Leon Draisaitl was injured and he was absolutely flying out there, so why is he being scratched now (the reason is that if he's sent back down to the minors before his 10th game of the year the Oilers don't have to waste a year of his entry-level status). That's bad management. We need wins.
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NHL '17/'18 Thread (2017/2018 National Hockey League)
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McDavid is on pace for 41 goals and 90 points. That sounds just fine to me. The Oilers need to string together a decent run (like a 7-3 stretch or something like that) because this just won't do. The PP is struggling and I (as most Oiler fans do in times of trouble) have to question management. I was happy as a clam to see Jordan Eberle depart (he played less hard in the playoffs than he does during throwaway minutes during regular season games, so why would I want a heartless player like that on my team), but the return was not that good (a 1-for-1 for Ryan Strome), which is why we should've waited until his value was built back up a bit before trading him at his lowest possible value point ever in his career. Strome doesn't fit in as a top-6 forward, so that's a bit of a hole now. Kailer Yamamoto was filling that hole when Leon Draisaitl was injured and he was absolutely flying out there, so why is he being scratched now (the reason is that if he's sent back down to the minors before his 10th game of the year the Oilers don't have to waste a year of his entry-level status). That's bad management. We need wins.
Ace Boobtoucher
Founder and Captain of the Douchepatrol
If you don't follow the Golden Knights on twitter, you probably should go stick your head in a toilet. It's pretty dang funny.
https://twitter.com/GoldenKnights
https://twitter.com/GoldenKnights
There's been some blowouts lately. Flames got beat 8-2 the other night against Detroit. There was another blowout - can't recall.
The Wild had their biggest win of the seasons last night - Dubnyk had three straight shutouts prior to last night - the old Dubby we are used to finally showed up.
The Wild had their biggest win of the seasons last night - Dubnyk had three straight shutouts prior to last night - the old Dubby we are used to finally showed up.
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Yeah Gudas woulda made a helluva medieval executioner. In the meantime, behind the scenes it appears that Houston may be emerging as the frontrunner for additional NHL expansion.
http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...uston-became-front-runner-land-expansion-team
http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...uston-became-front-runner-land-expansion-team
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Holy shit the Blues absolutely destroyed the Oilers on national TV last night! Vladimir Tarasenko had 2 goals, 2 assists and the Gordie Howe hat-trick, Schenn scored twice and had 2 assists and Schwartz scored a goal and added 2 assists....the top line had 11 points as St. Louis romped to an 8-3 shellacking of the Oilers. Edmonton looks lost right now and might have quit on McLellan in the second period. I had serious doubts about the Blues after preseason injuries to Berglund, Steen and Bouwmeester figured to translate to a slow start. Then, when Fabbri was lost for the season I figured we were done. In actuality, the reverse has happened as they have bolted to a 16-5-1 record after 22 games and have put together what is possibly the most potent line in the NHL (with all due respect to the Lightning). The Schenn-for-Lehtera trade with Philly looks like highway robbery at this point....he's been absolutely awesome after they moved him to center. Don't get me wrong.....I'm not exactly saving up for tickets to the Cup finals yet but, so far, things couldn't be working out much better than they are. I love Hitch but firing him last year and hiring Mike Yeo has totally changed the complexion of this team from a defensive-oriented dump-and-chase mentality to an aggressive power and speed game that has included some very robust scoring from the defensemen. We'll face a big test at home against Nashville on Friday and will finish the homestand by playing Minnesota, Anaheim and the Kings so it will be a good barometer of where we are compared to the other elite teams in the conference.
In the meantime, I'm not sure what to make of Edmonton. They need to snap out of the funk they are in pretty soon or they may fall out of contention altogether. What the hell has happened to them? Toward the end of last season, they looked to be a serious team on the rise. Now, they just look lost.
In the meantime, I'm not sure what to make of Edmonton. They need to snap out of the funk they are in pretty soon or they may fall out of contention altogether. What the hell has happened to them? Toward the end of last season, they looked to be a serious team on the rise. Now, they just look lost.
The Blues are definitely off to a great start. I'm happy for you. I would love to see them win their first Cup (but probably not a bet I would make despite their great start).
As for the Oilers, a lot falls on the GM. When you build your team up and go on a nice run and excitement builds and expectations grow, you have to keep improving the roster (just look at the Houston Astros in MLB; they built a team around drafting and player development and then signed/acquired the veterans and stars they needed (e.g. Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Josh Reddick, Justin Verlander) to put them over the top and win their first ever World Series), and Peter Chiarelli has not done that. In fact, our team is significantly less deep than it was last season. Not having Andrej Sekera (our best defenceman) in the lineup all season so far definitely hurts. But when you have that big of a hole to fill you can't just rely on things falling into place like they did last season, you have to go out and find someone to fill that hole. And Chiarelli didn't do that. Don't get me wrong, he's made some good moves. And you can't argue with taking a bottom-dweller to the playoffs in just two seasons as GM (and significantly improving what had been our biggest hole for years and years, namely, defence). But the writing was on the wall for our ascension the moment we won the first overall pick to land Connor McDavid. And with a player like that (which gives you a serious chance to be a contender) you have to build a team around him.
Some of the moves he's made have really set us back in terms of roster development and depth. Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson is a bad trade. Period. Yes, we needed defence, yes defence is exorbitantly costly in today's NHL (both in terms of actual dollars and in terms of the value in players/picks you have to give up to acquire it), but an elite NHL scorer (top ten according to advanced metrics) for a #4 defenceman? I like Larsson, he's good, but you simply cannot make moves wherein you give up so much more value than you get back and hope to be a successful franchise. Couple that with the fact that Chiarelli followed up that trade by using the cap space that Hall's departure created to sign Milan Lucic to a big money long-term deal, and it's obvious why we're regressing now. Lucic is a big fat slow player who was never going to fit in with the Oilers top forwards (who are all speedy skilled guys). I like Lucic, he tries really hard, and you can see that he worked hard this past offseason to get in better shape and gain some speed on the ice. But he just doesn't fit. That was a bad signing.
And then there's the Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome trade. I don't like Eberle. In fact, I despise him forever for the way that he quit on the team in the playoffs last year. I have never in my life seen someone play with less heart and less effort in the postseason that Eberle last year. It was a disgrace. But... he's a top-six forward. No question. He's a perennial 20-25 goal, 50-60 point guy. There's value in that. His value was at an all-time low following his dreadful postseason, so why pull the trigger on a trade now??? Why not wait until his value has been built back up a bit and then trade him and get some decent value in return. Furthermore, you can't trade a top-six forward away with absolutely no plan on how to fill that hole. You didn't honestly think that Ryan Strome would fill that hole, did you? He has provided no evidence to suggest that he can be a consistent top-six producer in the NHL. And, again, it's an inexcusable mismatch in value for a 1-for-1 trade.
And then there's the trade for Griffin Reinhart. I mean, SMH, for fuck's sake. We trade two picks for him (which turned out to be the 16th and 33rd overall picks in the 2015 draft). Why? Why? Why? That 16th pick ended up being Mathew Barzal, a young forward I would give up my left nut to have, and who is lighting it up for the Islanders in his rookie season. And to top it all off, we lost Reinhart to Las Vegas in the expansion draft. Of course we did. That trade is nothing short of a debacle.
The reason we're off to such a bad start is because we're honestly not that good. And that is in no small part due to the fact that Peter Chiarelli is a bad GM.
The finals for the NHL's greatest moment is on, and we have Mario Lemieux scores five different ways vs. Bobby Orr's OT Cup-winning goal for the Bruins in 1970. I think this one is a no-brainer and shouldn't even be close (one of these moments, while great, has no business being in the finals), but I won't say which I think doesn't belong so as to not sway anyone. Cast your votes!
https://www.nhl.com/news/bobby-orr-...st-nhl-moment-final/c-293237268?tid=282169076
https://www.nhl.com/news/bobby-orr-...st-nhl-moment-final/c-293237268?tid=282169076
What the hell is going on in Edmonton?
Never mind McJesus scoring 90...
Never mind McJesus scoring 90...
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Well, my Blues are in a skid (which was predictable) and have a chance to pull out of it in Montreal tonight. We played really well against Minnesota on Saturday so perhaps we're getting ready to rebound. It's safe to say this is an overachieving team so far but with our defense and goaltending we should be competitive all year. Likely will be a typical ending....a high seed in the playoffs followed by either a first or second-round exit. Last year was a bit of a fluke when we made it to the conference finals where Nashville's speed and goaltending proved to be too much for us. In my view, Pekka Rinne is as good a goalie as there is in the league. If Vasilevskiy keeps playing the type of net that he has been so far, Tampa Bay will be hard to beat in any scenario. The Jets look to be for real. They can score with anyone and it appears their D has finally shored things up. Good to see some fresh teams competing at a high level (Winnipeg, Toronto). Surely LVK can't keep this up, right? Much to my dismay, it appears that Seattle has moved back into the pole position to get the next NHL expansion team. Surely Houston will get an AHL team if we lose out on an NHL team, right? Speaking of the AHL, former Wild backup and Houston Aeros alum Darcy Kuemper is playing lights out for LA with a .944 save percentage. I'm rambling here....just trying to breathe some life into this thread. Anyway, drop the puck and let's play some hockey....the greatest spectator sport in the world!
I always have said that if you want to make a lot of money by betting sports in Vegas then pick a sport that is not really popular in the US.Read the analysis by so-called experts that work in the casinos.The ones that dictate the odds.Watch them bullshit their way in explaining how so and so team in that sport will not succeed.
One true test on how good an NHL team is combine their power play and penalty killing stats.If their proficiency combined is over 100 then that almost always means they are an elite team.The Golden Knights are at almost 96%.They have a tremendous record at home.But most important of all is that they are a 500 team on the road.That tells me that they are the real deal.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/sport...n-knights-could-deliver-blow-to-sports-books/
One true test on how good an NHL team is combine their power play and penalty killing stats.If their proficiency combined is over 100 then that almost always means they are an elite team.The Golden Knights are at almost 96%.They have a tremendous record at home.But most important of all is that they are a 500 team on the road.That tells me that they are the real deal.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/sport...n-knights-could-deliver-blow-to-sports-books/
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Hmm... Never heard of that as any kind of meaningful barometer for assessing a team... And to use that as a barometer (exactly as you said it, over 100% suggesting that a team is elite) would indicate that 16/31 teams are "elite". That's more than half. I would posit that there are maybe 5 elite teams in the NHL right now. As in teams I could see actually winning the Stanley Cup. And that may even be an overestimate, but it's still early in the season.
Furthermore, you cited the Vegas Golden Knights' combined PP and PK of just under 96% as indicative of them being "the real deal", but they actually rank 25th out of the league's 31 teams in that statistic. Even the Arizona Coyotes (the league's last place team) outranks them (at over 98%). You can see it even on the picture you posted. They are not good on the powerplay (19th) and penalty kill (25th). You also cited their road record, which is okay, but certainly not good. Most of the teams currently in the playoff picture have a better than .500 record on the road.
I don't know where you heard of these things, but it's pretty clear that they don't have anything to do with what you think they do.
As for the Vegas Golden Knights, it's pretty clear what they excel at (it's right there in the picture you posted), and that's scoring goals. That, in itself, it a pretty big surprise because that looked to be the thing they would struggle with the most prior to the start of the season. And then there's their overall record. There's a lot more season to come, but for them to be where they are in the standings now (as a first-year expansion franchise) is pretty amazing, and speaks for itself. We'll see if they'll be able to make the playoffs; based on where they're at now, I'd have to put the odds at greater than 50%. But they're not elite; that should be self-evident (when 16/30, and now 16/31, teams make the playoffs, they're not all going to be elite).
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
I never heard of it either to be honest. The VGK have indeed been very amazing so far. TOO amazing, in all reality. Things aren't right with this actually. My thoughts are 3-fold....either the draft field was littered with players their GMs greatly undervalued OR the draft process was WAY too liberal in terms of exposing good players OR this is merely an aberration and the Knights will come crashing back to earth as the season progresses. I'm thinking it is a bit of a combination of all three, although the first is not really the fault of the GMs.
Expansion teams in any league have been historically bad....horrible in many cases. The 1974/75 expansion Washington Capitals slogged their way through a miserable 8-67-5 first-year campaign. The 1993/94 Florida Panthers logged a respectable 33-34-17 (17 ties? Wow....the pre-OT shootout NHL sure had a lot of sister-kissin' goin' on!) and barely missed a playoff spot with 83 points. Most expansion teams have posted lopsided losing records in their first season. Excepting the original 6-team expansion that took place in 1967, no NHL expansion team has ever made the playoffs in its first season. Right now, the Knights are 19-9-1 with 39 points and, if they were to continue this pace, would end up the season at 54-25-3 with 111 points....besting the '94/'95 Panthers by a whopping 28 points and more-than-likely ending up a top-3 seed in the West.
Rod is right....The VGK excel in one thing that sticks out above all others (after 29 games) and that is goals/game at 3.48. The currently rank third in the league in this category. Conversely, they are giving up goals at a rate of 3.1/game, good for only 21st in the league. My speculation would be that their goals/game will start to trail off in the second half of the season, their record will start to reflect it in kind and they will correspondingly start to drop in the standings. Still, their torrid start gives them a pretty decent shot at making a playoff spot in their inaugural season and that would indeed be a landmark event. I think the NHL will likely rethink their rules for player protection in any ensuing expansion drafts should this occur.
However, it would also be indicative that there are a pretty fair number of players at various levels of competition that are currently under contract with NHL clubs that are considerably more talented than those of a generation ago. Today, there are so many more players from the USA, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Russia than there were back in the 90s when the last NHL expansion took place. This has created a bit of a talent surplus (not elite talent per se, but potential NHL-level talent for sure). Having seen quite a number of AHL games over the past 20 years I can certainly say that the level of competition has improved significantly over that span. It might serve to point out that the league was more than ready for expansion when it added a team in Vegas and could make the case for further expansion by two more teams in my view. Of course, I am hoping one of those franchises would be going to Houston since it appears that Seattle has gained the inside track on obtaining a 16th Western Conference team. However, I am aware that Bettman and the owners would love to tap into Houston's TV market (currently the #10 media market in the nation and its stock is on the rise) and feel a serious need to add another Canadian team to the mix (most likely Quebec City). If the league did this, there would be 34 teams....17 in each conference. It's also rumored that both Arizona and Florida might be candidates for relocation, in which case expansion might have to wait although it wouldn't be clear which cities would be candidates for one or the other or both. I do know that Houston has a ready and willing buyer in Tillman Fertitta and a world-class facility in the Toyota Center that are ready to pull the trigger if the NHL says so.
Anyway....I think the Knights will come back to earth as the season wears on. Despite their gaudy record thus far, their current roster would indicate that are not an elite team. These anomalies have a way of evening out and I'd be surprised if it didn't happen in this case either. For the time being, however, it's gotta be a fun ride for new fans in Vegas!
Side note: My Blues losing Schwartz to a broken ankle is a real problem for us going forward. Schwartz currently leads the league in even-strength plus/minus at plus-30. That will be tough to replace for sure. Get well soon, Jaden. Six weeks until he even gets evaluated so I'm thinking 8 weeks until he comes back....mid-February.
Anyway....next man up!
Expansion teams in any league have been historically bad....horrible in many cases. The 1974/75 expansion Washington Capitals slogged their way through a miserable 8-67-5 first-year campaign. The 1993/94 Florida Panthers logged a respectable 33-34-17 (17 ties? Wow....the pre-OT shootout NHL sure had a lot of sister-kissin' goin' on!) and barely missed a playoff spot with 83 points. Most expansion teams have posted lopsided losing records in their first season. Excepting the original 6-team expansion that took place in 1967, no NHL expansion team has ever made the playoffs in its first season. Right now, the Knights are 19-9-1 with 39 points and, if they were to continue this pace, would end up the season at 54-25-3 with 111 points....besting the '94/'95 Panthers by a whopping 28 points and more-than-likely ending up a top-3 seed in the West.
Rod is right....The VGK excel in one thing that sticks out above all others (after 29 games) and that is goals/game at 3.48. The currently rank third in the league in this category. Conversely, they are giving up goals at a rate of 3.1/game, good for only 21st in the league. My speculation would be that their goals/game will start to trail off in the second half of the season, their record will start to reflect it in kind and they will correspondingly start to drop in the standings. Still, their torrid start gives them a pretty decent shot at making a playoff spot in their inaugural season and that would indeed be a landmark event. I think the NHL will likely rethink their rules for player protection in any ensuing expansion drafts should this occur.
However, it would also be indicative that there are a pretty fair number of players at various levels of competition that are currently under contract with NHL clubs that are considerably more talented than those of a generation ago. Today, there are so many more players from the USA, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Russia than there were back in the 90s when the last NHL expansion took place. This has created a bit of a talent surplus (not elite talent per se, but potential NHL-level talent for sure). Having seen quite a number of AHL games over the past 20 years I can certainly say that the level of competition has improved significantly over that span. It might serve to point out that the league was more than ready for expansion when it added a team in Vegas and could make the case for further expansion by two more teams in my view. Of course, I am hoping one of those franchises would be going to Houston since it appears that Seattle has gained the inside track on obtaining a 16th Western Conference team. However, I am aware that Bettman and the owners would love to tap into Houston's TV market (currently the #10 media market in the nation and its stock is on the rise) and feel a serious need to add another Canadian team to the mix (most likely Quebec City). If the league did this, there would be 34 teams....17 in each conference. It's also rumored that both Arizona and Florida might be candidates for relocation, in which case expansion might have to wait although it wouldn't be clear which cities would be candidates for one or the other or both. I do know that Houston has a ready and willing buyer in Tillman Fertitta and a world-class facility in the Toyota Center that are ready to pull the trigger if the NHL says so.
Anyway....I think the Knights will come back to earth as the season wears on. Despite their gaudy record thus far, their current roster would indicate that are not an elite team. These anomalies have a way of evening out and I'd be surprised if it didn't happen in this case either. For the time being, however, it's gotta be a fun ride for new fans in Vegas!
Side note: My Blues losing Schwartz to a broken ankle is a real problem for us going forward. Schwartz currently leads the league in even-strength plus/minus at plus-30. That will be tough to replace for sure. Get well soon, Jaden. Six weeks until he even gets evaluated so I'm thinking 8 weeks until he comes back....mid-February.
Anyway....next man up!Well,the Golden Knights defeated the Penguins tonight.I think that it is too far into the season to say this is a fluke.Some people on here are only giving the Knights a 50/50 chance to make the playoffs.Let’s look at the current standings.Keep in mind that the Knights played a good chunk of their games without their No.1 and even their No.2 goalie.
For instance,the Blues have played two more games than the Knights yet,the Knights have scored 2 more goals.My point is if you don’t think the Knights are among the elite teams then you can’t say the LA Kings or St.Louis Blues are among the elite teams either.The standings do not lie.Let’s see where the Kings would be without Jonathan Quick in net for over a month or Jake Allen for the Blues.
On a sidenote,I can’t believe more hockey people are not talking about Chicago Blackhawks rookie Alex Debrincat.The little guy is having a very solid rookie year.I remember watching draft night and the hockey pundits immediately stated that he was the steal of the draft when Chicago selected him.
For instance,the Blues have played two more games than the Knights yet,the Knights have scored 2 more goals.My point is if you don’t think the Knights are among the elite teams then you can’t say the LA Kings or St.Louis Blues are among the elite teams either.The standings do not lie.Let’s see where the Kings would be without Jonathan Quick in net for over a month or Jake Allen for the Blues.
On a sidenote,I can’t believe more hockey people are not talking about Chicago Blackhawks rookie Alex Debrincat.The little guy is having a very solid rookie year.I remember watching draft night and the hockey pundits immediately stated that he was the steal of the draft when Chicago selected him.
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Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
I am certainly not writing the VGK off as a playoff contender but, if you compare what they are doing to the past performances of expansion teams, their performance thus far is very much an aberration so perhaps "fluke" is too harsh a word but the sentiment is the same. Did anyone anywhere see this coming? I don't think so and that indicates there is something particular in play here concerning the reason this phenomenon is taking place. I already explained what I think those reasons are. If anyone wants to comment or critique those statements I am fine with that. Meaning no disrespect at all to new Knights fans or the city of Las Vegas but I don't think having first-year expansion teams perform at this level bodes well for future expansion procedures in the league and certainly was not the intent nor the expectation from anyone in the league office before the season began.
It's a long season. We'll see how they do as the winter grind rolls on and we come down the final third of the year before we start handing out elite labels to anybody, including my beloved Blues who took it on the shin against the Ducks last night for their second loss in a row. The loss of Schwartz is really shoring up on the ice in a big way....our offense has suddenly gone very cold. Need to find a spark cuz he won't be back until February in all likelihood. By the way the Blues would be all right in net if Allen went down since Hutton has been lights out as a backup but I do get what you are saying. The Knights have been incredible without question and I am happy to see new fans coming to the league as a result.
It's a long season. We'll see how they do as the winter grind rolls on and we come down the final third of the year before we start handing out elite labels to anybody, including my beloved Blues who took it on the shin against the Ducks last night for their second loss in a row. The loss of Schwartz is really shoring up on the ice in a big way....our offense has suddenly gone very cold. Need to find a spark cuz he won't be back until February in all likelihood. By the way the Blues would be all right in net if Allen went down since Hutton has been lights out as a backup but I do get what you are saying. The Knights have been incredible without question and I am happy to see new fans coming to the league as a result.
I don't agree that it's too far into the season to discount the Vegas Golden Knights success as a fluke (although I wouldn't call it a fluke anyway, just an aberration). We haven't even reached the halfway point. You say that "the standings do not lie", but the standings are not deterministic, especially at this point of the season (only 31 games in for the Knights). The only time when the standings are deterministic is once all 82 games have been played. There have been countless times in seasons past (almost every season, in fact) where teams in playoff spots at this point in the season (or even much later on) fall out of that spot by season's end (even teams very high in the standings). The Pittsburgh Penguins are out of a playoff spot right now. Does anybody want to bet that they won't make the playoffs? Because I'll take that bet, and I'll give you great odds too.
If you consider the Golden Knights to be an elite team, then fair enough, that's your opinion. But I see your justification/reasoning for that opinion as very flawed; in this post, you've cited the standings, which will undoubtedly change, and in your prior post you cited a statistic that did not support your opinion whatsoever.
Furthermore, if the Kings/Blues lost their #1 netminder for over a month, but their team still managed to score 3.38 goals per game, I think they'd be doing just fine. Goaltenders don't score goals (except very rarely, haha).
I think the fact that people are giving the Golden Knights a 50/50 chance to make the playoffs is amazing, actually. This is a first-year expansion team.
Elite, though? Do you really think so? Do you really see this as a Stanley Cup contending team? Be honest...
P.S. DeBrincat is a stud. I just picked him up in one of my fantasy leagues.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne1y0QCOQOM
Classic hockey fight!
Stan Jonathan of the Boston Bruins mashes Pierre Bouchard of the Habs.
I have watched practically almost every fight that Stan Jonathan had and the only one where you could say he lost was to Brad Maxwell and it was pretty close.Jonathan was near the end of his career.
Can anyone remember Stan Jonathan ever clearly losing a fight?
He wasn’t the biggest tough guy but I think he was the best fighter based on his record.
It would have been a hoot to see Jonathan against Terry O’Reilly but they both played for the Bruins.
Classic hockey fight!
Stan Jonathan of the Boston Bruins mashes Pierre Bouchard of the Habs.
I have watched practically almost every fight that Stan Jonathan had and the only one where you could say he lost was to Brad Maxwell and it was pretty close.Jonathan was near the end of his career.
Can anyone remember Stan Jonathan ever clearly losing a fight?
He wasn’t the biggest tough guy but I think he was the best fighter based on his record.
It would have been a hoot to see Jonathan against Terry O’Reilly but they both played for the Bruins.
I don’t think the Golden Knights are an elite team but I can’t ignore the facts.They are currently 5th in the entire NHL.That to me is more than saying something.There are 26 teams that are below the Knights.
I also don’t get your dismissal of the fact that the Knights have played over a month without their No.1 goalie and a few games without their No.2 goalie by pointing out teams that score at a high rate.
I agree with you that goalies don’t score but goalies win Stanley Cups.The Carolina Hurricanes were the last team that won a cup without a true No.1 goalie.
Tell me this,if goals are so important then why have the Capitals with the greatest goal scorer over the past 20 years,and arguably ever considering the style of play today compared to other eras,have not won anything when it has really mattered.
I just think you are too easily dismissing the fact that the Knights more than held their heads above water without their No.1 and No.2 goalie.I don’t think the Blues or any other team other than the Lightning,would have the amount of points that the Knights have.
Since people that regularly post on here are dismissing the Knights accomplishments so far,let’s make a bet.I’m very confident that the Knights will make the playoffs.The bet is that if you disagree with me then the loser cannot post on this thread from the time the Knights have officially made or have been eliminated from the playoffs until the Stanley Cup has been won this season.
Anyone want to take me up on my challenge?
“Don’t be scared,homies!”.
You misunderstood what I was saying about goaltending. What I said was: "Furthermore, if the Kings/Blues lost their #1 netminder for over a month, but their team still managed to score 3.38 goals per game, I think they'd be doing just fine." The 3.38 goals per game that I cited was the Golden Knights goals per game at the time I wrote that post. So the point I was making is that if a team lost their #1 goaltender for an extended period but the team still scored at such a high rate then they would still be likely to win most of their games (such as the case with the Golden Knights this season, who, by the way, have had below-average goaltending this season, further supporting the notion that scoring at such a high rate has been the primary reason for their success thus far). I thought it would be obvious and implied from the context that the 3.38 goals per game citation referred to the Golden Knights.
Nowhere in any of my posts have I said or implied that goaltending isn't important or that it isn't a huge factor involved in winning and in winning championships; I completely agree that more often than not it's the biggest factor in winning a Stanley Cup. You have created a point that I made, and to which you've responded, that I didn't actually make. The point that I made was in direct response to the point you were trying to make about the Golden Knights losing their top goaltender and still being where they are in the standings. You implied that the Blues/Kings wouldn't be where they are in the standings if they too lost their #1 goaltender, and I made the point that if they did lose their goaltenders and their teams still managed to score at a rate such as the one the Golden Knights have then I think they would still be in a healthy position in the standings. Now you should understand what I was actually saying.
Again, you're misunderstanding what I'm saying. I haven't dismissed the Golden Knights. Read my posts. In fact, I've called what they've done so far amazing. I just suggested that their remarkable success thus far could be an aberration, which is how any wise analyst should view it at this point. The long history of first-year expansion franchises in the NHL tells us a lot more than 31 games of a season. Let's see how the rest of the season shakes out.
Once again, you've misread what I've said. I already said that I would have to put the Golden Knights chances of making the playoffs at above 50% based on the current standings. Why are you challenging me to make a bet against something that I already said in my post that I thought was likely? How about this for a bet: if the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup this year, I'll delete my account. If they don't, then you have to start putting spaces after periods.
Also, in what universe has Cam Ward not been a true #1 goaltender? He has 301 career wins. That's good for 30th all-time. As in ever in the history of the NHL. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy (for playoff MVP) the year the Hurricanes won the Cup. What are you even talking about, son???
