2016-17 NHL season running thread

Gerard Gallant once stepped on Borje Salming's face, making Salming even uglier than he was the previous day. That's all I got.

 

Caps lost 3-0 to the Islanders at home last night and looked like a steaming pile of shit doing it.

I'll preface this comment by saying this is not an excuse, but an explanation/observation from watching a fair amount of games this year.

I don't think this team can get up for these November-December games on a consistent basis any more. Playing at a high level at this time last year gained them diddly squat come spring. They're beaten over the head by the fan base/local columnists that nothing in the regular season matters and that they'll be judged solely on the postseason (fair point, yes). I don't know if it's a case of waiting to flip a switch, as they say, but they skate uninspired as shit some nights and great on others (see the win over the Penguins). They've played lazy of late and are taking a shit ton of minor penalties. Trotz is trying to manufacture urgency but it doesn't seem to be taking. Is this dangerous? I don't know. But it's nearly 100 percent certain that they'll have to play the Penguins or Rangers just to get out of round 1. (Thanks stupid playoff system.) Nothing that happens in the regular season will change that, unless they screw around enough to fall out of the playoff race. Can't imagine that happening as long as Holtby is between the pipes. Home ice is nice but not essential. I feel like I'm watching a team that's doing just enough to stay in the top three of the Metro standings but not much else. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

EDIT to add: Staying in the top three may not be easy, because Columbus is for real.

 

Caps got Buffalo sans Eichel last Friday and were lucky to win at home. Washington gets them twice next week. Will be interesting to see the difference.

 

Ditto Ducks.

 

I'll give credit to one of our own, of course ...

 

One year, you're an all-star. The next year, retired.

John Scott retires, season after improbable All-Star run

 

I think he'll turn out just fine. Has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Tech (Edit: And so does his wife). Those kids are usually making six figures pretty early and they don't even have to fight.

 

That Caps-Bruins game was bonkers last night ... Caps go up 23 seconds in, take a 3-0 lead early in the second on a Winnik goal off the rush (!), go 25 minutes (!!) without a shot on goal as Boston ties it up at 3, survive a bunch of point-blank chances from Boston down the stretch, then win it on a Backstrom snipe through 3 inches of Rask five-hole to win in OT.

 

Ducks' Cramarossa pummels Sharks' Wingels. Haven't seen such a one-sided hockey fight in a long time.
At one point midway through in the dance phase, the ref motioned for the linesmen to stay out of it, and Cramarossa did, too. That was pretty funny.

The first video is with the Sharks broadcast, including Randy Hahn, who is excellent. Their take was praising Wingels for taking one for the team in trying to fire up the Sharks as they trailed, 2-0.

The second video is the Ducks broadcast -- John Ahlers and Brian Hayward. They praise Cramarossa for his fighting skills and energizing the building. Honda Center has been dead for a month but it was alive last night.

 

He's motioning to players to stay back