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2016-17 NHL season running thread

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Cosmo, Oct 10, 2016.

  1. UPChip

    UPChip Well-Known Member

    After watching them play Minnesota a couple nights ago, the Kings are in deep shit. Zatkoff isn't good and there didn't appear to be a lot of interest in playing defense in front of him.
     
  2. ChrisLong

    ChrisLong Well-Known Member

    One of those occurrences you will always remember:
    J.F. Berube, former Kings draftee and No. 3 goalie for Brooklyn, is rumored as a possibility if the Kings decide to make a move instead of relying on Zakhoff and Budaj. Incidentally, we saw Budaj playing for Ontario in the final preseason game against San Diego. Three goals in the first 10 minutes and he looked awful, although the Kings' lack of depth on defense is very apparent on their AHL team, too.
    Anyway, about 4 years ago, we went to some games in Vegas. The LV Wranglers played at the Orleans Arena and were meeting Ontario. Berube was in goal for the Reign.
    Loudmouth drunk (not me) decided he was going to ride the goalie all night. He sees "BERUBE" on the back of his uniform and shouts "We're coming after you, Bear-a-bay."
    And as the game progressed, he went from "be-Rube-ay," to "Bear-a-bay," to "Bear-butt-ay," to, eventually, "Build-a-Bear." "We're coming at you Build-a-Bear."
    Finally, a woman sitting nearby just called out to him, "You're not funny, this has become annoying, please stop." And he did, thankfully.
     
    OscarMadison likes this.
  3. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Sure I have mentioned this before somewhere on this board but the mention of the Las Vegas Wranglers reminded of the goalie coach I worked with in junior who had played in the minors with the LV coach. My guy had retired and was heading to Vegas for a vacation, called his old buddy and told him he was planning on coming to a game when he was there. The coach told him, "Bring a dark suit and you can come on the bench." And he did! Gotta love minor league hockey.
     
    RickStain likes this.
  4. UPChip

    UPChip Well-Known Member

  5. OscarMadison

    OscarMadison Well-Known Member

    Welcome to Nashville, Petey!


    Last night's beatdown of the flightless waterfowl wasn't pretty, but it was satisfying because it looked like PIT wasn't expecting to do more than show up. (No offense to any P'burgh fans. I probably agree with you on more points than not. F'rinstance, Crosby's talent.)
     
  6. Sea Bass

    Sea Bass Well-Known Member

    Pretty sure he had another one when he took that slapshot to the mouth, no?
     
  7. Cape_Fear

    Cape_Fear Active Member

    We had Flyers season tickets when I was growing up in the middle level of the old Spectrum. We're at a Flyers-Rangers game and hear a ruckus behind us. Allow me to describe the ruckus...a general stirring and then cheers as a Flyers fan has a Rangers fan by the throat bent over the rail and is pounding on the guys face. The Flyers fan had blood pouring from his face. He was leaking in a couple of places.

    The took both guys out right down our row. It was tough to tell who had the worst of it. So yeah, there could be some problems.
     
  8. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

  9. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    After allowing his fourth goal (in 17 shots) Preds yank Pekka Rinne in Anaheim, and possibly invite him to go get food poisoning again. Off to a terrible start this year.

    EDIT: Of course giving up your second shorty of the night immediately afterwards isn't going to do anybody any good either. Oof gah.
     
  10. SoloFlyer

    SoloFlyer Well-Known Member

    No concussion. Just a fractured jaw.
     
  11. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    1. You sure they weren't just reenactors of Dave Schultz vs. Dale Rolfe?

    2. Points for the Breakfast Club reference.
     
  12. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Pretty happy with the Rangers start. As I thought from watching preseason games, a lot of offensive talent and speed. They have a get-it-and-go scheme, pretty much trying to mimic what Pittsburgh had success with last year. Even their two losses were encouraging, because they dominated in controlling the puck and outshot their opponents by a lot. They ran into goalies on good nights. Injuries are hitting them, but it hasn't mattered. Chris Kreider started out on fire and then has sat several games with neck spasms. Pavel Buchnevich has been out several games with back spasms -- and he looks like a really nice player so far. Surprises have been Brandon Pirri. He has no conscience. He is basically firing shots from the time he laces up his skates in the locker room. They put him on the power play at the point. He got two more goals yesterday. If his offense keeps up that way, he more than makes up for his deficiencies elsewhere -- namely defense. Buy even there, you can tell he has been making a concerted effort to get back and back check, so far. Rick Nash is gelling on a line with Derrick Stepan and Jimmy Vesey, who has looked really poised so far. He has a nose for the puck and knows how to get to the right spots. He has scored a bunch of goals already, some pretty impressive in the effort, and has had a lot of other opportunities. I can't wait until Kreider and Buchnevich are health again, because that line with Zibanejad was electric for the first few games they were together. They were a handful. On top of it, the fourth line -- with all of the combinations -- is much better this year, too, because they are running speed out there, so there is no rest for the other team. It's Pirri with Michael Grabner, who flies, and will be a mishmash with Oscar Lindberg, Josh Jooris (who is now hurt and will be out indefinitely) and Jesper Fast stepping down occasionally to play on the fourth line.

    The defense is still an issue, but if they control the puck the way they have so far for the rest of the season, it papers over some of those problems. Mark Staal has looked a little better than he did last year. Dan Girardi got hurt and missed a few games. He's not terrible, but he is not a top pairing defenseman anymore. Vignault wants to rely on him so badly, because he values the experience. But if I am reading things correctly, they will scale back the minutes dramatically this year to keep him fresher. That means that they are going to kill McDonagh. They were protecting a lead a few games ago and had McDonagh running double shifts for the whole third period and they sat 2 defensemen. I understand why he is doing it, but it's a long season. In terms of personnel decisions, the one that is killing me is that Girardi got hurt and came back. OK, I get it, you are not going to sit Girardi (although I think they should occasionally). But Vigneault seems married to Nick Holden, who looks average to me at best. So that has meant Adam Clendening is now sitting, who throughout preseason and in the early games was surprisingly their best player at getting the puck out of their own zone and starting the attack. He fits the style they are trying to play, yet, he is sitting in favor of a guy who looks middling to me. Nothing against Holden. They don't have great defensemen, so he passes for among the best they have. They have a problem with Dylan McIlrath, too. They can't waive him, because he won't clear waivers to go down to the minors. So he is sitting and watching too. But I suspect there isn't a huge market for him either. I feel bad for him. He is what he is -- a big, stay at home defenseman who plays hard and isn't afraid to hit. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the line up a bit more. They are not giving him a chance to develop and show what he can do with consistent play.
     
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