The Hockey Thread

[magiclawnchair]

the blackhawks made some interesting moves in the off season trying to get a bit tougher. soupy will be missed. he was really the only defender that was good bringing the puck out of the zone and every time he got hurt they suffered. its not his fault talon drove a truck full of cash to his house. the contract needed to go but they are really going to miss that guy.

its going to be a fun year! LETS GO BLACKHAWKS!!!

[warwick.hoy]

I hate Avery,...he is an effective agitator but also a diver a turtle and a punk.

But not enough to care. Hopefully he gets stuck playing for some Siberian KHL team or something.

Anyway I really enjoyed the Phi@Bos game. Thought the Flyers came out flat (the hour long Bruins SC banner raising ceremony probably didn't help) but got those two quick goals in the last minute of the 1st and closed the door the rest of the way. Goals by Marchand for BOS (he appeared to be the best player on the Ice for the Bruins) and Giroux and Voracek for PHI.

Coulturier I thought was impressive,...playing on the PK and getting time towards the end of the game. I like the game that Read played as well.

I liked what I saw in terms of team toughness when JVR got in Chara's face for taking Giroux hard to the boards (which I have no gripe about due to Giroux's positioning) and then Coburn making sure that Chara didn't kill JVR. The fact that JVR was willing to take on a monster like Chara shows the leadership and team first attributes that were disappointingly absent from the leadership group in the last half of the 2010-11 season.

Luckily Giroux didn't suffer any injury,...the hit looked a lot harder then it actually was and Giroux was as much to blame for going into the boards for the line he took as Chara was for not letting up.

[warwick.hoy]

Matt Read get's his first goal in his 2nd career NHL game (I think it's his second).

Simmonds get's his first goal in the O&B and was an assist away from a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. That guy is hard to contain,....Philly fans are gonna love him.

Giroux get's his 2nd goal in as many games this season.

Bryzgalov earns a shutout victory (first one for the Flyers since the 2010 ECFs).

Flyers open the season with two wins on the road.

Couturier impressed again,..playing PK time and clutch minutes. That guy is so defensively minded for an 18 year old rookie. Great pickup.

Gonna be a good year.

[Haki]

Thanks to afternoon Columbus day games and online steaming I got my first NHL action of the season. Watched Devils vs Hurricanes and the third period of Blues vs Flames. Good to see Parise is back, always enjoyed watching him play.

I might throw around my sleep schedule to accommodate the Ducks. West Coast games typically start at 7pm PT, which is 4am local time. I generally get up around 5:30 anyway so 4am should be doable.

Edit: Finally an "update" from ESPN America about the hockey rights in Europe;

NHL Fans – we understand your frustration and questions about the present situation in Europe regarding NHL coverage. We are currently in discussions about this and as soon as there is any development we will ensure you all know. Please note, that we do not discuss private business matters in public, so will not be able to post about these discussions on social media. You can contact us at support@espncustomercare.com

[Haki]

An actual ESPN America update on NHL in Europe, not that it's good news.

“Unfortunately, the NHL will not be part of the programming schedule on ESPN and ESPN America in the UK, Ireland or Nordic countries this season.
ESPN spoke to the NHL and their rights holders about continuing a partnership in these regions but we could not reach an agreement that worked for everyone.

We wish the National Hockey League and its new partners all the best while we remain in active discussions with them about coverage in many other parts of Europe.

Our channels will continue to provide a wide range of live sport, award-winning documentaries, original news & chat shows, and more.”

Please note: ESPN does not discuss private business matters in public, so will not be able to post about any ongoing discussions on social media.

At least there's a slimmer of hope for me.

[warwick.hoy]

"Our channels will continue to provide a wide range of live sport, award-winning documentaries, original news & chat shows, and more.” IOWs "Please watch our channels even though we are presenting nothing you want to see".

Still have gotten any invites Haki,....but I'll keep you posted when I do.

Saturdays Game against the Kings will be interesting as it sees the return of former captain and the "future of the Flyers" Mike Richards. He had a lot of support in Philly as well as a lot of detractors. There will be some cheers when he hits the ice,...and there will be some boos for sure. I think he goes to LA more motivated and gains back a lot of a lost work ethic as a result of being traded and split up from Jeff Carter, so I think it is probably one of the best things to happen to him in his career.

Hopefully he doesn't come in on Saturday and score a hat trick (Gordie Howe or otherwise).

[Haki]

Well somebody caved as ESPNA now has the NHL rights for the rest of Europe.

http://www.espnamerica.com/nl/f2/espn-news-updates/espn-america-nhl-press-release/

Over a 100 games, that's half of what it was last year. This probably means the NHL GCL will no longer be available in those countries. Given the price points, ESPNA costs € 12,50 a month with my service provider, GCL was the more attractive package. I wonder if this is because GCL sales in Europe weren't as high as hoped or because there simply was no other buyer besides ESPNA.

Either way, I'm enjoying me new NHL package courtesy of mister Hoy. Already seen more Ducks games than all of last year and it's fun to actually follow a team over the course of the season, gives you a great look at players. Cam Fowler has been very impressive. There's a few plays defensively where he can be better, but he's great with the puck, has great vision and a rifle of a shot. Getting him at 12 was a real steal for the Ducks.

Beauchemin has looked better than he did in the few games I saw him last year, but I still don't like that trade. Ryan is playing with Koivu and Selanne with Blake out which leaves a hole on the RPG line that's being filled with AHL try outs. So you get Perry, Getzlaf and some random pylon floating around that's slowing those guys down. The difference on the power play is shocking when Selanne moves up to them and they move Cogliano to Ryan/Koivu as the second unit. If they still had Lupul he could've played with Koivu/Selanne and you'd had that as a solid 2nd line with the RPG line being intact.

Going to check out the Flyers/Jets game this weekend, crazyness.

[warwick.hoy]

RE Flyers/Jets game,...nothing to see here,...move along please.

My bad for not looking into the schedule but I guess the Flyers played the Devils tonight and lost in the Shootout. They played last night so I didn't realize that they had another game tonight,...oh well. I may download the game anyway and watch it to see what happened.

Last night the Flyers played the Sabres and got 3 goals in the first 6 minutes of the game,...chasing Ryan Miller out of the net. Unfortunately,...the let the Sabres, backstopped by Enrothm, back into the game. Bad bounces that found they're way into the back of the net seems to be the Flyers MO this year so far. The Flyers were able to hold on and win,....but they need to not take the foot off the gas like that. Still a lot of work for the Flyers to do,....but if I'm saying that heading down the stretch into the playoffs,....I'd be a little more worried. Still plenty of hockey left to play.

Glad that site is working out for you Haki,....

[Haki]

I printed out the season schedule of the Ducks so I check that before going to any hockey related sites. Hate watching games I already know the score to. That said, I'm behind a few games so to me it's October 29th. Planning to catch up tomorrow. Fortunately Capgeek allows one to keep up with trades/contracts without reading about scores so I use that. They just show cap movement so draft picks aren't mentioned but who cares about those until June?

The one game I saw of the Flyers, mostly because I was curious about Couturier, they lost to the Canadiens. He had some good shifts on the PK, but nothing that caught my attention otherwise, then again the team just seemed to give out after the 1st period. Capgeek still has him on the active roster, has he played 10 games yet?

Loving the site. I'm a follow my favourite team that barely cares about the rest guy and this allows me to do that. ESPNA only works if you're a Pens fan (which you need to be anyway to stomach their announcers) or Leafs or Caps and I don't care for either of those teams.

[warwick.hoy]

Couturier is still active so this is essentially the first year of his contract. He's gettin the job done,...definitely a more defensive forward. He is very calm and composed with the puck and while he still makes mistakes,...he is usually able to recover alright. Right now he is sitting at a plus 7 which is tied for first (Hartnell is the other guy) on the team.

I've been kinda disappointed with Vorcek and Simmonds as of late. The aren't lighting the lamp like I thought they would. Simmonds I expected to be more of the camp out in front of the net kinda guy,...but the line he's been on can't seem to really generate any sort of offensive zone pressure so he never really has the chance to get near the crease. Voracek I was hoping to see that sort of dangler type play but he hasn't really found a whole lot success. Seems to turn the puck over a lot

It's like they stormed out of the gates and then fizzled out. But Jagr is starting to find his stride, Giroux is still lighting the lamp.

What I'm missing is the depth of scoring the Flyers have enjoyed over the past few seasons.

Injuries have bitten the Flyers. Pronger took a Grabovski hi stick (followthrough on a shot attempt so no call) right to the right eye and has been out since that PHI/TOR game. Briere and Matt Read are out with upper body injuries. JVR is out. Rinaldo just came back (and scored his first goal in the shootout loss).

Rinaldo is everything a guy like Steve Downie or Dan Carcillo is supposed to be. Hard Hitting,...High Energy,...but controlled and disciplined (for the most part). I look forward to watching him grow.

[warwick.hoy]

Holy Crap,...the Maple Laughs are in a 3 way tie for first in the league.

[colin]

Holy Crap,...the Maple Laughs are in a 3 way tie for first in the league.

And Edmonton is only a point back, what the hell is going on.

[warwick.hoy]

Yeah,...WTF?

Flyers routed the Blue Jackets last night. Holy shit that was both exciting and painful to watch.

Couterier pockets the first two goal game (one of which was Short Handed) of his NHL career.

I'd like to say that the Flyers came to play,...but the Blue Jackets defense was super soft and the Flyers took full advantage.

If I had anything to say negative about the Flyers,...it's that their defense needs to trust their goalies a little more. I know that the Flyers vet defense has been used to crappy goaltending,...but they've got two guys that can make saves now and these soft defensive plays in which a defender puts his stick on a high shot that causes the puck to change direction on an otherwise in position goaltender needs to stop.

[bigchiefbc]

Seguin with the hat trick last night was pretty sweet. He's already a +10 after 10 games. Good lord. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really think I want the Bruins to see what they can get for Krejci, and find a way to get Bergeron, Seguin and Lucic in a line together.

[Haki]

Finally caught up again. Fuck was that painful to watch, I skipped ahead through the Red Wings game, that was especially horrendous. As was the Columbus game considering how they're getting trashed by everybody else.

I'm glad they moved Cogliano up to play with Koivu and Selanne which restores the RPG line. This is just a 2 line team. Parros is ok for a fight and a few minutes, Belesky about the same. They have two young cats Macenhauer, whose made some plays, think a less talented Couturier if you will and Smith-Pelley who brings energy, but they're all just 4th line players at best. No depth whatsoever and it's allowing the other team to get the matchups they want. I'm hoping the RPG line catches some fire now that they're back together and not on the road for a bit. Selanne has been the only constant so far.

Defense is a similar story. Fowler and Beauchemin make a pretty good top pair, but last year's top pair of Lydman and Vishnosky are terrible. No confidence, Lubo is barely shooting. Those two need to get back into the game, especially if the offense doesn't pick it up. Sbisa is ok and they rotate Foster and Brookbank in and out. Foster has a shot but not much else while Brookbank is more of a scrapper. Hiller has been Hiller. Good most of the time, great at points but still lets in the occasional softy, or softies as was the case against Washington.

If the Ducks can tighten up defensively and get the RPG line going that might get them into the play-offs but they really need to add on some role-players who can chip in.