Yumcha

Wow, sad story about Matt Johnson. Now he's in jail...

https://www.tsn.ca/matt-johnson-jail...geles-1.965368

Yumcha

I like the deal as it frees up cap space for Chicago and injects more youth on an aging core. We'll have to see if Duclair pans out though...Hawks may miss the playoffs at this rate as the Central is crazy competitive.

Yumcha

Nice sharing of your experience!

I have followed hockey as closely as anyone since I was a kid and being neurotic has helped me also study stats and weird numbers. Goalies, from my understanding of this position, are like QBs...often, a large by-product of the team's overall defensive system and the staff executing that system.

I will contrast 2 teams and coincidentally, I'll use Chicago since I know them best and have plenty of samples:

Chicago's 2-way play overall is usually one of the better ones. People can talk about the offensive numbers all they want but without the 2-way play of players like Toews, Sharp, Hossa from up front and then, obviously, Keith, Seabrook, et al, they would never have won any Cups. They had pretty much "run of the mill" goalies esp. if you factor in one of them was Niemi and then, Crawford, who NO ONE ever gave much credit to...even today with his "good numbers".

If you have a goalie play in that system, they will be successful. They are confident that they have help from the 5 players in front and so, naturally, they are not nervous or basket-cases in net (please see Edmonton). Scott Darling? Oh wait...he was supposedly a "top" goalie and yet, in Raleigh, look at his putrid numbers. Niemi after he left?

Of course, that does not diminish the fact that a goalie needs to make a timely save and not be horrid. But, again, if they are not basketcases, if they are PRO QUALITY, they will thrive. Like a QB in the right system (see Tom Brady vs. say, a Jay Cutler who never had great O-line protection and then, a stream of new coaches/systems afterwards). You give a goalie this sort of environment to thrive over the years, in time, they will likely throw up nice numbers. I attribute Crawford and even LA's Quick to that...the latter always being considered a "top goalie" despite the fact he had mediocre save percentages (I jokingly said to peeps that it's because he looks "sexy" as a goalie with all his splits vs. say, Crawford who never makes that "OMG splashy-looking" stop). In a good system that is consistent, the goalie, over time will obviously grow.




Edmonton? It's a parade of goalies from Dubnyk to Scrivens to now, Talbot. Look at that defense and look at the team before last year's revelation (which IMO, Talbot over-achieved too)...TacoBello can probably comment more but in the games I've watched, the forwards are not as responsible and the defense stacks up to very few top teams. Who is Edmonton's Norris anchor? Who is their Keith? Doughty? Letang? Hedman? Pietrangelo? They have zip...arguably, Edmonton's top pairing is made of #3 and #4 types. That is not a recipe for sustained success and so yeah, now, enter a goalie who KNOWS that his forwards are meh on the 2-way side and his D is so-so...he tightens up. And well, there you go...basketcase after a few bad games when he's hung out to dry.

Just my thought. It's weird now without Moog because he'll just come in and tell me to put down the bong.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

I agree completely. I was (and still am) pissed the Rangers let Talbot go. He was amazing when Hank was out with the throat injury (when his plastic protector was lifted and tehpuck hit him)

The Rangers hang their goalie out to dry almost nightly (35+ shots a game wtf)???

TacoBello

Don't worry- Edmonton is working VERY hard on ruining Talbot's career

Yumcha

I will say this: The Rangers' version of hanging out the goalie to dry is not the same as Edmonton's.


Not even the King would do well in Edmonton after a season at best. He'll be a nervous wreck. Watch Talbot's body-language this season...and you can tell that is a goalie who is rattled. The entire team in front of him is also jittery and so, this becomes an awful and toxic environment for all. Giant slippery-slope.

It's really unfortunate because again, I feel bad for fans like Taco. But, freaking...Edmonton does not deserve a hockey team with such ineptitude. And now, here comes that lottery pick.

Yumcha

Likely, he'll be "run out of the town" like others and do just fine with another team.

And then, myopic fans or whatever in Edmonton will have a riot on why that goalie "sucked for us" without trying to understand the root cause. No goalie will do well in an Oil uniform until the team D improves. Sharelli should be fired and never given a job again for destroying McDavid's entry-level years and also, giving that team to McDavid with no true puck-pusher on the blueline. That is a grievous mistake.

TacoBello

He's actually had some really bad games. He's let some terribly sloppy goals in as of late- goals that no other goaltender would allow in. It might be his confidence is shook. One thing I've noticed with him though is he always struggles after taking any kind of break off, from being in net. His best performances are the nights where he gets peppered with 30+ SOG. Just before xmas they were able to manage a mild streak of 4 wins, I think.. but than xmas happened... and sloppy goal tending ensued upon return.

But you are right- I still think the defence lines are subpar. The goal tender is your very last line of defence... and we wonder why we lose when the D lines are doing near nothing.

I'm okay with you tearing into the oilers these days. They deserve it. Chiarelli has made some really bad decisions over the last 12 months. I think it's more his fault than anything, and it trickles downwards onto the ice level. when 11 of your 12 forwards don't score in 6 games, I'm thinking you have the wrong forwards out there.. We have some ok forwards, but if they're paired with a guy who is hopeless out there (in terms of NHL caliber), well, what do you expect to happen? They can't carry the entire line.

I would 100% fire Chiarelli before even considering moving Todd McLelland. That was another point the oilers struggled with in the decade of darkness. I think they went through 6 coaches in that time. Every time it's a new system to learn. Every time it's a different game the players have to play. There was no consistency. I think they owe it to themselves to keep the current coach for at least another full season.

Yumcha

Chicken and egg thing. Talbot gets worse because his confidence and head is gone doink. His PK is record-setting to be an all-time worse. How can you expect any goalie to steal a game if he's a basketcase? At some point, he will meltdown realizing he is THE only line of defense with no help.

Anyways, I feel bad for him. Because yet again, another goalie I'm sure many fans in Edmonton want his head removed. Even if I believe, it's not his fault.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Talbot hasn't been the same since he left Cabby's Rangers, perhaps he was a better backup than a starting goalie? Some goalies just can't handle the starting role. Not sure if it's that, or just playing behind a young team that doesn't play defense, or perhaps a combo

TacoBello

What are you on? He was an EXCELLENT starting goalie, all of last year. That guy alone won a number of games for the Oil, last year.

TacoBello

Yumcha

Oh okay. That's good...one of the themes I read occasionally in the last few years was the clamor to replace the Oilers goalie. Good that the fans realize it's not his fault. I mean, after the parade in net over the years, people HAVE to have realized it's not the goalie, right?

Good to hear.



And yeah, Loocheech looks slow. Very slow.

TacoBello

yep. lucic is a waste of 6M/year, or whatever they pay him. Maybe it's just me, but if I saw/heard/read the criticisms about me being slow, you'd better believe I'd be shaping up in the off season and trimming down, so that I can move as fast as possible down the ice. That, and I'd find a trainer to help me improve on speed. I mean, I'm being paid 6M a year to do a job and I can't do it.. well.. there's no one to blame other than myself.

Lucic is a big guy. But he doesn't use his size at all. He doesn't dish out beat downs when deserved. He doesn't crush guys when appropriate. He is 6'3" and 240 pounds. Granted he likely has a good amount of muscle on him, but I bet you he can trim down a healthy 20-25 pounds. That's 10% less mass he's trying to shuffle down the ice. Or... is he just slow in general? I'm not expecting McDavid speed from him, but something better than being a boat anchor on the ice.

Beyond that, he has 9 goals and 18 assits... through 44 games. I dunno if that is worth 6M a year. Maybe 4M?

Fibonacci

Wing's coming off bye-week so pretty confident they'll lay a stink bomb first game back.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Good weekend of hockey for the Pens, clean sweep of the Fibby's and Cabby's, hoping the Pens can build on this and string some more wins together :gheywave:

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

Rangers are the Oprah of the NHL right now.

You get 2 points, you get 2 points, you get 2 points!

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

It's always fun watching Queen Hanky throwing temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way. Throwing a puck at the ref was a bit much though, should have been a penalty

Yumcha

Taco, don't read this because you'll be sick. But, for everyone else's amusement, here's how Pete Sharelli gifted the Isles their very impressive 2nd line: https://www.thescore.com/news/1468099

Fibonacci

Wings need to play the 'cawks more often apparently.

TacoBello

Yumcha

Yep. Play them before the break and right after the Hawks play a more meaningful game in the Winnipego Thrashers. Totally a trap game and no excuses for Chicago. Should've been 2 points against the rebuilding Things.

Yumcha

Told you not to read that, McFly!

But, yeah...No more Reinhart and for the entire high-flying 2nd line of the Isles...Edmonton has UBER-MEGASTAR, RYAN STROME, to show for it.



Strome of course will be this year's Vezina, Norris, Hart, Richard, and Byng winner.

Yumcha

Sharelli is the worst GM in hockey. Period.

Yumcha

I just read Sharelli's interview with Sportsnet yesterday...and his excuse for dumping Eberle is a crock of .

Even if some idiot team (and frankly, there is none because let's be honest, Drysightoe isn't THAT good) did sign Leon to a contract offer, the Oil still had a 10% overage to work with. They could've matched and THEN scrambled to unload Eberle BEFORE the season started.


And for the $$$ saved, did they use it on Kris. Russell?!??




DAFUQ. I mean, I know ALL teams (except LA per Moog) are in cap hell but holy, that's cap purgatory.

Yumcha

Sorry, slow weak of hockey for me now that the Hawkies are on break.




In other news, the OT last night between the Habs and Isles was damn impressive when that Islander who shall not be named, did that pass and pass and pass to himself.

And oh, Seguin's dangle to score was damn impressive too.




Not even on purpose but everywhere I look, there's Sharelli's "impressive" work. Both are examples.

TacoBello

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Bye weeks, back to backs and the all star break, can I just have some freaking hockey to watch on a regular basis?

Yumcha

Sorry, dude. Got nothing. First it was MacT and now, it's ShaRLY.

Yumcha

Surprised Ack hasn't posted it...but, man, that was a vicious cross-check from Lips Brown to Justin Shults last night. The latter was on his knees and Lips just plowed the guy face first into the boards.

If Androo Coglee-anno got 2 games, Lips should be getting at least 2 games for that awful hit.

e30cabrio

iTrader: (6)

SH!t! Kreider, Staal, Hayes and now Shattenkirk.

gaaaa

Shattenkirk Out Indefinitely Due To Knee Injury


http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/01/...rk-injury-nhl/

Yumcha

@ Taco...

Noojent-Hopkins out 5-6 weeks: https://www.tsn.ca/oilers-nugent-hop...-ribs-1.973135

Oilers. Hello again #1 overall pick!

Yumcha

The Denver Nordiques are rolling. What a turnaround. If it were not for the Golden Girls taking all the headlines, I'd say the Avs have been quite the success story this year.

Yumcha

When it comes to failboat stories, Oil seem to be bringing back Coffee to their ranks...not sure if it will save their season though.

https://www.tsn.ca/coffey-expected-t...ation-1.973835

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

That was a terrible F'ing hit, haven't had power or internet the last couple days. And just a 10k fine!? What a bunch of BS. This league is a joke

Yumcha

Completely agree. If Cogs got 2...I don't get how a repeat offender like Lips gets zilch. I will never understand NHL disciplinary rulings. It's as bizarre as refs calling TD catches.

Yumcha

Wow, that's a very $$$$ 4th-liner...

Loocheech is now playing on the 4th line in Edmonton: https://www.tsn.ca/ice-chips-mclella...-line-1.977399

TacoBello

Oilers got destroyed yesterday, 5-0.

season is done, boys. We are off to the races for the first round draft pick. I don't know why. It doesn't make any fucking difference. The team- and I mean everyone, top to bottom- should just fold and go jump off a building.

Yumcha

Yeah, saw that. Sorry, dude...there's something seriously wrong to the core with your city's team.

It sickens me they are getting another lottery pick.

TacoBello

Hopefully it won't be my city for much longer. Looking to relocate to Calgary.