NHL 2017-2018 - All Out Discussion

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The Flyers are having their asses handed to them royally at MSG, losing 5-1 to the Rangers late in the second period.

[Jackmando7]

So the Penguins are suddenly hot.

[The Whovian]

Reporters with solid contacts inside the Hawks organization are saying that Crow is done for the season with "vertigo-like" symptoms. If this is true, our season is over.

[Arfguy]

The Flyers are having their asses handed to them royally at MSG, losing 5-1 to the Rangers late in the second period.

They looked pretty poised coming back against the Leafs tonight, winning 3-2 in overtime.

So the Penguins are suddenly hot.

They are getting plenty of scoring from their stars...I'm just trying to figure out why they aren't in the playoff race yet.

Reporters with solid contacts inside the Hawks organization are saying that Crow is done for the season with "vertigo-like" symptoms. If this is true, our season is over.

Yeah, heard that too. That sucks for the Hawks. Looks like all their problems are happening at the same time.

So now it's 8 in a row for the Avalanche? Nathan MacKinnon is on a tear! Speaking of tears, what are the Boston Bruins feeding their stars? Patrice Bergeron with another hat trick!

[WestPhillyPunisher]

They looked pretty poised coming back against the Leafs tonight, winning 3-2 in overtime.

And that happened on the night of the retirement of Eric Lindros' jersey. Pretty cool!

[The Whovian]

And that happened on the night of the retirement of Eric Lindros' jersey. Pretty cool!

I saw that on NHLN. That was cool. Makes me feel so old though.

[sirmarkus]

Reporters with solid contacts inside the Hawks organization are saying that Crow is done for the season with "vertigo-like" symptoms. If this is true, our season is over.

That really sucks. They have decent back-ups, but neither is at the level of Crawford.

[Arfguy]

The Eric Lindros ceremony was really well done. I love the way the reveal. Very classy.

Lindros was something else and it's kind of sad that he never got a chance to lift the big prize in his career.

[Arfguy]

Another day, another goal for Nathan MacKinnon. If the Avalanche manage to sneak into the playoffs, he should get some serious Hart trophy consideration.

I am watching Hockey Day in Canada match-up between Winnipeg and Calgary. Both teams look very, very good. Mike Smith is another player that has been doing all the right things for his organization. He is inspiring major confidence in the Flames, given the sub-par goaltending they've received for the last few years.

Speaking of goaltending...what are the Flyers doing with their goaltending? I don't want to say they are Jekyll & Hyde, as I have seen a few games where either Elliott or Neuvirth has played lights out.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The Eric Lindros ceremony was really well done. I love the way the reveal. Very classy.

Lindros was something else and it's kind of sad that he never got a chance to lift the big prize in his career.

I know. I remember the experts predicting Lindros would win more than one Cup, but the closest he came was the the debacle that was the ‘97 Finals where the Flyers were swept out like so much trash by the Red Wings.

Speaking of goaltending...what are the Flyers doing with their goaltending? I don't want to say they are Jekyll & Hyde, as I have seen a few games where either Elliott or Neuvirth has played lights out.

Well, today it was Neuvirth who stood on his head in a 3-1 afternoon matinee win over New Jersey. The original plan was a tandem in net, no iron man stuff like with Broduer or Lundqvist, but Elliott played better and the team stuck with him for long stretches. Now the pendulum seems to have swung to Neuvirth. For whatever it’s worth, it makes me scratch my head too.

[Arfguy]

They also beat the division leading Capitals today, to gain a couple of valuable points. I can't figure the Flyers out. Are they good? Are they bad? They are very streaky. I fear they might end up like last year...do great in spurts and then miss the playoffs.

Tampa Bay missed their chance to solidify their lead in the league when they lost to the Wild last night. Now, it seems that Vegas are on their way to claiming the league lead. They are currently up 3-1 over Carolina. It is crazy how well this team is chugging along.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

They also beat the division leading Capitals today, to gain a couple of valuable points. I can't figure the Flyers out. Are they good? Are they bad? They are very streaky. I fear they might end up like last year...do great in spurts and then miss the playoffs.

The Flyers are a young team that’s streaky and sometimes inconsistent. I’ll admit I have zero idea what to expect from this team going forward. If they do make the playoffs, it’ll probably be as a one round and done low seed.

[Arfguy]

The Flyers are a young team that’s streaky and sometimes inconsistent. I’ll admit I have zero idea what to expect from this team going forward. If they do make the playoffs, it’ll probably be as a one round and done low seed.

Maybe they'll be like the Winnipeg Jets. Jets, after the relocation, made the playoffs once, missed a few years and look poised to compete for the Stanley Cup for the next 3-5 years. Like the Jets, the Flyers seem to have quite a few strong defencemen and defensive prospects. They've got a few strong forwards.

Who knows, eh?

[The Whovian]

The Avs are red hot right now aren't they? Ten in a row and they currently hold the second WC spot. Never saw that coming.

My Hawks are pretty much done. This season is a lost cause. They're now 7 points behind the Avs (who also have a game in hand), and we look like hot garbage. I really hope Stan doesn't do something stupid like trade some of our young players for a one year rental hoping to make the playoffs. I'll lose it if he does that.

The only thing I have to look forward to for the rest of the season is watch the young guys play and get better and better, and hopefully Stand and Q let Sikura play as soon as he can.

[Arfguy]

The Avs are red hot right now aren't they? Ten in a row and they currently hold the second WC spot. Never saw that coming.

My Hawks are pretty much done. This season is a lost cause. They're now 7 points behind the Avs (who also have a game in hand), and we look like hot garbage. I really hope Stan doesn't do something stupid like trade some of our young players for a one year rental hoping to make the playoffs. I'll lose it if he does that.

The only thing I have to look forward to for the rest of the season is watch the young guys play and get better and better, and hopefully Stand and Q let Sikura play as soon as he can.

i really do think that missing the playoffs will do wonders for the Hawks. I think it'll make them hungry to play better. It will give them more rest. I know that they got swept last season, but I think they need to regain their hockey vitality. Right now, they look like they may be going through the motions.

Can I brag a little bit about myself and the Oilers? I always pride myself on being a huge hockey nerd. Statistics and standings are a big thing for me. I try to be aware of it as much as I can. So when I think a line combination is not working, I feel it comes from an analysts's perspective, rather than as a fans.

I had been festering for months now, wondering why MacLellan keeps pairing slow-ass Lucic with McDavid. I don't know why no one was putting together the idea that if Lucic was going to contribute anything to this year's Oilers, it would probably be playing wing with Draisaitl. Also, I saw Puljujarvi had basically zero chemistry with McDavid. Puljujarvi has a great shot, but unlike a player like Laine or Tarasenko, Pool Party still has not gained enough confidence to take an imperfect pass and make it into a lethal scoring chance. It was obvious that Draisaitl was a much better passer than McDavid and he saw the ice so much better. I was basically tearing my hair out, hoping MacLellan would either wise up or end up so desperate for scoring chances that when all else failed, he might pair up Draisaitl and Puljujarvi. Sure enough, RNH goes down with an injury and the lines have to be shuffled. First game with Draisaitl at centre and Puljujarvi on his wing...1 goal, 2 assists for Pool and 1 goal, 1 assist for Draisaitl. Of course, Lucic had gotten a couple of cheapie assists, but that was more about him basically having a puck bounce off his stick and onto more talented players.

I knew it and I can't help but pat myself on the back. Now if only Chiarelli would wise up and make a low-level trade to Ottawa to get either Mike Hoffman or Ryan Dzingle to play on McDavid's wings, I will finally have enough credibility to start asking the city's TV stations for a hockey analyst job