the max 0 Report post Posted December 18, 2005 Raycroft gave up three goals in about four minutes and the Bruins lost 3-0. Stuart was out with the flu apparently, so the defense definitely missed him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted December 18, 2005 Wow. Can the Habs suck any worse? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kapoutman 0 Report post Posted December 18, 2005 They easily could. They still get one-goal games as they did when the season started. It's just that they lose them now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=147544&hubname= Interesting development in Jersey as not only does Larry Robinson step down as head coach, but Vlad Malakhov decided to retire thus freeing up 3.6 million on the cap (enough to bring back Patrick Elias). Rumors are flying at other boards that I frequent about whether or not Lou Lamoriello forced Robinson out and because Malakhov is close to Robinson that he decided to retire or what. Either way, Jersey will be coached by Lamoriello until further notice and look to be getting Elias back rather soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 I haven't watched any of the Devil's games this season but I assume they are struggling because of the following: 1. The new rules 2. The losses of Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermeyer 3. Patrick Elias contracting Hepatitis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 I'd say it's more 2-3-1 off of your list. Brodeur's been allegedly hurt with some kind of leg/knee stuff and he doesn't have two of the best defensemen in the league playing in front of him anymore. They've missed Elias as well, since he's always been a very good goalscorer and will likely be even better now with the new rules. They haven't been affected as much as people might think. They still have talent, it's just a matter of them all playing well together. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted December 20, 2005 US Olympic Roster Goalies: Robert Esche Rick DiPietro John Grahame Defensemen: Jean-Michael Liles Aaron Miller Derian Hatcher Brian Rafalski Jordan Leopold Mathieu Schneider Chris Chelios Forwards: Brian Gionta Craig Conroy Jason Blake Scott Gomez Mike Knuble Mike Modano Erik Cole Bill Guerin Doug Weight Keith Tkachuk Chris Drury Mark Parrish Brian Rolston Chelios there and no Leetch makes me a little mad, but this team can grind their way to a medal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KGB 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Holy fuck, the Leafs are leading the Islanders by a score of 8-4, after TWO periods! Weird thing is, the Islanders have had 9 powerplay opportunities (six of in the first period) and the Leafs only have one! And the Leafs have scored two short-handed goals. Crazy game! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike546 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Why is Tkachuk on the roster? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianGuitarist 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Why is Tkachuk on the roster? Fuck me, but why isn't Roenick on it? God damn I hate him. He's said outright that he'll be rooting for Canada. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike546 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 No, I mean, didn't Tkachuck just get injured? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Fuck me, but why isn't Roenick on it? Roenick had been playing like shit until tonight. He must have been playing in rage. No, I mean, didn't Tkachuck just get injured? He'll be back in time for Turin. He's been on fire, so I like that they put him out there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Ghost of bps21 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 I think it's been pages since anyone has noticed... but the Sabres are awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nl5xsk1 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 I'm glad Roenick isn't on the team ... the whole "put me on the team or I'm rooting for Canada" reminded me how big of a egocentric prick he is. Of course, since the Amerks are going to finish like 5th or 6th, it probably is unfortunate that he's not on the team; now he'll probably start saying that they'd have medaled if he was on the squad. And, bps, we've noticed ... everytime I look at the standings and see the B's fall further and further from the pack, I note that the Sabres are winning. 9 road games in a rwo is pretty damn impressive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Reading the Pittsburgh PG about these practices under Therrian is funny. Apparently, if the Penguins aren't ready to play against Philly on Friday, they're never going to be ready for anything. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05354/625124.stm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danville_Wrestling 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 That 9-6 victory by the Maple Leafs last night looked more like a game of NHL 2006 than a normal hockey game. It had to be one of the wildest games (especially in the first period) that I've ever seen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 I don't think the US team can even medal at Turin. The goaltending has huge question marks about "big game" capability. Rick DiPietro is an obvious choice to the squad; He's young, talented, and will likely be on the team for years to come. Robert Esche is certainly a question mark. Many people have wondered whether Philly can be successful with him in the net. He was also on the disappointing World Cup team. The defense with Old Man Chelios and Derian Hatcher is odd as well. The lack of Brian Leetch on this team is worth wondering, since he's been the anchor of a terrible Bruins defense all season and has looked good since his return from that knee injury. I like the J-M Liles selection and love the Jordan Leopold selection. I'm not really looking forward to watching Tkachuk and Weight on the team either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kismet 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Considering Detroit has been using Chelios mostly as a Penalty Kill Specialist so he doesn't have to move much, it's gotta be a veteran/career based spot. I watch about every game of Detroit, his best defensive move (the off-hand clutch n' grab) has been eliminated, so if he has to try and cover open ice, his 42 year old or so legs just aren't cutting it. I can't imagine it's going to be better in international play. As pointed out also, goal tending is going to be suspect. DiPietro is the only one I have any faith in being able to hold out. Esche is, well eh. And Grahame just exudes "back-up", there wasn't anyone better?( On looking up his stats afterwords, I see his ga is down to 2.89, with .89 save percent, guess it could be worse.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike546 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 My memory isn't that great, but wasn't the main reason for the US getting a silver in the last olympics was because Richter was standing on his head in goal? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nl5xsk1 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 That 9-6 victory by the Maple Leafs last night looked more like a game of NHL 2006 than a normal hockey game. It had to be one of the wildest games (especially in the first period) that I've ever seen. I'll reiterate a question that I've asked repeatedly: is it a good thing that people keep comparing the NHL to a video game? I've been a die-hard hockey fan my entire life, and the 'new NHL' is making it less and less enjoyable for me to watch a game. I don't think the US team can even medal at Turin. I don't think that there's even a slight chance that they'll medal. Finishing in the top 5 would be a miracle, I think. The Canadians, Russians, Czechs, Fins & Swedes all have better teams, by a substantial margin. I really think that the US realized that they needed to 'rebuild' the program, and that having the graybeards wouldn't help them much this year, and would hamper the international growth of the youngsters. So, they pretty much decided to use this Olympics as a baptism by fire, throwing in a bunch of young guys and leaving a bunch of the old guys at home, and will hopefully be on track to medal in 2010. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Leelee Report post Posted December 20, 2005 I think it's been pages since anyone has noticed... but the Sabres are awesome. I know. And, it scares me. Since when did Biron get good for more than one game stretches? Since when could Buffalo score goals? Also, do you guys still get Sabres games in Buffalo with Empire being dead. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 That 9-6 victory by the Maple Leafs last night looked more like a game of NHL 2006 than a normal hockey game. It had to be one of the wildest games (especially in the first period) that I've ever seen. I'll reiterate a question that I've asked repeatedly: is it a good thing that people keep comparing the NHL to a video game? I've been a die-hard hockey fan my entire life, and the 'new NHL' is making it less and less enjoyable for me to watch a game. They might have gone overboard with penalty enforcement and other things to facilitate high scoring. Hey, I appreciate a duel between goaltenders, but something HAD to be done. The trap was killing the game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vigo 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 If the Oilers ever get a number one goalie look out. They could be a real dangerous team in the playoffs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nl5xsk1 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 They might have gone overboard with penalty enforcement and other things to facilitate high scoring. Hey, I appreciate a duel between goaltenders, but something HAD to be done. The trap was killing the game. I agree that the trap was killing the game, but completely reinventing the wheel with this no-touch defense isn't much better. I'd rather watch a 2-1 game that has contact than a 9-6 game with minimal hitting. They should have done more testing at the AHL level before implementing all of these changes. They might have been able to 'save' the game without making it into what it is now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vigo 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 The thing with the defence is that the defencemen now can't go out and grab and hook a guy thus naturally you're going to get more scoring. For the past ten years that's been the style of hockey in the NHL. Guy gets a couple steps on you, hook him. This season you can't do that so things are a lot more wide open. The hitting will come back. You just have to give it time. I mean, some of these defencemen are used to the clutch and grab style of play from the past ten years that they're still trying to figure out how their supposed to stop guys in the new NHL. Personally, I like the new NHL. The game is exciting again. A couple years ago if a team got a two goal lead the game was pretty much over. Now a team has to play a full 60 mins for a win and can't hang back relying on the trap to save their ass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Roenick's out for 4-6 weeks due to a broken finger. Good thing he wasn't picked for the olympic team. I wasn't too disappointed with the roster selection, though I didn't really like Chelios, Hatcher and Jason Blake being on the roster. There are much better, younger American players (Paul Mara, Tim Gleason, Dustin Brown to name a few), and I think that they can grind their way to a medal. They have really good 2 way forwards, the only problem that I see is the problem of not being able to score a ton of goals. Pending roster selection, the U.S. can certainly get a medal. The Russians are better, but there's lots of floaters on the team; Finland doesn't have great offensive prowess and needs great goaltending from Kipper to have any chance; and Sweden doesn't have really good depth in goal, but they will medal. I've got nothing bad to say about the Czechs or the Canadians and Slovakia will surprise if they can get anything resembling decent goaltending. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danville_Wrestling 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2005 The thing with the defence is that the defencemen now can't go out and grab and hook a guy thus naturally you're going to get more scoring. For the past ten years that's been the style of hockey in the NHL. Guy gets a couple steps on you, hook him. This season you can't do that so things are a lot more wide open. The hitting will come back. You just have to give it time. I mean, some of these defencemen are used to the clutch and grab style of play from the past ten years that they're still trying to figure out how their supposed to stop guys in the new NHL. Personally, I like the new NHL. The game is exciting again. A couple years ago if a team got a two goal lead the game was pretty much over. Now a team has to play a full 60 mins for a win and can't hang back relying on the trap to save their ass. Totally agree. Sure the Maple Leafs had a wild win last night, but I found it enjoyable to watch. The old NHL was killing my interest due to knowing that a team had a very small chance of coming back once they went down by two or three goals. I agree also that the hitting will return, but it's going to take time for the defensemen to readjust. I also love how every game ends in a shootout after a tie in OT. Some people argue that it ruins the game if two teams are deadlocked after 65 minutes, but I like knowing that my team won or lost. Plus, you still get a point if you lose so no harm done. I think this is definitely going to make the playoff races interesting come April with teams picking up two points where previously they could only pick up one. Finally, they are keeping continuous OT for the playoffs and I'll love that so I've got a thumbs up for the new NHL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustJoe2k5 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2005 Hurricanes are leading the Lightning 6-4 with about half a minute left in the game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustJoe2k5 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2005 Great win for Carolina, seven point lead on Tampa Bay in the division. It's great to see this team perform this well, especially since expectations were so low entering the season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mike546 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2005 And the Ranger downfall begins. They just can't score at all anymore. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
