NHL Thread

[Fartsauce 0]

November was a pretty crazy month with Jiri Fischer having a seizure, The Senators remaining hot and Joe Thornton being traded to San Jose. What will happen this month? As for tonight, 9 games are on the schedule that features Ed 'Give me a drink' Belfour trying to become the 2nd winningist goalie of all-time as the leafs take on the Thrashers, Red Wings battling the Flames in Alberta and Vancouver taking on my Oilers. Here are some stats as we head into December.

 

If the playoffs were to start today in the East

 

1) Ottawa

8) Tampa

 

2) New York Rangers

7) Toronto

 

3) Carolina

6) Buffalo

 

4) Philly

5) Montreal

 

If the playoffs were to start today in the West

 

1) Detroit

8) Edmonton

 

2) Vancouver

7) Calgary

 

3) Dallas

6) Colorado

 

4) Los Angeles

5) Nashville

 

 

 

Points

 

Spezza 41

Alfredsson 40

Jagr 39

Forsberg 39

Heatley 38

 

 

Goals

 

Gagne 23

Jagr 21

Alfredsson 20.

Staal 18

Heatley 17

 

 

Assists

 

Forsberg 31

Spezza 30

Savard 26

Thornton 24

Mccabe 23

 

 

+/-

 

Heatley 23

Spezza 21

Alfredsson 20

Corvo 20

Meszaros 20

 

 

Penalty Minutes

 

Avery 87

Ott 66

Hordichuk 66

Witt 66

Barnaby 64

 

 

Goals Against Average (over 10 games)

 

Hasek 1.92

Fernandez 2.04

Lundqvist 2.07

Joseph 2.10

Legace 2.21

 

Wins

 

Legace 13

Turco 13

Vokoun 13

Hasek 13

Kiprusoff 13

 

Save Percentage

 

Fernandez .934

Hasek .934

Joseph .932

Lundqvist .930

Roloson . 923

 

Shoutouts

 

Kiprusoff 3

Hasek 3

Luongo 2

Gerber 2

Joseph 2

Legace 2

 

 

Rookie Watch

 

Crosby 29

Ovechkin 25

Svatos 24

[Red Baron 0]

Montreal is stuck like seven years ago, no defencemen, and all this potential for forwards.

 

Doesn't help that Koivu has a groin injury.

[CanadianChris 0]

Looking at the stat leaders makes me giddy.

[the max 0]

The post-Joe Thornton era begins against....Ottawa! Hooray!

[nl5xsk1 0]

I actually didn't know when the B's were next playing, or who it was against. The B's schedule that's been hung on my wall here at work since early October has been replaced with a Sharks schedule.

 

Sadly, that's a completely truthful statement.

[bob_barron 0]

So did you officially switch favourite teams nl? (I ain't spelling that name out)

 

Have you officially become a Sharks fan and abandoned the Bruins?

[The Czech Republic 0]

Team-Abandoning Expert Bob Barron chimes in to offer help on this change in Niskie's life.

[nl5xsk1 0]

Barron, for now, yes. I can't say if it'll be permanent or not, because I've never actually abandoned a local team before. But as of now, I really don't care if they win or lose ... well, that's kind of a lie. I'm actually hoping that they bottom out and start to lose games by like a 6-1 margin. So, I don't care if they win and will be quasi-bummed if they lose.

 

This is tough, though: even when the B's or Pats were the worst teams in their respective leagues, I supported them whole-heartedly. But this is different, this is unlike anything that a team that I support has ever done. And at this point, I can count the number of Bruins I like on one hand (Bergeron, Murray, Boynton, Raycroft) ... the rest of the team is somewhere between apathy & out-and-out dislike. I've never been in a position where I was so disinterested in a team's successes or failures.

[the max 0]

I'm wondering if MOC and his wrecking crew are finished. I'm sure they're likely looking for a team to unload Murray to, since without Thornton's presence his value drops. Is the Thornton trade the first of many or do they think this is enough for now?

 

I agree with you about only having a few players that you like (although I'm surprised at Brad Boyes not being on your list. I think he's got a pretty bright future on this team) and have officially decided that I'll be back to rooting for Ottawa in the East as my #1A pick. I don't think I'll stop watching the Bruins games, but I'll certainly lose interest in them rather quickly.

 

And how'd you get a Sharks calendar so fast? You must have bought it on lunch break or something.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

I hope the newl ook Bruins enjoy their coming out party aka another beating at the hands of the Sens.

[Boon 0]

Max, niskie, I'll tell you guys what I said when Nomar got traded-

 

You cheer the team above the player.

[the max 0]

I absolutely agree, but this is different from the Nomar trade. This is a direct slap in the face of the fans that are supporting the team that they've almost given up on the season and it's only december. The Nomar trade was at the deadline at least and while controversial in the same ways, the reasoning was there and at least made some sense. Nomar was not needed to keep the offense alive, while Thornton was essentially carrying the offense on his back before he got dealt. It'd be more like Manny getting traded for Doug M. and Cabrera instead. That's the kind of impact this has.

[CanadianChris 0]

I agree with you about only having a few players that you like (although I'm surprised at Brad Boyes not being on your list. I think he's got a pretty bright future on this team) and have officially decided that I'll be back to rooting for Ottawa in the East as my #1A pick.

Welcome back!

[nl5xsk1 0]

I should have worded "calendar" differently, Max ... it's just their schedule, but in a calendar format so I can quickly see who they're playing & when. It's not a legit calendar.

 

And I gave thought to jumping on the Sens bandwagon, but a) I can't all of a sudden root for a team that I've been rooting against for the past few years ... b) don't want to jump to the best team in hockey and c) my friend Irene is already a die-hard Sens fan, and she'd give me neverending hell for liking her team. I'll tell you one thing, though, I'll be rooting for them each time Boston goes to Ottawa or vice versa. And I'm with you, I'll keep watching the games. But I'll watch Columbus vs. Phoenix if it's on. I like hockey enough to watch two teams that I'm apathetic about play each other.

 

At this point, I'm still kind of apathetic about Boyes. The other guys that I mentioned are players that I'd be a fan of even if they played on other teams. (e.g. if Murry or Boynton were traded, I'd root for them regardless of what sweater they were wearing). I like Boyes because he's a good, young player that should help the Bruins for years ... but if he played for Tampa instead of Boston, I wouldn't care about him that much. Technically, Leetch is a guy that I care about, too, but I wasn't dancing in the streets over the B's picking him up ... maybe if they'd gotten him 10 years ago.

 

Boon, I agree with you, to an extent: I root for the name on the front of the jersey more than the the name on the back. But at this point, I hate the owner; hate the GM; hate the coach; and dislike a fair amount of their players. Even if I try to overlook all of that, the fact of the matter is that Jacobs & MOC have repeatedly done things to DIRECTLY effect my ability to root for this team. And this just happens to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Plus, Max worded it perfectly ... this isn't a major trade that makes the team stronger ... this is a trade that makes the team substantially worse.

 

Lastly, I've been thinking if the B's are done trading or if this is the first of several moves ... I want to think it's the latter, but I really don't see how that's possible. They might have moved Thornton to clear up some cap room, but the $1.7-million difference isn't enough to justify this move. If they do move someone else (say, Murray or Toivenen) what are they going to get in return that will make a fan say, "see, that makes the Thornton trade worthwhile"?

 

EDIT: Damn, that was a long post. Sorry, all.

Edited December 1, 2005 by nl5xsk1

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

The Penguins seem to have realized that in order to score more goals, you must shoot the puck on net!

[Guest]

Some teams just have a hard time understanding that concept.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

Hopefully, the Hurricanes can get back their injured players this month and get back to winning. They have struggled the past few weeks with a couple of key players out with injuries.

[Guest]

I'm ready to see the Kings lose 8-0 against Ottawa tomorrow and then go to Montreal and lose 4-2. The Kings have no business being any higher than 6th until they deal for some actual offensive talent.

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Wow them new-look Bruins are beating Ottawa 2-0...

 

Real gut check time for the Sens as they're missing not only Redden but now Havlat for a few months.

[the max 0]

Hannu gets his first career shutout...against Ottawa.

 

I think this game was a mirage. I'm going to wake up tomorrow and find out that they got blown out 7-1, right?

 

Everyone played well and seemed to click. Sturm is streaky, but that line of Sturm/Bergeron/Boyes was the best line of the night. They were getting chance after chance and outplaying Ottawa's defense. The defense looked much improved, as they were all seemingly on the same page for once. Although I don't understand Gill wearing an 'A' unless it stands for 'Ass', he played--gulp--well. Boynton/Stuart was a good pairing.

 

And sure, they'll probably get rolled by the Oil on saturday, but I'll take what I can get. My fandom has been extended another week or so.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Oddly enough, the Pens lose when they probably played one of their best games of the season and only get a single goal out of it. They looked like they really started to click in the second period and never really let up, firing quite a few shots on Lundquist. None seemed to find the back of the cage, and that's not because they weren't good shots; Erik Christiansen looked like a man posessed. But, even with the loss, it looks like they've found a formula to generate more offense than they had been in the last few games. I hope they carry that over to Saturday and, preferrably, the rest of the season.

[Danville_Wrestling 0]

Toronto thrashes Atlanta again 4-0. No real surprises there, though.

[Brush with Greatness 0]

Now that you two have turned your backs on Beantown, I hope they continue to play like they did tonight and go on a tear. If that's the case, I would hope you would stick to your guns and constantly bemoan the team regardless.

 

I also hope that Brad Stuart re-establishes himself as one of the premier younger defencemen in the league. Only for the mere fact that the Bruins would be unable to sign him and he will then leave at the end of the season as an Unrestricted Free Agent.

 

I hate the Bruins (although I do like a few of their players).

[Guest]

I didn't know Stuart was a free agent which happens to make the Thornton trade even worse.

[nl5xsk1 0]

Brush with Greatness, there's no 'sticking to the guns' to worry about. I can only speak for myself, but I didn't go off on MOC & the B's for the fun of it. I'm really disappointed in the job he's done of 'rebuilding' a team that finished among the leaders in the East before the lockout.

 

Even when Murray is healthy & in the lineup, the team is literally 50% new players / 50% returning players, and the players that are new are NOT equal to what was lost. So, instead of building on what was already a good nucleus, he's blown it up and is restarting pretty much from scratch. And when Murray is injured, as he is now, the new look B's have a top line of: Samsonov/Zhamnov/Isbister. Two of those 3 guys are 2nd liners AT BEST.

 

And I won't 'bemoan' the team because I pretty much don't care about them anymore. Win or lose, it's all the same to me.

 

Having said all that, from what I saw, the team looked good last night. I'm happy for Hannu for shutting out the Sens, and I'm happy for the new guys for starting off strong. (If they'd had bad nights, and the B's got shelled, the fans would have turned on them and probably not forgiven them.) It's good to see that the shake-up trade accomplished it's goal, and shook the team up. Now let's just see if they can keep it up for any stretch of time.

[Red Baron 0]

Not only Montreal blew a two goal lead against Buffalo last night, but they only registered 14 shots the entire game.

 

Looks like its back to the Habs good ol playin days now.

[the max 0]

Now that you two have turned your backs on Beantown, I hope they continue to play like they did tonight and go on a tear. If that's the case, I would hope you would stick to your guns and constantly bemoan the team regardless.

 

I also hope that Brad Stuart re-establishes himself as one of the premier younger defencemen in the league. Only for the mere fact that the Bruins would be unable to sign him and he will then leave at the end of the season as an Unrestricted Free Agent.

 

I hate the Bruins (although I do like a few of their players).

 

I don't recall completely turning on Boston. I did say that I was still going to support them, but not as much though, so maybe that's what you're thinking on. They did play very well against Ottawa...for one game. Has this team turned it around? Maybe. They also slapped Toronto 5-1 a few games ago and came out flat for the rest of the week before Joe was dealt. This team is up and down. Whether or not they can sustain this high that they are on will prove whether or not this was a good trade or not.

[Cartman 0]

One positive thing:

 

Sturm, Stuart, and Primeau are happy being in Boston and are motivated.

 

Thornton was unhappy and definitely didnt show much effort or motivation this season.

 

Also the condition of Joe's back probably had alot to do with the "not getting enough in return".

[The Czech Republic 0]

Here's what will happen with this trade, because this is what happens with every fucking Boston sports trade:

 

1. Popular player leaves Boston.

2. Boston laments the loss of popular player, team will never be the same.

3. Team does okay without popular player.

4. Boston celebrates and declares it never even liked that shitty player anyway.

[Cartman 0]

DEAD on correct.

 

I like Joe alot, hope he does well elsewhere.