Re: NHL 2011/2012 Thread
 

:lol:lol:lol

I was waiting for you to grab that post.

Re: NHL 2011/2012 Thread
 

Viktor Stalberg is all of a sudden looking like a very dangerous man on the puck.

A loss tonight would have been pretty embarrassing. It's kind of hard to be too excited about that win because the horribly sloppy play continues. The PP completely lacked urgency early in the game, getting few good looks and giving up shorthanded chances on each PP it seems. Is this team ever going to learn to be cognizant of when their PP's are ending? Every game they give a breakaway or two out of the box. Not to mention the sloppy play and turnovers in the middle of the ice leading to breakaways and 2-on-1's. Crawford didn't face that many shots but it seemed like each one was a wide open look. Pretty pathetic defensive showing, and this team looked pretty dreadful after Duncan Keith got hurt. If they have to play Lepisto every game, this team is going to have to score a ton of goals to compete. That guy has no sense of when to pinch in and when to stay the fuck at home.

Toews is completely snake-bit right now, though. He cannot buy a goal or an assist or anything.

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I hate your team so much, just know that. :lol

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I disagree with lots and lots of this.

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:lol:thumbsup

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I'm surprised you guys are so "happy" with the team. They have looked so ridiculously sloppy and the turnovers are eventually going to lead to more goals. Crawford has saved their asses many, many times on odd-man rushes and breakaways. And if Keith goes down for a while, the D is in big trouble. People seem to still be all over him this season, but as soon as he was out of the game the D just seemed to break down completely.

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:lol:lol

I'm okay with that. Just so you know I'm not a big Chicago fan either.

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What do you disagree with? The ridiculous giveaways leading to 2-on-1's and breakaways? The sloppy defensive play? Toews not scoring in, what, 4 games?

I agree that this team will eventually get it together and they can be a dominant team. They have all the pieces. But I am definitely worried if Keith goes down for a while.

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Go look at their last 3 Octobers. They never ever, ever play well in October. They have clearly not played their best, but when they have, they have won pretty handily. If this were last years team, they would not be 7-2-2. More like 4-5-2. When you throw in the fact that the 2 OT losses are Free Throw competition losses, and one of the losses came on the first game of the year; for the Hawks to be 7-2-2 is awesome because they are finding ways to win, and they have gotten better every year.

and with the talent on this team, and if the PP plays the way they did tonight, they won't stay at the bottom of the league. With the PK as sexy as it is, the PP doesn't need to be the best, just average.

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:thumbsup Agreed. Team just will keep getting better as time goes on. I'm not expecting Keith to miss much (if any) time. Leddy keeps growing up and I love watching it. Seabs needs to improve, but he will, just like last year.

Toews will start putting up points. Stalberg has all the tools to be a top 6, he just needs to put it all together. Frolik is getting better as the season, Bolland has been great for the most part, etc. I really love this team.

Moved into a tie for 1st in the West with that win, BTW.

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with Edmonton

:lol

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Plus, I'm guessing we're gonna see Ben Smith up in Chicago soon. Scott/Olesz won't be here all season, I don't think. Too much talent in Rockford to keep roster spots taken up by those bums.

Teams take time to gel, and those little mistakes happen on every single team every year. This team is looking great through the first portion of this season.

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Circus. Trip.

This team always comes together and goes balls to the walls the rest of the year after that trip.

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As long as the bruins are in the Nhl no other team has to worry about having the worst power play.

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after going 0 for 7 tonight, the Hawks are 8.889% on the power play, 2nd worst in the league :lol

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I was going to say something about the Circus Trip. They always bond then. Except last year when they had a team trip to Vegas at the end of it and came out looking like they were hungover for a week :lol

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Keith is day-to-day and "not serious".

Nice.

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I remember the year went to the Conference Finals and the year we won we played like shit going into the Circus Trip, killed it on the Circus Trip, and then went absolutely nuts in December.

Schwing

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I totally agree that getting points and wins out of these games has been huge, especially with the team not playing at its best. Still, they have been really sloppy and a bit careless lately (Carolina made them pay, and they looked horrible after 2 periods tonight).

I hope Keith doesn't miss any time but I'm guessing he'll be out against Florida. Leddy has stepped up big but he's still not exactly top pairing material. Disagree about Seabs. He doesn't have the points but that's not his job. He has been pretty solid in the defensive zone, and I loved when he rubbed out one of Nash's players behind the net and then grabbed the puck and cleared it on the 5-on-3. Strong, strong move.

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:lol Yeah, that was pretty awesome. That year was so much fun.

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Take 1 guess at the team below them. :lol

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:lol:lol:lol

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St. Louis.


Not a guess.


Boston is 12%. I wish the Hawks were 12% :lol

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Ah you're right. I forgot about the pp goal the bruins scored 2 games ago where bergeron face planted on the faceoff and plekanec won the draw and put it past carey price. That's the only reason the bruins have clawed their way up to 12%.

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the Hawks could have scored on half their PPs tonight if Rinne wasn't a god. It's not often a goalie allows 5 and you say he was stellar.

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Ya we really could have put up 15 tonight and had this been this sunday against Luongo that probably would have happened! When was the last time we have scored 5-on-3 by the way? That's one area where we are usually pretty dreadful which baffles me with the amount of talent we put out on a PP. Another nice game from Craw despite the 4 goals, can't really fault him for any of those and 2 clutch breakaway stops.

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Indeed it was two very solid showings from both goalies last night. Each one kept their respective teams in the game. If it were two lesser goalies the score would've been 15-7 instead of 5-4.

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When the Rangers actually have their heads in the game and keep it in the game, they play a tough game. They dominated the Sharks last night.

Now, we obviously do not need Avery to win, as we proved that last night with snapping the Sharks 5 game win streak. But, Avery adds something to the team and obviously to the fan base. The fans love him as apparent by the banners hung at the Garden and the chants for Avery. It will be interesting to see what he does when (if) he comes back on Thursday.

Oh, and what the hell is up with Thornton calling us a soft team? Really? :lol:lol:lol

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Joe Thornton callling the Rangers soft is like Osama Bin Laden complaining about Japanese kamikazes as inhumane. Callahan, Dubinsky, Staal, not to mention Avery when he isn't shouting racist remarks.

The Rangers suck but in no wAy are they soft.

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And it's one thing to call them soft after beating them. But after you've just lost to them 5-2? Joke's on you, Jumbo Joe.

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Now if Joe was making a comparison about how both teams have choked in the playoffs then he would be onto something.

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Bruins!!!

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Ducks choked away a nice 3-0 lead in the 2nd to the Caps tonight. Great regular season team, they look like they do every other year. Amazing that they somehow manage to fall apart in the playoffs every time. San Jose's the same way, I guess.

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Finally a break for the Pens. Sid took a hit in practice the other day. That is huge news. My guess Sid graces us with his appearance November 11th at home against the Stars.

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Not like any are here but wanted to through it out there. I'm guessing Wings fans who were pissing and moaning back in 2010 about Leino being given up for a mid-round pick aren't now. After those playoffs he's done nothing.

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I've never agreed with lamenters doing the whole "why did we trade him?!" when a former player happens to perform well on his new team. Sometimes the system, the coaches, the players, the organization, the city, etc. just aren't right for a certain player and it's beneficial for both the player and the team to move him.

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Nothing? He had a solid 2010-11 season. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a season that makes you go, we have to give this guy $4.5m a year but it was still solid.

Repeat after me: Sample size. It's 10 games, you can't really make any conclusions about his time with Buffalo at this point.

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The way it's going Sid will come back, and then Fleury will get hit by a bus the next morning.

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Patrick Eaves scored 13 goals and played 18 less games than Ville last year and did that on the 4th line. How much Ville was the team he was with? Sorry if you get $4.5mil I have expectations that are higher than Ben Eager even if it is 10 games. He didn't perform well enough to earn ice time in Detroit which is why it wasn't tough to send him away and now he's not performing well enough to earn his salary.

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*Buys a bus*

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I mean, those are all interesting points but kind of irrelevan to my point.. Eaves scored 13 goals. To go with his 7 assists. Sorry but that's not even close to the same kind of production as Ville's 53 points, even in 18 more games.

And this season Eaves has nada in 6 games? What has he done since last year? Nothing.

All I'm sayin is that there's no way to make any kind of evaluation with any kind of predictive relevance this early in the season.

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Wow, what an unbelievable start for the Flyers tonight.

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Miller continues to choke against the Flyers.

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Kimmo Timonen is a shot blocking machine.

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Buffalo creeping back in. Huge PP right here.

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Patrick Kaleta is a piece of shit. He's worse than Sean Avery.

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Great start. Good win. Bryz was a beast in the 3rd and the final minute.

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were they shooting beach balls?

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Not last night. Only the little black discs. At least for a period last night, he showed why he was brought here.

lollermiller.

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Yeah Bryz was a stud last night. The Flyers are getting hit with some very unfortunate bounces that have found their way into the net. The good thing about this though is the fact that they have responded well when it happens. Although its very noticeable that they miss Pronger.

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Miller had a 2 game span earlier this season where he was great, otherwise, he's been pretty close to awful.

Bryz played his ass off. Both goals that got by were off odd bounces.

Only positive I got out of that game as a Buffalo fan was Roy finally showed up to the 2011-2012 season.

Oh, that and I won trivia night at the bar after the game. Hello open bar tab to drink my Buffalo sorrows away.

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Re: NHL 2011/2012 Thread
 

This has to mean Suter is gone. No way they keep Weber, Rinne, and Suter. They'll be making close to 20 mil.

Re: NHL 2011/2012 Thread
 

That's what I was thinking. Especially as an UFA and Weber is an RFA. You can take your time with him and not really have to worry much. I'd take Suter here when Lidstrom retires.

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How about those Maple Leafs?

Kessel 1st in points. Lupul tied for 3rd. I don't expect it to continue but it sure is nice at moment.

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Am I the only one that is baffled by the obnoxious goalie contracts? Since the lockout, only a handful of these highly paid goalies have taken their team to the Final. While solid goaltending is important, its definitely not nearly as crucial as it used to be. Anything over a cap hit around $5 mil a year for 6 years just seems excessive to me.

Re: NHL 2011/2012 Thread
 

Brodeur should retire

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I should clarify, solid goaltending is, and always will be, important. However it can be had at a much cheaper price these days. The days of the "elite" goaltender is becoming a thing of the past.

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The preds would have been better off keeping suter and weber and finding a cheaper alternative between the pipes.

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They always seem to find their goalie. Vokoun, Mason, Ellis, Rinne all have been good while there.

Re: NHL 2011/2012 Thread
 

Just re-signed Rinne to a 7 year $49 million dollar contract which is the largest in our franchise history.

http://predators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=598714

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I think Suter just became the odd man out. Which is too bad, he's one of the more underrated d-men in the league. He'll get a lovely contract somewhere else.

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Pat Kaleta suspended 4 games for head-butting.

Given his history, I (as a Sabres fan) feel like this is the right call.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=598758

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Should have been twice as long. 3rd time he's pulled this shit in 13 months. Sorry, but 4 games is just not enough. He clearly doesn't get it.

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Should have been 10 games. First time I think they got this one wrong. Kaleta is scum.

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I feel like Suter without Weber is like Robin without Batman...who gives a shit.

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I always hate long term deals with goalies. They rarely work out well.

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He doesn't have the all-around game that Weber has, but decent in his own right. I would agree with the Batman/Robin assessment, but I would definitely give a shit if Suter was available for the Avs to pick up.

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Suter will be overpaid, and he won't be nearly as good without Weber.

Re: NHL 2011/2012 Thread
 

That's why I said as a Sabres fan, I want him back as soon as possible.

This suspension could've and probably should've been longer. Yet, alot of Sabres fans on a board I read are saying "OH NO! NO WAY THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN MORE THAN 2 GAMES!!! DID YOU SEE WHAT GETS YOU SUSPENDED FOR 2 GAMES?!?! HITS THAT INJURE!!!"

They're also trying to say "you can't hold his past against him with this."..... why the hell not? It's happened multiple times in the last year.

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I totally agree with you. He may not be as good as Weber but he's a very good defenseman in his own right. Perhaps being out from under Weber's shadow will allow him to become noticed even more.

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Meh. I'll pass. Guy is absolutely solid but will be overpaid and won't be as productive once he's separated from Weber. He'll become one of "those guys".

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Hate playing in these dead ass SE buildings.

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Yet another mediocre effort early on from the Hawks. Very lucky to be up 1-0. This team needs to start dominating these mediocre clubs.

On the positive side, Leddy looks surprisingly solid out there without Keith.

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Leddy and Keith are too similar a player. 2 and 7 should be paired up and Leddy should be with Hammer.

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yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.

Hawks really turned it up. I hate hitting the post.

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it's also not October anymore, so Toews can finally start playing well.

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Much better 2nd period, so far. Though the pressure has subsided a bit now that they've got a 2-goal lead. :rolleyes

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...as it naturally would. They can't go balls to the walls for 60 minutes every single game.

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What?!?!?!?!

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The Panthers have 27 shots to the Hawks 22 tonight. They need to stop playing down to the competition and dominate somebody. I just want to see 60 minutes of good, quality hockey. They went to sleep with the 2-0 lead and have paid for it with a goal.

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and the goddamn power play just won't score a goal

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The PP is horrible. The sloppy, careless playing in their own zone is just sad to see. They are also tryin to be way too cute with the passing. Get more pucks to the net, good things will happen.

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Honestly Crawford is the only reason the Hawks are in the lead tonight.

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PP is truly awful

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it's not as bad as the stats would show. Once they get one, it may never stop.

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Agreed but one skater impending moving up ice was ugly

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well shit

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What a joke of an effort tonight. 3rd time they've given up the lead late this year.

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Moooooooooooooooooooooooose

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10 points in 12 games this year. Just win it.

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Bolland again....RUH ROH :eek

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aww hell yeah. 5 or 6 of the Hawks wins this year would have very very possibly been losses last season, especially in October of last year. I can't wait for the Circus Trip for this team to go Ape Shit.

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I love kane

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Take the 2 points and run.

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:thumbsup

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Seriously though I love Bolland.....but not in a shootout

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I think I'm going to invest in the package. I hate not being able to watch.

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Sup bitches