Around the League 2017-18

[Gm0ney]

Here's the Forward aging curve in terms of shot generation and scoring chances, with the years SJS would be buying at $7M a piece highlighted in a cautionary orange:

 

[Gm0ney]

Hi, blues fan here, I've been going around the different team forums trying to get kind of overall reports on different player's styles of play, and I was wondering if you guys could help me out by kind of giving me scouting reports on Myers, Scheifele, Connor, and Armia. I'm asking because I'm trying to learn more than just the names around the league, I want to learn how they actually play. Thanks!

Myers: 28-year-old right-shooting defenseman. Tall! Long stick! Not great in his own zone. Passes into teammates' feet a lot. Prone to a bit of panic in his own end. Good skating with the puck. Pretty good in the offensive zone. Can dangle and shoot and hold the line. Borderline 2nd pair. Good on the 3rd pairing.

Scheifele: 25-year-old right-shooting center. An elite C in the league. Big, but not terribly well-balanced. Fast. Good along the boards. Great playmaker. Very high hockey IQ. Great shooter. Kills penalties for some reason. Not bad defensively but not what you'd call a 2-way C right now. Student of the game - a future Yzerman.

Connor: 21 year old left-shooting winger. Fast and skilled, like a more north-south Ehlers. Good shot, and hands around the net. Smart. A little lost in his own zone. Benefited from playing with Wheeler and Scheifele all year but fit in well with them. Solid Top 6 winger at 21...sky's the limit.

Armia: 24-year-old right-shooting winger. Thinks defense-first in his role on the Jets, anyway. His line's job is to wear down the other team and not get scored on (checking line). Good on the cycle and along the boards. Good defensively. Strong on the backcheck. A bit snakebitten around the net. Sometimes disappears for a stretch - just does nothing noticeable for a few games, then he's suddenly back doing good things all over the ice. Top 9 checking winger with some offensive upside maybe.

 

[TheChamber91]

Myers: 28-year-old right-shooting defenseman. Tall! Long stick! Not great in his own zone. Passes into teammates' feet a lot. Prone to a bit of panic in his own end. Good skating with the puck. Pretty good in the offensive zone. Can dangle and shoot and hold the line. Borderline 2nd pair. Good on the 3rd pairing.

Scheifele: 25-year-old right-shooting center. An elite C in the league. Big, but not terribly well-balanced. Fast. Good along the boards. Great playmaker. Very high hockey IQ. Great shooter. Kills penalties for some reason. Not bad defensively but not what you'd call a 2-way C right now. Student of the game - a future Yzerman.

Connor: 21 year old left-shooting winger. Fast and skilled, like a more north-south Ehlers. Good shot, and hands around the net. Smart. A little lost in his own zone. Benefited from playing with Wheeler and Scheifele all year but fit in well with them. Solid Top 6 winger at 21...sky's the limit.

Armia: 24-year-old right-shooting winger. Thinks defense-first in his role on the Jets, anyway. His line's job is to wear down the other team and not get scored on (checking line). Good on the cycle and along the boards. Good defensively. Strong on the backcheck. A bit snakebitten around the net. Sometimes disappears for a stretch - just does nothing noticeable for a few games, then he's suddenly back doing good things all over the ice. Top 9 checking winger with some offensive upside maybe.

Thanks! Could someone do one for Ehlers too (I forgot to include him).

 

[Gm0ney]

Thanks! Could someone do one for Ehlers too (I forgot to include him).

He's like a European Kyle Connor!

22-year-old left shooting winger. Amazing skater and stickhandler. Often rushes the puck end-to-end and skates circles around the offensive zone. Still waiting for him to produce more from those forays - he sometimes runs out of options on those plays and just takes a low-threat shot. But he's elite at zone entries (Top 10 in the league?). Probably just an average shot overall? We get spoiled watching Laine and Scheifele shoot so maybe that's a bit of a harsh assessment of his shot. Always thinking offense. A little lackadaisical in his own zone. Very good Top 6 winger.

 

[None]

Watching the ECF and it's surprising how little obstruction there is. It makes me a little disappointed in how round 1 against Minnesota and round 2 against Nashville went as far as how much the clutching was getting ignored.

The first penalty against Tampa wouldn't have been called in any of the games the Jets played.


Edit: I said that earlier, but now that Washington has a 2-0 lead they're playing pretty much the same way Nashville did whenever they had a lead.

And Tampa's playing exhausted and stupid like the Jets were against Vegas. Goal 3 was a terrible line change.

It's not a great narrative, but it's looking like all 3 Vezina finalists are going to be eliminated without reaching the Cup final. There was talk that Vasilevskiy was getting shaky towards January, I've heard that most fans were blaming Cooper for overplaying him.

Of the 3 finalists Rinne played the fewest games with 59, Vasilevskiy second most with 65, and finally Helle with 67. The 2 goalies that are going to the finals (assuming Washington doesn't choke in the 3rd period) have played 54 (Holtby) and 46 (MAF). I wonder if Hellebuyck could've stolen a few more games in the playoffs if he had 10 fewer games played in the regular season.

 

[ps241]

Well unless I give the Caps the kiss of death they will be facing Vegas. I think that sets up a more interesting story line in that you either have Ovi finally winning his first cup or you have the upstarts from Vegas giving the atomic wedgie to most of the GM's in the league.

 

[DRW204]

Well unless I give the Caps the kiss of death they will be facing Vegas. I think that sets up a more interesting story line in that you either have Ovi finally winning his first cup or you have the upstarts from Vegas giving the atomic wedgie to most of the GM's in the league.

Mcphee vs his old club

 

[cbcwpg]

I remember posting a link from TSN predicting Winnipeg VS Tampa in the final...wrong. Shows what the experts know.

Washington .... beat the crap out of Vegas... do this one thing.

 

[DRW204]

Cmon Ovie win it all

 

[KingBogo]

Ovie having his 1st chance at the cup at least equals the LV Cinderella story line. Go Caps!

 

[kanadalainen]

Go Caps!!

 

[Guardian17]

So we play a Game 7 and have to start the next series 48 hours later.

The Caps win Game 7 and don't play until 5 days later.​

 

[Daximus]

So we play a Game 7 and have to start the next series 48 hours later.

The Caps win Game 7 and don't play until 5 days later.​

I'm rooting for Ovi here. The extra rest may be harder on Vegas. Caps will be rested but Vegas will be beyond rested.

 

[HannuJ]

I remember posting a link from TSN predicting Winnipeg VS Tampa in the final...wrong. Shows what the experts know.

they accurately predicted 2 teams that made their respective conference finals. that's pretty good.

 

[Board Bard]

I'm rooting for Ovi here. The extra rest may be harder on Vegas. Caps will be rested but Vegas will be beyond rested.

I get a feeling Vegas won't repeat their suckage from game 1 vs. Jets. They're at home too so Ovi will feel like he's at a pool party. That will put one of Cinderella's toes in the glass slipper. Since she lost one in a rat-eradication accident, that'll only leave three to go.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Report: NHL will introduce new ‘smart puck’ to track real-time data

The National Hockey League (NHL) plans to introduce a smart puck, according to Dave Lehanski, senior vice president of business developments and global partnerships at the NHL.

***

As long as it doesn't "glow" on my TV screen they can do whatever they want.

There are times I wouldn't mind having it glow. Maybe that's just my old eyes.

 

[Saintb]

Interesting to me that both Cup finalists have a goon in their starting lineups.

 

[Board Bard]

Interesting to me that both Cup finalists have a goon in their starting lineups.

And for Winnipeg he's behind the bench, you mean?

 

[Gm0ney]

I expect Vegas to roll over the Caps.

 

[Duke749]

I expect Vegas to roll over the Caps.

Of their luck continues sure.

 

[Maukkis]

Playoff PDO chart after three rounds

Matchup	Winning team PDO	Losing team PDO
PIT vs PHI	106.7	93.3
WSH vs CBJ	99.4	100.6
BOS vs TOR	100.6	99.4
TB vs NJ	102.3	97.7
NSH vs COL	101.4	98.6
WPG vs MIN	102.1	97.9
VGK vs LAK	104.7	95.3
SJ vs ANA	109.4	90.6
---------------	Round 2	--------------------
WSH vs PIT	103.4	96.6
TB vs BOS	101.9	98.1
WPG vs NSH	101.7	98.3
VGK vs SJ	103.9	96.1
---------------	Round 3	--------------------
WSH vs TBL	102.9	97.1
VGK vs WPG	105.5	94.5
Total matchups	PDO win record	Obvious?
14	13-1	Kind of

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The highest PDO for a regular season team this year was 102.0.

Just guess which team is the only one to have eclipsed that number in every round?

 

[Gm0ney]

WSH has eclipsed the season average PDO for the last couple of rounds, finishing 2nd to Vegas' 1st in PDO in both. They're the two highest PDO teams left standing.

VGK is #1 throughout the playoffs with an average PDO of 104.7.
WSH is the 4th highest PDO team with an average of 101.9.
The Jets were the 8th luckiest on average with a PDO of 99.4.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

WSH has eclipsed the season average PDO for the last couple of rounds, finishing 2nd to Vegas' 1st in PDO in both. They're the two highest PDO teams left standing.

VGK is #1 throughout the playoffs with an average PDO of 104.7.
WSH is the 4th highest PDO team with an average of 101.9.
The Jets were the 8th luckiest on average with a PDO of 99.4.

Well, they are the only teams left standing so ........

 

[Romang67]

Fun "fact": If Vegas wins, the Leafs lost to the team which lost to the team which lost to the team which lost the SCF, officially making them the losingest loser in the playoffs.

 

[KingBogo]

I expect Vegas to roll over the Caps.

I think you might just be surprised on this one.