Observations XVI

[NSH615]

So we get Tim Peel tonight so expect an embellishment call. And with tonight's refs we have a combined 2-3 record one of the refs we are 0-2 under this year. Winnpeg is 4-0 under that same ref and has a combined record of 6-3 with the refs from tonight.

 

[MrJoshua]

Fiddler has zero business on this roster. He is by far the worst player on the roster. I'd take Ribeiro over him.

Sorry; I meant Fisher with PAP and Smith, not Fiddler.

 

[originalpredfan]

Just saw these posts. I find it quite amusing the concern over "getting Smith going". The only concern about getting him going should be getting him going to Las Vegas.

 

[Mortiest Morty]

Just saw these posts. I find it quite amusing the concern over "getting Smith going". The only concern about getting him going should be getting him going to Las Vegas.

Ha, no kidding. Make sure Vegas picks him, trade him for another bad contract, put him in a cannon and fire him to the moon. Whatever, just get him out of the lineup and off the team. Take out his great hot streak to close last season and you're left with about 120+ games worth of pretty much nothing.

 

[PREDilection]

Good... Good... Let the Smith hate flow through you...

 

[wadesworld]

Just saw these posts. I find it quite amusing the concern over "getting Smith going". The only concern about getting him going should be getting him going to Las Vegas.

Smith has been awful this year, but let's be fair. He did have 3 seasons of 20 goals. Golden boy Wilson, while he has been much better than Smith this year, can't claim that. In fact, Wilson has been pretty terrible the past 3 seasons, except some brief hot streaks in the playoffs.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm perfectly OK with letting Smith go to Las Vegas. But if we were to look at more than just this year, Jarnkrok or Wilson would be more deserving of being gone.

 

[Drake744]

Whatever the case, I was hoping between Arvidsson, Wilson, Smith and Jarnkrok that we'd have someone distinguish themselves as both a must-keep and unnecessary, and that's exactly what's happened. Arvidsson has played incredibly and has been a must have, and Smith has proven himself as useless. We now have a direction to aim for going forward regarding Vegas.

 

[Mortiest Morty]

Smith has been awful this year, but let's be fair. He did have 3 seasons of 20 goals. Golden boy Wilson, while he has been much better than Smith this year, can't claim that. In fact, Wilson has been pretty terrible the past 3 seasons, except some brief hot streaks in the playoffs.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm perfectly OK with letting Smith go to Las Vegas. But if we were to look at more than just this year, Jarnkrok or Wilson would be more deserving of being gone.

That's not true, Smith is very nearly the most sheltered forward in the entire NHL and outside of his hot streak in the final ~20 games last year, he has been terrible the last 125+ games. He's been on a clear trajectory downward ever since his 2nd full season and there is no sign of that turning around. If Wilson got the same cupcake minutes he'd at least produce the same offensive numbers I'm sure, and I'm not super high on Wilson myself. Hell, if you gave Jarnkrok nothing but pure offensive and PP minutes, I bet he'd top 20 goals.

 

[bdub24]

So we get Tim Peel tonight so expect an embellishment call. And with tonight's refs we have a combined 2-3 record one of the refs we are 0-2 under this year. Winnpeg is 4-0 under that same ref and has a combined record of 6-3 with the refs from tonight.

I wish Peel would just retire. There was an equally antipreds ref (think his name started with a D) who absolutely raped us in the playoffs in 2011..I think it was Vancouver just pummeling Rinne with no calls.

 

[Pred303]

This is a drinking man's team. A team capable of great highs and great lows. Makes every night 'interesting'.

 

[PredsV82]

I was thinking its more like a BASE jumpers team.... massive adrenalin rushes mixed with disaster

Remember when the roller coaster rides used to come in the offseason?

Now we get them just about every night.

Those who wanted change made because they were tired of boring hockey sure have got their wish

 

[David Singleton]

This is a drinking man's team. A team capable of great highs and great lows. Makes every night 'interesting'.

All in the same game, or period.

 

[hockey diva]

I think that sums up the evening.

 

[Viqsi]

I think that sums up the evening.

 

[token grinder]

All in the same game, or period.

nah, same shift a lot of times.

 

[token grinder]

While that is important, I don't think that should be the deciding part when he is terribad everywhere else.

I would rather him win that faceoff and clear the puck and burn 20 seconds of PK time than lose it, spend a minute chasing in the zone and giving up a PP goal. Seems a fair trade there. You just don't play him at ES.

 

[MrJoshua]

Great hit by Ellis there in the third. I hate that the Jets players got hurt on it because it seemed like a clean shoulder-to-chest check, the kind of hit you want to see in a hockey game.

I've thought for a couple of years (although I don't think I've ever posted it because I figured it would be ridiculed) that Ellis is basically Weber-lite. He lacks the intimidation factor because of his size, but they play similar games. Good positional play. Decent skaters but not really fast, although I think Ellis has improved some there. Booming, heavy shot from the point. I think Ellis is a better passer while Weber has a heavier shot, but still similar styles. Ellis doesn't throw as many hits because of his size and struggles some against larger players, while Shea can go toe-to-toe with basically anyone.

But he's a stout kid. I know that everyone (including me) wants to see what Subban and Josi could do paired together, but I have really come around to enjoying the Josi-Ellis pairing. These guys are playing some excellent hockey together. And in the playoffs I'm expecting both top pairs to see 27-28 minutes a night with the third pairing seeing some PK time and a handful of even-strength shifts. Which means you'll have Josi or Subban on the ice basically every shift of the game, and that's some kind of luxury to have.

 

[nomorekids]

Stu and Willy's full time job has shifted from pumping the tires of Cody McLeod, Austin Watson and Matt Irwin to making excuses for Rinne and assuring the viewer that despite the 4 goals on 20 shots, he's actually playing a really great game.

We had two of the worst starters in the NHL putting on a display last night. Simple as that.

 

[Mortiest Morty]

Stu and Willy's full time job has shifted from pumping the tires of Cody McLeod, Austin Watson and Matt Irwin to making excuses for Rinne and assuring the viewer that despite the 4 goals on 20 shots, he's actually playing a really great game.

We had two of the worst starters in the NHL putting on a display last night. Simple as that.

No doubt about it.

 

[Armourboy]

Although I have noticed that while Stu does try to cheer him he has started giving us more of an indication of a weak goal which he used to never do at all. It's subtle, and he never says, Rinne with a horrible goal, but if you read between the lines he does say that it was weak.

Even though is seriously dislike Stu, in a way I can't blame him. His hold on that job can't be that great, especially with a guy like Mason around, so in the back of your mind you don't want to put yourself in jeopardy. I'm also sure being a former player he understands what it is like to interact with guys that are giving you the business media wise and doesn't want to create that situation.

Problem is he is just so bleh that it comes off as him just being stupid and blind most of the time.

 

[BigFatCat999]

This is a drinking man's team. A team capable of great highs and great lows. Makes every night 'interesting'.

And every day afterwards hangover hell.


Just a note. StL's schedule is pretty easy from here on out but for LAK it's not that great. LAK's schedule:

Rest of this week: ARZ & BUF at home easy. Then, 4 games next week against teams fighting for playoff spots: Calgary, Edmonton, Jets, Rangers. The next week, both battle of Alberta teams and then the Nucks which should be easy. Then the week after is 4 games in a week: ARZ, EDM, CGY, CHI B2B with Ducks.

Preds have a 7 pt buffer on the Kings. I'm not as scared about making the playoffs.

 

[Paranoid Android]

Yeah it would take a royal screw up to miss at this point.

I didn't realize however that Edmonton has been slipping lately. We could very well end up in the Pacific division again with the WC1 spot.

 

[token grinder]

And every day afterwards hangover hell.


Just a note. StL's schedule is pretty easy from here on out but for LAK it's not that great. LAK's schedule:

Rest of this week: ARZ & BUF at home easy. Then, 4 games next week against teams fighting for playoff spots: Calgary, Edmonton, Jets, Rangers. The next week, both battle of Alberta teams and then the Nucks which should be easy. Then the week after is 4 games in a week: ARZ, EDM, CGY, CHI B2B with Ducks.

Preds have a 7 pt buffer on the Kings. I'm not as scared about making the playoffs.

There are no easy games. Arizona, they are playing some good hockey right now. They are beating bad teams and hanging in there with playoff ones right now. Would not shock me to see them win tonight. Those kids are maturing and those vets are playing for jobs next year. Same in Vancouver. Remember how much they suck? They punched us in the mouth a couple times. Same with Detroit, Buffalo, etc. They may not have more talent, but they all can work and win games.

 

[Mortiest Morty]

Yeah it would take a royal screw up to miss at this point.

I didn't realize however that Edmonton has been slipping lately. We could very well end up in the Pacific division again with the WC1 spot.

Difference is that it'll be San Jose instead of Anaheim this time. Not good for the Preds.

 

[drwpreds]

And every day afterwards hangover hell.


Just a note. StL's schedule is pretty easy from here on out but for LAK it's not that great. LAK's schedule:

Rest of this week: ARZ & BUF at home easy. Then, 4 games next week against teams fighting for playoff spots: Calgary, Edmonton, Jets, Rangers. The next week, both battle of Alberta teams and then the Nucks which should be easy. Then the week after is 4 games in a week: ARZ, EDM, CGY, CHI B2B with Ducks.

Preds have a 7 pt buffer on the Kings. I'm not as scared about making the playoffs.

LA plays Arizona tonight at home so if they win that one we would have a 5 point lead on them with 13 games left for both teams. Still a little too close for comfort for me.

And you are correct, St Louis’ remaining schedule may be the easiest closing schedule for a team fighting for playoffs in the history of hockey.

The Blues have two tough games next- at Anaheim and at San Jose. It would really help us if they lost both of them. Because after that their schedule is ridiculously easy.

Of their final 12 games, 10 are against non-playoff teams. And the two vs playoff teams are against Calgary and the Preds- so they have zero games against elite teams.

And not only that, 7 of those 10 against non-playoff teams are against Colorado, Arizona and Vancouver. While I agree 100% there is no such thing as a guaranteed win in the NHL, it doesn’t get any easier than that. Arizona is still battling but Colorado and Vancouver seem to have packed it in. Because of that I really think it is going to be tough for us to hang on to 3rd in the division.

The interesting thing in the playoff race is the Pacific- Calgary has won 10 in a row and has passed Anaheim and Edmonton. And suddenly Edmonton is now getting close to being in danger of missing.

What it boils down to is 3 teams are locks (Minn, Chic, SJ). And 6 teams (Nashville, STL, Calgary, Edmonton, Anaheim, LA) fighting for 5 spots.

Bottom line we are still in pretty good shape but we need to keep winning and hope LA doesn’t get hot.