Pre-Game Talk: Lightning

[KlimasLoveChild]

I expect a good effort tonight. I think they are about at the threshold in embarrassment required for them to get fired up and I'm talking about the ones who should feel lucky to have a job. I could be wrong... last time it took almost losing their meal ticket to show a pulse.

I'd start a conveyer belt to Bakersfield with the bottom six or seven guys on our roster. Bring up some guys with a little bit of hunger. I wouldn't do it all at once but I don't want any of these guys taking an easy step. You never know we may get lucky and off load some dead weight permanently.

 

[bone]

Smith wasn't very good, he just happened to be better than Markstrom in round 2. Then a real team came along and put the Oilers in their place. This team is capable of actually shutting teams down but they just make egregious errors at the worst possible times.


I'm still not going to worry too much about them. It just would be nice to get some depth scoring more often than once every three games. Yeah they need to be better in their own end but honestly who doesn't?

Campbell certainly isn't as bad as he's been playing but they need him to shape up and quick because a bad November could spell doom on the season. Luckily this division is trash save for Vegas.

And even Vegas is propped up a bit by a fairly soft schedule to start the year with only 8 of their first 24 opponents being playoff finalists from last year. Meanwhile only 8 of Edmonton's first 24 opponents weren't playoff teams and 4 of those 8 games are vs. New Jersey x2 (Currently 3rd in the league overall), Vegas (currently 2nd overall), Islanders (currently 9th overall).

Granted some of Vegas "softer" opponents also have started well (Seattle, Winnipeg) but no question they've gotten an easier start and full marks to them taking advantage of it. The question for them will remain their health though, and if the injuries start creeping back into the lineup once their schedules stiffens up.
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edit to add

Took it a step further. Only 12 of Vegas' first 35 opponents were in the playoffs last year while only 12 of Edmonton's first 36 opponents missed playoffs last year.

 

[Mez]

What's the over/under for Tampa PP% tonight? I'm gonna put it at 95%


6pp goals on 4 pp shots

 

[McAsuno]

What's the over/under for Tampa PP% tonight? I'm gonna put it at 95%

Today’s NHL Referees and Linesmen – 11/8/22

Rolling into Tuesday with an 11-game National Hockey League slate. Here are tonight’s NHL Referees and Linesmen for November 8, 2022:

scoutingtherefs.com

5-1 record officiating TBL for the Mitch Dunning guy, so it's gonna be a swell game tonight.