2023-24 NHL Season Thread

[Cowtown]

I mean they have Cody Cece. Leafs and senators reject

They're paying Nurse $10.4 million, so they're pretty much forced to sign players like Ceci. Sure, Ceci's no Nicklas Lidstrom - or even a Chris Tanev - but he doesn't throw games away like Nurse. Living where I do I get virtually all the Oiler (and Flames) games. And he's honestly been playing better than he did in either of those two hockey wastelands.

 

[BlazeOrange]

Did Bettman declare Embellishment as a point of emphasis during the playoffs? Seems to be alot of calls for it.

I agree with the concept, but not sure how I feel about it when it is called in response to an actual penalty that was also called. Maybe if it was just a 1-minute penalty instead of an offsetting foul.

 

[Cusefan95]

Did Bettman declare Embellishment as a point of emphasis during the playoffs? Seems to be alot of calls for it.

I agree with the concept, but not sure how I feel about it when it is called in response to an actual penalty that was also called. Maybe if it was just a 1-minute penalty instead of an offsetting foul.

I could probably count on one hand (with fingers left to spare) the number of times I’ve ever seen embellishment called where I agreed with it. I’ve seen diving called much more often where it was a good call.

I’m not sure it’s a point of emphasis, but has seemed to get called a lot this year. I suspect that’s because I generally think it’s such an egregiously bad call I remember those while the “normal” penalties are less memorable and just blur together in my memory.

 

[Cusefan95]

I’ll be interested to hear The Hockey Guy’s take on the Panthers- Bruins game and series after that’s game 2. Even though he’s a Bruins fan, he was predicting Florida to win the series - Boston needs to play much better in game 4 to get back in this.

 

[Cowtown]

Boston looks tired and flat. And Barkov is a beast.

 

[Cowtown]

I could probably count on one hand (with fingers left to spare) the number of times I’ve ever seen embellishment called where I agreed with it. I’ve seen diving called much more often where it was a good call.

I’m not sure it’s a point of emphasis, but has seemed to get called a lot this year. I suspect that’s because I generally think it’s such an egregiously bad call I remember those while the “normal” penalties are less memorable and just blur together in my memory.

Could be. Of course you know the NHL throws the rule book out for the playoffs and invents a new one night after night.

 

[jncuse]

They're paying Nurse $10.4 million, so they're pretty much forced to sign players like Ceci. Sure, Ceci's no Nicklas Lidstrom - or even a Chris Tanev - but he doesn't throw games away like Nurse. Living where I do I get virtually all the Oiler (and Flames) games. And he's honestly been playing better than he did in either of those two hockey wastelands.

It's "only" a $9.25m cap hit for Nurse. Absolutely terrible, and still the worst contract for a D in the league, but not quite in the double digits.

Ceci is OK at $3.25 million. He has slotted in quite at #5/#6 at Pittsburgh and Edmonton, with the capability to sometimes play on the second pair decently. Not a great contract, not a bad one - but you generally get what you pay for with him. NHL teams probably hope to get a competent player in his first 4 years at that slot to pay a bit less and save $1m+ in cap hit, but its not always possible. We have seen many a July 1 free agent veteran D, get the Ceci type contract and perform far worse afterwards.

 

[Cowtown]

Best news I've heard in a while ...

Brad Marchand will not play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden in Boston on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TBS, SN, TVAS) because of an upper-body injury.

The Bruins captain took a hit from Panthers forward Sam Bennett at 3:38 of the first period in a 6-2 loss in Game 3 on Friday and was slow to get back to the bench. He played the rest of the first and second period but did not return for the third.

~NHL.com

 

[kirbivore]

Would've loved the sweep but the Canes are too good to get swept. Win the first 2 and home and split the 2 in Carolina is a scenario that would've been just fine with me before this series started. Now finish them off in Game 5 back in the Garden.

Google Image Result for https://www.svg.com/img/gallery/the-absolute-best-fatalities-in-every-mortal-kombat-game/intro-1549741813.jpg

 

[Cusefan95]

Best news I've heard in a while ...

Brad Marchand will not play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden in Boston on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TBS, SN, TVAS) because of an upper-body injury.

The Bruins captain took a hit from Panthers forward Sam Bennett at 3:38 of the first period in a 6-2 loss in Game 3 on Friday and was slow to get back to the bench. He played the rest of the first and second period but did not return for the third.

~NHL.com

I generally try to not take joy in injuries to players I don’t like - but Marchand is an exception. I don’t really care what the reason is, anything that keeps that cheap shot artist and overall greaseball off the ice is a positive for the sport.

 

[Cusefan95]

Would've loved the sweep but the Canes are too good to get swept. Win the first 2 and home and split the 2 in Carolina is a scenario that would've been just fine with me before this series started. Now finish them off in Game 5 back in the Garden.

Google Image Result for https://www.svg.com/img/gallery/the-absolute-best-fatalities-in-every-mortal-kombat-game/intro-1549741813.jpg

They needed to lose game 4 to keep the perfect analog to 1994 going.

 

[jncuse]

Should Edmonton have taken out the Sieve in net earlier?. (6 expected goals above average allowed in 3 games is absurd) They know Skinner has long inconsistent bouts. At least, they made the correct call for game 4.

 

[Cowtown]

Should Edmonton have taken out the Sieve in net earlier?. (6 expected goals above average allowed in 3 games is absurd) They know Skinner has long inconsistent bouts. At least, they made the correct call for game 4.

Over the last several years, Edmonton has gone through goalies like shtt through a goose. They're like Toronto, clinging to the hope their big 4 will carry them, despite years of not getting it done. Both teams have the same problem: neither likes to play in their own end. Recall they're paying Jack Campbell $5M (can you say Bakersfield? ), so throwing money around is not the solution to their woes. And they're paying Nurse almost $10M and he's the legendary half f-ed fox in a forest fire in his own end. They're stuck with him because nobody will take him at that number.

Furthermore, Skinner came into the playoffs at 2.62 and .905 (career nos.). He's not Marty Brodeur (who is?) but he's not the real problem. Pickard is a 32 year old, low budget ($850,000) journeyman. If he was anything more than a Hail Mary, he would have shown it sometime over the last ten years.

So, at the end of the day, they don't like to play defense and they're resolved to try to win 6-5.

 

[Cusefan95]

Over the last several years, Edmonton has gone through goalies like shtt through a goose. They're like Toronto, clinging to the hope their big 4 will carry them, despite years of not getting it done. Both teams have the same problem: neither likes to play in their own end. Recall they're paying Jack Campbell $5M (can you say Bakersfield? ), so throwing money around is not the solution to their woes. And they're paying Nurse almost $10M and he's the legendary half f-ed fox in a forest fire in his own end. They're stuck with him because nobody will take him at that number.

Furthermore, Skinner came into the playoffs at 2.62 and .905 (career nos.). He's not Marty Brodeur (who is?) but he's not the real problem. Pickard is a 32 year old, low budget ($850,000) journeyman. If he was anything more than a Hail Mary, he would have shown it sometime over the last ten years.

So, at the end of the day, they don't like to play defense and they're happy to try to win 6-5.

The problem every league faces is that defense wins championships, but offense sells tickets. Maybe it’s a good thing that so many teams are still offense-first (or offense only) - at some point they’ll figure it out, we’ll end up in another “dead puck era” - and the league will be forced to tweak the rules to favor offense again. And God only knows what nonsensical stuff they’ll implement.