NHL - 2018/2019 Season - Page 10

Dru Edwards · #**136** 12-22-2018, 11:22 AM

Patrice Bergeron is back today! Excited to see him back in the Bruins' lineup after being out a month.

catdaddy · #**137** 12-22-2018, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Patrice Bergeron is back today! Excited to see him back in the Bruins' lineup after being out a month.

Glad to hear that. The NHL is a better place with Monsieur Bergeron on the ice.

Dru Edwards · #**138** 12-22-2018, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Glad to hear that. The NHL is a better place with Monsieur Bergeron on the ice.

Boston won 5-2. Bergeron had 2 goals. The Bergeron-Marchand-Pasternak line each had 3 points. They were getting a lot of points before Bergeron got hurt ... looks like the line in clicking again.

Pens and the Hurricanes on tonight.

catdaddy · #**139** 12-23-2018, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Boston won 5-2. Bergeron had 2 goals. The Bergeron-Marchand-Pasternak line each had 3 points. They were getting a lot of points before Bergeron got hurt ... looks like the line in clicking again.

Pens and the Hurricanes on tonight.

Pens beat the 'Canes 3-0 on the strength of Sid's 3 (incredible) primary assists, and the marvelous goaltending of Matt Murray. It appears that whatever issues Murray had at the beginning of the year are over. His stint on IR seems to have rejuvenated him.

The Bruins take on the Hartford Whalers today at 5 PM Eastern. Carolina will be donning the vintage green Whalers uniforms for the game. Got a sneak peak at them last night, and it was a nostalgic moment for me; picturing Kevin Dineen, Ronnie Francis and Mark Howe skating up ice. Love me some Whale'.

Note: For those relatively new to the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes used to be the Hartford Whalers before the franchise moved in 1997.

Dru Edwards · #**140** 12-23-2018, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Pens beat the 'Canes 3-0 on the strength of Sid's 3 (incredible) primary assists, and the marvelous goaltending of Matt Murray. It appears that whatever issues Murray had at the beginning of the year are over. His stint on IR seems to have rejuvenated him.

The Bruins take on the Hartford Whalers today at 5 PM Eastern. Carolina will be donning the vintage green Whalers uniforms for the game. Got a sneak peak at them last night, and it was a nostalgic moment for me; picturing Kevin Dineen, Ronnie Francis and Mark Howe skating up ice. Love me some Whale'.

Note: For those relatively new to the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes used to be the Hartford Whalers before the franchise moved in 1997.

I read a couple of days ago that it's going to be Hartford Whalers night. That's great. Go Bruins!

Dru Edwards · #**141** 12-25-2018, 05:29 AM

Who would you consider your mid-season award winners? Still a few games shy of the half way mark though.

Dru Edwards · #**142** 12-27-2018, 05:57 PM

The NHL resumes tonight after the Christmas break. Both Boston and Pittsburgh are playing. Looking forward to see how the Bergeron-Marchand-Pastrnak line does tonight.

catdaddy · #**143** 12-27-2018, 08:57 PM

Pens beat the Wings 5-2. Pens 4th win in a row. Sid was flying again, had 2 assists. Pens power play scored 2 goals. Murray looked solid in net.

Dru Edwards · #**144** 12-28-2018, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Pens beat the Wings 5-2. Pens 4th win in a row. Sid was flying again, had 2 assists. Pens power play scored 2 goals. Murray looked solid in net.

Here's a surprising stat, at least to me. Crosby, Malkin, Kessel all have relatively similar points and games played. Their plus minus are as follows: +14, -14, and -5. Crosby has less powerplay points which accounts for some of that explanation but not enough. Is Malkin having an off year defensively?

catdaddy · #**145** 12-28-2018, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Here's a surprising stat, at least to me. Crosby, Malkin, Kessel all have relatively similar points and games played. Their plus minus are as follows: +14, -14, and -5. Crosby has less powerplay points which accounts for some of that explanation but not enough. Is Malkin having an off year defensively?

Yes, Malkin is having an off year defensively. He has been a turnover machine (had a bad one in the game last night that directly led to a breakaway goal for the Wings) and has been less than diligent in backchecking or covering his man when opponents transition to offense. It's also worth mentioning that for the past month or so he's also been struggling on offense. He got off to a very hot start to begin the season,which is why his point totals still look good, but he hasn't been performing well for a while. Hopefully he'll snap out of this funk soon.

Sid, on the other hand, has been absolutely fantastic in all aspects of his game for more than a month. He's been a force on the ice almost every shift. That 28 point differential in plus-minus between him and Malkin is a pretty accurate barometer of the difference in how those two have been playing.

catdaddy · #**146** 12-28-2018, 08:43 PM

Just heard that the Bruins David Backes has been suspended for 3 games for a hit on the Devils Blake Coleman.

Dru Edwards · #**147** 12-29-2018, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Yes, Malkin is having an off year defensively. He has been a turnover machine (had a bad one in the game last night that directly led to a breakaway goal for the Wings) and has been less than diligent in backchecking or covering his man when opponents transition to offense. It's also worth mentioning that for the past month or so he's also been struggling on offense. He got off to a very hot start to begin the season,which is why his point totals still look good, but he hasn't been performing well for a while. Hopefully he'll snap out of this funk soon.

Sid, on the other hand, has been absolutely fantastic in all aspects of his game for more than a month. He's been a force on the ice almost every shift. That 28 point differential in plus-minus between him and Malkin is a pretty accurate barometer of the difference in how those two have been playing.

I wonder if Malkin has an injury or personal issues ... hopefully it's not just a motivation thing although that could be the easiest to turn around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Just heard that the Bruins David Backes has been suspended for 3 games for a hit on the Devils Blake Coleman.

Yep. I just watched the hit. I think most of those hits are going for 2 games. I don't think Backes has provided offensively what Boston was hoping for when they picked him up.

Dru Edwards · #**148** 01-03-2019, 04:46 AM

Crosby is hot. Seems like he's getting at least a couple of points every game and is now in the top 10 in scoring.

catdaddy · #**149** 01-03-2019, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

I wonder if Malkin has an injury or personal issues ... hopefully it's not just a motivation thing although that could be the easiest to turn around.

Yep. I just watched the hit. I think most of those hits are going for 2 games. I don't think Backes has provided offensively what Boston was hoping for when they picked him up.

Malkin had an even strength goal and assist last night, so hopefully this will the beginning of a turnaround for him.

I have a good friend who is an avid Bruins fan; he really dislikes Backes. He claims Backes' production hasn't been anywhere near what it should be given his salary. I'll always like Backes for his love of dogs and the compassion he showed for them during the Olympics some years ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Crosby is hot. Seems like he's getting at least a couple of points every game and is now in the top 10 in scoring.

Sid is simply the best. His game right now is complete. He's making plays on both offense and defense, and is clearly the best player on the ice during most of his shifts against all opponents. I've watched Crosby since he first came into the league, and I don't believe I've ever seen him play better than he is right now.

It was interesting to see the NHL All-Star game selections announced last night. Great that Sid was selected, and rightfully so. I also was pleased to see Pastrnak get a spot. I was disappointed that Bergeron and Letang weren't picked, but both showed up on the "Last Men In" ballot, so I'll have a chance to cast a vote for each to be added (haven't decided on whether I'll be voting for players in any other divisions).

You have any plans to vote in the Last Men In? If so who will you be voting for from each division?

sad99 · #**150** 01-03-2019, 11:25 AM

Did you see how Crosby handled a heckler in New York last night? That'll teach him! haha

https://www.si.com/nhl/2019/01/03/si...utograph-photo

A little more info, including some of the heckler's material.

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/2...n-signed-stick