The Hockey Thread

[SeanDMan]

Avalanche have a game in hand and they get to play the Oilers. I have faith in them.

[Slogger]

Things would have been so much easier had you just continued to suck like you have been.

Things would be much easier if the Ducks would learn to stay down. 2010 is a lost season for us and it's no use trying to drag the Avs down with us.

Yet Jason Blake gets 5 points and McElhinney plays like Hiller, Fucking hell Anaheim.

[Gabriel]

Avalanche have a game in hand and they get to play the Oilers. I have faith in them.

The same Oilers who took Detroit to a 5-4 loss. The Wings edged them out, but that was pretty close.

The same Oilers who have seemingly come on strong since the deadline, with stellar play from Devan Dubnyk and the young stars having a fire lit under them due to the embarrassment of being in last?

The way the two teams have been playing since the deadline, I wouldn't be considering that game an easy win by any means.

[NobBe Nobbs]

So because this is apparently also the EHM thread...

I'm in the 2012/2013 season with Toronto after three years of abject crappiness. In 09/10, the quirk of EHM that generates a new draft class no matter how many draftable players there already are decided to generate a superstar by the name of Aaron Regan. We finished 29th, giving Boston spot #2, but by trading Tomas Kaberle to San Jose, I picked up Colorado's first round pick and the Avs went into free-fall. They finished bottom and I nearly wet myself in glee - Regan was the first superstar I've ever had EHM generate on it's own. Better yet, Taylor Hall didn't even go second, as Boston took a winger named Jens Burstrom at #2 and let him sit in the juniors for three years. Matter of fact, the 2010 draft has been pretty good so far - already Regan, Hall and 4th-overall Brandon Dinges have over 100 career points.

2010/2011 was pretty rubbish as well. More trading went on, including Alexei Ponikarovsky being shipped to Vancouver, and Boston took our #3 pick and turned into a goalie. I laughed, because the last goalie we gave them is firmly entrenched as a starter and I don't even think the guy they picked will even be good. Picks #16 and #17 turned into two Russians for us, a winger named Alexander Yeremeev and a defenseman named Yaroslav Zharinov. Yeremeev has stayed in the juniors, but because Zharinov was pretty beastly already I put him straight on the team for 2011.

2011/2012 was disappointing, though. People were still developing, yeah, but I thought the team was good enough to finish better than last. Still, I finally had my own first-round pick and the CSB gave the #1 spot to a goalie - and with the statlines from Gustavsson and Antti Niemi over the last years, that was very welcome. It was generally a crappy year all around, the only bright spots being Regan, Kessel and Tyler Bozak making sweet music when lined with one another. As Leafs, Kessel has 85 goals and 217 points, Bozak has 126 points but two straight 50-point years and Regan just hit 100 points in two years. And he's still improving.

So. Squad right now:

Aaron Regan - Phil Kessel - Devin Setoguchi (waiver pickup, 100 points in two seasons with us)

Petr Sykora (waivers again, picked up mostly to stop him Vopatising) - Tyler Bozak - Patrick O'Sullivan (traded, before I realised how big his contract was, 53 points last year)

Colton Orr - Colton Gillies (waiver pickup, mostly so I could ice a reasonably young energy line) - Viktor Stalberg

Nikolai Kulemin - Jiri Tlusty (118 points in three seasons but with very limited minutes) - Joe Colborne (beat out Kadri for the last roster spot)

Dion Phaneuf (averaging 54 points a season) - Yaroslav Zharinov

Mike Komisarek - Luke Schenn (not quite as awesome as we all thought, but still pretty good)

Keith Aulie (a surprise) - Garnet Exelby

Jonas Gustavsson - Antti Niemi

Discuss. Or don't.

[NobBe Nobbs]

Also, 20 games into the season, the top three scorers in the league are Zack Stortini, Tyler Kennedy and Kess. 27, 24 and 24 points respectively. Stortini has 16 goals and how I don't understand. He's 57/78/69, the only good stat he has is 96 hitting. I know hitting's over-valued, but DAMN.

[Toe]

Also, 20 games into the season, the top three scorers in the league are Zack Stortini, Tyler Kennedy and Kess. 27, 24 and 24 points respectively. Stortini has 16 goals and how I don't understand. He's 57/78/69, the only good stat he has is 96 hitting. I know hitting's over-valued, but DAMN.

That has to be just random luck. There is no way Stortini keeps that pace up.

[Guest Mr. Cheese Head]

Oh man, Kitchener/London series starts tonight. Haven't met these guys in the playoffs in five years, when we had Mike Richards and they had Corey Perry. We're gonna get our ass kicked (nobody expected us to even make the playoffs, let alone the second round), but it'll be fun.

[Ruki]

The last game I played as the Leafs, i managed to win the cup in the first year, so woo! But I always have a bad habit of trading for Niittymaki, because with a good goalie coach he turns into one of the best goalies in the league, like...every single time. Also had a team with 5 players over 80 points.

But the best line I ever had was Tkachuck-Sakic-Guerin....I think all of them were in the top 5 for points. Pretty sure they all broke 100 points, leaving everyone else on the team in the dust.

[SeanDMan]

We have an EHM thread in Coin Op Be, should bump it.

[Toe]

So, according to the amazing Steve Simmons, Tomas Kaberle hates playing for Ron Wilson and wants out of Toronto. Of course, Steve Simmons is a giant douche...

[Guest Mr. Cheese Head]

And Kaberle denied it at some point this afternoon.

[Guest Mr. Cheese Head]

...not even halfway through the first and it's 3-1 London.

[Guest Mr. Cheese Head]

8-5 London win. Sloppy, sloppy game.

[Toe]

Toronto beat the Sabres for the first time this season. Buffalo always seems to give the Leafs fits, so it was gratifying to see the Leafs finally get the better of Ryan Miller. Bozak continues to be an impressive player for the Leafs and I am really enjoying the chemistry he seems to have with Kessel on the top line.

Ottawa clinched their spot in the playoffs tonight, while Boston and Philly continue to struggle and make things interesting. I think Atlanta and the Flyers play this weekend, so that will be a game to watch. The goaltending situation in Philadelphia has been crazy.

[NobBe Nobbs]

But the best line I ever had was Tkachuck-Sakic-Guerin....I think all of them were in the top 5 for points. Pretty sure they all broke 100 points, leaving everyone else on the team in the dust.

That isn't a patch on 2011/2012 Calgary. Their top line, Dustin Brown - Olli Jokinen - Jarome Iginla, finished 1-2-3 in point scoring in the league. It's the first time I've ever seen one team have all three Hart Trophy nominees.

[Toe]

Ouch, Colorado.

[The Sultan of Swank]

A Montreal win and a Rangers loss tonight clinches for the Habs. Obviously Halak will get the start considering he shut out Philly and Buffalo last week.... In the Philly game I was embarassed with how quickly Lapierre turtled, but his job isn't to fight, it's to incite other players to do dumb shit... fail. I was impressed with Moen who despite having 50 stitches in his face, stood up for his team mates. I mean, it's not like he can do much with all those stitches, but heart of a warrior.

Be's talk about EHM makes me want to play it again. The only issue I have, is I can never get the updated databases to work... help?

Also, I really want a Buffalo/Montreal match-up for the playoffs. Like you would not believe. Montreal is 2-1-1 Against Buffalo this year and if it wasn't for some miracle 2 weeks ago it would be 3-1-0. The only regulation loss to Buffalo came at the depths of our injury troubles, and really beyond that game, Montreal has absolutely dominated Buffalo on the ice this season. I feel that it could be a case of one team just having another's number for some reason. I'm not saying it would buy Montreal a series win. But if they can steal 2 games, you never know sort of thing... At the very least it'd be better than 5 games against Pittsburgh or 4 against Ovechkin.

Edited April 6, 2010 by The Sultan of Swank

[SeanDMan]

The Place Where It's Coming Down To The Wire, huh?

Guessing the dude in the suit is Craig Anderson.

[Plubby]

[Guest Mr. Murray Head]

Can we call them hatched now Plubby?