Here are my predictions for the first round of the playoffs. Beyond that I am predicting San Jose over Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Finals. Dallas at Anaheim Dallas (road) Anaheim (home) Predicted Winner Anaheim (Some) Fair Odds +121 -126 Overall Record 45-30-7 47-27-8 Home/Road Record 22-14-5 28-9-4 Last 10 Games 3-5-2 8-2-0 Since Trade [...]
When one looks at the standings one often gets an incorrect view of them due to the difference in number of games played. For example, Buffalo trails the Rangers by 3 points but this is deceiving because the Sabre’s actually have the better win percentage having played 4 fewer games. What I prefer to look [...]
It seems The Puck Stops Here and I are having a bit of a disagreement about the importance of drafting well in building a cup contending team. The most recent round was The Puck Stop’s Here argument against my claim that the draft isn’t the only way to build a top level team. First off [...]
I have said all along that I believe that the next CBA negotiation will be about the players wanting more say in how the league is run so long as their salaries are tied to league revenues. The NHLPA leadership was still in limbo so there was no offiicial response but when the Nashville Predators [...]
I think the first month or so of this season was one of the stranger starts to the season we have seen in recent years. Chicago and Columbus surprised everyone with great starts. Ottawa put up an unbelievable start. Pascal Leclaire had 5 shutouts in his first 10 or so games. Anaheim and LA started [...]
I am a believer that most people over-rate the draft as a tool to building a successful team. This is not to say that I don’t think it is an important tool, but rather that it isn’t the only tool and probably not the most important tool. Successful teams, even in the post-lockout NHL, can [...]
The Puck Stops Here recently had a story regarding the Leafs woes and pointed the finger at their drafting record. Putting aside the ridiculous situation in management of the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is a simple hockey-related reason the team is doing poorly. That reason is the draft. Toronto has not drafted well. Now, I [...]
The Puck Stops Here has written numerous articles about how many Russians are returning to Russia to play hockey partly because of the lack of a transfer agreement with Russia, CBA related issues and because the Russian league can offer many of them equal or greater salaries. In a recent article about a Canadian leaving [...]
I don’t know how many of you have been following the Therma Blade story but it smacks me as yet another stupid thing done by the NHL. A Therma Blade is a hockey skate with a heated blade which in theory melts the ice allowing the blade to cut through the ice easier and thus [...]
The first month or so of this NHL season included a number of somewhat unexpected happenings but all seems to be returning to normal in the NHL. 1. After a 7-3-1 start to the season Columbus has gone a much more expected 6-8-4 in their last 18 games. 2. After a solid 10-7-1 start the [...]
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David Johnson