The 2020 NHL playoffs officially begin on Tuesday, as the 24-team tournament — with five-game qualification round series and round-robin seeding matchups — has moved on to a more recognizable, 16-team version. This round includes several matchups where revenge will be on the mind of one team (or both, for separate reasons), and based on […]
Continue readingThis is a critical juncture: Historically, NHL teams with a 2-0 lead in a seven-game playoff are 324-51 (.864) in those series. The Vegas Golden Knights are already there. Four more teams — the Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks — have a chance to join them Friday. Check out the […]
Continue readingJones pulled one of the jerseys out of the box, poured lighter fluid on it and lit it on fire in his driveway. He continued to burn jerseys from the box, documenting the process in a series of Instagram videos posted Wednesday. “I opened up my mailbox today, and I had these jerseys in my […]
Continue readingPlayoffs? Yes, you can now actually say that these are the 2020 NHL playoffs. The tournament is now officially in the first round, with only 16 teams left. Day 1 brings us a slate of four games, though none before 3 p.m. ET. We miss morning/noon hockey already. Check out the ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs […]
Continue readingUnlike the traditional playoff format, the league is running a 24-team tournament, with 12 teams from each conference playing in fan-less arenas in Toronto (for the East) and Edmonton, Alberta (for the West). The top four teams in each conference are in the round of 16, and seeds 5 through 12 will square off to […]
Continue readingIf only there were a formula that could determine Hall worthiness … Well, three years ago, we created one. It’s a simple four-quadrant test that one can apply to prospective Hall of Fame candidates to see whether they have the stuff of legends, and here it is: 1. Individual production: This encompasses a player’s statistical […]
Continue readingThe margin between the two is razor thin. Makar is very deserving of consideration and will likely pick up his share of first-place Calder Trophy votes. But when it is this close, I look at which of the two players was most valuable to his team. Again, the margin in that category is so thin, […]
Continue readingWhether it’s a perceived cheap shot, a situation where they were allegedly wronged by the on-ice officials, a major mistake by their own team management — or in one case, an NHL arbitrator — these are deep wounds whose scars remain several years (or even decades) later. Let’s delve into the leading grudge for every […]
Continue readingIt’s created by a coach attempting to mesh three players together into a cohesive unit; it’ll stick around for anywhere from a few periods to a few games; and then it’s either broken up, with the spare parts added to different lines, or it passes the chemistry test, living on for months or perhaps for […]
Continue readingThe Blues returned to the ice for the first time since Jay Bouwmeester collapsed on the bench in Anaheim. There was some catharsis when St. Louis scored 25 seconds in, but that just foreshadowed a wide-open game between two of the best Western Conference teams. Vegas was coming off a 4-0 blanking by the Minnesota […]
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