NHL 2010-11 regular season discussion
 

So it's a little later than usual, meh. The NHL threads have gotten less and less attention lately, so that's part of the reason, I guess.

The preseason slate began tonight and we're a few weeks away from the first regular season games. It's another season full of hopes and dreams, unless you're a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, as usual.

Well, wait a minute. While the Leafs say their main goal is to make the playoffs (and, in the Eastern Conference, that's not a lofty goal), the buzz surrounding them suggests they might make a bigger splash than that. Certainly, Brian Burke's arrival has been heralded by many as necessary to bring the kind of change to the much-maligned Ontarian club that would surge them out of their doldrums. But, uh, where, besides Phil Kessel, will the goals come from? They've got a nice defense and a Conn Smythe-winning goaltender, but after line one there is a lot of uncertainty.

One team with which uncertainty isn't the issue but stagnation may be is my team, the Penguins. After winning the Cup last summer, the Penguins fell short of the Conference Finals this year and the same commentary about their forward situation (too deep in center, too shallow on the wings) started being brought up. Then brass came up with a solution that had presented itself before: swing Evgeni Malkin over to the wing and bump Jordan Staal up to the second-line. Staal will be injured to start the season, so this plan will have to wait, but I'm hopeful that we'll see some benefit from this decision. Major problems on defense, again, as the Penguins are looking even younger without Sergei Gonchar manning the point. Will Alex Goligoski take the reins, or will Brooks Orpik be the defensive captain?

My early Cup Final prediction: San Jose will be involved. The East is always a crapshoot. It could be Washington for all I know. (Winter Classic road teams have made and lost every Cup Final the same season. Pittsburgh, Detroit, Philadelphia. Is it a coincidence or a pattern?)

Toronto doesn't have that good a defense, though. People always say that, but last season they were among the lead leaders in goals against. And I don't see that D getting much better this year.

They also have no one up the middle on their offense.

My prediction for the leafs: They give Boston another top 5 pick.

I don't know, Komisarek and Phaneuf should be a good combo. They've got a lot of potential in their young guys, I just figure at best they'll be like the Blackhawks were a few years ago.

At worst, they'll just be the Maple Leafs.

See, I think Phaneuf is completely overrated. And it hurts me to say that, because I really like him. But he's a bit of a liability. He jumps up to look for the big hit at really bad times, you can wind him up and get him off his game. Komisarek I like, and you're right, both of those guys will help, but I just don't see them doing very much.

It is a sad day for hockey indeed.

Former NHL Coach Pat Burns Dies at 58

We definitely loss one hell of coach for the NHL, that had the liberty of coaching three awesome NHL Teams (Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and my Toronto Maple Leafs). I'm just happy he got his stanley cup ring when the devils won in 2003.

You were one hell of a charismatic coach, I even remember you coaching behind the bench with your cowboy hat on.

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2 awesome teams and the Leafs.

Coaching that team is probably what gave him the cancer.

Nope, not pulling through both times he brought the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup finals probably did him in. We all know the leaf sucks, but Boston sure loves to Choke.

"Cough"

3-0 Lead on Philadelphia, to be third the team in NHL history to lose 4 straight games.

"Cough"

At least Toronto hasn't suffered that shame, not yet anyway.

You're right, Angel of Light, the Maple Leafs haven't had enough playoff appearances in the last 30 years to be able to have that kind of shame. What with all those losing seasons and such.

Hard to choke in the playoffs when you don't make them.

I have never experienced a Penguins team quite like this before. They are on an amazing run right now, winning 11 games in a row, including 14 of their last 16, and this without Evgeni Malkin at 100% and Jordan Staal still out for at least a couple weeks. How are they doing this?

Because Sidney Crosby is channeling Mario Lemieux:

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That is just a small dose of the ridiculous run Crosby himself is having right now. He's had a point in 17 straight games, and all told he's had 20 goals and 15 assists during that run. He's put some distance between himself and Steven Stamkos in both the goal and assist races, and the Penguins now have the best record in the NHL.

Credit also goes to Marc-Andre Fleury, who I think needed his backup outshining his first-overall pick ass to light a fire under it. He's no Tim Thomas (who's also absolutely nasty right now) but he's playing some big-time goaltending right now.

Did I mention they've been doing this without their two next-best players at 100%? Unreal. I daresay they are better than their Cup team from two years ago, and that is a scary thought.

To Denicalis:

I just want to say thanks for pouding the shit out of the Montreal Canadians tonight. That was one hell of a game and you guys made sure Montreal came out of it bloody and brusied. Keep it Up.

Yours Truly:

Angel of Light

Now playing at Consol Energy Center: the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. :gonkmelt:

Boy this season really turned around fast huh? Just over a month ago the Penguins couldn't have looked better; after tonight, they couldn't look worse.

Another day in the NHL, another huge brawl.

It's good to see some rivalries heating up, it didn't seem like many were going that strong for a while.

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This probably looks and sounds worse than it is, but I could be wrong. Huge hit either way.

Pacioretti is talking and moving his limbs.

Not a dirty hit. At all. Ugly hit? yes.

Listening to the Canadiens broadcast (and the fans), you'd think they would've wanted Chara arrested for murder right on the spot, or at the very least suspended for life. It's just kind of hilarious, and sad, that those kinds of people emerge, regardless of the fact that it's the Bruins and Canadiens.

Dope, one thing you got to understand about Montreal Canadien Fans is they make every other fan from every other professional sports team in North American look like a complete joke. I don't think they're up there with the soccer hooligans but they're pretty close

Montreal Canadien fans are always out for blood. They want an excuse to go out for blood. How many North American sport team fans do you know cause a city wide riot after winning one round of the playoffs?

With regards to the hit, it was Interference at the very least. He hit him after the puck was played, its just a bad angle and too many players have seen the wrong end of that section of the rink. Whatever will happen with Chara I have no idea.

I'm surprised Chara didn't get suspended. I almost certainly thought anything from 1 to 5 games would've been understandable.

13 years of no suspendable actions got him off the hook. I'd have been fine with 2 games.