2018-19 NHL thread

Bold prediction: Either the Penguins or Capitals miss the playoffs.

 

Caps looked like crap last night. Pressure the Ducks at all, and they fold. There was open ice the whole game. The Ducks beat the Caps both times this season, scoring 11 goals (6-5 in Wash, 5-2 in Anaheim). The Ducks have a league-low total of 130 goals in 59 games.

 

I actually decided to stay up and watch, well at least the first two periods. I couldn't keep my eyes open for the third. Caps can't stop taking garbage stick penalties.

If they miss the playoffs a year after winning the Cup, Reirden will be one and done.

 

Is this you going into Chicken Little mode again?

 

No, not really. But the threat of missing the playoffs in a pretty tightly packed east is very real, for either Pittsburgh or Washington. Both have been remarkably inconsistent throughout the year, and it may come back to bite them. I don't think Carolina, Columbus or the Islanders are going away. Maybe Montreal falters a bit down the stretch. But someone in that mix is going to miss out.

 

Damn. Your Chicken Little is entertaining

 

Heh. I understand where someone might take my Reirden comment and construe it as me saying he should go. I don't believe that. But the amount of silly stick penalties his team is taking on a nightly basis is confounding, and he's tried to make players accountable by benching them for shifts and what not, but it's clearly not working.

The Caps have shown that when they care, they can be just as good as they were last year. Witness the San Jose game on Thursday. But when they go through the motions, they're a sloppy defensive mess, and the lazy stick infractions are a big indication of that. Alas, I won't get to see tonight's game, because a 10:30 p.m. start when I have a 6 a.m. wakeup the next day is no-go for me. Hopefully I'll wake up to the nice surprise that I did last Friday and they'll have kicked the Kings' ass.

 

Terrific game between Bruins and Sharks tonight at the Tank late Monday. Bruins lead 3-0 early, but San Jose comes back to tie it at 4 behind a Thornton hat trick and going ahead on a penalty shot. But Boston ties it late on a goal by Wagner (sure looked like a high stick to me), then wins in the extra period.

 

The free world wanted to see Jumbo Joe score a fourth goal.

 

Well, 90% of women and 10% of men maybe.

 

Thanks, Grapes.