Running 2007 NHL regular season thread

Very good win for the Whalercanes.

I hope to be in Tampa on the night that Trots kills Mike Smith. It'll be an evening for the ages.

 

I don't mind the straight win and loss either, I just don't think the NHL will go for that. So if we have to have the loser point I would prefer to see 3 points for the win. That way every game is worth the same.
The way it is now some games are worth 2 and some are worth 3, makes no sense.

 

I think you could get the same effect with JC's 3-2-1 formula. 3 points for a win really helped soccer, although every league allows ties, which means no 2-point wins.

I think winning in regulation needs to be rewarded, not just winning period.

I'm going to go an do a quick project. Be back in a while.

 

I'll help Torts after watching Smith and another Tampa player beat on Ryan Bayda ... after Bayda was pushed into Smith. Bush league.

Hats off to Chad LaRose.

 

Devils beat Boston in the shootout.

Devils are still alive for the Atlantic Division title.

Boston and Ottawa are tied with 92 points. If I'm Philly or Ottawa, I'd be scared shitless of the oncoming Caps.

 

And knowing how you feel about Torts...

Real good stuff in Pittsburgh. Nothing like watching two teams that openly despise each other playing meaningful hockey.

 

Interesting query on James Mirtle's blog.

Can Sidney Crosby, the league's poster boy, ever be a 40-goal scorer?

http://mirtle.blogspot.com/2008/04/crosby-40-goal-guy.html

I don't think so. He'll always be among the league leaders in points. But he's a set up guy; he's not the guy that's going to score 35, 40, 45, 50, 60 goals in a season.

I thought one response was apt. Crosby isn't Gretzky. He might be a more talented Adam Oates.

 

Or a more skilled version of Ron Francis.

 

That too. And the irony is, as I post this, Crosby pots a PPG to give the Pens a 4-2 lead over Philly with two minutes and change remaining in the third.

 

Ok, so here's a reconfigured standings as of this morning with the 3-2-1 scoring system on points alone. Big movers include the Senators and Flyers, who have won most of their games in regulation, and the Oilers and Thrashers, who have won a lot in OT and shootouts.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

W L OTW OTL Pts GF GA
dx-Pittsburgh 38 26 8 8 138 243 212
y-Montreal 35 25 10 10 135 256 220
Ottawa 36 30 6 8 128 252 243
x-New Jersey 31 28 13 7 126 200 190
d-Carolina 35 32 7 6 125 243 243
Philadelphia 34 28 6 11 125 241 229
N.Y. Rangers 29 27 12 11 122 205 192
Boston 31 28 9 11 122 208 215
Washington 30 31 11 8 120 235 229
Buffalo 29 30 9 12 117 251 239
Florida 28 34 9 9 111 211 220
Toronto 28 33 8 11 111 228 249
N.Y. Islanders 25 37 9 9 102 190 237
Tampa Bay 27 39 4 9 98 219 253
Atlanta 18 40 15 8 92 212 271


WESTERN CONFERENCE
W L OTW OTL Pts GF GA
y-Detroit 45 20 7 7 156 248 175
y-San Jose 40 21 9 10 148 218 185
x-Anaheim 34 27 11 8 132 198 186
dx-Minnesota 34 28 9 9 129 217 213
x-Dallas 35 29 8 7 128 232 199
Calgary 35 29 6 10 127 221 223
x-Colorado 33 31 10 7 126 227 216
Nashville 32 31 8 9 121 226 224
Vancouver 29 31 10 10 117 211 206
Chicago 29 33 9 8 113 229 228
Columbus 29 33 5 12 109 190 208
Phoenix 28 36 9 6 108 206 222
Edmonton 21 35 19 6 107 233 250
St. Louis 27 35 4 13 102 196 233
Los Angeles 24 42 7 7 93 224 260

 

Say whatever you want about Crosby. He's one of the reasons I'm in the finals of the NHL.com pool and you're not.

 

If Crosby has a full season to play with a guy like Hossa, he's going to score 40 goals.