noahfuchs

[noahfuchs]

Should the Winnipeg Jets trade Patrick Laine?

After a disappointing series loss to the Calgary flames early this summer, there has been a lot of talk of that the Jets should perhaps take on a culture change this offseason. Some have suggested trading away Patrick Laine #29. Well, I have to tell you those people are idiots. They may not be overall dumb, but they do lack a sense of evaluating hockey players correctly. Laine's game may not always be pretty (his skating and defence.), but it's the results he puts up on the offence side of the puck, which makes him worth every penny. Did you know that Laine scored the 3rd most goals as a teenager in NHL history? You know who is #4 on that list? Wayne Gretzky. Doesn't sound like a guy worth trading to me. Yes, I know a lot more goes into hockey than scoring, but it is a massive part of the game. All im saying is you can't teach some of the skills Laine possesses. His shot is ELITE, his Hands are magnificent, and his passing is above average. You cannot teach what Laine brings, but you can teach him what he doesn't carry (average defence and skating.). All in all, im excited to see the rest of Patrick Laine's development, and I hope it is in the Slurpee capital of the world, Winnipeg.

[noahfuchs]

The Oilers look to add a goaltender this off season.

After once again having a disappointing end of the season, the Edmonton Oilers look to shake things up. The latest we hear out of the Edmonton is that they have been looking to add significant goalie help this off season. Personally, I don't blame the Oilers goal tending for their struggles; I blame their defence, but I understand that there is a need to upgrade the position. The rumour has it is that Oiler GM Ken Holland has been in talks to acquire Matt Murray from the Pittsburg Penguins. Many believe that the asking price for Matt Murray is a 1st round pick, which I think is way too rich for the Oilers.   Three free agent names you could see the Oilers go after from the goalie spot this offseason would be, Brayden Holtby, Robin Lehner and Jakob Markstrom. All three of these men have had flashes of sustained greatness before and could very well do it again. Goalies are like voodoo. They are tough to predict. Even goalie experts find themselves in the wrong most of the time. So im not going to act like I know what will happen or who is the right fit. But I will say this if the Edmonton Oilers can find a stud goalie and clean up their defence, watch out.

[noahfuchs]

The Tampa Bay Lightning look to put a stranglehold on the eastern final

When Game two of the eastern conference finals was tied 1-1 with 10 seconds to go in the 3rd period of Wednesday nights game, many may have thought that there was a strong chance that the Isalnders could tie the series as they looked like a threat in overtime. But it was not meant to be as a beautiful Ryan McDonagh pass found Nikita Kutcherov in the slot to take the lead with just 7.2 seconds left. That was the Lightnings' first lead of the night, breaking so many Islanders fans hearts. Now, as game 3 is almost upon us, the Lightning with a win will pretty well put this series to bed. As we all know how hard it is to come back from 0-3 in any pro sport. Perhaps the Islanders can respond and make it a 2-1 series. Still, honestly, I don't see it happening. I am fully on the Tampa Bay bandwagon at this point. I believe that after many years of loading up, this Lightning crew is finally ready to break through and meet the lofty expectations everyone else has put on them, being Stanley cup champions. Puck drop is set for 7 pm CT tonight.

[noahfuchs]

Dallas wins it in overtime to take a 2-1 series lead

The Dallas stars pulled a win out of their back pocket Thursday night as they beat the Vegas Golden Knights in a 3-2 Overtime battle. Dallas drew first blood late in this one as Jamie Oleksiak scored on a nifty breakaway move at the end of the 2nd period. Those knights never let you have it. They fight until the end, as Shea Theodore would tie it early in the third on a power play that saw three defensemen on the ice as once. That was responded to moments later by stars' captain Jamie Benn who tucked the puck 5 hole to give his team a 2-1 lead back the game for a moment before Mark stone would tie it up 2-2.  The game would go to overtime. From there, we would see Alexander Radulov come down the right-wing and pick his corner to go post in for a 3-2 Dallas win as they now lead the series 2-1. This Dallas Stars team is the 202 version of playoff "overachievers." Never the less, they still have their eyes on proving more doubters wrong as they are only 2 more wins away from going to the Stanley cup final. I believe one player who has to step up if the Stars have any chance to win is Tyler Seguin. The man is known for offensive ability and has shown it in little bursts in these playoffs. Still, he needs to dig deeper if his team has any shot of moving on and possibly winning The Stanley Cup.

[noahfuchs]

Lightning Rail the Islanders in game one.

If you were hoping for a tight game one of the eastern conference finals, you were very disappointed Monday night, as the Tampa Bay Lightning destroyed the New York Islanders 8-2. It started fast with the "king of the bubble." Brayden Point scoring just a minute and twenty seconds into the game, and really, the Lightning never looked back from there. To be fair to the Islanders, Jordan Eberle did tie the game at 1-1 just 3 minutes later, but it didn't last very long as the Lightning would score five unanswered to put a wrap on the game before the 2nd period was even over. The Lightning have been a powerhouse in the NHL for years now, but have never seemed to put it all together to win. Hence, why it is hard to trust what we are seeing from this group, but, maybe this is their coming out party, perhaps years down the line, we will look back at this massive win over the Isles and say, "that was the game they clicked and became a dynasty that won a few cups." Or, maybe we look back at this in a few years and say, "oh, what could have been." for that lightning team and those Tampa Fans. Like everything, it's so hard to tell where things will go in team sports. But that's also the fun part of the games we watch. You never know what could transpire or happen next.

[noahfuchs]

3 Game 7’s coming up in the NHL 2nd round + predictions

After having no game 7's in the first round of these NHL bubble playoffs, we will be treated to not one, not two, but THREE games 7's for this round! It is like Christmas in august except there is no snow, no tree, not even a damn turkey. Putting my hunger for turkey aside. This will be great for hockey as a sport as game 7's are the most exciting events in all of the sports. Tonight, we have Dallas vs Colorado and Vancouver vs Vegas. And tomorrow we get New York Islanders vs Philadelphia. Three great matchups which will leave one side heartbroken and another side ecstatic. Personally, I have no bias towards any of these teams. I just want to see good hockey. In saying that, I will try my best to predict who will win all 3 of these games, we have coming up. Let us start with Vegas vs Vancouver, the battle of the V! Its been a very entertaining series between these two. While I want to say I believe the young Canucks team can pull it off tonight, my brain tells me otherwise. I predict a 3-1 Vegas win tonight. Dallas vs Colorado is an interesting one. I think Dallas is playing over their head right now. It will show tonight as they will lose 4-1 to Colorado. Last but not least, Philly vs the Islanders, both teams, are respectable. Still, I believe the Flyers' talent is too much for the Islanders to handle, 2-0 Flyers win.

[noahfuchs]

20-21 NHL season talk.

Yes, there are still games being played in the bubble that is the 2019-20 Stanley cup playoffs, but with everything that has taken place since March, not only in sports but around the world, I wonder what next season will look like from an NHL point of view. There has been lots of speculation about a set a date for the regular-season and fan attendance, a vaccine, if there is a bubble will the family be there… etc. But, let's focus on the opening night part. If we look at the predetermined dates, we see the Stanley Cup playoffs' last game, if it goes to a game 7 in the finals, will take place around October 6th, Followed by the NHL draft on the 9th and free agency five days later. That is all we know right now. However, According to the NHL website, the 20-21 season is set to start as early as December 1st 2020. But "could be pushed back due to many reasons." Personally, I think that its doubtful to be a December 1st start date for the season. While I do think the NHL can still make a healthy profit from playing a season in a bubble, I do believe they will wait it out and see if they can get fans in the stands (pending a vaccine.) Like everything in 2020, hope for the best, expect the worst. We will have to wait and see when we get Hockey back after these playoffs.

[noahfuchs]

The Price is.. wrong?

In the year 2005, the Montreal Canadiens held the 5th overall selection in the NHL Entry Draft. The organization decided to draft a young 18-year-old goalie with a lot of promise. His name was Carey Price. Have you ever heard of him?  The (now) 33-year-old goaltender has had an impressive career along the way. Some of his achievements include:

World junior championship. Olympic gold medal (Hockey) World cup of hockey Championship Heart trophy winner. Ted Lindsay winner. Vezina Trophy winner. Jennings Trophy winner.  

As well as posting a 353-252-74 wins/loss ratio in the NHL regular season. However, the stat that perfectly sums up Carey Prices' time in Montreal is a 30-36 wins/loss ratio in the playoffs. On the one hand, Price has represented the Canadiens organization tremendously in his time there. Not only with his many international successes and individual awards but also how he carries himself off the ice. The man seems to be nothing but class. On the other hand, the team he has played so hard for, for so many years, has not returned said favour. While Price has been and may still be the best goalie in the NHL today, team success clearly hasn't been easy to come by. Some folks believe that the trade that transpired earlier today, which saw Montreal acquire goaltender Jake Allen (from The St Louis Blues.) Might signal a change is coming between the pipes for the Habs. And, if i’m being honest, that may be what is best/needed for both the Canadiens organization and CP31 at this point in time.

[noahfuchs]

Tampa bay knocks out the Bruins in 5.

Last night we saw the first team from the 2nd round get sent home. The Tampa Bay lightning sent the Boston Bruins home after Victor Hedman scored in overtime number two to win the game and start the handshake line. Most people predicted that the Lightning might win after the Bruins star goalie Tukka Rask decided to leave the NHL bubble to be with his Daughter. But, I don't think most people would have predicted that it would only last 5 games, even without the starting net minder for the Bruins. To whoever got out of this series was going to come out of the east as I think both Boston and Tampa are superior teams to both the Islanders and flyers, who will play game 5 of their series tonight. The Lightning have been many people's favourite to win the cup for the last 3 years, with many disappointing results along the way. Even without their Captain and former 60 goal sniper, Steven Stamkos, the team has looked like they could contend against the world's best. There are still (possibly) 2 more rounds to go until we see if the Lightning will win it all this year or go home disappointed once again.

[noahfuchs]

The Winnipeg Jets look to bounce back.

The Winnipeg Jets fans felt screwed over last season when fan favorite Dustin Byfuglien decided he liked beer and fishing more than hockey. I don't blame the guy. He's a Stanley Cup champion and has made millions; he has nothing left to prove. In saying that, I do blame him for the cap and defensive issues the jets faced last season. While he has done so much for the franchise, he did cripple their flexibility to acquire a replacement last year. Moving on from buff has proven to be tough, but now with more cap off the books for this coming season, the Jets have cap space to add. Some are even suggesting the Jets should take a run at the Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo. At 30 years young, the defenseman looks slated to hit the open market whenever free agency hits. The rumour out there is that the jets could pitch an offer as high as ten million per year. It's a significant risk, and while I don't totally believe the jets would pay that much for a 30-year-old defenceman, I’m, not 100% certain that they won't make that splash either. Because at this point, Jets fans are hungry for a better defence group. Hopefully, the organization doesn't overpay to do so. 

[noahfuchs]

The Canucks choke again.

The Canucks vs Golden Knights series has been a fascinating one from a pure hockey point of view. It may not be as exciting if you are a Canucks fan, as the Nucks find themselves down 3-1 in their second-round matchup after last night's loss. The game began with scoring from Knights centre and former Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty. It was quickly answered by last year's Calder winner Elias Pettersson to make it 1-1. From there, both teams would trade punches back and forth. 2-1 Vegas with a strike from Stephenson, then 2-2 as captain Horvat comes through. A few minutes later, Toffoli rips one home. Now it's a 3-2 game Canucks. The lone Canadian team left in the 2020 playoffs would take that 3-2 lead into the 3rd period, just to have their hearts ripped out as the Knights would score 3 unanswered goals in the 3rd. With goals from Schmidt 3-3, Pacioretty 4-3 (2nd of the night,) and William Karlsson as the Knights closed out the game with a 5-3 Final. Being down 3-1 in a series is never ideal, and this Canucks team is young, but part of me still believes they have a chance in this series, not a good one, but a chance none the less. I am not saying I think they will win. I just think they have some fight left in them. We will wait and see. Game 5 is slated for 8:45PM (CT) on Tuesday.