It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means it’s November and that the New York Islanders should be in the midst of some sort of record-setting losing streak. Well thanks to the additions of Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy on October fourth, plus the recently stellar play of goaltender Jaroslav Halak and secondary scoring that has been there all season, the Islanders are playing like the best team in all of New York.
Follow paulmbanksChicago Blackhawks get lucky in facing the Wild next
The Chicago Blackhawks dispatched the St. Louis Blues much like the way a body dispatches a St. Paul sandwich: quickly. Their reward is facing the Minnesota Wild. The wannabe North Stars eliminated the defensively inept Colorado Avalanche, who despite winning the newly arranged Central Division, regressed in time for when the lights shone brightest upon them.
Follow paulmbanksChicago Blackhawks Fans: Don’t fear the pig in lipstick
The Chicago Blackhawks outshot, outplayed, out-chanced the Colorado Avalanche and still lost 5-1. A loss like that is not the way you want to start the yearly “Circus Trip.”
Colorado has been an interesting team through the first quarter of the NHL season. Their hot start has been credited in large part to new head coach and Hall of Famer Patrick Roy. The young players are playing well past expectations, and their equally young goaltender Semyon Varlamov is playing like an all-world netminder. [Read more…]
Follow paulmbanks2013 NHL Season Predictions and Projections
Finally, after months and months of everyone involved being morons, causing 113 days, 625 games, and the biggest outdoor hockey game in history to be cancelled, hockey fans can finally say “Game On!” The NHL has a new 10-year labor agreement, and is set to start the shortened, 48 game 2013 season on Saturday, January 19. Find out what you need to know about every team in the NHL for the upcoming season, this time predicting how the season will play out, and who will be in the playoffs. Continue after the jump to find out where your team will finish in the race for the Stanley Cup, including who will take home Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Follow paulmbanks2013 NHL Western Conference Preview And Projections
Finally, after months and months of everyone involved being morons, causing 113 days, 625 games, and the biggest outdoor hockey game in history to be cancelled, hockey fans can finally say “Game On!” The NHL has a new 10-year labor agreement, and is set to start the shortened, 48 game 2013 season on Saturday, January 19. Find out what you need to know about every team in the NHL for the upcoming season, this time featuring the Western Conference. Continue after the jump to find out where your team will finish in the race for a playoff spot out west.
Follow paulmbanksBlackhawks First Semester Report Card: Serious Cup Contender?
With Friday’s 4-0 loss at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, the Chicago Blackhawks reached the 41-game mark of their season, meaning that half their campaign has come to an end. While the old adage of “time flies when you’re having fun” certainly can apply to a big chunk of those games, the same cannot be said about the way the Hawks ended this stretch of schedule.
Despite being only one point out of the lead in the Central Division, the Hawks have been reeling as of late, dealing with injuries to players like Marcus Kruger and Steve Montador and also losing three games in a row, at least two of which would have been deemed winnable just by looking at the schedule. Falling to the Oilers, Flyers, and Avalanche may not be a season killer by any stretch, but it certainly doesn’t bode well for a team that is going to be getting into a very road-heavy portion of their schedule in the coming weeks. [Read more…]
Follow paulmbanks2011-12 NHL Northwest Division Rankings and Fantansy Projections
The 2011-12 NHL season is already under way, and the action on the ice is already heating up. After a summer filled with lots of on and off ice movement, but also much tragedy, the hockey world looks towards a new quest toward Lord Stanley’s Cup. How do the teams in each division compare to one another? Who will be the big fantasy players this season? We take a division by division look at the 2011-12 NHL season. Let’s take a look at the Northwest Division after the jump.
Follow paulmbanks2010 NHL Playoff Study Guide
by Bryan Vickroy
8 Things to Watch in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: Western Conference
by Peter Christian and Bryan Vickroy
Sure, the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs started two days ago and sure Vick and I could have made you aware of these tidbits of knowledge prior to game 1 of 7 of the 8 first round series, but we didn’t. Just consider that we put a little more effort and research into our analysis than anyone else (not that we did, just tell yourself that as you read them).
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