NHL 2021

[Incogneeto]

ZZZzzzzzzzZZzZzzzzzzz

[Jim at Gentex]

Round 2...Pens vs. Flyers tonight @ 7.
Hope our boys bring their 'A' game for the whole 60 minutes this time.  

[Jim at Gentex]

Yikes...
0-2 against the Flyers is not how I wanted the season to start.  

But at least the boys are out there on the ice mixing it up!  

[Here's Johnny!]

The Penguins need a goalie, it will be a long season with the current goalies.

The Leafs suck!

[Jim at Gentex]

Jarry started a little shaky, but he'll be ok.
None of the goals he gave up were terrible, but more a result of the guys in front of him playing shitty defense.

[Dan_AKA_ROY23]

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1353016624505376769/photo/1">https://twitter.com/NHL/status/13530166 ... 69/photo/1">https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1353016624505376769/photo/1

Give me your rundown on this trade, Jim...

[Jim at Gentex]

Two very good players who were disgruntled with their current coaches IMO just traded places.

Laine could be a huge acquisition for Columbus because he is a goal scoring machine when he is playing his 'A' game.

However, the problem with him is that he needs a playmaker at center to set the table for him.
(Just like Alex Ovechkin.)
Let's face it, he is a goal scorer, but not a playmaker, and he leaves alot to be desired on the defensive end.
(Just like Alex Ovechkin.)
:cough: over-rated :cough:  

It's no secret that the Jets have been struggling under coach Paul Maurice, and Laine is not the only player who was not happy there.
But he could be jumping from the frying pan into the fire IMO, because John Tortorella is probably THEE most difficult coach to play for in the NHL.  

If Laine clicks in with Max Domi or Riley Nash to set the table for him, (like Backstrom / Ovechkin) he can be one of the top scorers in the league.
If not, he will find that life under Tortorella might be worse than he imagined.  

Update:
Worse, both teams have to wait through the quarantine period as Laine will be moving from Canada to the U.S., and Dubois moving from the U.S. to Canada. I think the league rule is 14 days, but it might only be 10.  Either way, both teams have to wait before their new stars can play.

Pens vs. Bruins tonight @ 7PM!!  

[Jim at Gentex]

Man...we've had bad injury seasons, but this one is getting ridiculous for the Pens!

8 injured players, 6 of them are Defensemen, including our #1 pairing of Brian Dumolin and Kris Letang.

Fortunately we had 2 games vs. New Jersey canceled this week as the Devils are on COVID protocol.
I hate to see games missed, but it gives the Pens almost a week off to hopefully get some guys closer to returning to playing status.
Dumolin is long-term, but Letang is 'week-to-week', so hopefully he can play on Saturday.

Anyone else even mildly interested in the NHL season?  :w00t:

I expect after the Super Bowl weekend interest may pick up again.  

[Jim at Gentex]

Well, there's your answer, Dan.
That didn't take long...  

Tortorella benched Laine last week as a healthy scratch.
Laine thought the grass was greener in Columbus, but he is finding out that unless he is performing up to the head coach's expectations, he can and will be a spectator.

[marshal]

[quote="Jim at Gentex" post_id=6793 time=1613401609 user_id=83]
Well, there's your answer, Dan.
That didn't take long...  

Tortorella benched Laine last week as a healthy scratch.
Laine thought the grass was greener in Columbus, but he is finding out that unless he is performing up to the head coach's expectations, he can and will be a spectator.
[/quote]

Torts managed to get Koivu to retire, a guy who just never quit.  Koivu too polite to say that, and I wish the Wild would resign him for a day to officially retire as a member of the team.

[Jim at Gentex]

Well apparently Laine responded to being benched by scoring 4 points in the next 4 games.
Torts is known as a hardass, but sometimes certain players do need a kick in the ass to get them going.

Yeah, I always like Koivu.  
Tough guy to play against...always dangerous.  
Congrats to him for a great career, even though many think he still has gas left in his tank.

It would be cool if they did that for him since he spent his whole career in Minnesota.  
Many retiring veteran players who spent many years in the same organization often end up working as Player Development Coaches or Scouts.
Would be nice if Minnesota would offer him something like that, if he wants to go in that direction after retiring.

[marshal]

Wild are on a roll after coming back from their covid outbreak.  Kaprizov is fun to watch.  He hasn't gotten the goal scoring groove yet, but he can make some flawless no-look passes that surprise even his own teammates.

[Jim at Gentex]

Sidney Crosby is now on covid protocol.  

Turns out the Pens played one of their best games of the season without him last night though, so go figure.
I think the rest of the guys just stepped up knowing their Captain was temporarily on the shelf.

Plus, this was the first game since last March where fans were allowed into the Pens' home arena, so I think even 15% fan capacity was still enough to get the guys amped up to play their best.    

[Jim at Gentex]

More NHL arenas are now opening up to limited fan attendance.  

Some AHL arenas too.
Our AHL Penguins will be open for limited attendance starting next Friday.
My Mrs. and I can't wait to go to a game, but it will only be open to season ticket holders first, so we will have to wait a bit longer.

We have seen every game on AHLTV so far, but there's nothing like being there live.    

[marshal]

[quote="Jim at Gentex" post_id=8053 time=1615207662 user_id=83]
More NHL arenas are now opening up to limited fan attendance.  

Some AHL arenas too.
Our AHL Penguins will be open for limited attendance starting next Friday.
My Mrs. and I can't wait to go to a game, but it will only be open to season ticket holders first, so we will have to wait a bit longer.

We have seen every game on AHLTV so far, but there's nothing like being there live.    
[/quote]

Not Minnesota, we can't have that.  Meanwhile our commie and the Big Kahk are crushing it as rookies, 8 game win streak for Kahkonen.