Official 2021/22 NHL Thread

[ThePenIsMightier]

Well, pretty much halfway through the season and honestly, what a silly mess.
There are so many things that don't make sense, it's becoming frustrating to watch. It's a bit like watching someone flip a coin or play rock/paper/scissors. It's random nonsense.

1. Completely senseless streaks: Calgary, Pittsburgh and Edmonton.

2. Cup Finalist is dead last in a year that Arizona had last locked up like a buffalo.

3. Buffalo with zero Eichel sucks way way less and Anaheim is suddenly good. WtF?!

4. Calgary loses Gio, gains nothing and plays in a division that generally got stronger, yet they are doing FAR better than last year. But somehow 19-12-6 isn't on pace for a playoff position.

5. The referees and linesman are the worst I've ever seen, ever. I think it's that not enough of them are French. We need to get rid of the two that aren't. It's amazing.

6. Blackhawks add Fleury. Continue to suck.


I'm fine with teams turning around and improving or a player really having an excellent year but it's these square-wave swings that are frustrating.

[rage2]

4 is misleading. We’re 6-7 games behind everyone.

[ThePenIsMightier]

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4 is misleading. We’re 6-7 games behind everyone.

6-7 games behind the 3 teams ahead of them, but not "everyone". Same #games as Edmonton for example and only 4 behind Vancouver and Seattle.
Your theme is correct, though. The math should favor then in the long-run.
But I just realized it won't... Because their schedule sucks fucking donkey taint for the rest of the year. They're going to get worn out. It's like Vancouver after their outbreak late last year. They lost something like 80% of their final batch of games.

[ThePenIsMightier]

I think I'm changing my mind on the Flames and Oilers being fucked by their schedule.
I felt strongly that they would lose roughly 80% of their final 15 games due to extreme fatigue. Now I'm looking around the league and there are suddenly more teams with also terrible schedules in the final couple months. So as long as they're playing some of those other teams, we'll just have some shitty hockey games, rather than blowouts against an exhausted team.
I guess I don't care enough to analyze the schedule and better research what their final weeks will look like, but I should!
But I won't...

[ExtraSlow]

Dan vladar will save us all.

[ExtraSlow]

Speaking of goaltending, the oilers tandem made 15 saves tonight.

[Buster]

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Speaking of goaltending, the oilers tandem made 15 saves tonight.

Just watched the highlights. They scored their seventh goal in the 19th shot

[ThePenIsMightier]

Preeminent international relations expert Dominik Hasek wisely advises that the NHL should suspend all players' contracts if they were born in a place that he is currently angry at.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ns/6953510001/

[jutes]

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Preeminent international relations expert Dominik Hasek wisely advises that the NHL should suspend all players' contracts if they were born in a place that he is currently angry at.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ns/6953510001/

Athletes in general are dumb.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Going to see Ovechkin play tonight against the Oilers, I honestly DGAF about his politics and I will cheer if he scores. I probably won't ever see him play again and he's an absolute legend, hoping for a big night for him and the Oilers wasted draft picks! Gimme a 10 goal game haha

[ExtraSlow]

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Going to see Ovechkin play tonight against the Oilers, I honestly DGAF about his politics and I will cheer if he scores. I probably won't ever see him play again and he's an absolute legend, hoping for a big night for him and the Oilers wasted draft picks! Gimme a 10 goal game haha

Yes.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Looks like playoffs are already set in the East with huge gaps between 4th & 5th in each division.



Will review later after Blow Jackets suddenly win 15 straight...

[ExtraSlow]

Crazy how stratified the east is.

Edmonton needs to rattle off four in a row so they can be battling for that wildcard. And I prefer if Vancouver misses by a single point, because I'm mean like that.

[suntan]

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Going to see Ovechkin play tonight against the Oilers, I honestly DGAF about his politics and I will cheer if he scores. I probably won't ever see him play again and he's an absolute legend, hoping for a big night for him and the Oilers wasted draft picks! Gimme a 10 goal game haha

Does Ovi have a choice about his politics?

[JRSC00LUDE]

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Does Ovi have a choice about his politics?

Ask Kert?

[kertejud2]

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Ask Kert?

I give Ovechkin a politics wheel and he spins it to figure out what his views are. They aren't all winners but the guy still scores, doesn't he? Eliminating the stress of needing to make choices is how I've allowed him to compete at such an elite level so long.

[ExtraSlow]

We should never look to athletes to inform us about things that are not sports.

[JRSC00LUDE]

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I give Ovechkin a politics wheel and he spins it to figure out what his views are. They aren't all winners but the guy still scores, doesn't he? Eliminating the stress of needing to make choices is how I've allowed him to compete at such an elite level so long.

Excellent comrade, excellent.

[ThePenIsMightier]

This VGK - Panthers game has been excellent.
But I think Vegas is fucked overall. Ugly schedule ahead and Lehner now OUT out while they are clinging to a spot with Vancouver horny behind them.
More evidence of a fucked season and NHL hockey being more like watching Rock/Paper/Scissors.

We'll see... They're certainly good enough to make it but injuries and some poor streaks have really hurt them.
Eichel did not finish today's game...

[pheoxs]

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Crazy how stratified the east is.

Edmonton needs to rattle off four in a row so they can be battling for that wildcard. And I prefer if Vancouver misses by a single point, because I'm mean like that.

So far so good