Lokomotiv Jaroslavl game score...

HC Sochi 2,Lokomotiv Jaroslavl 1... a early third period goal doomed the Lokomotiv...

2015-2016 Washington Capitals...

the Washington Capitals are trying to find a balance between team offense,and team defense... they have one of the best goal scorers,in NHL history in Alex Ovechkin,and a young,but great goaltender in Braden Holtby... the team has been in the Stanley Cup playoffs for years,but has not been,in the Stanley Cup Finals,since 1998,when they were swept,by the Red Wings,in four games... note:that 1998 sweep was the last sweep of a Stanley Cup finalist,to this day,and the last sweep of four in a row,and the second in a row,by the Red Wings(they also swept the Philadelphia Flyers,in 1997)... only history is told here,because i thought it was a interesting tidbit... back to the Capitals:this year's team is going to be good,because Barry Trotz is probably the best overall head coach,but his teams have been defense first teams,and he hopes to find the offensive,and defensive balance,that the Capitals have lacked,in team history... if that can be solved,the Capitals will be dangerous,in the Eastern Conference...

2015-2016 Nashville Predators...

last season,the Nashville Predators had the second best home record(28-9-4),only behind the Tampa Bay Lightning(32-8-1),but the Predators were only average on the road(19-16-6)... unfortunately,for a Stanley Cup contender,your team need a better road record,especially in the Stanley Cup playoffs... for example:the Red Wings had a better road record than the Predators(21-15-5),but the Red Wings could not win a shootout,as far that they could spit,last season... the team most valuable player is goaltender Pekka Rinne,when healthy,the best goaltender in the NHL,but folks,he was not healthy most of the season... to tell you the truth,the Predators do have talent on offense,and defense,but they are a blue collar team,having only two notable star players in defenseman Shea Weber,who may have one of the hardest shots from the blue line,ever in the NHL,and Mike Fisher,who is married to country superstar Carrie Underwood... the only question is:can Nashville repeat last season(they had 104 points,third place,in the Western Conference),but honestly,the key to a repeat great year,is the health of Pekka Rinne,without him,the Predators go nowhere,period...

blog statement...

i will be back later today,because i have back pain,and it is not easy for me to wake up... previews will be tonight,or tomorrow morning,depending on my puzzle of a back... sorry,folks...

blog statement...

will preview the Washington Capitals,and the Nashville Predators,tomorrow... note:the Chicago Blackhawks finished fourth in the Western Conference,and won the Stanley Cup,so they will be the last one in my team preview,along with the Tampa Bay Lightning,who finished third in the Eastern Conference,but was the other Stanley Cup finalist,so they will be second to last in my NHL team previews...

Lokomotiv Jaroslavl game score...

Lokomotiv Jaroslavl 3,Ak Bars 1...

another one to the eternal ice rink...

Al Arbour,who coached the New York Islanders to four straight Stanley Cup championship,in the 1980's,has died... prayers,and condolences to his family...

2015-2016 New York Islanders...

in the last year of the Nassau Memorial Coliseum,the New York Islanders gave Long Island a taste of past Islanders' glory,and NHL fans throughout the League,a glimpse of the Islanders' future... they had a winning home and road record,and they shook the Coliseum down to the roots,and up to the rafters throughout a very good season... they had the best season,since winning the Stanley Cup four straight years,in the 1980's... John Tavares,Nikolay Kulemin,Frans Nielsen,and Kyle Okposo,will guide a very young team offense,while Travis Hamonic,Nick Leddy,Brian Strait,and Johnny Boychuk should punish opponents with a bruising style of defense that New Yorkers should enjoy watching... Jaroslav Halak should be a real rock in net,throughout this season... be warned,going into the Barclays' center,in Brooklyn,should not be a cake walk for opponents,because the Islanders will pound on you from opening puck drop to final buzzer... bring a ton of Ben GayTM,folks...

Lokomotiv Jaroslavl game score...

Lokomotiv Jaroslavl 2,Lada 0... note:the KHL have hockey teams who have long team names,or very short names... example:Torpedo N N... N N stands for Nizhny Novgorod.... i will use the shortest name possible when reporting on the KHL...

2015-2016 Vancouver Canucks...

the question about the Vancouver Canucks has to do with age... not the age of the entire team,but the age of the Sedin brothers:twin brothers who have never played for another NHL team,and i do not mean the physical ages of the twins,but how many more years can they play,in the NHL??? their points/per game have declined over the last few years,and now injuries have curtailed their production... the team has not changed too much,since 2011,their last year,in the Stanley Cup Finals,where they lost in seven games,to the Boston Bruins,but they were out-scored 23-8,in that series,by the Bruins... they have changed their goaltender,not once,not twice,but three separate times,since 2011... they are an enigma in the Western Conference,because:are they going to be Stanley Cup playoff-bound,or are they slowly declining,to the draft eligible(lottery)teams who fight for the first overall draft pick,in the 2016 NHL Draft??? that is the biggest question,in Vancouver... they have enough talent to make the Stanley Cup playoffs... however,they need a serious youth movement,soon...

2015-2016 Minnesota Wild...

the Central Division has always been a tough division to win... the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks,last season,did not win the division,amazingly... they finished third,behind St. Louis,and Nashville... five Central Division teams made the Stanley Cup playoffs,last season... now,for the Minnesota Wild,they were a very tough team to play,they finished tied for fourth in fewest goals,in the NHL (201 goals,tied with the St. Louis Blues),and had a winning home and road record...  in their last 10 games,they were 6-3-1,and a tough out in the Stanley Cup playoffs... they beat the Blues in six games,and did lose to the Blackhawks in four games,but three of those games were one goal games,so Minnesota could have won,except for offensive firepower,and Chicago wore them down in four games... the team has not changed too much in the off-season,via trade or free agency,and that is good and bad,in the NHL... Ryan Suter(on defense),Thomas Vanek,Zach Parise,Mikael Granlund,and Mikko Koivu will power the team offensively and help defensively... the big question on the team is in goal,even though,Devan Dubnyk had a great year,after being traded from the Arizona Coyotes,halfway through last season,and had a save percentage of .936,with a 1.78 goals against average,for the Wild,during their home stretch and playoff run... is he the goaltender who is the franchise goaltender,that he was,for the Wild,or is he the goaltender who was traded to three teams over the last couple of years??? that is the $64,000 question,for the Wild to figure out,folks...

blog statement...

day off... "Idaho Spud" time... note:will probably preview the Minnesota Wild tonight,or early tomorrow morning...

Lokomotiv Jaroslavl game score...

Torpedo N N 3,Lokomotiv Jaroslavl 2,shootout...   note:the shootout in the KHL is much different than in NHL... will explain more about it over the rest of the season...

2015-2016 Detroit Red Wings...

now,for the 100 point teams,first up,the Red Wings:the Red Wings were about nine minutes from a 3-1 lead,in games,on now-Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning,and were up 2-0,in the game,as Kyle Quincey went to the dressing room with a cut finger... Quincey was holding down Tyler Johnson,and in that way,had stymied the Lightning from scoring in 119 minutes,and four seconds... unfortunately,for the Red Wings,Johnson scored twice,including the game winning goal(GWG),in overtime,in game four,and the Red Wings never recovered,in the series,and lost in seven games,to the Lightning... what heartbreak,for the Red Wings!!!! Mike Babcock left for Toronto(for the money),and Pavel Datsyuk underwent ankle tendon repair surgery... what bad news... now for the good news:Jeff Blashill became coach,and Datsyuk will be back early in the season... people may say that the Red Wings may not make the Stanley Cup playoffs,for the 25th straight season,but if you are one of those people,do not bet the ranch on that,because the Red Wings are loaded with young talent... Gustav Nyqvist,Darren Helm,Luke Glendening,Justin Abdelkader,along with Henrik Zetterberg,and a recovering Datsyuk should provide enough team offense to make the Red Wings fly in the Eastern Conference... Danny DeKeyser,Mike Green,and Niklas Kronwall should help a young team defense... Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard will backstop in goal,and Howard may be injury-prone,but Mrazek,folks,is the real deal;a very good goaltender that can carry a team... let me remind you that it was not Mrazek's fault that the Red Wings lost in seven games(he was team MVP in that series),period... now,for coach Blashill:he has won two league (AHL,and USHL) championships,in his second year as head coach,in both leagues... even though,i do not expect that(who would???),he has coached many of the young players on this Red Wings' team,in Grand Rapids,and won the Calder Cup(AHL Championship),with many of the same players,so the transition for this team will be much easier than having a new coach coach a team that he does not know,at all...

KHL update...

Lokomotiv Jaroslavl is just about to start their season,as i type... will be back with updates over the next three hours...

KHL news...

the Kontinental Hockey League starts their season,tonight... Lokomotiv Jaroslavl plays tomorrow morning,live,about 7:30 am pacific coast time,with a twelve hour difference,or so...

2015-2016 Winnipeg Jets...

the Winnipeg Jets were very consistent last season,and a Stanley Cup playoff team... they were 23-13-5,at home,and were 20-13-8,on the road... with the smallest arena,they were a tough team to play at home... with Tyler Myers,and Dustin Byfuglien on defense,they are a strong core,and with Andrew Ladd and Mark Scheifele,they should improve... the goaltending may be shaky with Ondrej Pavelec,but with a solid backup,they should be very good... Pavelec has been very good,and,also,very bad,in his NHL career(and he was very good,last season),so you do not know what you are going to get,in goal.... expect some improvement,but again,who knows???

2015-2016 Ottawa Senators...

On February 16th,the Ottawa Senators looked like a draft eligible team,but went 15-1-1,in next seventeen games,over a span of thirty eight days,they were the hottest team in the NHL... they scored 99 points in a season,highest total,since 2007,i believe,when the team lost in the Stanley Cup Finals,to the Anaheim Ducks,in five games... Erik Karlsson is their best player,and the current Norris Trophy winner,and he has won the trophy twice(he also won it in 2011-2012),but the biggest surprise last season was goaltender Andrew Hammond... they call him,"the Hamburglar",after the McDonald's mascot... funny thing is that after every win that he had last season,the fans would throw McDonald's hamburgers,or cheeseburgers,onto the ice... with a tighter team defense around the net,and a good team offense,the Senators should contend for the Stanley Cup,this season...

2015-2016 Pittsburgh Penguins...

why hasn't a team,who has the best player in the NHL,in Sidney Crosby,had a sniff of the Stanley Cup finals,since 2009,when they won the Stanley Cup,over the Red Wings,in seven games??? simply,the team has not been that good,since 2010,when they were defending Stanley Cup Champions... the Penguins have traded many players over the years,and Crosby suffered a concussion,and many injuries... goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is a little long in the tooth,and he has a few down years,and last season was his best in last couple years... they beat the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot,last season,when the Bruins went 1-4-1 in last six games... they have talent on both sides on the ice,and with the best player in the NHL,they will always be a contender for the Stanley Cup playoffs,but again,they also could be a draft eligible team,next season... Fleury has at his best for them to be contenders... without Crosby,and Fleury,along with some more help,from their farm system,they are a team without a rudder... expect the team to improve,but again,who knows???

commentary...

the Eastern and the Western Conference Stanley Cup playoff field were tight,and the points between the fourth seed and the eighth seed were only three points,in the Eastern Conference,and seven points between the third seed and the eighth seed(i include the Nashville Predators,as the third seed,because no one knew the matchups until game 80,or so,especially in the Eastern Conference)... so,most of the previews will be similar,but hopefully,not in detail... the Red Wings(sixth seed),the Ottawa Senators(seventh seed),and the Pittsburgh Penguins(eighth seed)basically really do not know their playoff opponents until game 82,and in the Western Conference,most of the lower seeds did not know their playoff opponents,until the end of the season(especially the Calgary Flames,and the Winnipeg Jets),so over the next two weeks,starting tomorrow,i will preview each team very carefully trying to separate them out for you,folks...

2015-2016 Calgary Flames...

the two biggest surprise teams last season,are the next two teams previewed in the Western Conference... the Winnipeg Jets(more on them tomorrow),and this previewed team,the Calgary Flames... captain Mark Giordano suffered an injury,late last season,and every pundit wrote them off in making the Stanley Cup playoffs,and with grit and determination,they stuck it to the pundits by making the Stanley Cup playoffs... in the Western Conference,there were two teams that if in the Stanley Cup playoffs that your team did not want to play... one would be Winnipeg,and the other team would have been the Flames... as soon as Giordano went down,the Flames realized that if they were to make the Stanley Cup playoffs,the team had to be in "playoff mode" every game from then on,and they did it with grit,and class... will they improve on last year's record??? possible,but they have to get off to a better start,and Jonas Hiller,in goal,has to be better... they have talent on both sides of the ice,but honestly,they have to improve on team defense,and with a lucky bounce of the puck,or two,they will be a Stanley Cup playoff team,this season... the team offense runs through their best player,in Johnny Gaudreau,who should be a real star,and team defense runs through Giordano,and new Flames' player,Dougie Hamilton,via trade,with the Boston Bruins... there are reports,out of Boston,that Hamilton was a "bad teammate",did not get along with anybody,and if true,i hope some veteran straightens him out,in a way that helps the Flames... if so,Calgary will be a very tough team to play,this season,period...

2015-2016 Boston Bruins...

now for the last of the non-playoff teams:the Boston Bruins... they had everything going for them,but a winning road record(17-17-7),and a lousy shootout record(4-10)... in fact,they had a legitimate chance to last season's Stanley Cup playoffs,but they finished 1-4-1,in their last six games,and finished two points,behind the Pittsburgh Penguins,who finished eighth in the Eastern Conference,and in the final playoff spot... so close,but so far... if they finished 3-3,we would not be talking about the Bruins missing last year's Stanley Cup playoffs... right now,they need more team offense,and with Zdeno Chara being on defense... he may not be the same player,as in years past,but at 6'9",and a better overall team defense,the Bruins could be Stanley Cup playoff-bound,this season... the Bruins also need a backup to Tuukka Rask,in goal,so going to training camp,there are questions revolving around the Bruins... they have more speed,in Matt Beleskey,via trade,from the Anaheim Ducks,and with David Krejci,Loui Eriksson,and Patrice Bergeron,on the team offense,they should improve... whether they make the Stanley Cup playoffs,this season,is still an open question...

2015-2016 Los Angeles Kings...

two years ago,the Los Angeles Kings were the Stanley Cup Champions,and last season,when they needed to win a game,they stumbled to a 2-5-1 finish to a season that was a total team collapse... they have the talent to win the Stanley Cup(top six players on team offense,and defense are strong),but they honestly need team depth,on the back end,like most teams,and their goaltending is very solid,with Jonathan Quick,and Jhonas Enroth,both have NHL experience... they have traded well,and their core players are now hungry to wipe out their miserable season off their minds... example:the difference between the San Jose Sharks,and the Kings is simply that the front offices for the Kings,and the Sharks are polar opposites... that means that the Kings really improved,with the addition of Milan Lucic,from the Boston Bruins,via trade,and their American Hockey League affiliate(Manchester Monarchs-now Ontario Reign) won the Calder Cup(AHL Championship),last season(by beating the Utica Comets,four games to one),and the Sharks have stayed basically static,with an improvement of a goaltender,in Marvin Jones,who,amazingly,was the backup to Quick,in Los Angeles... Drew Doughty,Alec Martinez,Anze Kopitar,and Dustin Brown will headline the team defense and team offense,respectively,and with young players that showed two years that they were ready for the NHL,but had so-so second seasons... if the back end improves,the Kings may be Stanley Cup playoff-bound,after missing last season...

2015-2016 Florida Panthers...

will a team with one future Hockey Hall of Fame member make the Stanley Cup playoffs,this season???  Make a guess??? Jaromir Jagr will be a Hall of Fame member when he retires... unfortunately,he is not retired... unfortunately,he is 43(will be 44,in February),and the Florida Panthers are not the 1991/1992 Pittsburgh Penguins,who won back to back Stanley Cups,back in those years... Jagr was on those teams... however,they do have talent but not enough firepower to go toe to toe with the top teams in the NHL... Roberto Luongo is in goal,in the his second stint with the Panthers,which is good for the Panthers,but the backup is Al Montoya,who may be very good,and yet,in terms of the NHL,is very green,in goal... Nick Bjugstad,Aleksander Barkov,Jonathan Huberdeau,along with Jagr,headline an improved team offense,and Aaron Ekblad(a future Norris award winner:my opinion),with Dmitry Kulikov,headline a team defense that could be tough to play against,in the Eastern Conference,but to be a constant Stanley Cup contender,they need more team offense,better team defense,and a healthy goaltender duo... unfortunately,they will need to build that team... one good thing about the Panthers:they are tough to play in Sunrise,Florida... they did win 38 games,and had a winning record at home,and,surprisingly,also on the road,but with powerhouses like the Boston Bruins,and the Red Wings,they will have a tough time to climb the Eastern Conference ladder to the Stanley Cup playoffs... they could be a sleeper team to make the Stanley Cup playoffs,this season,but again,it may come down to how well the goaltending goes,this season...

comments...

i will preview the Florida Panthers later on today,but right now,i am going to bed,asap,if i can finally sleep well...

correction...

the Philadelphia Flyers allowed 234 goals,sixteen fewer goals than the Columbus Blue Jackets,so they were the team ahead of Columbus,not the New York Islanders,in terms of goals allowed,in the Eastern Conference... the fact that the Blue Jackets allowed 250 goals is pathetic,in terms of team defense... so i have to correct the previous post,sorry folks...

2015-2016 Columbus Blue Jackets...

two years ago,the Columbus Blue Jackets were a Stanley Cup playoff for the second time in their team history,but last season,they went back to their usual beatable selves,because they really sucked,in scoring goals,and their goaltending really stunk... they allowed the sixth most goals,in the NHL(250 goals),and the team just ahead of them,in the Eastern Conference,in allowing goals(the Philadelphia Flyers)allowed sixteen goals fewer... to improve,the Blue Jackets must tighten up their team defense,because without that fact,they are not a playoff team,at all... i honestly feel sorry for their best player(Nick Fogligno),because,definitely,the team has talent,but simply not enough team firepower,to go toe to toe with the better teams in the NHL... honestly,they do know how to play the Red Wings(they play them tough-i hate the games between them,because they are a crash the net team),but they do not play the Red Wings 82 times,in a season... if they played the rest of the NHL like they play the Red Wings,they would be a very tough team to play,but they honestly do not bring their "A" game.every night,and that is the team's trouble...

blog statement...

i will get back to my NHL team previews tomorrow... just had to take day off... a very severe lack of sleep;was up at 1:30 am,and still have not been to bed,but sleep beckons... so good night...

commentary...

i mentioned Pelle Lindbergh last night in my Philadelphia Flyers preview... in the 1984-1985 NHL season,he won the Vezina Trophy(best goaltender),as a rookie for the Flyers,and when i watched him play(i did watch a lot of hockey,before 1990,folks),it was pure magic,and i honestly thought i would have years to watch him develop into the best goaltender,in the NHL... when he died,that November night,in 1985,i literally cried,and he is the only player in NHL history to be voted onto a All Star Game,after death... up to this very day,no other player,in Flyers' team history,has worn number 31,his number,since his untimely death... even though,Lindbergh's number is not officially retired,i honestly believe there would be such a stench raised up by the public,if someone tried to wear it,that the Flyers would lose fans over it,period... my opinion:in fact,i would probably go to Philadelphia,myself,and simply protest(picket sign and walk)over that decision,if that decision was ever made... even thirty years later,i have tears in my eyes,over his death...

2015-2016 Philadelphia Flyers...

the Philadelphia Flyers were an enigma last season... they had a very good home record,but they stunk on the road(23-11-7/home;10-20-11/road),and they lost eleven shootouts,one more than the shootout-putrid Red Wings... they had talent on offense(still do),and defense(still do),but their goaltending really stunk,and on the road,they just could not win a simple game,if their playoff lives depended on it... if they had a similar road record to their very good home record,they would have made the Stanley Cup playoffs,easily,but they crumbled like a house of cards on the road,and their goaltending stunk like a dead skunk... if you played the physical game with the Flyers,you were dog meat,because they would pound the snot out of you,and then they had a chance to beat you... unfortunately,for the Flyers,teams have figured out how to play them;stay away from the rough stuff,and out-skate them... are they a playoff team,this season??? answer:yes and no!!!! yes,if they improve their goaltending,and road record,and no,they need to learn how to out-skate most teams,in the Eastern Conference... they could fight for a playoff spot,if the former happens,and could be an also ran(draft eligible team),if the latter happens... expect improvement,but how much??? like most teams,in this preview,they need help to get that... note:they have not had a rock steady goaltender,since Pelle Lindbergh* died... *google him if you want,real tragic story...

memories from a five year old game,with a twist...

i saw a five year old tape of a Red Wings/St. Louis Blues game,on NHL network tonight,in which Nicklas Lidstrom scored his first career hat trick(Red Wings won game,5-2)... a classic game!!!! funny thing to me was that my hatred for the Blues showed up,when i saw David Backes check-crossed Tomas Holmstrom,in the back(above the hip pad,and below the rib pad)... a rather nasty penalty,which directly led to game winning goal(GWG),by Danny Cleary... when i saw game,five years ago,i gave the screen an one finger salute... well,i did the same thing again,even five years after the game... note:Lidstrom's hat trick goal was a rocket on an empty net,from 59 feet(left point,near blue line),with less than a minute left,in game...

NHL previews update....

because the Eastern Conference has two more teams than the Western Conference,the next three teams on my NHL previews will be the Philadelphia Flyers,Columbus Blue Jackets,and the Florida Panthers,then back to the Western Conference,with the Los Angeles Kings...

2015-2016 Dallas Stars...

the Dallas Stars had some highlights for the 2014-2015 NHL season:Jamie Benn was last season's NHL scoring champion,but unfortunately,the scoring total was the lowest,since the early 1960's(87 points),and yet he had career highs,in goals,and assists,which is good and bad,because:can he improve??? the goaltending was pathetic,overall,but Kari Lehtonen(and Antti Niemi)should improve,but is Niemi on his last legs??? a trade from the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks(Patrick Sharp),Jason Spezza,and Tyler Sequin should headline an much improved team offense... Alex Goligoski and Johnny Oduya should help the team defense,as the Stars should improve offensively(the team were +1 overall(261 goals for,and 260 goals allowed),in scoring,last season),this season,but can the Stars' goaltending improve to the point of a Stanley Cup playoff run,this season... Lehtonen is a good goaltender(just had a terrible season),and the backup in Niemi(same comment-terrible season)should have the Stars show improvement,but one question still remains:most of the starters are over 30 years of age,and that may be a huge question mark,overall,this season....

2015-2016 New Jersey Devils...

the New Jersey Devils,early in this decade,was a playoff powerhouse,defensive to the core,and had enough offense to make a Stanley Cup playoff run,but since Martin Brodeur retired,the team has been a strange mix of misfits... they will be a team trying to improve,goaltender Cory Schneider should be the foundation of Devils' hockey in goal,for years,and they need to fill out the rest of their roster,to improve... Stephen Gionta,Travis Zajac,and Patrik Elias headline the offense,and Andy Greene headline the defense,but do the Devils have enough firepower to upset any team in the Eastern Conference more than once in a while??? no,but they should improve...

updates...

my NHL team previews will start again tomorrow,because family is coming home from Washington state tonight,instead of Sunday,and i want to finish them,before the 2015-2016 NHL season starts in October...

updates...

two updates that you should know about:the KHL regular season starts in about two weeks,and my NHL previews start again,on Sunday morning,with the New Jersey Devils,and Dallas Stars... sorry for the interruption,but family went out of town,and also some family got very ill,but,fortunately,are recovering... day off... "Idaho Spud" time...

blog statement...

day off... "Idaho Spud" time...

a day that literally changed NHL hockey...

thirty seven years ago,the Edmonton Oilers traded their best player,Wayne Gretzky,to the Los Angeles Kings... then-Oilers' owner Peter Pocklington became public enemy number one,in Edmonton,and,even thirty seven years later,if you mention Pocklington's name,you probably still get a curse thrown at you... the Oilers had just won their fourth Stanley Cup,in the last five years,that summer...

blog statement...

day off... "Idaho Spud" time...

blog statement...

taking a few days off,because family is in Washington State,and will be back next weekend... breaking news will be covered,and my NHL previews will be started,next Friday,with the New Jersey Devils... note:if i want to start it,i will do it earlier,most likely,on Thursday... some hockey trivia next week... i will have every NHL team previewed by training camp,or the start of the 2015-2016 NHL season...

commentary...

every team from the NHL from the 10th seed on down,in the Eastern Conference allowed more goals than they scored last season,compared to the last four seeds,in the Western Conference,doing the same,with the Boston Bruins,in the Eastern Conference,scoring only two goals more than they allowed,and with the Dallas Stars,in the Western Conference,scoring only one goal more than they allowed,last season... scoring goals in the NHL,and not even one player scoring 100 points,last season,really sucks,if you are a true hockey fan... more 1-0,and 2-1 games,next season??? UGH!!!!!!!

blog statement...

day off... have things to do today... also neck hurts slightly(not serious)... so,most of day is "Idaho Spud" time...

my NHL team previews in order...

the next previews of the NHL teams will be the New Jersey Devils,and the Dallas Stars... note:even though,the Chicago Blackhawks finished as a fourth seed in the Western Conference,they will be last to be previewed,as the Tampa Bay Lightning will be last to be previewed in the Eastern Conference... every other team will be in reverse order from 30 to the end...

NHL,and MLB news...

NHL and MLBAM(MLB Advanced Media)announced a six year contract in building a groundbreaking digital media partnership... it was announced by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman,and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred at NHL Headquarters,in New York,today...

2015-2016 Colorado Avalanche...

two seasons ago,the Colorado Avalanche were near the top of the NHL standings,with a 100 point season,and a head coach,in Patrick Roy,that was in the Jack Adams talk,as coach of the year,if not,even won the award... last season,they missed the Stanley Cup playoffs,by a wide margin(seven points),and there were talk in the locker room that Roy had "lost" the locker room,but honestly,they came out flatter than a crepe,and never recovered... this team that was a big surprise to most pundits two seasons ago,came down with a big thud last season,and did not show any flash from the season before... it appears that they read their own publicity,and believed what was written,so they honestly thought they were better than they were,with major injuries,and a major letdown by Semyon Varlimov(how do i know that name???),in goal,doomed the Avalanche... Varlimov played for Lokomotiv Jaroslavl during the 113 day lockout,a few seasons ago... he has to play much better in goal,for the Avalanche to improve on last season... they have a very young talented team,and yet,can they recover from a statistical disaster,last season,and be a team who should contend for the Stanley Cup playoffs... that is debatable,with so many young talented teams fighting for a playoff spot,in the Western Conference... they should improve,and with a lucky goal or puck bounce here or there,they could be a Stanley Cup playoff team,this season...

2015-2016 Carolina Hurricanes...

the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup,in 2006,but after a couple more years of very good playoff teams,the Hurricanes are definitely rebuilding their team the last couple of years... with Erik Staal,Mike Skinner,and the Stanley Cup winning goaltender,Cam Ward,who was in his first year,or so,when he backstopped the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup,in 2006,the Hurricanes need help across the board,in their rebuilding of their team... if Ward can be his old self,and have a very good year,in goal,the Hurricanes could be in position for a playoff spot,in the very tight Eastern Conference,but he has to be injury-free,unlike the last few years... Mike Skinner is a star in the making,and is a very good player,period... Erik Staal is the heart of the team... as he goes,there goes the Hurricanes,but he needs help from the rest of the team,along with the American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers,their farm team... expect improvement,but how much??? who knows... the Hurricanes need to rebuild across the board,and without that,they are not a playoff team,this season...

blog statement...

day off... "Idaho Spud" time...  note:next up in my NHL previews will be the Carolina Hurricanes,and then the Colorado Avalanche...

2015-2016 San Jose Sharks...

the next team on my NHL previews is the team who finished 12th in the Western Conference,last season,and a team who had ten straight years,in the Stanley Cup playoffs,before collapsing to 12th,last season... in fact,they have not been the same team,since collapsing against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings,in 2013-2014,in seven first round games,after being up 3-0,in the seven game series... the San Jose Sharks... to tell you how lopsided the Western Conference was,last season,they finished 27 points ahead of the 13th seed,the Edmonton Oilers,and 8 points behind the 8th seed,the Calgary Flames...they scored fewer goals than they allowed,by four goals... simply,their team defense,and goaltending stunk in the second half of the season... the turning point of last season,for the Sharks,happened in Detroit,when the Red Wings scored twice in the last seven minutes,turning a 2-1 Sharks' lead into a very painful 3-2 defeat,on February 26th,2015...even though they beat the Red Wings,in Detroit,6-4,exactly one month later,after that loss,in San Jose,on that February night,the team never won more than two games in a row,after that bitter loss,to the Red Wings... they then had their head coach go off to Edmonton,and even though,they signed a very good young goaltender,in Martin Jones(and Alex Stalock),they do have a very good goaltending duo who should fight it out for the starting spot in goal... however,Patrick Marleau,"Jumbo" Joe Thornton,and Joe Pavelski are over 30 years of age,along with Logan Couture,and Melkar Karlsson should stabilize the team offense,and Marc Edouard Vlasic,and Brent Burns should help the team defense... two things that may be the Sharks' achilles heel:age of the stars,and a simply brutal travel schedule,in terms of miles flown(number one on that list,unfortunately)... they must have a better home record,than they did(19-17-5),than their road record(21-16-4),last season... expect improvement,and in the crazy Western Conference,they honestly could be a playoff team,but they have to improve their record in the Pacific Division to do that,this season...