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Out of Town Notebook: The Real Western Conference Quarter Pole Standings

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Out of Town Notebook: The Real Western Conference Quarter Pole Standings

NHL standings are a lie. Well, for the most part they’re a lie. You see, there are only two days in the schedule where all 30 teams will have played the same number of a games: the first day of the regular season and the last day of the regular season. In between these two days, 30 different NHL team schedules create standings that reward or punish teams that have played more or fewer games than their opponents. Now as usual around these parts, you’re probably wondering why this is relevant. Well, the week of U.S. Thanksgiving is usually the...

Out of Town Notebook: A Modest Proposal for NHL Realignment

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Out of Town Notebook: A Modest Proposal for NHL Realignment

Dear Gary (aka Bettman-in-da-house, aka Mr. Commish, aka Saviour-of-Winnipeg), Not to go all Peaches and Herb (or Jeremy Roenick), but “realignment and it feels so good!” NHL realignment is the hot talk around the league right now, and I know reviews are mixed concerning your latest plan to re-shape the NHL. Personally, I like what you’ve reportedly done: The first round of the playoffs features divisional play (1 vs 4, 2 vs 3). After the first round, the remaining teams are seeded 1-4, with 1 playing 4, 2 vs 3, etc. Now, the Penguins and Flyers hate this proposal, because...

The Game According to Twitter: Canucks 5 Flames 1

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The Game According to Twitter: Canucks 5 Flames 1

[View the story “Game 12: Canucks vs. Flames” on Storify]

Out-of-Town Notebook: 2011/2012 Season Predictions and Prognostications

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Out-of-Town Notebook: 2011/2012 Season Predictions and Prognostications

After more than a month of review, analysis, and rankings, it’s time to predict what will actually happen in the upcoming NHL season. If you take all things into consideration, one thing becomes abundantly clear – parity. No team is very strong at each position (coach, goalie, defence, forward), and most teams are only a shade better or worse than another. It looks like all the same teams that made the playoffs last year have a good chance of making it again this year. As we’ve discussed though, it’s rare that there’s so little change in the standings from year-to-year. Injuries...

Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Goalies

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Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Goalies

Yesterday it was the Eastern Conference goalies. Today, the Western Conference as we wrap up our positional previews. A+ Grade Nashville Last Year (B-) A stellar playoff performance proved Pekka Rinne is more than just a product of an elite defensive team. He’s the Conference’s best goaltender right now. If injured, Anders Lindback is a more-than-capable replacement. A- Grade Anaheim Last Year (B) Vertigo derailed what was shaping up to be a Vezina-worthy season for Jonas Hiller. Symptom-free, he’s an elite goaltender. Dan Ellis is an okay backup in the short-term, but any injury to Hiller and the Ducks are...

Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Forwards (and Ashton Kutcher’s Two and a Half Men Debut)

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Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Forwards (and Ashton Kutcher’s Two and a Half Men Debut)

What do Michael Ryder and Ashton Kutcher have in common? Both have previously enjoyed success in supporting roles, and now both are being asked to replace bigger stars that left town after difficult contract negotiations. It’s doubtful either will make anyone forget who they’re replacing anytime soon. Last Monday, more than 27 million viewers tuned in to see how Two and a Half Men would replace Charlie Sheen with Ashton Kutcher. For those that missed it but wondered how it went, allow me to summarize: blandly juvenile. Granted, juvenile jokes and innuendo are a big reason why Two and a...

Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Bluelines

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Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Bluelines

The other day, we looked at the Eastern Conference bluelines. Today, let’s look at the Western Conference defence rankings. A Grade Chicago Last Year (A+) A slip in the ratings heading into 2011-12, as neither Duncan Keith nor Brent Seabrook were quite as good last year as they were the season before. Meanwhile, Nick Hjalmarsson also disappointed. However, Nick Leddy looks like a future top-4 stalwart, and there’s some veteran depth now with the signings of Steve Montador, Sean O’Donnell and Sami Lepisto. Los Angeles Last Year (A-) This is assuming Drew Doughty signs. Otherwise they drop a grade. Doughty...

Season Preview: The Impact of Coaching Changes Part 2 and Ranking the Western Conference Coaches

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Season Preview: The Impact of Coaching Changes Part 2 and Ranking the Western Conference Coaches

As discussed in yesterday’s post, changing a coach at mid-season, rather than in the off-season, seems to have a greater positive impact on team performance. Examining all the coaching moves since the start of the 2005-06 season reveals some other interesting tidbits: Only four coaches hired at mid-season led their teams to a worse performance than the coach they replaced: 2009-10 Philadelphia: Peter Laviolette (.535) replaced John Stevens (.540). One could argue these are almost equal results. 2008-09 Tampa Bay: Rick Tocchet (.397 winning percentage) replaced Barry Melrose (.438). Funny how Melrose was ridiculed for his performance returning to the...

Canucks Review and Preview: April 4 to April 10, 2011

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Canucks Review and Preview: April 4 to April 10, 2011

[Every Sunday, Caylie King looks at the Canucks week that was and the Canucks week ahead. You can follow Caylie on Twitter (@cayking).] Canucks Record 79 GP, 52-18-9, 113 points (1st in Northwest Division, 1st in Western Conference, 1st in NHL) Who’s Hot Remember earlier this season when people were saying that Alex Burrows was having an off season? Well, he now has 25 goals, 47 points and a plus-25 rating in 69 games. Burr scored the only goal against Edmonton and has 4 goals in his last 5 games. Who’s Not Raffi Torres has 1 assist in his last...

Canucks Review and Preview: February 7 to February 13, 2011

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Canucks Review and Preview: February 7 to February 13, 2011

[Every Sunday, Caylie King looks at the Canucks week that was and the Canucks week ahead. You can follow Caylie on Twitter (@cayking).] Canucks Record 53 GP, 34-10-9, 77 points (1st in Northwest Division, 1st in Western Conference) Who’s Hot Daniel Sedin is currently on a 8-game point streak. He has 11 points in that stretch, though surprisingly, he only has 1 goal and seems somewhat content to leave the scoring to his teammates. Daniel has easily been one of the most consistent Canucks this season. He leads the team in scoring with 28 goals and 41 assists. He’s in...

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