PLUS/MINUS is the NHL's worst stat, however, if you care about that, you probably don't even watch the games anyways. Measuring anything is crazy - it's the internet, just guess and then get really, really defensive about your position!
PLUS: The season is back and off to a great start. The first week of hockey was beyond anything anyone could have hoped for. The reason......
PLUS: Auston Matthews' four goal game. FOUR EVEN-STRENGTH GOALS GAME I should say. Wow. What can be said that hasn't already been said?
I have waited my entire life for the Leafs to have a player on their roster who was one of the two or three best players in the game. It looks like it might happen. Like McDavid, you just watch and wait for something to happen everytime he's on the ice.
MINUS: Obviously it's just two games in and all, but Babcock has to play him more than 16 minutes per night.
PLUS: Marner, Matthews, Nylander - still as far as I can tell the single greatest trio of rookies to ever enter the NHL at once on the same team. Add in Connor Brown - a player who'd be among the top prospects on most other teams - and it's starting to feel like the patience of being a fan of the possibly worst run (historically) and most frustrating franchise in sports history is paying off.
PLUS: The Coyotes kicked off their season with a victory against a Flyers team that is probably pretty frustrated they lost the game.
Rookie Dvorak picked up his first NHL point and player I don't think should be on the team, Brad Richardson, scored a short-handed goal, which of course completely proves me wrong.
MINUS: The insistence of having checking lines. If you have the talent, play the talent. The USA had a checking line in the World Cup, remind me, how'd they do against teams that rolled four scoring lines?
The Coyotes have the unique chance to roll out four scoring lines. However, they don't seem to have the wherewithal or ingenuity to try it.
MINUS: Healthy scratching your top prospect in what would have been his first NHL game. Just seems like a mean thing to do to the kid.
I get the rationale, but I strongly disagree with it. Who cares? What exactly are the Coyotes trying to win this year? Respect. A few games. The hearts of fans.
Not the Stanley Cup though. They aren't likely to be a playoff team.
They are very clearly a developing team who can be satisfied if they rarely get blown out, are competitive most nights, see improvements from their rookies and aren't eliminated from the playoffs by Christmas.
So why screw around with your prized prospect?
MINUS: Coach's Challenges. I forgot how much I hated these. They waste everyone's time. They do nothing to improve the game. They are an example of people's unnecessary and stupid quest for perfect accuracy.
There should be no reviews, no video review, ever. Just let the refs decide like they always used to. Is there sometimes an inaccurate call? Sure, but unless you doubt the ref's integrity (in which case the league has way bigger problems) let them decide and keep the game moving.
PLUS: Mark Scheifele is awesome. He's going to be a top-ten in points kind of player starting this year. One of my favorite guys in the league.
MINUS: Crosby getting another concussion. Though the first week of the season was great, that does cloud it a bit. The last thing anyone wants to hear about is Crosby and Concussions. Here's hoping it's somehow minor and he can resume his role as second best player in to the world after Connor McDavid, who I think recently stole the title.
PLUS: I saw that Ek said the Coyotes and Leafs are the finalists for Trouba. Well that is amazing. Trouba is a way underrated player who the Jets are nuts to trade. I can't wait to see how this goes down.
MINUS: My decision to try to watch Terminator at 3am last night. I literally didn't make it past the opening credits, then suffered crazy dreams as the world's creepiest DVD menu repeated infinitely until I woke up confused and afraid of cyborgs at 7am on the couch.
PLUS: Kidding aside, the above tweet is from DFSdatalytics.com which is a site that offers daily fantasy tips and information to help you win.
In my first week using the service, I have come away extremely impressed. You get sortable stats projections, value rankings, etc. + advice on players and strategy and, perhaps best of all, access to an ap that allow you to chat with all the other players 24/7.
My goal for this year was to start with $50 and grind it out all year into a small profit, hopefully just to play for free and have some fun with the chance to maybe win enough to some of the 178 items in my Amazon shopping cart.
Up until last night I was doing pretty good, +$15 for the week. Not amazing or anything, but just by listening to the advice of the guys in the chat and carefully reading the information provided, I was able to profit. (and I'm playing min. bets here, 15 dollars on 50 is close to 30% ROI, so it's better than it sounds).
However, last night I got greedy and stupid. Spurred on by my earlier success, I stupidly broke my rule about playing more than 15% of my bankroll at anytime, didn't have the time to scour DFSDatalytics like I did earlier in the week and I lost nearly $30, leaving me a $35.05 balance.
My main problem last night was that I let my heart (Leafs and Coyotes) overrule my good sense, and went contrary to some good advice. Hopefully this makes me realize the importance of discipline in a game like this. It also illustrates the helpfulness of the site.
I don't want to sound like a commercial here, but if you're going to play DFS a subscription to DFSdatalytics will pay for itself, as long as you're smart about it.
MINUS: This week in Stupid Coaching Decisions, we have the Islanders playing 37 year-old Jason Chimera on their top line. Unsurprisingly, last night he had a CF of 39% (That's hella-bad in case you aren't familiar with Corsi).
Unsurprisingly, Tavares has zero points on the year. Perhaps it's time to turn some of that deep defense into a few forwards. This is just embarrassing.
MINUS: The list of 100 greatest Leafs was terrible. Mats Sundin is #1. I don't care if he won a Cup or not (he did lead his team to 2 x final four appearances) the fact that he averaged over a point per game for almost 1000 games in the Dead Puck Era is incredible.
He is already the franchise leading scorer, but if you consider the low scoring era that he played in, his achievements are even more remarkable. Personally, I think fan polls are ridiculous and this one isn't going to change my mind, but calling Mats Sundin the 5th best Leaf of all-time is a disgusting and horrendous insult that I will not leave unchallenged.
PLUS: If you are the best hitting team in baseball and hold your opponent to only four runs over two games, then you just got super unlucky.
The Jays may be down 2-0, but they will likely come back, and they will do so because they have the better team. Holding the Jays to 1 run over two games is impressive work, but unfortunately for them, when the levee breaks it isn't going to be pretty.
Jays will crush it in the Skydome and even the series. You could take that to the bank, but why would you? There's nothing but fatcats at banks anyways.
MINUS: Like hiring Randy Carlyle wasn't already a crazy move, but Murray and the Ducks just don't seem to do anything that makes a lick of sense.
Like signing the washed up Antoine Vermette.
Or letting all your forward depth leave over the summer.
Or not signing their best player, Hampus Lindholm.
Or choosing to sign Rakell before dealing with Lindholm.
Whatever is going on, it isn't good. Starting the season without their best player is absolutely atrocious management. They've started 0-2 and may end up closer to the basement than the Playoffs.
If any team in hockey is more desperate for a new GM, even including the Oilers, I don't know of them.
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