- ob18

Center Ice or Game Center?

They matched up against Kane and Panarin last game, so they are still being used in that role. And those were away games where matching up is harder, like Kopitar was clearly put out against G and not Coots. It's too early to use Quality of Competition stats (because it's based off opponent's Corsi, it can be super out of sorts in this small sample size). But Coots and his line is leading the team in Quality of Competition time on ice, which just means his competition has seen the most ice time on their team -- pretty good indicator he's matching up against top lines. And his zone starts are still among the worst few on the team.

Fact is, TK IS on the shutdown line. Voracek saw the same minutes last year on Coots's wing. That line will be seeing the hardest minutes on the team for sure.
- Mononoke

That was on the road, so was it Quenneville or Hakstol that wanted that matchup? Don't know. We'll have to see how it goes. The ideal situation is to have multiple lines that can be trusted with that task, rather than putting it on one line all the time. At home you could theoretically be putting out Couturier for lots of D zone draws if matching him up against the other teams top line.

It baffles me to no end how being a top unit or even second unit penalty killer shackles him at ES. They have nothing to do with each other. He still sees the hardest ES usage. How is that freeing him up to score at ES exactly? I call BS: he will score the same amount whether he sees another minute or two PK or not. The "keep 'em fresh" angle also seems like baloney to me. So 18-19 minutes....fine and dandy. When he crosses that 20 minute threshold....he's (frank)ed? As you said, most every other team plays their top PK'ers as their top PK'ers, but we can't, with our oh-so effective PK the last year?

Personally, I don't think MDZ or Gudas should play PK either. We need to free them up and keep their minutes down. Manning can take their PK time.
- Mononoke

PK minutes are the hardest minutes in hockey, and they take their toll over the course of the season. 2 minutes a game at ES in better situations over the course of a season can make a lot of difference. Anyone saying different is BS.

Just doing a quick search, all of O'Reilly, Bergeron/Marchand, Jordan Staal, Benn, Kesler, Forsberg, Kopitar/Carter, Henrique/Zajac, Reilly Smith all played top 2 minutes on their team's PK last year. Getzlaf, Krejci/Eriksson, Toews/Hossa, Landeskog, Frans Nielsen, Stepan all played top 4.

How floored would you be to find out that almost all of them are also among the best shot suppressing and goal preventing PKers on their respective teams? They also happen to be dangerous SH threats. I'm surprised Bergeron and Marchand and Staal and Benn and O'Reilly and Kopitar and all of them have enough juice to score at all afterwards.
- Mononoke

How many of those players were still looking to break out offensively, and possibly had their offensive development impeded due to being given heavy defensive responsibilities from the time they were 19 years old, and a rookie in the league?

Mood?
- hockeylover

Did I stutter?

LITRILLY

Edit: it autocorrected to that and I have litrilly no problem with it
- YuenglingJagr

That's amazing

I say litrilly all the time, just not in this context

How many of those players were still looking to break out offensively, and possibly had their offensive development impeded due to being given heavy defensive responsibilities from the time they were 19 years old, and a rookie in the league?
- MJL

He led the team in ES point production efficiency

Did I stutter?
- Giroux_Is_God

Actually you did. You do it all the time. We are just too nice to call attention to it.

Keys to the game:

Don't do what you did last time

Except you Matt Read.

Damn it. Another thing I have do tonight
- funmaster18

Buying one of the new jerseys are we?

Actually you did. You do it all the time. We are just too nice to call attention to it.
- Mononoke

s-stop-p it!!

s-stop-p it!!
- Giroux_Is_God

I b-bet e-e-e-verything must be really terr-terr-terrible for you r-right now.

I did
- nastyflyergirl

I was there.

"why VDV over Lubymov?"

Clement- well he's a veteran player

"why VDV over Lubymov?"

Clement- well he's a veteran player
- Mordecai

Those 200 games of tweener mediocrity -- almost all with the Flyers last 2 years -- really cement him as a capable and difference making veteran. On our AHL 4th line.

It's actually funny to think that if VDV were a Phantom he would be on the 4th line too. What a skill set.

It's actually funny to think that if VDV were a Phantom he would be on the 4th line too. What a skill set.
- Mononoke

Like "haha" funny or "I'm going to pretend this isn't happening" funny?

Like "haha" funny or "I'm going to pretend this isn't happening" funny?
- Mordecai

Everything is terrible funny

Everything is terrible funny
- Mononoke

Now we're talking

LET'S GO FLYERS!!! CLAP! ~ CLAP! ~ CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!!!



LET'S GO FLYERS!!! CLAP! ~ CLAP! ~ CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!!!



LET'S GO FLYERS!!! CLAP! ~ CLAP! ~ CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!!!
- ggunky

Let's go boys!!!

Buying one of the new jerseys are we?
- Hextall271

I had to make one for my avatar, but there is no gold visible on the portion that shows, so I'm good. I threw the EMS initials on the helmet for good measure

I hope Chris VDV gets booed during intros and a bracelet shower

Lol (frank) you, Radko