The games between Toronto and Pittsburgh have been very entertaining this year. Both teams have fun players who are offensively minded and aren't afraid to try and push the tempo. Tonight's game between the two clubs has the potential to continue that trend, but some outside forces might alter how it looks.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have literally nothing to play for. Their seed in set and so is their opponent. They will be playing the Columbus Blue Jackets . They will be resting various players this weekend. Here is the evidence
The #Pens have recalled forward Kevin Porter and goaltender Tristan Jarry from the @WBSPenguins. Details: https://t.co/srbwRZxVVR pic.twitter.com/UJ5q71HWcp
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 8, 2017
Given the injuries the Penguins have suffered you can't really blame the team for trying to protect their best assets they have remaining. It is already going to be a tall hill to climb without Letang. Losing more players isn't an option for a legit Cup run.
Toronto on the other hand is the polar opposite of Pittsburgh. They are fighting for their playoff lives right now. The Tampa Bay Lightning keep winning and have put enormous pressure on Toronto to get a result either today or tomorrow. Tampa Bay is only one point behind Toronto for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They also only have one game remaining. If Toronto is able to gain two points between today and tomorrow they will secure their playoff spot.
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Congratulations to the United States women on winning the 2017 World Hockey Championship. What an incredible group of women. They put their own personal/team short term goals aside to organize their base and battle against USA to make life easier and better for all the future women that want to play hockey. Their accomplishments at the bargaining table will pay dividends over the long term and hopefully influence other sports to treat women better.
Coming into the tournament with a very short training camp and not a lot of preparation could have held the team back. Instead the women were just as great on the ice as they were off of it. They were far and away the best team in the tournament and play such an entertaining brand of hockey. Team Canada gave the Americans all they could handle in yet another overtime finish for a Gold Medal. It was Hillary Knight's snipe job that ended the contest.
HILLARY KNIGHT WINS THE GOLD MEDAL IN OVERTIME WITH A BARDOWN SNIPE! pic.twitter.com/DzgjCkTs62
— Ryan Gilbert (@RGilbertSOP) April 8, 2017
Watching the American women play is a pleasure. You hear NHL people talk about players who "play the right way". That normally means that player is a complete bore to watch. It is the American women that truly play the right way. They are incredibly skilled and are always seeking out controlled entries and exits. It isn't the sluggish dump and chase hockey we see on so many nights in the NHL. Their hockey IQ is off the charts and their willingness to take chances while incorporating that skill is intoxicating to watch. The NHL would attract so many more fans with that style of play.
The women from Team USA provided us with one of the better hockey stories in recent memory. Congratulations.
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Playing styles breakdown by team using Stimson's data.
— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) April 8, 2017
We now know which combinations work best. Some tms have more to work w/ than others. pic.twitter.com/vcuHJNqWl4
Sean has compiled Ryan Stimson's passing data in an effort to show the individual teams in the league and what type of players they employ. I want to highlight the fact that the Penguins are tied with Tampa Bay for the fewest amount of "dependent" players. This is a good thing. These are players that depend on the work of others more times than not. Their xG% is a mere 45.6%. Here are how each of the roles rank
Thanks for reading!