Skill is the most entertaining aspect of the NHL. Seeing the young players of the league continue to push the envelope, finding new ways to pass, deke, and score will only help our game improve. Hockey is constantly evolving and everyone needs to get on board and accept the fact that it is no longer the 80's.
I bring all of this up because of an incident that occurred in the Ducks last game. Trevor Zegras scored another Michigan and it was awesome.
But this isn't about Beagle or fighting exactly, the reason I am writing this is because of what Coyotes announcer Tyson Nash had to say during the incident. Here is the quote:
“That’s the problem with these young players. You wanna embarrass guys? You wanna skill it up? You better be prepared to get punched in the mouth.…
Embarrassing take.
The idea that a player doing something incredible is not only embarrassing, but warrants violence is one of the worst takes I have ever seen. As I have written before, the NHL does a terrible job at letting it's best players do what they do. Whether it is McDavid getting hauled down without a call, Johnny Gaudreau breaking his hand after being slashed multiple times, or Zegras getting assaulted for pulling off a highly difficult play, this league tries to bring the play down to the level of it's lowest players. If you want to expand and promote the NHL across the world more, you need more Trevor Zegras's and far fewer Jay Beagle's.
Hopefully tonight we will see the likes of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Zegras "skill it up" in an exciting game.
Edmonton is coming off of another win against the St. Louis Blues that once again almost slipped out of their reach. The Blues were awful in the first period, turning over puck after puck which the Oilers were able to turn into a 4-1 lead, forcing Berube to give Binnington the hook and put in Ville Husso instead. While the Blues still made mistakes, Husso made the saves he needed to to keep his team in the game.
Contrast that to Mike Smith and the Oilers. Edmonton began leaking chances and letting the Blues rack up more shots and Smith failed to make the saves he needed to. Eventually the game would be tied 5-5 and McDavid would win it in overtime. Smith is done. Some media guys like Spector will defend Smith and blame the Oilers for their mistakes and while that is true to a degree, a good goalie still needs to make those saves. Husso did for the Blues, and most other goalies around the NHL can for their respective teams but Smith cannot for Edmonton.
I cannot fathom why on this California roadtrip that Stuart Skinner does not get a chance to play. There are many who like the idea of signing Husso in the summer. The 27 year old has a 0.922SV% in 32 games this season and has played a total of 49 NHL games. How come Holland won't give his 23 year old netminder with a 0.913SV% in 13 games this season a try, especially when Smith is sitting with a 0.894SV% in 20 games.
As of right now I don't know what the line combinations will be for tonight's game. Kassian and Archibald have both gotten some leash with Woodcroft and so far I have seen nothing from their on ice play to warrant continued time. They should call up this guy:
DYLAN HOLLOWAY OH MY LORD pic.twitter.com/FJViKYmzII
— Kailer Yamamoto #1 Fan (@oilersdailyy) March 31, 2022
Enjoy the game!