The Pittsburgh Penguins will be sending two players to the NHL All Star Game this year in Los Angeles. Sidney Crosby will be the Captain of the Metropolitan Division and joining him will be...
Your 2017 NHL All-Stars pic.twitter.com/0krj6ztyU8
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) January 10, 2017
Evgeni Malkin.
All-star weekend is what it is. A non serious atmosphere for the players to put their guard down, mingle with other players, and put on a light hearted show for fans. As far as Penguins selections go those are a very obvious two choices. Justin Schultz has had a marvelous season and there was a little bit of buzz surrounding his potential inclusion, but he did not make the cut.
A lot of people get angered about these selections and talk about who "deserves" it more than others. For me it isn't so much about deserve as much as it is about players who have a skill set that can entertain. For example, a player like Alexei Kovalev would make the all-star game every single year he played if I had it my way regardless of how he was playing. Those are the kind of players I want to see in a relaxed event. Not some grinder with a high shooting percentage that year.
Here is to hoping that Captain Sidney Crosby uses his position of power to join forces with Malkin and Ovechkin for the three on three session. That would be fun to watch exhibition or not.
Here are some NHL team trends on the possession front
Recent changes in shot rates. New Jersey what are you doing. pic.twitter.com/lllrQFsi63
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 9, 2017
Mike Sullivan would rather his team be moving up and to the right rather than down and to the right, but being on the right hand side is good for the fans. It means your team is generating attempts which correlates with entertainment. Pittsburgh is one of the best three in the league at it. The Devils have fallen off a cliff in a very strong Metropolitan Division. In the West the battle for worst suppression team has seen a change. The Colorado Avalanche have overtaken the Arizona Coyotes as the worst defensive team in hockey. Montreal and Boston are both doing great and both have a high caliber goaltender. They will each be a tough out in the playoffs if those trends hold true.
Last night didn't do anything to help Kari Lehtonen's short-handed save percentage. pic.twitter.com/VpRnuibior
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 10, 2017
Murray still in a good spot. Fleury is right around league average if not a shade below.
No changes to the #Pens forward lines at practice — they’re in Washington tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/XOxlAoiSY2
— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) January 10, 2017
No sense in fixing what isn't broken.
*flips on hockey coverage*
— Matthew Coller (@MatthewColler) January 9, 2017
*hears "he creates space for Connor McDavid like Dave Semenko did for Gretzky"*
*turns to NBA TV*
It is disappointing that in the year 2017 hockey fans don't really have a legitimate television option to get analysis that doesn't cater to the lowest common denominator. Unless the NHL Network is showing a live event there really isn't a reason to seek it out.
Jagr not thinking about retirement: 'I feel good so I go to 55' https://t.co/NiOVJQYnUQ pic.twitter.com/8EVpsFe056
— theScore NHL (@theScoreNHL) January 10, 2017
#JagrWatch2027
We were joined by @BWest_Trib on episode 58 of the @GarageLeaguePod. Be sure to check it out! | https://t.co/pWclq3XQSX
— Lyle Kossis (@LyleKossis) January 9, 2017
Very good Penguins discussion with Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune.