Follow @james_tanner123 "PLUS/MINUS is the NHL's best stat, and the only one I use" - John Shannon*
PLUS: The Jets. Yeah I know I'm the Capitals guy here and I should probably lead with that, but the Jets are an awesome team and it'd be nice to see a Canadian team win the Cup for once. I don't think it's happened since 1993. The Jets are fun to watch, hard to play and Connor Hellebuyck highhandedly won me $250 in a hockey pool this year, so what's not to like?
PLUS: The Capitals being up 3-2 against the Penguins. Could they finally knock off the Penguins and move onto the third round? This is their fourth series since 2009 and so far the Penguins are 3-0.
PLUS: Jakub Vrana. Last night he scored the game winner, was promoted to the first line and he picked up three points and (one assumes) the game's first star.
One thing I've been critical of Trotz for all year is his treatment of Vrana. Even though he tends to be one of the Caps' better possession players and is effective even when he doesn't score, he occasionally gets benched, and he was even a healthy scratch once already in the playoffs. Given his talent level and the Capitals penchant for dressing up to four terrible forwards in any given game, scratching Vrana is among the worst decisions Trotz, or any NHL coach, has made this season.
PLUS: I recently watched two movies that 100% of people should check out. One, the Searchers, stars John Wayne and is just about the greatest movie ever made. My wife did not like it, but she doesn't like westerns. This movie is interesting because its sort of a look at racism as opposed to just being super racist, like many of John Wayne's films. (Though modern audiences will still probably find it pretty racist, it's interesting how times and ideas change, and how John Wayne went back to re-figure some of the things his movies were about/saying. )
The other movie I watched this week was On the Waterfront, which turns out to be one of my favorite movies of all time. A young Brando works the docks and must confront the Mob or lose his soul - it's a light-hearted romp about 1950's New Jersey!!
PLUS: Another day, more proof that John Chayka is the NHL's best general manager. Getting Marcus Kruger and upgrading a draft pick from the fourth to the third in exchange for a fourth line winger is pretty impressive.
MINUS: I woke up this morning to see some people praising Trotz for putting Vrana on the top line. This even though before making the obvious choice, he tried Chandler Stephenson and Devonte Smith-Pelly. One of the biggest NHL Mysteries is why Trotz thinks those two guys are better than Vrana.
MINUS: With Wilson suspended, and Burakovsky injured the injury to Nick Backstrom may be catastrophic. Hopefully he can play Monday.
PLUS: Braden Holtby. If the Capitals end up going to the or winning the Stanley Cup, Holtby will definitely be the Con Smythe winner. (Now, time-out. Is the Playoff MVP awarded to the best player, or the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team?). Barrie Trotz still deserves to be fired for his benching of Holtby to start the playoffs. Last night, despite the score making the game look less close than it was, the Penguins were actually the better team and the Capitals scored two empty-netters. Holtby made 36 saves in the victory.
PLUS: Players licking each other. It's not that I condone this, I just think it's funny as hell.
MINUS: The NHL Awards. McDavid not being at least nominated for the Hart is a dereliction of duty by the voter making up the PHWA. John Gibson should win the Vezina in my opinion and wasn't even nominated. Not that this really matters, but it shouldn't that hard to identify the best players.
PLUS: I think AP Bio is currently the best show on TV.