Letang -4.
- chimpira

Marino -3, JJ +1. Case closed. JJ is the better defenseman now and forevermore.

Marino -3, JJ +1. Case closed. JJ is the better defenseman now and forevermore.
- Hockey66

This guys gets it!

#truth

We have 9 offices in Florida. Sounds like they have the same attendance issue as we do here and it’s not a secret: location, location, location

I believe Boyd can also back up that statement
- WSCTeton17

Lightning sell out every game.

I also think the Lightning are better off with their owner that took over when I started working there. He did a fantastic job marketing that team in the Tampa area.

I don’t know much about the owners of the panthers but it’s not even in Miami. It’s in Ft. Lauderdale, which is like an hour or so from Miami. Even then, everything in the Miami area has trouble selling out. There’s just other poop to do in the evenings down there ya know?

So the caps will be regretting it then
- 668710

good one?

Lightning sell out every game.

I also think the Lightning are better off with their owner that took over when I started working there. He did a fantastic job marketing that team in the Tampa area.

I don’t know much about the owners of the panthers but it’s not even in Miami. It’s in Ft. Lauderdale, which is like an hour or so from Miami. Even then, everything in the Miami area has trouble selling out. There’s just other poop to do in the evenings down there ya know?
- j.boyd919

I've always hated that excuse. Either there are hockey fans or there aren't. Sure, there are casual fans that can help fill an arena, but that place wasn't even half full and half of those that were there were Pens fans!

So, if there's other poop to do and people aren't interested in hockey, then go somewhere where they are interested in hockey. I mean, a Tuesday night with no other sports leagues or colleges in action around there? There's always other stuff to do pretty much everywhere. I think it's a disgrace. I'm sure the league doesn't care, though.

Just like there is a salary cap and floor, there should be an attendance floor, if for no other reason than optics. Give away tickets if you have to.

Even on this site, in the past 70 days there have only been 20 blogs and 164 total comments and again, a bunch of those comments are from other teams' fans. They have about 5 regular fans/commenters on here. Pathetic.

Galchenyuk and Malkin skate for an hour on their own before practice Monday. They're not traveling with the team, but hopefully getting close.

The advanced stats are improving for Pettersson-Schultz as well, just started rough. Looking forward to seeing what they do with Malkin.
- Tojo.

Are you looking forward to tracking their fufu stats or actually watching them play?

Didn't see much of the game, Bocci night. So going by Natural Stat Trick:

JJ: 61.11

Sid, Jake, Simon line: 36.36

A) Who was paired with Johnson?

B) 36% isn't going to sit well here. I'm sure fault isn't going to fall on these three. It will be interesting to see how this gets spun around.

Didn't see much of the game, Bocci night. So going by Natural Stat Trick:

JJ: 61.11

Sid, Jake, Simon line: 36.36

A) Who was paired with Johnson?

B) 36% isn't going to sit well here. I'm sure fault isn't going to fall on these three. It will be interesting to see how this gets spun around.
- Thunderbolt

Jacko-Guds pairing. They were good together.

36.36% is terrible for sure.

Florida is an average team.

So RW ignores that Bob was average at best last season and that judging a small sample size from this season is stupid. Also anyone that knows anything about goalies knew that contract was horrible both in the short and long term.
- Feds91Stammer

Bob's stats AND his contract may be worse than JJs...

I've always hated that excuse. Either there are hockey fans or there aren't. Sure, there are casual fans that can help fill an arena, but that place wasn't even half full and half of those that were there were Pens fans!

So, if there's other poop to do and people aren't interested in hockey, then go somewhere where they are interested in hockey. I mean, a Tuesday night with no other sports leagues or colleges in action around there? There's always other stuff to do pretty much everywhere. I think it's a disgrace. I'm sure the league doesn't care, though.

Just like there is a salary cap and floor, there should be an attendance floor, if for no other reason than optics. Give away tickets if you have to.

Even on this site, in the past 70 days there have only been 20 blogs and 164 total comments and again, a bunch of those comments are from other teams' fans. They have about 5 regular fans/commenters on here. Pathetic.
- Hockey66

The place wasn't half empty, first off. The Panthers have the sections behind the benches as club seating, which most people won't splurge for, which leaves the most visible (on tv) seats always unfilled. When you take a look at the Panthers history of never building a real team and always relying on snowbirds and transplants coming to see their "home" team for ticket sales. People here like hockey, they're just not going to spend their money and time on a team and organization that is a joke. The new owners started changing things, but firing Gallant put them back to square one with fans. The fans are coming back around since hiring Q sends a message that things will really, finally be different here. Attendance suffers everywhere and anywhere when a team is bad. Pittsburgh was on the verge of moving when they perpetually sucked, 'member?? No one liked hockey there before Super Mario and winning? Now you're all hockey maniacs? Amazing, even many people in Buffalo stopped going to games over the last few frustrating seasons. See how TB turned into big crowds when their new owner started running things correctly? You judge size of teams' fan bases by amount of posters on hockey buzz? (Where the Panthers only recently even have a blogger) Lol, if you do that, there are like 5 teams total that have any real following. When you take a look at the history of the Panthers, it's easy to see why they've been best at growing fan apathy. The attendance is, and will continue to grow as the Panthers show that they really no longer will be irrelevant as they've been for most of their existence.

The place wasn't half empty, first off. The Panthers have the sections behind the benches as club seating, which most people won't splurge for, which leaves the most visible (on tv) seats always unfilled. When you take a look at the Panthers history of never building a real team and always relying on snowbirds and transplants coming to see their "home" team for ticket sales. People here like hockey, they're just not going to spend their money and time on a team and organization that is a joke. The new owners started changing things, but firing Gallant put them back to square one with fans. The fans are coming back around since hiring Q sends a message that things will really, finally be different here. Attendance suffers everywhere and anywhere when a team is bad. Pittsburgh was on the verge of moving when they perpetually sucked, 'member?? No one liked hockey there before Super Mario and winning? Now you're all hockey maniacs? Amazing, even many people in Buffalo stopped going to games over the last few frustrating seasons. See how TB turned into big crowds when their new owner started running things correctly? You judge size of teams' fan bases by amount of posters on hockey buzz? (Where the Panthers only recently even have a blogger) Lol, if you do that, there are like 5 teams total that have any real following. When you take a look at the history of the Panthers, it's easy to see why they've been best at growing fan apathy. The attendance is, and will continue to grow as the Panthers show that they really no longer will be irrelevant as they've been for most of their existence.
- Ratsreign

They're still ranked in the bottom 5 of attendance so far this season.

Are you looking forward to tracking their fufu stats or actually watching them play?
- Grinder47

Both, the first leads to more of the second.

Didn't see much of the game, Bocci night. So going by Natural Stat Trick:

JJ: 61.11

Sid, Jake, Simon line: 36.36

A) Who was paired with Johnson?

B) 36% isn't going to sit well here. I'm sure fault isn't going to fall on these three. It will be interesting to see how this gets spun around.
- Thunderbolt

They had there chances, missed in some, got robbed by BOB on others (he was good).

I haven't really liked what I've seen from Marino and Letang as a pair. Marino, IMO, is that flashy new toy right now whose weak areas are being ignored. And Letang shouldn't be switching sides to accommodate him.

They really missed Dumoulin an what he does cleaning up for that group tonight.

That's 3 games that line hasn't scored even if they all got points on jumbled lines. Maybe not his fault, but Simon's spot could be in jeopardy there I they can't connect next game and Rust returns Saturday.

They're still ranked in the bottom 5 of attendance so far this season.
- MattStrat

Fancy attendance stats don’t mean poop when you see it with your own eyeballs.

Fancy attendance stats don’t mean poop when you see it with your own eyeballs.
- j.boyd919

hahaha I see what you did there.

I've always hated that excuse. Either there are hockey fans or there aren't. Sure, there are casual fans that can help fill an arena, but that place wasn't even half full and half of those that were there were Pens fans!

So, if there's other poop to do and people aren't interested in hockey, then go somewhere where they are interested in hockey. I mean, a Tuesday night with no other sports leagues or colleges in action around there? There's always other stuff to do pretty much everywhere. I think it's a disgrace. I'm sure the league doesn't care, though.

Just like there is a salary cap and floor, there should be an attendance floor, if for no other reason than optics. Give away tickets if you have to.

Even on this site, in the past 70 days there have only been 20 blogs and 164 total comments and again, a bunch of those comments are from other teams' fans. They have about 5 regular fans/commenters on here. Pathetic.
- Hockey66

I don’t think it makes sense to have an attendance floor. If something like that got out you’d probably have fans who are currently paying and supporting the team trying to go for free. Plus then they’d be tracking how many tickets each team gave away for free and if something like that got out Bettman would have a poopstorm on his hands

Tampa Bay shouldn’t be given too much credit at this juncture. If people are assuming tonight’s game will automatically be tough I think they should check the stats. Both Tampa goalies have GAAs above 3. From what I’ve read this isn’t the same team that won the presidents trophy, rather they look more like the team who was swept by the Jackets. They’re also coming off days rest (bag skating?) after dropping to the Avs 6-2. Could be overrested, could be underprepared, or could just continue to have sloppy goaltending which continues to give the opposition a chance

Tampa Bay shouldn’t be given too much credit at this juncture. If people are assuming tonight’s game will automatically be tough I think they should check the stats. Both Tampa goalies have GAAs above 3. From what I’ve read this isn’t the same team that won the presidents trophy, rather they look more like the team who was swept by the Jackets. They’re also coming off days rest (bag skating?) after dropping to the Avs 6-2. Could be overrested, could be underprepared, or could just continue to have sloppy goaltending which continues to give the opposition a chance
- WSCTeton17

Their underlying numbers aren't good either. I haven't watched any Tampa this year, but I will tonight.

I don’t think it makes sense to have an attendance floor. If something like that got out you’d probably have fans who are currently paying and supporting the team trying to go for free. Plus then they’d be tracking how many tickets each team gave away for free and if something like that got out Bettman would have a poopstorm on his hands
- WSCTeton17

Panthers owners of old tried the free ticket angle. All it did was make the people who bought them feel foolish, so they stopped...