Recent content by jeffbear

I don't know what to expect about the outcome, but I 100% expect Carolina to play better in their own end tonight. And if Vegas keeps pressuring wide in their D Zone, then I expect Carolina to start using the weak side space that they’re giving up to do that.

OK, so … where to start with Dylan Larkin? I like the guy, but one of the cornerstone problems with the Yzerplan is that he’s just not a No 1 center. Yet he is on that team, and like Robert Thomas is St Louis you’re going to run into the problem of playing 1C acquisition costs for a guy who’s...

I don’t know how dialed in your buddy is, but Natural Stat Trick is the public stats site I trust the most and they had Freddie at -3 goals saved above expected. Which translates into allowing three more goals than the Knights were expected to score based on shots, shot danger, location and a...

I mean, if you’re not getting on the body against the Aho line then I question if you’re really even trying. That doesn’t take inside info. Just basic competence.

Toronto chews up inexperienced coaches and spits them out. They’ve been down that road fairly recently and I get whey they don’t want to go back for more. That said, they REALLY need a coach who fits what they’re doing with the roster and I’m not sure they have a clue what they’re doing with...

It’s a sign … of something. Frankly, I don’t want to think too hard about it.

It had the potential, but the parking staff resisted the temptation to change up the entry procedures … God bless them. You can still never count out that possibility for Game 1 of any series though. It’s much better to prepare for the worst.

I’ve talked a lot during this post season about various teams refusing or being unable to play the way you need to play to beat the Hurricanes. Yeah, you can also beat them the way Montreal did in Game 1 of that series, but mesmerizing a team into playing like crap is tougher than it looks...

So long as Tulsky maintains his relationship with Dundon, he can probably stay as long as he wants. He’s got WAY more freedom here than people think. Most GMs in the NHL have at least one old school hockey guy looking over their shoulder. Some have LOTS of them. Job security in that gig is the...

Yeah, they ended up talking to a bunch of AGMs before MacFarland landed in their lap. The thing of it is, Nashville’s a pretty good job. The ownership is engaged but not overly so, it’s a good market with a good building and they get really good support when they have a decent team. The current...

Dan and Shay are a modern country act … which is prolly not this board’s cup of tea based on the reaction to that guy that played at the outdoor game. Not mine either, but I have heard of them at least

Yeah, probably. Carolina just never got comfortable in that game and Vegas showed some twists in their coverage in the D zone. There’s some stuff to work out along with just making less mistakes with the puck. That’s the upside with a series. You can grow into it if you’re smart, and this team …...

While we were busy yesterday … Colorado shuffled their front office. Joe Sakic will take on GM duties again, and Chris MacFarland was allowed to leave to take the GM job with the Predators. Kind of a change without a change, since Sakic was obviously involved in big picture decision-making all...

Another thing that Carolina has to figure out is how to defeat what Vegas is doing to slow down their forecheck. Vegas was chipping the second forward all night to slow down and redirect the pressure. It’s not legal, really … it’s interference … but Rooney and McCauley were in no mood to argue...

This. And it’s less about size than it is about sticks. The Canes just got out-fought WAY too many times last night, and Vegas ran an absolute master class in extending shifts. They've got to be quicker to engage and smarter with what they’re trying to do. Let’s face it, Carolina had a much...