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Game #18 – Hawks vs. Hurricanes Spotlight: Dougie Caine

By Sam Fels November 12, 2018 1735 0

Let’s start with the raw numbers right at the top. Since he came into the league in the season-in-a-can of ’13, Dougie Hamilton is 4th in CF%. He’s third in relative-Corsi. The names ahead of him are Erik Karlsson and Mark Giordano. The names behind him are Hampus Lindholm and Kris Letang. He’s seventh in that time (min. 5,000 minutes played) in relative expected-goals percentage, ahead of names like Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic. If you go by straight points, Hamilton is 17th among d-men who have played 400 games in that time. Clearly, Dougie Hamilton has been one of the best d-men in the league for six seasons now.

When you look at the list of d-men around him in any of these categories, you’ll notice that none of them have been traded twice. Most haven’t even once. Anton Stralman is an under-the-radar player that signed as a free agent in Tampa. Brent Burns was a forward when he got traded. Karlsson was traded because his former team is A). going through a rebuild and B.) is an asylum for the truly confused. Quite simply, everyone treats a d-man of this class like a precious stone. Because they are. The amount of game-changing, right-handed d-men who turn the ice over is a list you could compile on barely two plies of toilet paper. It’s Drew Doughty, Hamilton, Karlsson, Burns, supposedly Dustin Byfuglien (we’re skeptical), PK Subban, and that’s about it. Throw John Carlson on there if you must.

So why has Dougie Hamilton been traded twice?

The Bruins and Flames both tried to throw Hamilton under the bus after they traded him, mostly to justify to a fanbase why they made silly trades that ended up with them getting, at best, 75 cents on the dollar. You’ve heard the jokes about Hamilton going to museums while teammates went to movies or holding farting competitions. You’ve heard he’s just kind of out there as a guy.

Most of this is utter garbage, as might suspect. These days, with media being everywhere, a problem in the dressing room would not be able to be kept a secret for very long. And yet you never hear about problems with Hamilton until he’s already been jettisoned. Then it just becomes justification to questions they don’t have answers to for real.

Is Hamilton something of a free thinker? Yeah, seems that way. Is he interested in himself more than others? Probably. So’s PK Subban and it got him dealt to Nashville. They’ve basically been the best team in the Western Conference since and Montreal, whatever the start to this season, has spent a majority of the time with its collective dick in its hand (and this year’s start has taken place without Shea Weber anyway). The Preds sure don’t seem to mind whatever it is Subban is as a person.

Hockey certainly isn’t the only sport that has looked suspiciously on a player that doesn’t seem fully invested in being “one of the guys.” Football has long had this problem, where any player who reads something else other than his playbook is to be regarded with suspicion. Baseball sees some of this as well.

But the fears with Hamilton have gone overboard, considering the rare production a team gets from him every season. What’s more important, that he’s seen as a drinking buddy by everyone or he is one fo the best d-men in the league? While team chemistry is important, it’s not like things happen on the ice because Hamilton was hanging out by himself one night and not out at the local with a couple of other wingers. Sure, if he was an actual disruption or raging asshole, we’d know. And that would be a problem. No one’s saying that he is or has been.

The Hurricanes don’t seem to care, and we’re all too happy to plug him into their top-pairing and watch him kick everyone’s ass on a nightly basis. This is another brilliant example of hockey’s outright terror of “the individual” ahead of the team. Anything that doesn’t fall uniformly in line and indistinguishable from everyone else is to be killed or eliminated as quickly as possible. Mostly because hockey is run by old drunks with a lot of head injuries who can’t remember anything but their way.

Perhaps one day it will change. Until it does, teams and front offices like Carolina’s that rightly swipe it away as nothing more than a slight nuisance will be be a half-step ahead.

Game #18 Preview Suite

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Game #18 – Hawks vs. Hurricanes Q&A: Section 328 Again, Because Four Days Is But A Drop In An Ocean

By Sam Fels November 12, 2018 1546 0

This is the Q&A with @Section328 from last Thursday, because four days in an NHL season pass with the impact of a fart in the wind.

A new coach, seemingly a new system, a new celebration, very shiny metrics and yet still outside the playoff spots at the moment. What’s changed with the Canes from Bill Peters to Rod The Bod?

Everything outside of the results. The team feels looser, more open, and less likely to give up on a game when they get down. This team’s amount of give-a0shit is measurably higher than any BP team.

Andrei Svechnikov has come right into the team from the draft. First impressions?

He looks good, and also looks like a rookie. One shift he’ll win a battle along the boards and get a great scoring chance. Two shifts later he’ll either turn the puck over or get goaded into a penalty by some wily veteran. Still seems like the sky’s the limit for him.

Dougie Hamilton and Michael Ferland were the return for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm. How have they fit in?

Really, REALLY well. Raleigh has several museums which has helped Dougie feel at home and Ferland has helped round out the top line more than we would have hoped for. Hamilton started the season a little slow, and for some reason he hasn’t gotten much power at time, but the last 5-6 games, he’s made a lot of impressive plays and is starting to let his shot fly. Ferland has brought a physical element, with a good amount of skill, that this team hasn’t had in years.

The Canes were rumored to be shopping Justin Faulk this summer, including to the Hawks. Is he now going to stay or might he be deadline fodder and why wouldn’t the Canes want to keep him?

When the team announced they were keeping a letter on the front of his sweater, much trade talk moved from Faulk to Pesce, another RHD. He seems to have a weight off his shoulders now that he’s not a co-captain (and thankfully the team doesn’t have that crap this year) so we think he’s more likely to stay than go.

Is William Nylander coming to town?

There’s the big question. When the Canes started strong, we saw no reason to make a big move. Now, that’s changed. It’s hard to read Kyle Dubas, and they’ve said they don’t want to trade him, but there’s been a LOT of smoke lately between Raleigh and Toronto. For now, we’re still thinking it doesn’t happen, but we wouldn’t bet too much money on it

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Lineup s& How Teams Were Built

Game #18 Preview Suite

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Game #18 – Hawks vs. Hurricanes Douchebag Du Jour: Enough Of The Dads’ Trip

By Sam Fels November 12, 2018 1668 0

First of all, who takes all the Dads to Philadelphia and Raleigh? “Ok guys, we know most of you are sore all the time and sitting on a plane doesn’t help much but your reward is…a cheesesteak, liberty bell, and BBQ?” Let these altacockers get to Vegas or Miami or something. Most of them have spent a lifetime in a cold rink. Give them some warmth. Well, except Father Kane. You don’t want him anywhere near Vegas or Miami.

It’s not that the Hawks should stop the Dads’ Trip. It’s a cool thing to do for the players and their families, along with the odd year Moms’ trip. But what we don’t need is to hear about how special it is every fucking year. WE ARE USED TO IT, YOU DO THIS EVERY YEAR.

But every year, we get a long soliloquy from Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk about what a special organization the Hawks are for doing this, because not every team does this you know? Except that they do, and the Hawks stole the idea from the Rangers anyway.

Saturday’s rant was even more precious, because they made special mention about how much it costs to do this for the organization. Because that’s what fans want to hear, the financial burden of flying the players’ fathers around to a couple different cities. Tell us, what do you think fans would prefer if it is so cost-prohibitive: The Parents’ Trip or lowering ticket prices? We’ll be over here when you have an answer.

It’s even more awkward as the Hawks and Rocky Wirtz are never hesitant to tell you about all the money they don’t make and how the Hawks are still in the red even after all the miracle work he and John McDonough have done, according to Rocky and McDonough. Well, if you’re a team that loses money then maybe the lavish extravaganzas like this aren’t necessary?

Of course that’s all bullshit, and the Dads’ or Moms’ trip is fine. The Hawks are so desperate that their fans and the rest of the league see them as a model franchise they’ll sell you just about anything. Clearly, the Hawks are scratching for any goodwill they can right now because most fans, and a fair number of voices within the organization, aren’t pleased about the firing of Joel Quenneville.

So do your trips and your luxuries for the players. But we don’t have to hear about it anymore. Not until you win some damn games, at least.

Game #18 Preview Suite

Everything Else

Game #18 – Hawks vs. Hurricanes: I Make A Lot Of Graphs

By Sam Fels November 12, 2018 1362 0

Game #18 Preview Suite

Everything Else

Game #18 – Hawks vs. Hurricanes: Lineups & How Teams Were Built

By Sam Fels November 12, 2018 1480 0

Game #18 Preview Suite

Everything Else

Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight – November 11th

By Sam Fels November 11, 2018 1238 0

First Screen Viewing

Flames vs. Sharks – 8pm

It still hasn’t quite clicked into gear for the Sharks, who are still somehow looking up at both the Flames and Canucks in the Pacific. But that’s mostly due to some wonky goaltending, and should straighten out at some point. The Flames have been spikier than imagined, though they’re starting Mike Smith in this one so you can expect them to give up five. Still a lot of fast players on display here and if the Flames believe in some sort of “throwing down a marker of intent” type thing, a win in The Tank is a good way to do it.

Second Screen Viewing

Wild vs. Blues – 2pm

Only to see if the Hawks drop into last, which is probably where they belong.

Other Games

Senators vs. Panthers – 4pm

Coyotes vs. Capitals – 4pm

Devils vs. Jets – 6pm

Knights vs. Bruins – 6pm

Avalanche vs. Oilers – 8:30

Everything Else

Game #16 – Hawks 0, Flyera 4: All Seven And We’ll Watch Them Fall

By Sam Fels November 10, 2018 1988 0

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

Corsica

At least the Colliton Era already has a familiar pattern.

Once again, the Hawks were the better team in the first period. They had the better chances, they looked faster and more creative than they have for most of the season, and yet they couldn’t solve a goalie who for the most part has struggled for a while. And then a defensive miscue causes them to fall behind. They don’t panic, but can’t scratch one out. At least it didn’t all fall apart like Thursday. Progress?

But then two veterans completely shit it on a power play, including some really questionable effort, and now you’re down two. The Hawks couldn’t crack a Flyers team that could then just sit back and wait, because they don’t have enough of those players. You know where it goes from there.

Let’s sort it out.

The Two Obs

-Let’s start with Duncan Keith. In the first period, the broadcast was all gaga about his “activity,” which pretty much amounted to impersonating that shortstop on your little league team who chased down every ball, even if it was deep in the outfield. And while activity looks nice, there’s a problem.

It’s not what supposed to be happening.

The main reason Henri Jokiharju was paired with Keith, other than there being no one else really and his veteran tutelage, was to take that part of the game off of Keith’s plate. Keith simply can’t be all over the ice anymore, he can’t be jumping into the play because he can’t get back, and he wasn’t that good at it anyway. As he settles into the sunset years of his career, a free safety role where his still useful mobility would be better suited is what’s on the menu. It’s Jokiharju the Hawks want jumping into the play. They want him making those passes and taking those shots. That’s where his game is. He’s not going to develop by having to catch all the fly balls Keith loses in the sun behind him. If Keith can’t, or won’t, reel it in, then there’s going to have to be another solution. This is part of the reason HarJu is drowning in his own zone. He’s there on his own a lot. And when his instincts to be aggressive come up, he’s finding his partner already there.

As for the first goal, yeah it’s a bad turnover, and a symptom of the Hawks still trying to do the things they used to. But still, when Keith does look, Anisimov is in that circle. Anisimov then proceeds to just float backwards toward the blue line, letting Giroux in front of him, for no discernible reason. Keith is under pressure and facing the boards, how’s he going to get that puck to you at the line, Arty? If you want to know why Anisimov’s possession and defensive numbers blow, there you go.

-Now to the second goal. Keith biffs a puck, admittedly rolling, at the blue line, letting Couturier in. And then Chris Kunitz…well I’m not sure what the verb is here. Blobs on Coots? Attempts to confuse him with his taco breath? Whispers in his ear about the emptiness and meaningless of life in an attempt to get Coots to be buried in ennui? I can’t tell.

I’m not going to rant and rave about him being on the power play at all, though I want to. With Saad out and the first unit loaded up, the alternatives are like Kahun, Fortin, and….well, you. So whatever. But if that’s the best effort that Kunitz can muster, to be shrugged off that easily, then he’s not an NHL player anymore and should be on waivers tomorrow. If he didn’t bother to do more, well that’s some veteran presence you’ve got there.

-Every time David Kampf, who does have use, makes a move at the offensive blue line to put his teammates offside, he should have to spend five minutes with a weasel in his pants.

-The third goal is mostly unlucky, except for the part where Jan Rutta is hesitant, takes a shit angle, and gets beat to the outside. Otherwise there isn’t even a shot to bounce off Crow and Manning to go in. Ain’t no coach going to do anything with Jan Rutta or Manning or Davidson. Too bad Connor Murphy is dead.

-At least Crow looked more like Crow than he has in weeks.

-A word on the broadcast. First, the barely concealed contempt Foley and Olczyk have for Barry Smith during that interview is excellent television.

We went through this last year. I know this team is a tough watch, but Pat and Eddie are getting paid a fair sum to be professional about it. I don’t need them to agree with the firing, I really won’t argue with anyone who does. But it’s not their job to sit around and lament it two games later. To make it clear how miserable you are having to broadcast this team. No, it wasn’t a great game today, but the mark of a broadcaster is what you do with the bad games. We’re all wondering what we’re doing here, but it doesn’t help when the broadcast of the game sounds like they’re narrating a trip to the DMV. Do better.

Onwards…

Everything Else

Game #17 – Hawks vs. Flyers Spotlight: The Abyss In The Crease

By Sam Fels November 10, 2018 1789 0

You can go around to any of the four major sports and it would be nearly impossible to pick a team and position, or helplessness at said position, more identifiable than the Flyers and their goalie situation. For as long as you’ve been alive, no matter how old you are, the Flyers have had goalie issues. And that’s putting it kindly. When describing the Flyers’ crease, some might be tempted to use words like, “garbage dump,” or “wasteland,” or “Chernobyl.”

Going through the list, it’s like Bears quarterbacks. Have some penicillin on hand. The Rockies and a rotation? That’s setting-based and they may have actually solved it, finally. The Cubs and 3rd basemen was in this category for a while. That’s solved now, too (and Kris Bryant is likely to keep both of his feet!). The Browns and a QB? The Browns and everything? That’s about the closest comparable.

Did you know that the best SV% in a season for the Flyers is Roman Cechmanek’s .923 in 2003? That’s 15 years ago, where the SV% of everyone has steadily risen to the point that that mark is just about league-average now. 15 years and they haven’t bettered it. And yes, Cechmanek is now a thrower at some one-terminal airport in the Czech Republic now.

Nor have they even really come close. Once in the past 10 seasons have they had a team save-percentage over .920, and that was three years ago that saw them be a first-round out anyway. For as long as time it seems, the Flyers have been searching for anyone or anything that can make a stop. This is what the U2 song was about, as if it wasn’t bad enough being a Flyers fan.

You want to hear some names? You don’t, but here’s the list of fuckwits and shit-gibbons that have taken the starter’s role in eastern PA for the orange: Brian Elliot, Michal Neuvirth, Calvin Pickard, Petr Mrazek, Steve Mason, Ray Emery (twice), Ilya Bryzgalov, Brian Boucher, Michael Leighton, Sergei Bobrovksy (pre-Vezina form), Marin Biron, Antero Niittymaki, Robert Esche, Jeff Hackett, Shawn Burke, John Vanbiesbrouck at 107 years old, and Ron Hextall at even older. That’s 20 years worth of Flyers goalies, and our fingers just disintegrated after typing all of that.

You’d think over that span, 20 years, you’d just find a goalie by accident. On that list, who even had a passable NHL career after leaving the Flyers? Bobrovsky and….Bobrovsky. Fuck, Ray Emery is dead and he’s assuredly dead from being a Flyers goalie twice. It has to be terminal.

How do you miss this consistently, not just on one position but the most important position in the sport? Of any sport? You’d almost have to be trying to do this. You can’t do this by accident. Even the biggest dumbass GMs end up with a goalie. Somehow, someway they get there. Glen Sather was incontinent and blind as Rangers GM and he got Henrik Lundqvist. Every Canadien GM has literally been the French teacher from the Simpsons and they have Carey Price. The Leafs at least signed Curtis Joseph back in the day or whatever. Bob Pulford was throwing up 17 hours a day and thanks to Mike Keenan as well the Hawks had both Eddie Belfour and Dominik Hasek at once.

Even if you stick to the last 20 years, pretty much every team has had a goalie worth a shit. Not the Flyers, Nope, fuck you, that’s the Flyer way! It’s going to be loud and stupid and orange and then some clown is going to let in a beer-belch from the red line in and we’re going to Wawa (which also sucks)! Generations of Flyers fans have grown up staring at some jerk-ass in net and wondering how they’ve been cursed with such a thing. Or maybe that’s why they’re cursed with such a thing. They want it this way, because it gives them something to complain about.

Maybe that’s why it has to be this way. The Eagles have won a Super Bowl now. The Phillies a World Series and look to be rounding into contenders again. The Sixers are at least young and interesting. As long as the Flyers don’t have a goalie, and at this point you’d be right to conclude they never will, it give the Philly fan something he can stab himself with a fork over in front of the viewing public, because it’s that last part they care about most. They need you to know how angry and red they are, otherwise they wither and die. It’s true. If a Philly sports fan goes eight minutes without someone looking at them they fucking get Thanos-snapped.

They’re going to throw Carter Hart into this at some point, maybe even this year. With any other team, he would probably go on to a successful NHL career. In Philadelphia, his hips will turn into a loose band of goldfish within months. It’s just that way. It’s the way they want. Well, they get it.

Game #17 Preview Suite

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Game #17 – Hawks vs. Flyers Q&A: An Escaped Lab Experiment

By Sam Fels November 10, 2018 1638 0

Like most of our friends, we don’t know where @FlyGoalScoredBy came from, and we’d rather not. Because then someone would have to be held responsible for his creation, and the penalties for that are too harsh to think about.

By the time people read this the Flyers might have fired Dave Hakstol and hired Joel Quenneville. What is the general problem with Hakstol when it’s obvious the Flyers have no goalie?

I made a note of how Coach Q would be such a perfect fit for the Flyers, yet it will never ever ever happen. The Flyers are like some inbred family that can ONLY hire someone they’re related to. I’m surprised we don’t have “Coach Dan Carcillo” yet. My biggest issue with Hakstol is his player usage. The Flyers are clearly in a long rebuild and have been for a long time, but their GM and coach always trot out these slow, old “vets” like Dale Weise, Jori Lehtera, and whatever a Christian Folin is. Play the kids Dave, it won’t matter with these goalies.

The Flyers were going to move forward as much as Konecny, Patrick, and Lindblom developed. How’s that going so far?

In short: well! I think everyone would love more consistency out of Konecny, but its a minor gripe. Patrick has started the season off very well and is putting on a solid two-way game. He looks more and more like a top pick now that he’s over a year removed from hernia surgery. Lindblom is just spicy. Feels like once he figures out the NHL game a bit more especially maneuvering around the offensive zone he’ll be lethal. These three are extremely important for the future.

Is Ghost Bear good? We know the power play numbers, but the metric suggest otherwise. Is he passed on the depth chart by Provorov and Hagg?

Ghost Bear is the best Flyers defensemen. He’s got that jackhammer of a shot, skates exceptionally well, owns three very beautiful doggos and is one of the only sources of personality on this team. Protect the Ghost at all cost. Provorov is a scoop of strawberry ice cream. Ghost is a scoop of fudge ripple with walnuts and whipped cream.

How far away are we from Carter Hart?

Ron Hextall is frustratingly the most patient man in all of professional sports. He’ll keep Hart in the AHL for as long as humanly possible. For right now, Hextall looks smart, as Hart hasn’t exactly been dominant down there. He’s been fine, but not performing like an elite prospect. Hextall clearly was punting this year when he decided to roll our Brian Elliot and Michal Neurivrth’s bloated corpse as their goalie tandem. Hextall will not be rushed. I bet we see Hart end of the season if they are out of the playoff race for a few games, or in training camp next offseason.

Where should the Flyers be finish when all is said and done?

They’ll be exactly where they always are. 90-94 points. Struggling to get a playoff spot, hoping not to get their doors blown off by Pittsburgh or Washington. It’s a team stuck in the middle because their GM didn’t blow the thing up and do a full rebuild. The Flyers right now are like the early 2000 Leafs (sorry, do Blackhawks fans know hockey existed before 2008?).

Game #17 Preview Suite