Everything Else

Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight – April 2nd

By Sam Fels 1072 0

First Screen Viewing

Hurricanes vs. Maple Leafs – 6:30pm

There are fewer and fewer things to settle as we move into the last five days of the season. The wildcard spots in the East are still to be settled among three, and the last wildcard spot in the West among two. The Canes have picked a bad time to lose three of four, which leaves them a point ahead of Montreal above the drop but a point behind Columbus in the “Not Get Poleaxed By Tampa” spot. And going into Toronto probably isn’t the first option, though the Leafs are a mess right now. The Leafs have lost seven of their last 11, including Ottawa twice, the Flyers, and the Rangers. They’re leaking goals as Freddie Andersen is coming beautifully into his normal spring form, and if nothing else probably want to hit some kind of form before their annual spit-up to the Bruins in the playoffs. The Canes finish out with the Devils and Flyers, so if they can get this they’ll be looking all right. Don’t, and it might get awfully icky.

Second Screen Viewing

Bruins vs. Blue Jackets – 6pm

The other side of the equation, or other part of the triangle as the Canadiens are hosting Tampa at the same time. The Bruins have long been locked into where they are, so who knows how much juices they’re going to have for a road game in the season’s last week. But the Jackets finally came alive, and Artemi Panarin remembered his check might not be as large in the summer if he kept being a ghost when his team needed him most. The Jackets also have the Rangers and Senators after this, so they could sweep the last eight games of the season if they’re not careful and avoid the Lightning…if only to lose to the Caps again out of sheer boredom.

Other Games

Predators vs. Sabres – 6pm

Lightning vs. Canadiens – 6:30

Penguins vs. Red Wings – 6:30

Jets vs. Wild – 7pm

Flyers vs. Stars – 7:30

Oilers vs. Avalanche – 8pm

Sharks vs. Canucks – 9pm

Kings vs. Coyotes – 9pm

 

Everything Else

A Farewell To WGN

By Sam Fels 4630 0

It’s funny when you have something like last night. Because if WGN didn’t tell you, you wouldn’t have known it was the last Hawks game on their station. You would have seen the broadcast schedule released for next year, gone through it, and maybe you would have seen no games on WGN and said, “Huh.” That’s it. So it’s really a celebration/mourning they’re throwing for themselves, which is weird, and also have to make you aware of the occasion, which makes it weirder. You don’t go out with a friend and then have them tell you later it’s their birthday. Or maybe you do, I’ve lost touch with what people do.

Still, I couldn’t help but think back to when the Hawks first came back on WGN in 2008. It was just so bizarre. Before that season, the thought of the Hawks on television was something of an anomaly, at least the home games. McDonough and Rocky had only taken over the year before, and though they jammed as many home games onto CSN that first season as they could, there were still more than enough that were still house shows. We knew a full TV deal was coming of course, it was the most basic and first order of business.

But the Hawks on WGN? It didn’t really add up. Not only were the Hawks on television at the United Center, but they were on a free-to-air station? The home of the Cubs and Bulls? Yes, and Sox too, but the Sox have always felt like an intruder to everyone involved on WGN. Hawk Harrelson pretty much treated it as such. Not so much anymore, of course. There was an air of legitimacy that being on WGN gave the Hawks instantly. It was like they were fully part of the Chicago sports scene, not some dark corner where only the true creatures of the night would lurk. It was an invitation to everyone.

If memory serves, the first game on WGN was a home game against Detroit, a bonkers 6-5 shootout loss that was sealed by Marian Hossa making Nikolai HarveyBirdMan look superfluous in net. Yes, Hossa did play for other teams, and if you can believe it that arrogant as fuck slapper into the top shelf sent Hawks fans into a rage back then. On the ice it was an indicator that the Hawks were almost ready to be the heir to the Wings, but also very much not ready. It being on the Chicago Superstation meant the same for their place in Chicago. The latter would change within months.

Anyway, it was exciting to see the Hawks treated in such fashion back then. And we didn’t really mind that WGN didn’t have any clue how to cover a hockey game then. Or that their filters on their cameras were exceptionally dark and made it look like every game was in a garage. It was just so new.

But like a lot of things with how the Hawks are run and covered, once the novelty wore off then the glitches were the only thing you saw. The lack of anything new or effort beyond, “Look what we did!” became harder and harder to ignore from both sides. Mostly, it looked like WGN never really cared to look like it cared about covering the Hawks. Whether it was the vacant stare of Dan Roan or Rich King, having them positioned in some closet in their studios on the northwest side looked decidedly high school AV Club. Of course they were never going to hire their own analyst/expert, so Steven Konroyd would just stroll on over and provide the most listless, uncomfortable intermission segments known to man. The sets looked like something you would build if you were spoofing sports coverage.

The angles were off at times, the cuts rough, the replays never matching up. It seemed like WGN thought it had been doing Cubs baseball for so long it knew everything, and could apply the same principles. But baseball has no intermission, no postgame show, and the “Leadoff Man” was something the game broadcasters basically handled themselves (or Len Kasper has since he arrived, which is a really long time ago now). And by the end, it felt like both the Hawks and WGN were asking, “What are we doing here?” throughout the broadcast.

It’s only been 10 years, so it’s not like there’s much to hold onto. The Hawks want every game on CSN now, and I can only hope that being even more greatly invested in it as a third-holder instead of a quarter might up the quality. But I doubt it. It still amazes me how much better games look on NESN or MSG than they do on CSN. It’s like CSN forgot to turn a light on. Even after all this time Pat Boyle is still uncomfortable being a host. They’ve tried to do better by rotating in Jamal Mayers, Adam Burish, and Patrick Sharp as intermission and pre- and post-game analysts. But only Sharp has a knack for it, while Burish seems to be auditioning to take over Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em hockey. And the thing is I think there’s an analyst within Burish that could be pretty good. You can keep Mayers around for the clothes.

Still, it’s kind of startling that it only took 10 years for something that at once seemed to fresh and cool to not only lose its luster and become annoying but for everyone to be glad it’s over. I know the cycles of news and emotion and sports have been quickened in the last decade. The Hawks were on top just four years ago and now look at them. It doesn’t take long. It would take longer if either side had tried, though.

Everything Else

Atop the Sugar Pile – The Penultimate

By Rose Rankin 1740 0

The playoffs may be a distant memory, but that’s no reason not to peer into the smoldering remains of the dumpster fire that is this lineup. We’ve only got one more week after this! Shall we?

The Dizzying Highs

Alex DeBrincat. After a brief slump and enduring inexplicable line nonsense from Beto O’Colliton (those two issues are seemingly not unrelated), Top Cat bounced back with a strong week. His goal Saturday against the Kings was one of those where it looked too easy, and in the win over the Sharks he scored twice, including on a 5-on-3. He and Dylan Strome have maintained their chemistry, when their coach deigns to play them together, but even on the third line against the Kings he managed a goal and a 52 CF%. He’s now tied with Patrick Kane for leading the team in goals. We’ve basically come to expect this performance of him at this point, but as Pullega said the other night, one of the few bright spots is that DeBrincat is someone to build around going forward, and this week was a reminder.

The Terrifying Lows

Brendan Perlini. I guess it’s a little unfair to throw him into the Terrifying Lows, and maybe it’s unfair of Colliton to demote him so quickly and angrily, but there’s no denying that Perlini’s recent hot streak may have been just that—a streak. He basically exploded in early March in shots, scoring chances, and of course goals, but starting last weekend he reverted much closer to his baseline (1, 2, 4, 0 SOG since the Colorado home-and-home). His possession numbers have tanked as well, and following a dumbass turnover and overall shitty performance against the Sharks, he got benched late in that game and then basically sent to the corner with a dunce cap to think about what he did, both for the Kings game and against the Jets. Is Perlini really the biggest issue on this team? Not even close. But a bad week is a bad week.

The Seabrook-Forsling Pairing. If there is one silver lining to the impending end of the season, it is that we will not have to watch these two clowns skate together for at least a few months. Hopefully we’ll never have to see it again, but I remain pessimistic. Brent Seabrook was underwater in possession for basically an entire week. He’s taken five penalties in the last four games, including one that led to the Coyotes’ only (and game-winning) goal. Forsling hasn’t been any better—sure, he hasn’t taken as many ridiculously bad penalties in these last few but he’s been a turnover machine and is still generally offensive to the eyes when watching him. Any blabbering about Jokiharju or any of the other baby defensemen not being ready rings pretty damn hollow watching these two.

The Creamy Middles

Brandon Saad. Saad hasn’t scored in a while but he did log two assists against the Sharks, and maybe more importantly he’s just been playing reliably well. His possession numbers have been outstanding and he even came close to setting up Dylan Sikura for what is now the most impossible goal in hockey, Sikura’s first. He’s been a force for good in these dark times, whether on the top line or not.

Corey Crawford. Maybe he hasn’t been completely lights out lately, but when you’re getting hosed by your teammates and still manage to keep them in the game, that says something. For example, none of the goals against the Kings could really be pinned on Crawford. Wagner and Amadio both ran past defensemen who were 1) slow and 2) totally out of position, while the winning goal was an OT power play goal thanks to a terrifically stupid penalty by Jonathan Toews. Toews then continued the stupidity against the Jets with a trip on Mark Scheifele who got a penalty shot as a result. And Crawford stopped it. He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been better than the numbers may say. And he deserves much better than what he’s getting to work with.

 

Everything Else

Game #79 – Jets 3, Hawks 3 (Jets win thumb war): Whatever

By Sam Fels 1752 0

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

I can’t remember the last time I was left with such a feeling of “meh” after a game. I guess it’s good the Hawks showed some gumption and fight to tie it late, and keep their braindead playoff hopes alive. If that’s what they were playing for. But I mean, the Jets really couldn’t be bothered, other than their fourth line. So it doesn’t really mean much. I can’t get emotional either way about overtime results. They’re a coin-flip. I was surprised to find out a 12th extra-time loss for the Hawks doesn’t lead the league. They’ve also won nine in overtime, so basically they’re getting to 50-50 that you would think is par for the course. I guess it means they aren’t good enough to win games in regulation but aren’t bad enough to get beat in regulation in those close games. But again, the overwhelming feeling is, “whatever.”

Anyway, let’s run through it.

The Two Obs

-Dylan Strome’s three-point game will take the headlines, which is good. It doesn’t mean he’s automatic, but he’s got sense you can’t teach and his second goal showed that, the ability to ghost into space and find just enough time to get a good shot off. And he’s got one. 54 points is more than Schmaltz ever put up. That’s nice. That said, Stome’s line was sporting a sub-30% Corsi for the night, which is U-G-L-Y. That’s what’s going to have to change starting next year, because he can’t start every shift in the offensive zone. At this rate he’ll have to.

-You can easily see the problem with the Jets. When you get into their zone they either can’t be bothered, their defense is slow in transition, and you never know when Byfuglien and Myers are going to get caught up the ice and leave someone exposed. They have the forward depth to cover it for a while, but the warts they and the Preds are showing means it will not be a surprise if the Stars or Blues find their way out of the division come May.

-Brent Seabrook, 14 minutes. The third straight game he’s been at 15 minutes or below. They see what we see.

-The only line above water for the night in possession was the Saad-Anisimov-Sikura line, which seems to be the case most nights.

-Every goddamn broadcast when John Hayden belches his way into the lineup contains some segment about how he hasn’t really gotten a chance or he should get a chance. He’s gotten his chance, and he sucks. The only shift he was noticeable was just because he delivered three hits that were all at least three seconds late and mattered not a jot. He can’t do anything, and his physical presence doesn’t do anyone any good because it doesn’t disrupt anything. It’s all for show, just to demonstrate to a coach how hard he’s playing. I hope he enjoys his time with Minnesota’s AHL team in Iowa next year. Or Europe.

-One of my big complaints about Jeremy Colliton is the lack of adjustment to his “system.” They keep telling us that he needs a training camp to really install it, which is a bunch of ripe shite but fine, but that means what you’re playing now should be tweaked to at least look more like what they used to do. Scheifele’s non-goal was an example, as the Hawks have to chase their man all over the zone, but they can’t keep up, and by the time Scheifele deposits the puck in the net Seabrook is out beyond the circles, Toews is nowhere, and everyone’s scrambling. They don’t have the speed to chase and harass. The Hawks should have been playing softer and leaving things to the outside to the outside months ago. When they get in serious trouble is when they’re trying to pressure outside or out high and get beat, and they will because they just don’t have enough speed. Now people don’t know whether to switch/commit and who to take when someone does. If they’d just sink into the middle of their zone and try and block shots, “Torts it” if you will, they probably would have surrendered less. Instead were stuck with this happy horseshit. And we will be next year too.

-They didn’t give up a power play goal. That’s something.

Onwards…

Everything Else

Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight – April 1st

By Sam Fels 927 0

First Screen Viewing

Avalanche vs. Blues – 7pm

We’re into the nitty-gritty now, and while there isn’t too much riding on this one it’s at least two teams playing well. The Avs still have some work to do to clinch a playoff spot, as the Yotes are only a point behind. But the Avs have at least culled the field to only Arizona. The Blues aren’t completely clear of the Stars in fourth, but they have a game in hand and a three-point lead. And a matchup with the Jets or Preds doesn’t make much difference. And the Blues have won five of six including toppling Tampa and Vegas in that streak. Kind of a clash of styles here, as the Avs attempt to get up and go and the Blues are just obstinate.

Second Screen Viewing

Maple Leafs vs. Islanders – 6pm

This is more about teams arresting recent slides, though the Islanders still have seeing to figure out. They’re either going to be second or third it’s starting to look like, as they’re two up on the Penguins but the Capitals have gotten away at the top of the division. After trading wins and losses for most of the month, the Isles have won four of five. Meanwhile, maybe partly because they’ve been entrenched to a matchup with the Bruins for weeks now, have just been muddling at best. They’ve gone 3-7 in their last 10, and losing to the Senators twice. Which has sent Leafs Nation into hyesteri….well, further hysterics than they usually find themselves. More clash of styles here, as the Leafs run up against the Trotz wall.

Other Games

Capitals vs. Panthers – 6pm

Rangers vs. Devils – 6pm

Lightning vs. Senators – 6:30

Oilers vs. Knights – 8pm

Flames vs. Kings – 9pm

Everything Else

Game #79 – Jets vs. Hawks Preview/Derby Scrimmage: And Now…The Final Curtain

By Sam Fels 1546 0

vs.

RECORDS: Jets 45-29-4   Hawks 34-33-11

PUCK DROP: 7:30

TV: WGN

FROM YOUR FIRST CIGARETTE: Arctic Ice Hockey

And a one, and a two and a….WE SAIL THE OCEAN BLUE…

Sorry, couldn’t help myself. Anyway, the Hawks begin the last week of the season, and their last homestand, tonight against the Central-co-leading Jets. It’s also tonight when the axe could finally fall on their adorable yet futile playoff hopes, not that anyone hasn’t already considered those worthy of formaldehyde and makeup. The Hawks will claim they have to play until the final gong, but based on whatever that was in LA on Saturday, they can no longer hide from the truth either.

Not the case for the Jets, who will go on into the playoffs with great hope once again. Or they should have, based on what this roster was supposed to do. But despite their 94 points and shared throne at the moment, the angst and annoyance levels in Manitoba have been high for months. The Jets haven’t looked an all-powerful, planet-consuming monster they flashed earlier in the year and for most of last season. They still pile up wins and points through talent, but Jets observers will tell you it’s built on a foundation in the sand.

The big problem for the Jets is they’re just not very good defensively. They give up a lot of attempts, shots, and chances, and there’s been little they can do to stem the tide. The blue line has always been a touch short of glamorous, and it’s been missing Dustin Byfuglien for half the season. Which shouldn’t hurt the defensive game, but clearly has. The puck is in the Jets zone far more than you think it would, and there’s been no one around to change that. Josh Morrissey being hurt of late hasn’t helped that cause either. They lack a second puck-mover, and even Buff can go off the reservation at times.

The Jets forwards aren’t defensively-ignorant either, but don’t seem inclined as they have been in past seasons. This is a team that doesn’t need the puck in the offensive zone as much as anyone else to score, because the depth of talent in the front-12 is still ungodly. But they seem more interested in waiting around for it to get there instead of forcing it there.

Also not helping is that a Paul Maurice team has returned to being a dumb Paul Maurice team as is his wont, the fourth-most penalized team in the league. And when your PK sucks, and the Jets’ does, that’s a problem as well. Again, the massive amount of talent has overcome almost all of this for most of the season. But starting next week when the chaff gets culled and the Jets are only seeing good teams, they could get found out in a hurry. If they can win the division, then a matchup with either wildcard team shouldn’t really scare them, especially if Ben Bishop is hurt. Don’t and a true slog against the Blues awaits. But when the Predators come calling, or any of the Pacific after that, it might look a lot like it did last year. Which for this team, simply isn’t good enough.

They can get right against the Hawks of course, whom they’ve spanked twice in Winnipeg but played with their food long enough to let the Hawks hang around. The Hawks were able to get them to overtime in their one meeting on Madison, but again, that was more to do with the inattentiveness of the Jets. If the Jets can be bothered, the Hawks can’t match their speed or their size or anything close. That’s a bad combination. But if the Jets are still out where the buses don’t run, the Hawks can create some looks off this defense that can’t get right. Especially if Byfuglien and Myers are at their wanderlust best.

It doesn’t really matter anymore. With only four games left, there isn’t any “momentum” to be gained for next year. All this is is a test of the Hawks’ professionalism and pride, and whether they give a jot about what their coach has to say or planned. And even then, that’s a stretch. Some players can play themselves out of a spot next year I guess, but if you’re basing what you do on a final four games, that’s how some awfully shoddy decisions get made.

One last roundup…

 

 

Game #79 Preview Suite

Preview

Spotlight

Q&A

Douchebag Du Jour

I Make A Lot Of Graphs

Lineups & How Teams Were Built

Everything Else

Game #79 – Jets vs. Hawks Spotlight: Dustin Byfuglien, An Awfully Large Straw

By Sam Fels 1575 0

The Jets are a weird team, and we don’t just say that because they play in a barren husk of a province filled with frozen brains and an outsized chip on their shoulder (which just might be ice but we’ll study that later on). You think of the Jets as an offensive force, with four lines filled with speedy frost-giants that never stop. You know about Laine, Wheeler, Scheifele, Connor, Ehlers, Perreault, and a few more weapons on any given night. You just assume they dominate every game on the metric-sheets like San Jose or Tampa or Vegas or the like. But the thing is…they’re kind of not?

Dustin Byfuglien is also so stranger to the weirdness. You think of Buff, you think of the booming shot and the senseless/ridiculous/unhinged charges up the ice. You think of defensive laziness if not utter unawareness or complete indifference. You think of (often dirty) big hits (to players already down and not looking at him). You don’t really think of him as the key log to the entire system. But he might be?

Byfuglien has missed 40 games this season, returning on Saturday for the first time since the second week of February. Which means the Jets have played just about as many games with Dat Big Buck Guy in the lineup as without. And the difference is kind of clear.

Before Buff went down for the first time on December 30th (he would return in February for a few games before hitting a rather large ice tub again), the Jets were sort of what you think of. They were 12th in the league in attempts for per game, 14th in shots, 15th in scoring chances, and oddly 21st in high-danger chances. They were 20th in shooting-percentage, which didn’t seem to handicap them too much as they were 24-12-2. The Jets don’t need to dominate possession to score more than you, because of how much scoring they have.

Since that date, basically without Buff the whole time, the Jets are 25th in attempts for per game, 26th in shots, second to last in scoring chances, and 29th in high danger chances. The only thing that’s kept it from being nearly a total disaster is that the Jets have shot 9.7% as a team and they’ve gotten 92% of the saves at evens.

But what’s even more strange, downright world-view-shattering, is that the Jets have been so much worse defensively without Byfuglien. Before he went down, the Jets ranked 13th in attempts against per 60 minutes at even-strength, 18th in shots against, 10th in scoring chances against, and 12th in high danger chances against.

Since Buff’s injury problems, all their rankings have plummeted. Their attempts against have gone up five per 60 (ranking 29th), shots up 3.7 per game (29th), scoring chances have gone up three per game (21st), and high danger chances against went up one per game (17th). Considering Buff has no interest in being in his own zone and meanders around when he is as if he’s rooting for truffles, it seems totally inexplicable that the Jets would get so much worse defensively without him. But that’s the case.

What Buff does do is keep the Jets out of their zone. He’s their only-puck mover, and gets it up to the forwards better than anyone else on the roster, before of course fleeing up to join them like he was trying to cross No Man’s Land behind Diana Prince. Jacob Trouba is not that. Tyler Myers thinks he is but is just all-around helpless and dumb. It’s not really Josh Morrissey either. Buff aids the defense by making sure the Jets play it less.

Which is a problem going forward. The Preds are enough of a challenge, though their problems are at forward so it makes for a nice yin-yang matchup. But anyone who comes out of the Pacific is loaded with firepower, and if the Jets continue their considerate ways when it comes to doling out shots and chances, they’ll probably get lit up in the conference final again. Which means there’s a lot riding on Byfuglien. Fat jokes aside, that’s a lot to ask of one dude.

 

Game #79 Preview Suite

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Spotlight

Q&A

Douchebag Du Jour

I Make A Lot Of Graphs

Lineups & How Teams Were Built

Everything Else

Game #79 – Jets vs. Hawks Q&A: Gametime Art

By Sam Fels 1321 0

Gametime Art has been our friend for too long for his sake, and a Jets observer for an even unhealthier longer time. Follow him @GametimeArt.

While the Jets sit atop the Central, at the time of writing, all is not well in Manitoba. What has Jets fans so angsty?

They had such a strong season last year that I think many expected them to be even better or at the very least as good and it’s been actually worse and it’s pretty easy to spot the issues this team has. The team has struggled all season on defense. Most nights they are out-shot, the offense has been inconsistent, and up until a few weeks ago Connor Hellebuyck was a very average goalie with a save percentage hovering around .907 … If this season happened in 2015, Jets fans would overlook all of that and be happy anyway. Now in 2019? Not so much. We expected another 50 win, 100+ point year and instead got what we got now which is still a good team, but one not playing up to the level they should be at.

Patrik Laine, 50 points?
Seems strange right? Back in November when he went all super-nova goal scoring sniper on us we thought he’d have 50 goals by February. Part of it is Laine himself has struggled at times with his play and the whole “body language” thing of being overly frustrated has been well noted, but there are also nights that it feels like Paul Maurice is expecting him to carry a line and be a play-maker more than a finisher which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. There’s even the odd conspiracy theory that suggests the coaching staff may have submarined his season with questionable lineup decisions and not giving him chances to succeed, just so his RFA deal this summer won’t be as high as it sure was looking like it would be back in November. That’s how odd and crazy this season has been. In a strange way I get this feeling a season like this may end up making him a better, more complete overall player which is kind of what Maurice has wanted anyway. He has demonstrated a knack for slick passing lately, so who knows.
How has Kevin Hayes, aka Captain Stairwell, fit in?
He’s fit in ok and has been better than Bryan Little has been which is a relief since this is now the second season in a row the Jets have spent assets to pick up an actual decent second line center since Little isn’t really working out in that role. I’d argue he’s looked as good as Paul Stastny did when he joined the Jets last season which bodes well for the playoffs, but the difference here may be that Jets fans don’t want to get too attached since there probably will be very little chance the team can keep him beyond this summer.
Whatever the problems may be, this is a team that’s Cup-or-bust. So what’s it gonna be?
Unless this team pulls off something remarkable (like the Caps last season, so ya know, it’s possible) it’s going to be bust and I fear it may be in fact a one round and done type situation this season. That said, for as disappointing as it will be to miss out on a Cup, I don’t think the window is closing already. The Jets are still one of the youngest teams in the league, the core is still there beyond this season and there are still kids like Sami Niku and Kristian Vesalainen on the way.

 

Game #79 Preview Suite

Preview

Spotlight

Q&A

Douchebag Du Jour

I Make A Lot Of Graphs

Lineups & How Teams Were Built

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Game #79 – Jets vs. Hawks Douchebag Du Jour: Patrik Laine And His Banjo Unable To Hit A Bull In The Ass

By Sam Fels 1419 0

Maybe they do it on purpose.

A couple months ago, we highlighted was an accurate shooter Patrik Laine had been in his career. While Alex Ovechkin achieved his generational scoring marks by sheer volume of shots, Laine was on the same track by burying an inordinate number of the chances he got. It was a marvel. We thought we had this one right.

Whoops.

Laine hasn’t been able to throw a grape in the ocean most of the year. In January, Laine shot 2.6%. In March he’s shot 3.4%. What’s more worrying for Jets fans is the lack of marksmanship from their Finnish troll is leading to him hiding. Laine isn’t even averaging two shots per game the past month, when he’s consistently been around three shots per game through the first two years of his career.

Perhaps the pressure of getting his first big contract has led him to freeze up. It wasn’t so long ago that Laine might have been looking at $10M+ even in just restricted free agency. Outside of that ridiculous, 18-goal November, he’s got 12 goals in four months. He’ll still get his money, it just won’t be as much as he thought.

But hey, he made us look stupid. Wasn’t that the overall goal anyway?

 

Game #79 Preview Suite

Preview

Spotlight

Q&A

Douchebag Du Jour

I Make A Lot Of Graphs

Lineups & How Teams Were Built