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Game #47 – Lightning vs. Hawks: Lineups & How Teams Were Built

By Sam Fels January 22, 2018 1668 0

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The Beverly Brewmaster’s Gameday Beer Of The Week

By Sam Fels January 22, 2018 1683 0

So I’ve been writing the occasional beer column for this program/website since aught-’14, and I’m not sure I’ve ever put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) with the Blackhawks in as bad of shape as they are right now. This obviously calls for a strong beer to kill the pain, and lucky for us Revolution Brewing recently started canning its Deep Wood series of barrel-aged beers, and they’re all fantastic.

The beer that I want to highlight today is Deth by Cherries, which I had the good fortune of enjoying on tap last week at my favorite Loop watering hole, Monk’s Pub. Like all of the Deth’s Tar varieties, the base is the classic Deth’s Tar barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout, which is one of my local favorites. The oats give Deth’s Tar a full-bodied feel that isn’t overly sweet, which is one thing I really like about it. And like all Deth’s Tar varieties, it’s aged in a bourbon barrel for a year to give it a boozy complexity. Tart cherries are added to give a nice, subtle fruit flavor without tasting like fruit punch or cough syrup (yes, I’ve had several cherry stouts that end up tasting somewhere between Fisherman’s Friend cough drops and Robitussin). And I’m sure you manhattan and old fashioned aficionados know how well cherry and bourbon go together, so yeah, the flavors in this beer are fantastic.

I suppose I should add that it’s 13.1% ABV, which is exactly the strength I’m gonna need when I watch the ‘Hawks D-men try to stay above water against Auston Matthews Toronto on Wednesday. Also, I’m going to the game with a Leafs fan, so… Think I could sneak a can into the UC? (I kid, Rocky! I kid! But seriously, can you have Goose send over some Bourbon County Stout by Wednesday? Thanks in advance.)

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High On The Hog: Jammin’ On D

By Jon Fromi January 22, 2018 2191 0

The Rockford IceHogs squad that returns to action at the BMO Harris Bank Center is going to look a little different than the team that hit the road a couple of weeks ago.

The Blackhawks AHL affiliate had some roster changes over the course of a six-game road trip. Several of those players factored into what was a pretty successful jaunt away from home.

Rockford fared pretty well on the trip, winning three of the games and picking up points in two others. This week, the Hogs split a pair with Cleveland before dropping Saturday’s game with Grand Rapids. Considering some roster turnover and two rookie net-minders, the results were heartening.

Those rookie goalies stepped up and played well in this week’s games. Colin Delia has a 2.40 GAA and a .925 save percentage in his last four starts. Matt Tomkins picked up his first AHL victory Friday night in Cleveland, stopping 32 of 35 shots to beat the Monsters.

Currently, the IceHogs (22-16-2-3) are still in third place in the Central Division, just behind Iowa, just ahead of Milwaukee and even with Chicago. The four teams are nip and tuck for the second through fifth spots in the division.

Changing Faces (Sort Of)

Defensively, Rockford has a very different look with the additions of Cody Franson and Adam Clendening. John Hayden adds a more physical dimension to the forward lines. All three players have figured into the scoring column since joining the team.

Clendening has assists in three of the five games he’s spent in his second tour with Rockford. He has moved onto the Hogs power play unit, which scored twice in four chances this week. Clendening should fit right into the fast-paced style coach Jeremy Colliton wants to play.

Franson has taken a leadership role with this young group of skaters. He seems to be commanding the respect of his teammates. The 6’5″ Franson also forms a lengthy blue line tandem with 6’9″ Viktor Svedberg.

Hayden has certainly made an impact around the net, with five points (2 G, 3 A) in the six games he’s spent with Rockford since Chicago sent him down. Hayden will benefit from an bigger role with the IceHogs; Rockford should also see positive returns.

On Friday, Rockford assigned D Brandon Anselmini to the Indy Fuel and called up F Tommy Olczyk, who made his Hogs debut Saturday in Grand Rapids. Sunday, Chicago sent defenseman Gustav Forsling to Rockford, which presents a bit of a quandary…

Log Jam On The Blue Line

The addition of Forsling gives Rockford the following defensemen on the roster: Forsling, Franson, Clendening, Svedberg, Ville Pokka, Carl Dahlstrom, Robin Norell, Luc Snuggerud, and Darren Raddysh. Eight of those players are on NHL contracts with the Blackhawks (Raddysh being on an AHL deal).

Norell has been skating as a forward in the last several games, otherwise he’d be firmly seated in the team box. Snuggerud is nearing a return from an injury and needs playing time. The Hawks didn’t send Forsling down to sit. How is Colliton going to divvy up the minutes?

Raddysh would appear to be the odd man out if the roster remains as is. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sent to Indy…unless another defenseman is moved in a trade. That seems more plausible than Chicago recalling someone to be an eighth defenseman.

I wouldn’t expect to see this situation linger for too long. Franson is looking for a spot on an NHL roster. Clendening is well traveled. Svedberg and Pokka could be throw-ins to a deadline deal. Hey, maybe Norell gets a extended look up front (though I don’t see the benefit of such a move).

Recaps

Wednesday, January 17-Cleveland 4, Rockford 3 (SO)

The IceHogs rallied from a pair down but saw a big overtime chance pass them by and left the second point on the table. Still, Rockford stretched its point streak to six games.

The Hogs opened the scoring 5:45 into the game when Graham Knott turned a broken play into his second goal of the season. As he brought a puck out of the defensive zone, Viktor Svedberg had fired a pass that didn’t connect with the rookie forward.

However, the puck came off the right half boards and slid into Monsters territory and toward the crease. Knott caught up to the loose puck and got a shot on net. Cleveland goalie Matiss Kivelnieks made the stop but the rebound glanced off of Monters defenseman Garret Cockerill and into the goal.

Cleveland tied the game late in the opening period on a Zac Dalpe goal, then took a 3-1 advantage in the first half of the sandwich stanza. Dalpe struck again, this time on the power play at the 9:03 mark. Brady Austin then provided the two-goal lead when his floater got by Rockford goalie Colin Delia.

Rockford closed to within a goal late in the period. Tanner Kero got the play started by swiping a puck on the fore check. He got the turnover to Anthoy Louis, who skated left to right before backhanding a top shelf attempt past Kivelnieks at 18:08.

The IceHogs came up with the equalizer 8:45 into the third when Luke Johnson finished off a nice bit of hustle by Hayden. The former Yale captain got a stick on an attempted outlet pass by Kivelnieks and followed the block behind the net. Flipping the puck to the left post, Johnson was on hand to tap it past the Cleveland goalie, making it 3-3.

The score remained tied through the end of regulation. Rockford had a tremendous chance when Monsters defenseman Dean Kukan fell down in Gus Macker Time. Louis and William Pelletier came down the ice with only Kivlenieks between them and a win. Louis got a return pass from Pelletier and had a wide open net.

Unfortunately for Rockford, Louis was nearly past the net when he got the puck. His attempt to complete the tough-angle shot was wide and this game would be decided by a shootout.

Dalpe converted for Cleveland in the first round, Louis for the Hogs in the second. It took an extra round to settle the matter after Alex Broadhurst and Svedberg were stopped in round three. Terry Broadhurst got a puck by Delia that would give the second point to the Monsters.

Lines (Starters in italics)

Matthew Highmore-Luke Johnson (A)-John Hayden

Anthony Louis-Tanner Kero (A)-William Pelletier

Andrea Martinsen-Tyler Sikura-Robin Norell

Matheson Iacopelli-Graham Knott-Alex Wideman

Carl Dahlstrom-Darren Raddysh

Adam Clendening-Ville Pokka (A)

Cody Franson-Viktor Svedberg

Collin Delia

Scratches-Luc Snuggerud, Jordin Tootoo, Alexandre Fortin, J.F. Berube

The Hogs did not have a power play opportunity tonight. This may be the first time I’ve had to write this.

Penalty Kill (Monsters were 1-3)

Highmore-Kero-Franson-Svedberg

Johnson-Hayden-Dahlstrom-Pokka

Pelletier-Knott-Raddysh-Clendening

Friday, January 19-Rockford 4, Cleveland 3

Again, the Hogs had to dig themselves out of a two-goal hole. Three marks in the final 20 minutes did the trick, giving Rockford the victory over the Monsters.

Cameron Gaunce took advantage of a broken play by the Monsters, banging in a loose puck in the slot to put Cleveland up 1-0 9:43 into the first period. Just 24 seconds into the middle frame, Terry Broadhurst picked the pocket of Adam Clendening and sprung Zac Dalpe on a 2-on-1. Dalpe kept the puck and fired past Hogs goal tender Matt Tomkins to make it 2-0 Monsters.

After being badly outplayed in the opening 20 minutes, Rockford got down to the business of getting back in the contest. The power play got things started.

Clendening slid a pass to the stick of Cody Franson, who one-timed the puck to the net. Cleveland goalie Matiss Kivlenieks made the initial save, but Andrea Martinsen was in front of the net to finish the scoring play at the 7:11 mark.

The IceHogs rally kicked into full gear in the third. John Hayden took an entry pass from Matthew Highmore down the left halfboards, into the corner and back up the boards. He was at the outside hash marks of the left circle when he turned and fired on net. Highmore was there for the screen, allowing the shot to sneak by Kivlenieks and draw Rockford even 6:38 into the final frame.

Hayden returned the favor to Highmore a few minutes later. Entering the Cleveland zone, Hayden backhanded the puck behind him to Highmore at the top of the left circle. Highmore’s aim was true and The Hogs had a 3-2 advantage at the 11:16 mark.

The Monsters yanked Kivlenieks with just under three minutes to play for an extra skater. In clearing a puck from the Rockford zone, William Pelletier’s backhanded fling caromed off the boards for a long-distance empty-netter that made it 4-2 with 2:19 to play.

Alex Broadhurst potted a 6-on-5 goal 17 seconds later, but that was as close as Cleveland could get. The IceHogs posted the win, stretching their point streak to seven games. Tomkins got his first AHL victory, making 32 saves to do so. Highmore nabbed the game’s First Star honors, while Gaunce and Martinsen rounded out the top three.

Lines (Starters in italics)

Matthew Highmore-Luke Johnson (A)-John Hayden

Anthony Louis-Tanner Kero (A)-William Pelletier

Andrea Martinsen-Tyler Sikura-Robin Norell

Matheson Iacopelli-Graham Knott-Alex Wideman

Adam Clendening-Ville Pokka (A)

Carl Dahlstrom-Darren Raddysh

Cody Franson-Viktor Svedberg

Matt Tomkins

Scratches-Luc Snuggerud, Tommy Olczyk, Jordin Tootoo, Alexandre Fortin, J.F. Berube

Power Play (1-2)

Hayden-Martinsen-Sikura-Franson-Clendening

Kero-Highmore-Johnson-Louis-Dahlstrom

Penalty Kill (Monsters were 0-3)

Highmore-Kero-Franson-Svedberg

Johnson-Hayden-Dahlstrom-Pokka

Pelletier-Knott-Raddysh-Clendening

Saturday, January 20-Grand Rapids 4, Rockford 3

The end of the road trip saw the only regulation loss for Rockford. As has been the case throughout the season, the Hogs kept at Grand Rapids even when trailing by a pair late. Getting a point at Van Andel Arena just wasn’t in the cards on this night, though.

The IceHogs got an early power play when Anthony Louis was taken down by Turner Elson in the opening minute. John Hayden got a behind the net feed by Tyler Sikura and got the puck by Griffins goalie Jared Coreau at the 1:22 mark.

Grand Rapids quickly answered with a Eric Tangradi tally 14 seconds later. The action was back and forth, though neither club could break the tie in the opening 20 minutes.

The action remained even through most of the second period until Matt Peumpel struck for the Griffins while on the man advantage. His goal at 17:39 gave Grand Rapids a 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission.

Rockford tied the game 4:21 into the third on Tanner Kero’s redirect of an Adam Clendening shot. The elation was short-lived, however. Dominic Shine restored the Griffins advantage 21 seconds later to go up 3-2. A couple minutes later in 4-on-4 action, Robbie Russo found himself wide open in the slot. Taking his sweet time, Russo made it 4-2 Grand Rapids at the 7:26 mark.

The Hogs continued to battle and got within a goal in the last minute. This time, it was Tyler Sikura getting a stick on a Clendening blast to make it 4-3 with 38 seconds remaining. Time ran out on Rockford, however, snapping a seven-game point streak and ending the road trip on a losing note.

Lines (Starters in italics)

Matthew Highmore-Luke Johnson (A)-John Hayden

Anthony Louis-Tanner Kero (A)-William Pelletier

Andrea Martinsen-Tyler Sikura-Robin Norell

Matheson Iacopelli-Graham Knott-Tommy Olczyk

Adam Clendening-Ville Pokka (A)

Carl Dahlstrom-Darren Raddysh

Cody Franson-Viktor Svedberg

Matt Tomkins

Scratches-Luc Snuggerud, Alex Wideman, Jordin Tootoo, Alexandre Fortin, J.F. Berube

Power Play (1-2)

Hayden-Martinsen-Sikura-Franson-Clendening

Kero-Highmore-Johnson-Louis-Dahlstrom

Penalty Kill (Griffins were 0-4)

Highmore-Kero-Franson-Svedberg

Johnson-Hayden-Dahlstrom-Pokka

Pelletier-Knott-Raddysh-Clendening

This Week

Rockford will host two of the California teams the Hogs visited two weeks hence. Bakersfield comes to the BMO on Tuesday night, while the annual Pink In The Rink game will be against Ontario Friday night.

The IceHogs dropped their game against the Condors in Gus Macker Time by a score of 3-2. Ty Rattie is a potent AHL scorer; he had a late equalizer in regulation in that contest and potted the game-winner as well. Rattie has 16 goals and 13 apples to pace Bakersfield this season.

Grayson Downing, who Rockford fans have seen plenty while he was with Iowa, had a three-point night in the Condor’s win. Bakersfield is at the bottom of the Pacific Division, though that didn’t prevent them from knocking off the IceHogs January 13.

Rockford bested Ontario 5-2 back on January 10, paced by William Pelletier’s hat trick. The Reign have won four of their last five games, including a weekend sweep of Stockton. Park Ridge native Michael Mersch is Ontario’s active leading scorer (14 G, 14 A), while NHL veteran Matt Moulson has six goals and 20 helpers in 20 games with the Reign.

Saturday night sees Rockford back at Van Andel Arena for another division game with Grand Rapids. The Griffins, winners of seven of their last ten games, have won the previous two contests between the teams.

Follow me @JonFromi for thoughts on the IceHogs all season long.

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Game #46 – Skulled Island – Hawks 3, Islanders 7

By Adam Hess January 20, 2018 2550 0

My brain is torn between not wanting to write this recap and just wanting to write whatever the hell comes to mind (and there could be quite a lot). I am gonna try to find some kind of balance to it. Wish me luck.

– Others around these parts have been much more bullish about Connor Murphy than I am, but even I see how ridiculously stupid it is of Q to scratch him for no reason other than his apparent sore ass over the Hjammer trade. Sam covered plenty well how stupid that is on Q’s part to even be mad that Hjammer is gone, so I won’t hash over it anymore than that, but taking it out on Murphy when the results of playing the rest of this band of misfits is no longer just stupid. It’s negligent. Q is actively contributing to the team’s downfall for no discernible reason other than his own ego. It needs to stop, one way or another.

– While we’re on the topic, Jan Rutta is a fucking disgrace. He managed to be, not just on the ice, but right in front of the damn net for 6 of the Isles’ 7 goals tonight. He just looks lost. He has no idea where to be in his own zone. No idea what to do with the puck when he gets it. There’s no way you can convince anyone who knows even the slightest about the game that he’s a better player and better fit for this team than Murphy. Well, no one except Q.

– Ryan Hartman had a game to forget tonight. HE just did not play well in any sense of the term, and then when he tried to SWING DA MOMENTUM MY FRENT with a fight, he got his ass roundly kicked. He hasn’t been awful this year, and is still probably a key player for this team moving forward, but his play needs to improve.

– The goalie situation is out of hand. Forsberg is bad. Glass is bad. And everyone knows bad goalies lead to bad teams, especially when the team in front of the goalie just isn’t that good. We’re completely screwed if Crawford really is out for the whole year, and the worst part is that part of me hopes he is because Q deserves no salvation for his asinine lineup management, and his almost criminal handling of Crow’s apparent concussion.

– It’s extremely not good to get murdered by the Red Wings and Islanders to bookend your off week. We are in situation critical. And what’s coming this week is only gonna make it worse, because we paid with visits from Tampa and Toronto.

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Game #46 – Islanders vs. Hawks Preview/Pinball Repair: You’re A Big Man But You’re In Bad Shape

By Sam Fels January 20, 2018 2420 0

vs.

RECORDS: Islanders 23-20-4 Hawks 22-17-6

PUCK DROP: 7:30pm

TV: NBCSN

NO ONE ESCAPES THE ISLAND: Lighthouse Hockey

Not that the Hawks are allowed the luxury of excuses anymore, but another one has fallen out of the way as the bye week is over. The Hawks can’t claim fatigue, they can’t claim they’re already on a break, they can’t claim… well, shit. It’s time to call for battle stations, as the Hawks are simply out of time to reach a level that simply might not be there if they’re going to play beyond the already scheduled slate.

They couldn’t ask for a much better dance partner coming out of the break than the Islanders. While they’re not terrible, the Isles are an open team that gives up a ton of shots and chances and don’t have a goalie that can stop waving at pucks and turning around the wrong way. Then again, the Wings gave up a ton of chances and had a terrible goalie heading in the UC and the Hawks had all their organs fall into their legs.

The Isles also happen to be in a bad way, coming into this one off a 5-2 tonking at the hands of the Bruins on Thursday at home when the Bs were on the second of a back-to-back. That was their fifth loss in the last eight and seventh in the last 10, and they are simply bleeding goals profusely. They’ve given up 30 in their last eight games, and the Rangers are the only ones they’ve held under four in that time.

It’s not just the goalies, of course, and the other thing bending the Hawks way is the Isles are somewhat beat up. On the blue line, both Calvin de Haan and Johnny Boychuk are out, and what remains has basically been Wendell Kim (sky point) at their own line. Nick Leddy put up a -15 in December and a -9 in January and while +/- is basically a bullshit stat, it gives you some idea of how everything has quaked for them recently. Leddy shouldn’t ever be taking on a top pairing assignment, and now he’s doing that while playing babysitter to Scott Mayfield. The Isles have a couple other kids back there in Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock, and the growing pains are there for all to see.

But this is burying the lede somewhat, as the Isles do boast one of the more exciting players to come in the league in Mathew Barzal and his missing “T.” Barzal is the runaway leader in the Calder race and with good cause. He even exhumed Andrew Ladd before Ladd got hurt, and he and Eberle have torn defenses apart all season. There are going to be some shifts tonight where they simply dance around whatever goof the Hawks have out there on defense, and you should prepare so you don’t pass out.

Their threat has loosened up the top line of Anders Lee-John Tavares-Josh Bailey. Bailey missed a couple weeks and returned on Thursday and the other two were something of a mess without him. Both Tavares and Bailey are in a contract drive this year, which doesn’t have Isles fans chewing on towels, drywall, their own skin at all. The top six here is one of the more threatening around, and has kept the Isles in touching distance of the Eastern playoffs. Good thing the Hawks will try and counter that with their best d-men, huh?

Oh right, that. The Hawks return from the break but Joel Quenneville’s brain is still out in Colorado or wherever he spent the bye. The Hawks best d-man this year, Murphy, and the mobile one they need, Kempny, are being scratched. In their place comes in Erik Gustafsson for…oh jesus I don’t fucking know, because he’s there? He’ll play his first game this year with Brent Seabrook who for sure won’t be turned into paste by either of the Isles top lines. Or they could look to shield them and have Rutta and Forsling deal with the Isles top six, which will go… well you know how that will fucking go. This is the good stuff here, people.

As far as the forwards, Anthony Duclair will move up with Toews and Saad, though he’ll be playing the right side where he, y’know, has barely ever played in his career. Vinnie Smalls slots down to the third line with Kampf and Top Cat, which is at least worth a look. The other two lines remain the same. Does anybody remember laughter?

Whatever the lineup, whatever their coach’s delusions, whatever their starting goalie’s condition, this is kind of it now. The Hawks blew the easier portion of this homestand, and now they’ll get the at least explosive Isles, the unholy force of the Lightning, and the malfunctioning Death Star that the Leafs are right now. Whatever the degree of difficulty, if the Hawks are going to be anything it has to start now. Otherwise, there should be some really tough questions asked.

Game #46 Preview

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Game #46 – Islanders vs. Hawks Spotlight: Buckaroo Barzal

By Sam Fels January 20, 2018 1805 0

While we held out hope that Alex DeBrincat might get into the Calder discussion at the end of the season, there isn’t going to be much of a Calder discussion when this season is over. It’s Mathew Barzal’s unless he completely spills it in the season’s last half. And the future he may portend for the Islanders is probably even more exciting for Isles fans.

Barzal has been a point per game so far this year, and though we’re only barely halfway through the year he’s on pace to have the best rookie season since 2010. Connor McDavid is the only rookie to score at a higher pace, but he only played 45 games thanks to becoming McClavicle. He has a great chance of topping both Artemi Panarin’s 77 points and Patrick Kane’s 72 points as rookies, which are the best points total as a rookie in the past decade.

But these aren’t empty points either. Barzal is way above the Isles’ rate in both Corsi and Expected Goals, He does get some sheltered zone starts but as he’s piled up the points the competition has gotten tougher and tougher.

Barzal’s actual goal-percentage are a sky-high 15% higher than the Islanders as a team. But this is where stats might not tell you everything. The Islanders shoot 10% with Barzal on the ice and he’s shooting 13% at even-strength himself. But given Barzal’s skills and vision, he might be creating better chances than just about everyone else. Yes, Barzal’s expected goals while on the ice is 2.63 per 60 and the Isles score at 3.65 per 60 which is obviously askew. But Barzal has been playing with Jordan Eberle, and both might just be gifted finishers.

To enjoy Barzal you have to go beyond the numbers. While there’s always a rush to declare someone similar to Patrick Kane (on the ice), Barzal is as close as you’re going to get. And he might do it faster? The game slows down when Barzal has the puck and gives him the time to pick his openings. He extends possessions simply because he can hold onto the puck for so long and wade in and out of traffic. Combined with Eberle and they make some real symphonies out there.

Perhaps the biggest thing that Barzal brings is that he might just be enough to keep John Tavares on the island. Or get him back there when they move to Belmont. Sure, there aren’t a lot of places Tavares can go due to the cap. Maybe Montreal, but he’d never go to Carolina you don’t think, the Flyers are doubtful, the Rangers are a mess, and so on.

But if you’re Tavares, with Barzal in tow and Brock Nelson behind that one could conclude they have center depth for a while. There are three young d-men who look to be mainstays. Yes, the Islanders still have much to figure out and it starts in goal. They’re a good bet to miss the playoffs again. But Barzal’s best years are ahead of him and that has to be awfully alluring.

The landscape may change as well. The Penguins may already be aging, and the Capitals are the Capitals. As said , the Rangers window has shut the big bad wolf is warming up on their straw house. The Devils’ arrow is definitely pointing up, and the Jackets are… well, the Jackets. It feels like the Canes may never get it together. There’s definitely a window here, and Barzal is the biggest reason why.

Still, get him a second “t” in his first name already.

Game #46 Preview

Everything Else

Game # 46 – Islanders vs. Hawks Q&A: With Dan Saraceni of LightHouseHockey.com

By Sam Fels January 20, 2018 1980 0

Dan Saraceni is an editor at LightHouseHockey.com. You can follow him on Twitter @CultureOfLosing.

We’ll start with something joyous: Mathew Barzal, the best player ever or the bestest player ever?

The best. Maybe bestest ever. Islanders haven’t had a player with this… whatever it is in a long time. Even as great as Tavares is, the speed and elusiveness of Barzal is like X-Men level. Of course, as expected, we’re now into the “stop turning the puck over” part of the program but he’s got the awareness and quickness to clean up his own messes a lot of the time. I’ll be sad if he doesn’t win the Calder but those things happen. I’m more excited about seeing what he can do in years two, three and beyond.

Anders Lee is on pace for 40 goals, after 34 last year. That would make him one of the more dangerous scorers in the league. is that what he is? Or a Tavares product? And was Lee who Peter Chiarelli thought he was getting for Eberle and got confused?

Lee is Tim Kerr, that immobile net front beast that cleans up a lot of rebounds. He’s a little better than just that, but it’s “where his fish is fried,” as Doug Weight said. I wouldn’t say he’s a product of Tavares because he had 36 goals last year, many coming after Tavares was hurt and missed the end of the season. But what’s weird is that without Josh Bailey, that whole line hadn’t worked that well over the last few games. That might be because they had a rotating cast of nobodies on the other wing, but I think Bailey and Lee work as a tandem because of the set-up/net front dynamic. Tavares will be Tavares no matter who he’s with. I think Chiarelli thought he was getting all three Strome brothers for Eberle in a kinda weird Hockey Voltron deal or something.

The Isles are rocking three young d-men in Pelech, Mayfield, and Pulock. What’s the outlook for this trio?

The outlook is long because they’ve already signed Pelech and Mayfield to cheap, long term deals of four and five years respectively. They’re both similar: more defensive than offensive, not especially quick, prone to games of quiet competence and bouts of overt ineptitude, seem like nice guys. Pulock had high expectations given his AHL scoring numbers and big slap shot. His defense has gotten better this season but he’s been reluctant to let it rip for some reason earlier this season. He’s definitely got talent, it’s just a matter of putting it all together (and letting the coaches keep him in the lineup).

Are the Islanders gonna have to find a goalie before the deadline?

Honestly, at this point, I don’t think it’s as simple as that. This team has a lot of structural and fundamental issues that need to be addressed first. Neither goalie has had a good season. Greiss’s 50-something save performance in Montreal on Monday was his best game since October and he’s been sub-.900 the entire time. Halak was awful in November, but has shown more signs of life throughout the season. I was at the 4-1 loss to the Devils on Tuesday and it’s hard to say he was at fault for all but one goal. No goalie should have to face 40+ shots a night. Halak’s a UFA and they’ll need the savings to sign Tavares and (I hope) Bailey. Greiss will be back next year, and I hope back to the above average goalie he was when they signed him. They have some prospects playing overseas that they’re banking on, too. Typical Islanders: the answer is always tomorrow.

So how does this Tavares thing go? Barzal, new arena plans all show promise for the future. In the other hand, may miss the playoffs again.

I’ve been compiling Tavares free agency stories for almost two years now and I still have no idea. Before Monday, when he told a crowd of Montreal reporters that he wants to stay on Long Island and has never thought about playing anywhere else, he had been consistent in saying, “I like it here, I’m focused on winning and when the time is right, I’ll weigh all the information.” (which reminds me, I need to add that stuff.) Most insiders agree he’ll stay. I think that he thinks they can still be a winner, especially with Barzal now in the picture. Belmont was huge. The new owners have to know that without him, even less people will want to watch them. They have money coming off the books, which was smart. But I’ve seen them screw up so many lay-ups, it’s hard to think they won’t do it again.

Game #46 Preview

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Game #46 – Islanders vs. Hawks Douchebag Du Jour: Here Comes Clusterf*ck And His Hits

By Sam Fels January 20, 2018 1820 0

It’s not really fair to put Cal Clutterbuck here. It’s not his faults that the Minnesota Wild, and then the New York Islanders, felt the need to make his “hit” numbers seem like something out of a Suess book. But it is his fault that he looks like a Colin Farrell mugshot, so we’ll get on his case for that.

For a long time, Clutterbuck was actually the kind of fourth-liner you’d want. Yes, he was nuts and yes, occasionally he would go overboard and do something truly stupid. But he could really skate, he gave you 10+ goals per season and could kill some penalties for you. He was what Joel Quenneville thinks Lance Bouma is.

But as we all saw, and every broadcast couldn’t wait to mention because they’ve all been beaten about the head with lawn equipment, the Islanders seriously bloated his hit totals. If you go on NHL.com and look at the past 10 years, the top three hit totals for a season belong to Matt Martin. Matt Martin could never move, so how he was averaging over four hits per game is Bermuda Triangle shit. Clutterbuck has seasons 6-10, which covers both Minnesota and New York. The only interloper in the top 10 is Mark Borowiecki from Ottawa last year, further proving Guy Boucher’s genius, of course.

No question Clutterbuck is a physical player, though he’s slowing down now and even the Islanders staff can’t make up hits for him to make him seem more active than he is. But he’s still chipping in goals, with eight so far this year from the fourth line. He’s also doing that while starting 70% of his shifts in the defensive zone, the third year in a row he’s started over 60% in his own zone.

Considering that’s where he’s always played, isn’t his goal-production and penalty killing enough? Do we really need to highlight his contributions when his team doesn’t have the puck to make it seem like he’s a worthwhile player?

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Everything Else

Game #46 – Islanders vs. Hawks: I Make A Lot Of Graphs

By Sam Fels January 20, 2018 1578 0

Courtesy of Corsica.hockey. Adjusted for score and venue at evens.

Key: CF/60 – shot attempts for per 60 minutes

CA/60 – shot attempts against per 60

CF% – ratio of shot attempts for and against

G/60, GA/60, GF% – goals scored, allowed, and ratio of per 60 minutes

xGF/60, xGA/60, xGF% – “expected goals” i.e. goals team “should” have scored and allowed based on amount and types of chances and attempts created and allowed given neutral goaltending.

PDO – shooting percentage plus save percentage, used to measure luck. 100 is average.

Time On Ice Percentage – amount of even-strength time player skates

Off. Zone Start Ratio – percentage of shifts started in offensive zone

TOI% of Competition: percentage of even-strength time opponent takes of his team player skates against

Game #46 Preview