Bah! Montreal is pretty average on the B2Bs with only 16 for the season, and they get a team in the 2nd game of a B2B 17 times, giving them a pretty average “balance” for the season, comparatively.
Kind of hard to be excited about tonights Detroit/Pittsburgh game. There is something of a rivalry there after the two cup finals and all, but the Penguins are minus Crosby and the Red Wings are the Grand Rapids Griffins plus Lidstrom and Zetterberg.
Hell, I don’t care what happens as long as Detroit doesn’t lose anyone else. If this keeps up, they won’t have enough players to fill a roster.
Interesting link.
It’s not so much the existence of the back to backs, but rather that they play two sets in the same week this week, and they had one last week. They had three sets in the span of 2 weeks back in December before the road trip from hell, and have another two sets in the space of a week (+1day) to start off February. 11 of those 16 back to backs involve traveling between games as well, which is the case for both of the sets this week.
I admit I haven’t studied the schedules of any of the other teams, and perhaps most of them are being dealt the same raw deal, but I still think it’s pretty assholish of whoever made the schedule. 
They just announced the lost their 4th string(and current backup) goalie with a broken finger in practice.:smack:
Yeah, I really only even said anything just to link the site… I found it interesting also
WHAT.
THE.
FUCK?!?!?!?
Cammalleri. Pacioretty. Halpern. Subban. All out of the game with apparent injuries in the first period. And Pouliot is already out due to illness; he didn’t even travel with the team.
9 forwards and 5 defencemen left.
I thought last night’s game was hard to watch…I just might cry!
What are you guys doing, playing the Flyers?
Worse… BUFFALO!!!
Subban came back, and Halpern is playing on the PK only. Pacioretty left in an ambulance, though I haven’t heard about Cammalleri.
Habs are holding their own in a 1-1 tie in the 3rd (mostly because Buffalo really sucks). What an insane game!
Ugly game tonight as the New York Rangers are all over Toronto up by 6-0. Gustavasson was pulled early, but he’s back. The Leafs should bring Reimer back up and trade Gustavasson.
And after three goalie injuries (though Howard is scheduled to return tonight), Detroit has admitted interest in Evgeni Nabokov. While this wouldn’t help their continued and mind blowing defensive lapses, and it won’t help them with their inability to remember that the first period isn’t just a warm up and actually counts, it could be a good move. As far as I can remember, Nabokov has been a solid goalie with the potential to outright steal games. He’d have to clear waivers if they signed him, but if they got him it’d be a durn good move.
I’d be quite surprised if he made it through waivers. There are a number of teams with the need and cap space for a goalie of his caliber, and it would behoove a divisional rival like St. Louis or Columbus to pick him up if for no other reason than to spite Detroit.
Report from the Wings game tonight is that they’ve signed him and he’ll start going through waivers tomorrow.
Regarding picking him up for spite, that’s unlikely. Due to the signing date, his contract comes with a no movement clause. That means no sending him to the minors and no trading him once you’ve picked him up off waivers. There are a number of teams looking for goalies though. It’ll be interesting to see what happens by Saturday at noon if he makes it that long.
A NMC on a half-a-year contract worth less than $1m isn’t much of a discouragement. Even if there weren’t about a dozen teams around the league with the need, if one of their divisional rivals let him past them with that deal then they’re fools.
Cares beat the Rangers 4-1, play a great 60 minute game, stay within 2 points of 8th. Skinner pots his 17th, Sutter is the man with deference.
Stars win their 8th straight road game, a franchise record. This is going to be a great playoff race in the West.
I cannot believe we were shut out by New Jersey. Ugh.
Not so hard to believe. Without Crosby and Malkin in the line-up, there’s not much to fear from the Penguins, and NJ is (since they got rid of MacLean) not nearly as bad as their record indicates.
I thought it curious that they started Johnson and not Flounder, though Fleury doesn’t have the best record against NJ (fun fact: since his return to NJ last year Lemaire is 7-0 against Bylsma, outscoring the 'guins 24-5).
And what’s up with the penalties? Seemed like Pittsburgh was trying to overtake Philly as the goons from Pennsylvania last night. It was obvious they were taking a page from the Flyers playbook and trying to bump Brodeur, but they weren’t even being subtle about it. I guess I’m just kind of surprised that the Penguins lead the league in PIM/G… they’re usually pretty disciplined.
The Sharks rattled off their third victory in a row, following a disturbing six-game losing streak. Good game, too. The third and forth lines are nearly anonymous to me. I feel bad for not knowing who all my players are.
Holy moly! Eleven goals in a Flames’ game and Calgary has seven of them. It’s 1984 all over again. But I won’t exhale for another four minutes, or until the game is over. Go Flames go!