The Rest of the NHL

Started by BigEd76, August 01, 2005, 02:28:05 PM

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BigEd76


phattymatty

i'm just going to say gross and not read that article.

SunMo

this is why you shouldn't bang your wife's sister...just her friends
I'm the Anti-Christ. You got me in a vendetta kind of mood.

Seabiscuit36

Quote from: SunMo on March 23, 2009, 05:13:11 PM
this is why you shouldn't bang your wife's sister...just her friends
LMAO  POTY
"For all the civic slurs, for all the unsavory things said of the Philadelphia fans, also say this: They could teach loyalty to a dog. Their capacity for pain is without limit." -Bill Lyons

Seabiscuit36

http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/03/29/which-team-do-nhl-officials-favor/

Quote

For about three years now, tin foil hat wearing, conspiracy theorist hockey fans have been living under the delusion that the Penguins have commissioner Gary Bettman, and the league's officials, in their back pockets. It's all part of a diabolical scheme designed to push the Penguins into the postseason, or so I've read.

Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rangers, which saw the Penguins get nine power plays (including a very questionable call on Colton Orr) sparked those feelings from more than a few Rangers fans across the web.

Take, for example, the fist-shaking reaction from Rangers blog, Rangers Report:

You all just saw why I don't want to play the Penguins in the playoffs. In a game where it looked like Crosby's parents were refereeing the game, the Rangers had to kill off 10 separate penalties; including an unmerited major on Colton Orr. I have said it before and I will say it again: the Rangers didn't play a great game but there is nothing you can do about bad refereeing. I don't care that Sidney Crosby is the NHL's golden boy and the Penguins are the NHL's team; call the game fair. The Penguins had 10, you read that correct 10, power plays to the Rangers five. Yeah that's really fair. Especially when I watched Antropov get tripped up and Crosby pull a blatant pick and nothing is called. Yet somehow Orr checks Eaton, granted the check was a little high, and he gets a five minute major penalty. Then the ref looked at Tortorella and basically said: "I just called it because it's against the Penguins." Good work NHL, keep on keeping on.

Yikes.

While he's correct the Penguins had nine power plays on Saturday, it's worth pointing out two of them came in the final minute of regulation on obvious tripping calls as the Rangers attempted to prevent the Penguins from scoring into an empty net. Plus, two of them (including the very questionable five-minute major to Orr) were cut short by penalties on the Penguins, as one of those "power plays" lasted all of four seconds.

Scotty Hockey has a far more rational recap of the game, placing the blame for the Rangers' loss where it belongs -- on the Rangers -- but still manages to sneak in one quick line regarding the black helicopters that circle Mellon Arena on game day:

Much like the other three games in Pittsburgh, the Blueshirts had no chance at winning this one, being outworked by a more talented team from the start. The usual tough officiating in Pittsburgh didn't help, but wasn't as painful as the two incredibly soft goals Henrik Lundqvist allowed.

Ah, the usual "tough officiating in Pittsburgh." Of course, I'm not sure I'd say the Rangers had "no chance" of winning. After all, it was a one-goal game, and the Rangers had a great scoring chance late in the third period to potentially tie the game, only to have Marc-Andre Fleury come up with a huge save.

Having said all of that, let's take a look at every team in the NHL and compare their power play opportunities to the times they've been shorthanded. Do the Penguins have a favorable advantage over the course of the season? A slight one, yes. But they're not the only team, and certainly not the team benefiting the most. These numbers are as of prior to this weekend's action.


Power Play vs. Shorthanded Comparison
Team Power Play Shorthanded Dif.
Carolina Hurricanes 344
288 +64
San Jose Sharks 325
281 +44
Phoenix Coyotes 308
265 +43
Dallas Stars 327
295 +32
Minnesota Wild 297
267 +30
Chicago Blackhawks 330
301 +29
Detroit Red Wings 329
301 +28
Toronto Maple Leafs 304
281 +23
Buffalo Sabres 326
306 +20
New York Rangers 320
300 +20
L.A. Kings 339
325 +14
Edmonton Oilers 328
317 +11
Pittsburgh Penguins 328
318 +10
Boston Bruins 281
272 +9
Colorado Avalanche 297
292 +5
Calgary Flames 328
326 +2
Montreal Canadiens 337
337 0
Ottawa Senators 304
308 -4
Columbus Blue Jackets 303
308 -5
Florida Panthers 281
289 -8
Atlanta Thrashers 319
329 -10
St. Louis Blues 317
329 -12
New Jersey Devils 279
295 -16
Vancouver Canucks 323
344 -21
Nashville Predators 289
315 -26
New York Islanders 292
325 -33
Washington Capitals 311
361 -50
Tampa Bay Lightning 312
369 -57
Anaheim Ducks 289
354 -65
Philadelphia Flyers 288
365 -84


Didn't expect to see the Hurricanes or Coyotes at the top of that list.

Instead of the NHL having some sort of bias toward any one individual team, the more logical explanation is that officiating across the NHL is alarmingly inconsistent (and I think we'll all agree on that point).

The other logical explanation is that, simply, some teams are disciplined, while others, are not. For example, is it really a surprise to see Philadelphia in its current position? This is a team that went out and traded for Daniel Carcillo, the most penalized man in the NHL the past two years, at the trade deadline. This team absolutely embraces the rough stuff. They're also one of the better penalty killing teams in the league, while also scoring a league-leading 16 shorthanded goals. At least they can back it up.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have failed to really capitalize on their numerous advantages, currently possessing the No. 20 power play unit in the NHL, converting at a 17.7 percent clip.
"For all the civic slurs, for all the unsavory things said of the Philadelphia fans, also say this: They could teach loyalty to a dog. Their capacity for pain is without limit." -Bill Lyons

BigEd76

#1355
So he's arguing that the Penguins, even though they're in the middle behind the Rangers, are really at the top of the list?

Seabiscuit36

I think his flaw in the # breakdown is when the penalties are called.  The NHL is notorious for make up calls, and giving teams an advantage earlier in the game, then calling the opposite towards the end of the game.  The disparity between the Hurricanes and the Flyers is a little alarming i would say
"For all the civic slurs, for all the unsavory things said of the Philadelphia fans, also say this: They could teach loyalty to a dog. Their capacity for pain is without limit." -Bill Lyons

Rome

The Flyers in last place on that list?  Shocking.

Seabiscuit36

Quote from: Rome on March 30, 2009, 04:30:06 PM
The Flyers in last place on that list?  Shocking.
Quote from: MDS on March 21, 2009, 04:57:45 PM
lol it never gets old with you people

wahhh the refs hate the flyers
wahhh the nhl is out to get the flyers
wahhh other fans single out flyers fans
wahhh why dont more people care about a niche sport

Hoydas.
"For all the civic slurs, for all the unsavory things said of the Philadelphia fans, also say this: They could teach loyalty to a dog. Their capacity for pain is without limit." -Bill Lyons

MDS

so its true! you guys were right all along! omg!1!
Zero hour, Michael. It's the end of the line. I'm the firstborn. I'm sick of playing second fiddle. I'm always third in line for everything. I'm tired of finishing fourth. Being the fifth wheel. There are six things I'm mad about, and I'm taking over.

ice grillin you

the flyers are last because they dont have the skill that other teams have so their players draw less penalties even their best players arent guys that are gonna walk around you like a malkin or ovechkin (giroux should help in this area)...and while their team speed has improved they are still one of the less skilled slower teams around....and their team IQ is in the semi retarded range...morons like hartnell and having goons all over the 3rd and fourth lines up your penalties big time
i can take a phrase thats rarely heard...flip it....now its a daily word

igy gettin it done like warrick

im the board pharmacist....always one step above yous

SD_Eagle5

Quote from: ice grillin you on March 31, 2009, 06:26:24 AM
the flyers are last because they dont have the skill that other teams have so their players draw less penalties even their best players arent guys that are gonna walk around you like a malkin or ovechkin (giroux should help in this area)...and while their team speed has improved they are still one of the less skilled slower teams around....and their team IQ is in the semi retarded range...morons like hartnell and having goons all over the 3rd and fourth lines up your penalties big time

This post is so retarded that I don't know where to start.

Just admit they're penalized more and move on. They have plenty of 'skill' players (Carter, Gagne, Briere, Giroux, Timonen, Lupul etc.). You're still correct that Flyers fans are whiney cry babies so no argument from me there.

ice grillin you

the stats prove they get penalized more...but its not because of a conspiracy its because of the kind of team they are

i can take a phrase thats rarely heard...flip it....now its a daily word

igy gettin it done like warrick

im the board pharmacist....always one step above yous

rjs246

I would actually argue, based on what I've seen this season and last, that they are less skilled than the elite teams and make up for it with hard work and intelligence. To argue that the team is full of morons and goons is ridiculous. They have two goons (one of which is probably never going to see the ice for the rest of the season) and one Hartnell (who does absolutely everything and is quickly becoming one of my favorites).

They aren't the Red Wings so they have to play gritty and smart and they're finding a lot of success with that. Should they take less penalties? Yes. But they kill them off exceptionally well so I don't really give a shtein at the moment.
Is rjs gonna have to choke a bitch?

Let them eat bootstraps.

ice grillin you

hartnell is one of the dumbest players in the nhl...so much so that he was benched for idiocy this year...just watch the games and you can see the inordinate amount of bad penalties the team takes...stevens himself has been bitching about it all year

getting rid of upshall and replacing him with giroux will definitely help as upshall was up there with hartnell in terms of boneheadedness

really we are in agreement here and youre saying the same thing as me...teams that are less talented and play gritty are going to take more penalties than really talented teams

i mean its not possible to watch the team night in and out and not see all this
i can take a phrase thats rarely heard...flip it....now its a daily word

igy gettin it done like warrick

im the board pharmacist....always one step above yous