Jordan Staal

Islanders vs (Some of the) Penguins

October 25, 2011

Preview: The New York Islanders are returning home after a Florida road trip where the team experienced more sun than fun. It was a trip which saw two games, two losses, and a continued futility to achieve secondary scoring. Not the recipe for success this season drawn up by coach Jack Capuano and GM Garth Snow, and not what the team envisioned after jetting off to a 3 – 1 start.

The Pittsburgh Penguins head into Long Island for the first half of a home-and-home series against the Islanders playing some of the best hockey in the league. Despite missing all-world talents in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins just keep winning. ...

The Art of the Penalty Kill

October 12, 2011

Chuck Gaston Jr

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What has this league become? Over the past two decades we have seen a drastic drop in offense, goal scorers struggling to get to fifty, and only three players have broken the 120 point mark since the new millennium. Offense have taken a dive, and part of the reason is the adjustments that have been made to the penalty kill.

Currently, six team in the league have managed to kill off everyone of their opponents' powerplays. They are Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Florida, Montreal, Colorado, and Tampa Bay. These teams have had some strong competition so far, so this is not anything to scoff at. Of these, none are more impressive than the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Shift Work: What we learned from the first glimpse of the Penguins

October 7, 2011

rynrrck

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Well, then… that was quick.

Penguins fans walked away in May after a stunning series loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning wondering what had happened to their team. One power play goal. No Sidney Crosby. No Evgeni Malkin. And no single explanation for how they let a 3-1 lead slip away.

The 2010-11 season was defined by everything the Penguins overcame – notably significant, long-term injuries to their three top centers, the Sid-Geno-Jordan (Crosby-Malkin-Staal) triumvirate that was the backbone of the team’s championship hopes – and in the end it was Pittsburgh that yielded when they should’ve stood strong. The firs...

Why the Luke Schenn Contract is Important.

August 16, 2011

Marco Perruzza

2 Comments

Both the mornings and evenings have begun to get cooler, and with that slight change in tempearture, hockey seems to be getting closer and closer to returning. The back half of August is upon us, and maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs’ most important player for both this and future seasons remains unsigned.

Luke Schenn has developed into a cornerstone member of the Leafs. He is valuable on the ice, having led the league in hits by a defenceman last season with 251. As well as off the ice, being the longest serving Leaf (along with Kulemin and Grabovski) a strong character like Schenn’s is necessary in one of the youngest dressing rooms ...

Hurricanes Turn Eye to Signing for Depth and Future

July 15, 2011

rynrrck

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After their first week of free agency focused on replacing scoring from the wing and swapping one accomplished defenseman for another, the Carolina Hurricanes turned in-house with signings of some younger players (all 24 or under) who have started making an impact in the NHL.

Five players inked deals starting July 8, with center Brandon Sutter and blue-liner Derek Joslin on the NHL roster while forward Brett Sutter and defensemen Brett Bellemore and Bobby Sanguinetti all signed two-way deals and will likely start the season with the AHL-affiliate Charlotte Checkers. The signings, even those only for one year, continue a pattern of instilling solid depth and development ...