NHL 2012-2013: Tentative deal early Sunday January 6

Looks like the Blues new owner is ready to shake some stuff up.

Davis Payne is put and Ken Hitchcock is in. I'm usually in favor of sticking it out with a coach longer, but this feels like the right move. The team should be playing more consistent, and making the playoffs should not be such a slight opportunity for this team.

re: picture of standings

I'm just waiting for the Caps to keep that pace up, win the SE division, and then get blown away in the first round.

Hitchcock to the Blues, didn't see that coming. With all of those rumours about him taking over Columbus, it seemed certain that he'd be heading there. Instead St. Louis sweeps him up and sends Payne packing. Pretty much every analyst I read was saying Hitch back with the Blue Jackets was a terrible move, I wonder if those rumours made St. Louis move a little faster bringing in Hitch than they would have otherwise.

The Tampa-Philly game was interesting enough for me to watch parts of a non-Habs game for the first time this season. Tampa Bay set up in their 1-3-1 trap as usual and Philadelphia refused to try to break it, instead standing in their own zone. The Flyers bench was apparently calling the Lightning players "chickens".

Maybe I'm too much into min-maxing because of strategy games, but I don't have a problem with the trap. It's been around in one form or another for at least 40 years when the 70s HAbs employed it to great effect.

That said, with the way the points are allocated in regular season game there is an incentive for teams to stand around until overtime to get the loser point and then go for the extra one. You're really competing against all the teams in the conference for 8 playoff spots more than you are against the team you're playing against to finish higher in the standings. I'm surprised this thing hasn't happened sooner with coaches being risk-averse and the incentives the way they are.

Roke wrote:

The Tampa-Philly game was interesting enough for me to watch parts of a non-Habs game for the first time this season. Tampa Bay set up in their 1-3-1 trap as usual and Philadelphia refused to try to break it, instead standing in their own zone. The Flyers bench was apparently calling the Lightning players "chickens".

Maybe I'm too much into min-maxing because of strategy games, but I don't have a problem with the trap. It's been around in one form or another for at least 40 years when the 70s HAbs employed it to great effect.

That said, with the way the points are allocated in regular season game there is an incentive for teams to stand around until overtime to get the loser point and then go for the extra one. You're really competing against all the teams in the conference for 8 playoff spots more than you are against the team you're playing against to finish higher in the standings. I'm surprised this thing hasn't happened sooner with coaches being risk-averse and the incentives the way they are.

3 points for a win in regulation like in soccer.

Tie a ton of games in the NHL and your building a very solid base of points to make the playoffs. Do that in Soccer and your going to most likely finish bottom 3 and relegated.

jowner wrote:
Roke wrote:

The Tampa-Philly game was interesting enough for me to watch parts of a non-Habs game for the first time this season. Tampa Bay set up in their 1-3-1 trap as usual and Philadelphia refused to try to break it, instead standing in their own zone. The Flyers bench was apparently calling the Lightning players "chickens".

Maybe I'm too much into min-maxing because of strategy games, but I don't have a problem with the trap. It's been around in one form or another for at least 40 years when the 70s HAbs employed it to great effect.

That said, with the way the points are allocated in regular season game there is an incentive for teams to stand around until overtime to get the loser point and then go for the extra one. You're really competing against all the teams in the conference for 8 playoff spots more than you are against the team you're playing against to finish higher in the standings. I'm surprised this thing hasn't happened sooner with coaches being risk-averse and the incentives the way they are.

3 points for a win in regulation like in soccer.

Tie a ton of games in the NHL and your building a very solid base of points to make the playoffs. Do that in Soccer and your going to most likely finish bottom 3 and relegated.

I have always said each game has to be the same amount of points. I for one enjoy the shootout. So this is my proposal.

Reg Win = 3
OT Win = 3 or 2
SO Win = 2
Reg loss = 0
OT Loss = 0 or 1
SO Loss = 1

This however completely changes comparisons in points to previous seasons (pre shootout). I also don't really care about that. It also adds a column in the standings potentially making it more complicated for the uninformed.

I think if you add a point for the shootout that doesn't exist just for overtime, there is a danger of teams running down the OT clock in addition to the regular game clock. Give each 1 point for a tie in regulation, then 2 more to whoever manages to finish the game.

FINALLY a home win.. my lord. I actually stopped watching the Avs tonight after NYs 3rd goal early in the 2nd period. Went back to work and got a text from the wife that they had tied it up! Got to see OT.

Man, what a bipolar team we have this year...

PAR

I don't care much about the All Star game but I've read in a few blogs about the 'Project Mayhem' plan for All Star voting this year. It's a great idea - vote in Dany Heatley, Marion Hossa, Martin Havlat, Zdeno Chara, Chris Campoli and Ray Emery into this year’s All-Star Game…in Ottawa.

Roke wrote:

The Tampa-Philly game was interesting enough for me to watch parts of a non-Habs game for the first time this season. Tampa Bay set up in their 1-3-1 trap as usual and Philadelphia refused to try to break it, instead standing in their own zone. The Flyers bench was apparently calling the Lightning players "chickens".

Maybe I'm too much into min-maxing because of strategy games, but I don't have a problem with the trap. It's been around in one form or another for at least 40 years when the 70s HAbs employed it to great effect.

That said, with the way the points are allocated in regular season game there is an incentive for teams to stand around until overtime to get the loser point and then go for the extra one. You're really competing against all the teams in the conference for 8 playoff spots more than you are against the team you're playing against to finish higher in the standings. I'm surprised this thing hasn't happened sooner with coaches being risk-averse and the incentives the way they are.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hocke...

The Blues prepared for Tampa Bay's heavily debated 1-3-1 trap entering Saturday's game at Scottrade Center, but it turned out they didn't need a plan.

An impressive display of the club's developing transition game under new coach Ken Hitchcock never allowed the Lightning to clog up the middle. The Blues moved the puck with speed, and if they could have finished more scoring opportunities, the final score would have been more in their favor than the 3-0 finish.

The trap is generally applied as an equalizer technique for bad teams; TB is notable only in that they are thought to be pretty good and still use it.

4xis.black wrote:

The trap is generally applied as an equalizer technique for bad teams; TB is notable only in that they are thought to be pretty good and still use it.

And the Jets still spanked them last night.

The trap is good against slow teams, but I think the jets proved last night that if you are quick enough you can dump the puck past the neutral zone and gain control of it in their end. Kane got a nice early goal to put the Lightening back on their heels and than we got super lucky Buff's goal didn't end up as a penalty instead. The Jets never let up all game, and really took it them every chance they got.

Gaald wrote:
4xis.black wrote:

The trap is generally applied as an equalizer technique for bad teams; TB is notable only in that they are thought to be pretty good and still use it.

And the Jets still spanked them last night.

The trap is good against slow teams, but I think the jets proved last night that if you are quick enough you can dump the puck past the neutral zone and gain control of it in their end. Kane got a nice early goal to put the Lightening back on their heels and than we got super lucky Buff's goal didn't end up as a penalty instead. The Jets never let up all game, and really took it them every chance they got.

That's pretty much what the Blues did.

Tonight they hope to slow down the Dead Wings. Hitchcock is 2-0-1 so far, losing in OT to Toronto and beating TB and Vancouver handily. Too soon to get too excited, but they are playing well against good teams. And they are still due to get Perron back next month, and hopefully Andy MacDonald soon, as well.

I usually am very conservative and want coaches to give coaches more of a benefit of the doubt, but I think this was a worthy exception. Too man times over the last few seasons we have seen the Blues make a late run when it is way too late. I'm glad to see them not wait so long to make this move.

Make that 3-0-1 under Hitchcock as the Blues win one from Detroit that had every break go against them.

Uggh.. injuries are killing the Leafs right now. Sure, sure, good teams rise above injuries and find ways to get it done, but let's be honest here - the Leafs aren't a team with a ton of depth.

No Reimer has been really tough, with Gustavsson pretty much convincing management he's not going to work out as an NHL keeper. Scrivens has been inconsistent. The team doesn't really trust Scrivens, and that lack of confidence messes with the game plan. Reimer can't come back soon enough, but given his lack of recovery it seems likely he has a concussion, so who knows when he'll be back. I'd be happy if Burke could make a move to bring in a veteran keeper as a stopgap until Reimer is back.

Colby Armstrong has been out for a long while now, and he's an effective player that puts in good minutes. The Leafs are certainly a better team with him. Connolly has unsurprisingly missed games, but he's back tonight. MacArthur is injured, but the real killer is Grabovski is out. Grabo hasn't had a ton of success and hasn't been shooting enough, but he's bloody fast and other teams need to pay attention to him when he's on the ice. Without him, Wilson is going to need to look elsewhere for a lot of minutes.

Toronto plays Nashville tonight and I'm not particularly hopeful. The good news is that Kessel is red hot - he's very hard to stop right now. But he can't win games by himself and with so many key guys injured, it's going to take a total team effort to win. They need to play their game and do it consistently.

I just realized that the Wild are leading the Northwest. Just based on watching them, I would have sworn they were a .500 team. Who knew.

Another win for the Jets! This time against Washington! I can't wait to see what happens when the Flyers come and play here Saturday afternoon! The game in Philadelphia was crazy!

Jason Chimera:

IMAGE(http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/editorial_image/d0/d0a5a1f5f3140cb9d609c11016b1ff9f/wednesdays_three_stars_chimera_helps_caps_niemi_stops_hawks.jpg)

The Capitals fired Boudreau this morning, hired Dale Hunter.

I honestly didn't think it would happen, Boudreau is a good coach. Dale Hunter should have no illusions about what happens when you lose the support of Ovechkin. This move will shake Washington up and probably get them playing again, but I think long term weakens the team.

I finally made it to a Blues game Friday night when they beat Calgary 2-0. The team is just playing great hockey right now, and are 7-1-2 since Hitchcock has taken over. They are also just three points behind Chicago in the Central and and in the Western Conference, where they are fifth.

There is a real goaltending controversy now, as Brian Elliot improved his record to 10-1 with a 2-1 win over Columbus last night. His GAA of 1..31 and Save % of .951 are far and away the best in the NHL. And while Halak started out really rough, he has played well since Hitchcock has taken over. It's now more of a tandem, as Hitchcock is giving Halak plenty of chances to win his job back. But Elliot is playing out of his mind.

The team is still not scoring at a great clip, so the wheels could still come off if Elliot and Halak come back to earth. Hopefully the team can wrap up its sale, they can add a legitimate coring threat. Also, Perron could be back within a month or so, and Andy MacDonald should be back this season, too.

I'm still holding my breath, as the blues have provided a lot of falso hope over the last few seasons. But this really feels like they are breaking through. Looking forward to another road test as they try to provide an unwelcome reception for the Caps new coach.

nihilo wrote:

The Capitals fired Boudreau this morning, hired Dale Hunter.

Aaaand, the dominoes begin to fall. The Hurricanes announced Paul Maurice has been fired, press conference this afternoon to announce the replacement.

Bob McKenzie already says it's Kirk Muller, current AHL coach for the Milwaukee Admirals (who the Hurricanes' AHL team, the Charlotte Checkers, just played twice this weekend).

Before the announcement, the Checkers media guy said on Twitter:

Paul Branecky wrote:

For what it's worth, the Checkers, Daniels included, were very complimentary of Milwaukee. Heard "well coached" a few times.

He's not even got a year of experience as a head coach at the AHL level, but he was 5 years an assistant with the Canadiens, and I've heard he was an important part of the Habs' power play being competitive, which we are in bad need of. Guess we'll see... =)

Really liked Paul Maurice as a person, and I don't feel like he lost the locker room, but something has to change. A coaching change is always a good kick in the pants.

That's the second time Maurice has been fired with Jay Harrison, Tomas Kaberle, Alexei Ponikarovski and Jiri Tlusty on his roster.

nihilo wrote:

That's the second time Maurice has been fired with Jay Harrison, Tomas Kaberle, Alexei Ponikarovski and Jiri Tlusty on his roster.

Yowza. =)

Poni and Tlusty have been serviceable but not outstanding additions. Ponikarovsky has his moments, and Tlusty has shown bursts where he's looked really good. Tlusty had injury issues for quite some time; he's yound, and now that he's been healthy for more than a month straight (fingers crossed), he could be developing into a pretty good player. Kaberle has definitely been a bust especially at his cost, but Harrison was an excellent acquisition. He is worth way more than the bare-minimum salary he's being payed, and after spending the summer conditioning with Gary Roberts, has been a really solid d-man. Not to mention a great guy in the locker room.

Just remember the last time an ex-Devil player was an NHL coach with John MacLean. Good assistant, spit the bit as head coach.

Muller and Hunter are the two most highly thought of coaches not in the NHL. Hitchcock was terrible in Columbus but he is (was) an excellent coach. Not sure how long it will last as he has a tendency of losing a room from grinding his player too much.

With Muller at the helm The Cup is surely ours.

Vector wrote:

Hitchcock was terrible in Columbus but he is (was) an excellent coach. Not sure how long it will last as he has a tendency of losing a room from grinding his players too much.

Ypou may have a point. I read this in Bernie Mikalisz' latest column:

And what about the style of play? Well, Hitchcock will be 60 years old Dec. 17, but he's definitely coaching an edgy, fast-paced, young man's game. The Blues go at a furious pace. If Hitchock's hockey could be converted into music, it would be speed metal.

That's no exaggeration. In his 11 games as coach, the Blues have taken more shifts (4,776) than any NHL team. They are averaging an astounding 434.2 shifts a game. That's about 21 shifts more per game than the second-highest team (Vancouver) in the category.

Hitchcock is running four lines, rapidly exchanging defensemen, using his entire roster. He's giving every player a piece of ownership. The typical Blues shift consists of a fast burn of energy, a quick rest, and then back onto the ice for another rush of blood to the head.

This team is a blast to wach right now. But there has to be a fear that it can't go on forever.

That said, Backes and Oshie are playing as well as they ever have. And rumors are flying that David Perron will be back this Saturday at home vs. the Blackhawks. If they can add MacDonald back, in addition to Perron, the team will be just that much quicker.

It's hard to say. This team has been young and full of potential for years now. So has Hitchcock tapped into that potential and turned it into production? I'll feel much more comfortable when they start scoring more goals so that they don't need to win 2-1 so often. But they are on pace to be leading the Western Division by next week. This was a team that was seriously languishing not that long ago.

One thing that helps is that the Blues sold out every game last season. The fans are already on-board and selling out this year, too. At the game last Friday I sat next to a guy from Dallas that was really impressed with the crowd and atmosphere. No one is having to beg the fans to show up and enjoy this ride while it lasts, which is going to really help make Scottrade a tough place for teams to challenge the Blues.

I love that St. Louis is now neck and neck with Chicago and Detroit. It should make for a really fun season and playoff run against great longtime rivals.

Hitchcock is basically a good Andy Murray. His teams burned out by the end of the year. Hitchcock's teams don't get burned out but they do become prone of ignoring him after a while. He brings structure and stability. I think he's the perfect choice for St. Louis for a year or two then shuffle off in to a senior advisor role.

One extremely positive thing is he has made the playoffs with every team he's coached. That includes the Blue Jackets.

He's baaaaack!!!!

Unfortunately it was the first goal in a 5-2 home loss to the frickin' Blackhawks.