Bartnick’s musings on the first weeks of the NHL season
It’s Daylight Savings Time. Halloween is over. Darkness is upon us. The
light you see is from my television watching. I’m watching a ton of
hockey, as usual. ESPN Multicast is amazing. It saves wear n tear on the
remote. Here are some things I’ve noticed between nauseating election
ads.
Pittsburgh is near the bottom of the Eastern Conference because of
their awful defense. The two headed monster of Sidney Crosby and
Evgeni Malkin and the rest forwards have by and large have played
better than expected with a few exceptions. Goaltenders Alex
Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist have been adequate under siege. Goalie
Tristan Jarry before his demotion was even worse than the defense.
After a slow start Alexander Ovechkin is red hot. He may catch Wayne
Gretzky this season after all.
Alexis Lafreniere may not be Crosby, Ovechkin or Connor McDavid but
he has become a first line winger on a Stanley Cup contender.
I have defended Jacob Trouba over the years but his hit on Justin
Barron was inexcusable. It was a predatory headshot on a kid in a game
that was decided.
Is there anything more John Totorella than healthy scratching Matvei
Michkov after he’s named Rookie of the Month.
Martin Necas is playing like the best version of Martin Necas more
consistently this year.
Jake Guentzel has fit in nicely on Tampa’s top line. The Snake has
always been able to think the game with the best of them.
If any team looked like they were going to have Stanley Cup hangover it
was the Florida Panthers. It did not happen. The Big Cats have been a
dominant force this season. They’ve overcome off-season departures
and early injuries to Sasha Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.
Boston is a hard to figure out but at least they’re easier to watch since
announcer Jack Edwards retired.
GM Barry Trotz did acquired a lot of pieces this summer in Nashville but
he never got a top six center.
Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde called out Captain Dylan Larkin. Larkin
responded with two goals. Good on Larkin. He’s Detroit’s leader and
needs to contribute more offensively.
Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor is the Hart Trophy ( MVP) winner as of
November 4th.
Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov comes in second.
Why is Ross Colton blocking shots? Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar
are incredible but can only do so much. Colton was on a heater and
now he’s in the press box.
The Dallas Stars got swept in Finland by the Florida Panthers. Did Roope
Hintz make the trip? I didn’t notice him.
Vegas is once again unbeatable at home. Did they lower the minimums
at the blackjack tables?
Leon Draisaitl pulls a Evgeni Malkin when Connor McDavid is out.
Whether Quinton Byfield plays center or wing he should have scored a
goal by now.
Goaltender Lukas Dostal is making this the year for the Ducks to finally
trade John Gibson.
What happened to Elias Pettersson. Maybe he should not have signed
in Vancouver.
San Jose won three games in a row recently. They aren’t as bad on the
ice as they are on paper. It’s a tribute to veterans like Tyler Toffoli and
Mikael Granlund and their professionalism.
The commercial with all of the NHL young stars and Sidney Crosby is
magnificent.
