Randall Flagg

The Ducks are, on average, being out-shot by 25 shots per game.

Hopefully all our boys know about the Ducks is their record.

I was positive that Quick saved that shot

Right now if the season ended he'd have the highest save percentage for a starter ever by a lot. He's on fire I still can't get over the fact that the Ducks allowed 30 shots on goal to Dallas in the second period of their game a week ago or so. That is lunacy. The tank Sabres never did that. I think we can help drag them back down where they belong. And finish the road trip on a high note. It would be great. Go Sabres, you can do this!

They've had identical point totals despite Eichel getting favorable zone starts with generally offensively oriented teammates (I didn't like Kane with Jack, but that's what Kane is, and he and Jack were the best ES scoring combo last year, and also hemorrhaged goals and shots against). And yet Eichel has never been able to not get caved in shot-wise and goals-against-wise while on the ice. Those metrics will fluctuate during the course of the season from bad to sometimes bottom-bottom-tier in the league. Whereas Trocheck got harder minutes than any center on either team last year (including Barkov and ROR, though ROR has the defensive zone start nuance with those whacky shifts) and yet continually tilts the ice in the offensive direction. You can't even give Jack a meaningful scoring edge, and Trocheck is seven tiers above him defensively and possession-wise (he doesn't have nearly the hockey skill, but Jack is hardly cerebral, and Vince is just a smart, aware hockey player positionally). I've already said this, I'm not sure why you've found "nothing."

I thought Reinhart was playing just like last year, without the bounces, until Vegas. I thought Vegas and SJ were bad, and that he was getting better as today's game went on. It's not quite like his start last year, even though the goal-less streak is getting painful.

Leafs lose 2 in a row, score 1 goal in the 2 games. Booyah. Of course I have to gloat during the downswings if I'm going to be a downer when they're flying high. ROR got his first goal of the season in doing so.

4 points doesn't feel like a lot, but 4-4-0 feels so much better than the 1-5-2 we were at last season. I just want to keep being able to wake up with the hope that an awakening Casey and Reinhart helps bolster this team, with a timely push from guys who force themselves onto the roster by being too good for Rochester.

What on earth do we expect from Anderson? Miserable dreck? Denver-Orton 2014? Detroit-Orton (both in the Lions and Jets games there)? I do not want Hyde returning punts I'm excited to see Milano's growth and Edmunds' continued progression. I want to see Hughes' elite season and that of Lorax and Tre continue as well. I want the offense to score some damn points. Go Bills!

When did Ryan start to take over in 05-06? I know that team started something like 8-8. It's all coming together.

I don't think it is. The toughest competition of any center on either team goes to Vinny, and he still tilts the ice, something Jack has never been able to do in his career regardless of linemates, offensive zone time, or anything else. The three point difference in the most recent projected 82 game stretch for Jack, and that for Vinny, isn't enough. If Jack bumps up his scoring rate to the mid 80s like I hope (he always, always starts to take off around Christmas time) then I'm willing to change my answer, and would long-term too, but all of Jack's defensive metrics are simply abominable and that's what makes it close.

Lol, no. You might have a different conclusion but it isn't "that side falling prone to simple well-known logical errors while my side is foolproof"

Thanks. For two seasons of doing this with Lehner, he never allowed less than 3 goals the second night, never won once (they might have done this with him 8 times or so), and he was pulled at least 3 or 4 of them. I'd still go with Hutton too.

I'd be interested to read how they determined that, but I'm pretty comfortable that the guy playing 60 minutes instead of 18 will have more severe fatigue issues. I'd love to see team records in the second game with the same goalie versus a different one. And the fact remains that the rested goalie in the second game of a back to back has a far, far higher save percentage, with the same tired team in front of him.

Goalies lose like 20 points off their save percentage the second game of a back-to-back, despite almost every single time that happens being because they're dominant in the first game. That's like choosing to start prime Michael Leighton when you have prime Tim Thomas.

It's a correct opinion. Identical scoring in the last calendar year, and elite defense versus atrocious defense.

Never start a goalie two nights in a row. I don't care if he gets a shutout AND scores a hat trick.

MacKinnon has 111 points in his last 82 regular season games (this year plus last year). Their top line has 38 combined points through 8 games.

He really wasn't close to making the team

Just for you ?

Take Anaheim to extras and we'll have ourselves a solid west coast trip. When was our last win in LA?

Love the heart Okie, but no droppin the gloves. Glad Thompson (I think that's the Kings's's player's name?) was aware of the situation too.

Risto bullying Kovalchuk. Dahlin walked around! I like getting him out there with Jack though.

So my theory is that Phil needs an ROR whether his roster has one or not. I thought he just loved ROR's two way skill-set and (to my chagrin) let that affect his usage of ROR, but evidence continues to point to him just requiring this role, and that he has chosen Sobotka, who again has more ES ice time today than anybody but Jeff and Pominville, who beat him by a couple seconds because of taking a couple long shifts each. It didn't work with ROR and it ain't gonna work with Vlad, who is also getting defensive deployment, so I hope he moves off of it. I've also been watching all of his centers, and he has them play quite low in the defensive zone, and they don't seem to join the forecheck often. Eich is always peeling back into the NZ the second it looks like the D might be winning control, leaving his wingers to rummage (which is why his shifts are consistently shorter than his wingers'), and Bergy and Vlad are doing the same. I could pick apart why I don't necessarily like how he plays the centers, but I'm not sure my thoughts are well-formed yet.

He's had 3 straight solid games.