Octopus Overlords

Thanks. I got hung up on them making him thirsty.

1768 games played for Patty Marleau (surpassing Gordie's 1767, not counting his other 419 regular season pro GP, of course). Probably the greatest accomplishment we'll see this season. Bettman got to give the kudos speech without getting booed.

NY Rangers and Washington Capitals have now combined for 125 penalty minutes after 2 periods of play.
(Some back story, in case you missed it)

Playoffs are under way.

My preferential picks for Round 1:
Avs over Blues
Vegas over Wild
Leafs vs. Canadiens - push
Jets over Oilers
Islanders over Pens
Washington vs. Boston - meteor
Hurricanes over Preds
Panthers over Lightning

The Meal wrote: ↑Wed Jan 20, 2021 1:37 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Wed Jan 20, 2021 1:16 pm NHL decided to blackout

I bailed on the Center Ice package this year because of a combination of blackouts and audio sync issues.

onhockey.tv
sportsurge.net
bilasport.net
streameast.live

Although the NBC Sports app on my tv was good enough for yesterday's slate.

Hell of a start to the playoffs. 3 of the first 4 going to OT, and the 4th with the GWG with ~1 minute left? Then more OT today?

Fun Avs game tonight, too. Also looking forward to the rest of the Vegas-Min series.

Ha.

I didn't know until the Bruins / Capitals game last night that an unsuccessful replay challenge means a "delay of game" penalty against the challenging team. How does it work if a penalty is assessed against a team? Do they have to be short a player of their choice for 2 minutes or something?

Yes.

El Guapo wrote: ↑Tue May 18, 2021 2:29 pm I didn't know until the Bruins / Capitals game last night that an unsuccessful replay challenge means a "delay of game" penalty against the challenging team. How does it work if a penalty is assessed against a team? Do they have to be short a player of their choice for 2 minutes or something?

Yes, they are short a player, and they get to pick who sits in the box for 2 minutes. It's a "bench penalty", so it's against the "team", not the individual player who has to serve it (doesn't affect their penalty minute statistics).

gilraen wrote: ↑Tue May 18, 2021 3:01 pm

El Guapo wrote: ↑Tue May 18, 2021 2:29 pm I didn't know until the Bruins / Capitals game last night that an unsuccessful replay challenge means a "delay of game" penalty against the challenging team. How does it work if a penalty is assessed against a team? Do they have to be short a player of their choice for 2 minutes or something?

Yes, they are short a player, and they get to pick who sits in the box for 2 minutes. It's a "bench penalty", so it's against the "team", not the individual player who has to serve it (doesn't affect their penalty minute statistics).

That seems like a pretty harsh penalty for a failed challenge. Is that penalty automatic, or is it assessed at the discretion of the refs?

Came up in the context of the Capitals not challenging the tying goal near the end of the third period. There was some goalie contact near the goal, but the commentators were generally of the view that (notwithstanding the importance of the goal) it wasn't worth risking a penalty.

https://www.nhl.com/news/rule-changes-f ... -307950356

Coach's challenges no longer will be limited based on the availability of a timeout, but a minor penalty for delay of game will be assessed for any failed challenge under any of the three categories. Any subsequent failed challenge will result in a double minor for delay of game.

Under the old rules, a minor penalty for delay of game was assessed only for a failed challenge for offside.

El Guapo wrote: ↑Tue May 18, 2021 3:04 pmThat seems like a pretty harsh penalty for a failed challenge.

I used to think it was harsh, as well, but I've really come to like it. The NHL doesn't fuck around with challenging for the miniscule chance of getting something overturned. Be confident you'll win the challenge, or don't waste everyone's time. I'd love to see something similar in the NFL.

Same deal in the NHL with embellishment being a penalty. Someone tell the NBA about that one.

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Tue May 18, 2021 3:14 pm Same deal in the NHL with embellishment being a penalty. Someone tell the NBA about that one.

Just don't tell MLS. They wouldn't be able to finish a single game.

"NHL 2021 Postseason"

This phrase makes no sense.

This BOS-WAS series is living up to its (huge) billing. 3 GP, 4 center-ice face offs beginning OT periods. WAS has started three netminders in its three games, and tonight's 2OT thriller ended on a flub by Samsonov playing a puck behind his net, acting uncertainly in how he wanted to return to his crease.

I'm only rooting for the Bruins because an earlier departure for the Caps is good for my team (which owns a few of the Caps' draft picks in this year's amateur draft). Still, they're not disappointing.

Now to switch over to the Avs/Blues...

[edit to add:] Ovie continues staying in the company of Mario and Gordy with his 0 career post-season OT goals...

Avalanche sweep St. Louis Blues to be the 1st team to move up to the next round of playoffs - yay! I'm still hoping Minnesota Wild manages to beat up on Vegas a bit more before we have to play them.

Happy to see Boston about to eliminate Washington Capitals. Don't care one way or another about Boston, just don't like the Capitals

This was an important series for the Avs to get through quickly. "Conference" Quarterfinals, and especially Conference "Finals" performance is extremely correlated to a reduced number of games in earlier series. Knowing what's on tap for the Avs, they'd take all the advantages they can get.

Hell of a [comeback for WPG | meltdown for EDM] last night.

2nd half of this video in case you missed it:

Are they pumping in fan noise? It is weird to see basically empty seats but hearing a crowd.

LordMortis wrote: ↑Mon May 24, 2021 9:28 am Are they pumping in fan noise? It is weird to see basically empty seats but hearing a crowd.

They sure are.

Hey, that can of seltzer can be pretty loud on his own.

This Islanders-Pens game has been pretty entertaining so far. Crowd is awesome.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon May 17, 2021 6:51 pm
My preferential picks for Round 1:
Avs over Blues
Jets over Oilers
Islanders over Pens
Hurricanes over Preds
Panthers over Lightning

Four out of the five completed are going my way.

Did the Golden Knights know that they had a game today?

And I guess we won't be seeing Ryan Reaves for a while.



Denver Post

Reaves has been fined or suspended by the NHL four times since November 2015, including once for an illegal check to the head just last September.

He'd better not play anymore this round, at the least.

Reaves had no business being in tonight's game at all after sending Minnesota's Suter face-first into the goal post on Friday night:

Yes, and last night's was far worse. First he cross-checks Grubauer in the back of the head at the end of the play. Then he grabs Graves and throws him to the ice by his head.

Now Graves is on the ground, and Reaves pins him via knee to the neck. There's a pile on top, and Reaves proceeds to punch Graves on the head, then reach down to remove Graves' helmet.

Could easily have broken Graves' neck, or had him take a blade to the face.

It's an entirely different class of danger, outside of the split-second decision of a hit during a play. But combine it with the Grubauer hit to end the prior play and the Suter hit from Friday, and tack on Reaves' history, and the DOPS has a fun decision on their hands--either suspend Reaves for at least the rest of the series, or rescind Kadri's entire suspension, or hang their heads in shame and admit they are not concerned with safety after all. I don't see any middle-ground option.

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 7:39 am ... or hang their heads in shame and admit they are not concerned with safety after all...

Are they still pretending this? I thought it was pretty obvious that they don't actually care about safety.

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 7:39 am or rescind Kadri's entire suspension,

Bettman says eight games stands.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 1:19 pm

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 7:39 am or rescind Kadri's entire suspension,

Bettman says eight games stands.

I was being facetious with that part, for the record. As for Reaves, it's not looking good for him.

Once he got the match penalty, he was suspended until the case was reviewed.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 1:47 pm Once he got the match penalty, he was suspended until the case was reviewed.

I know. I misread the tweet as an in-person hearing, which would be 6+ games minimum. But apparently it's just a regular hearing, meaning at most 5 games.

I'm sure that Game 4 is going to be a thing of beauty.

DOPS description.

What a joke. They acknowledge it was an extended event preceded by punches to the back of an unaware Graves' head and a hit to the goalie, that it was clear retribution during garbage time (something the league is specifically trying to suppress), and that Reaves is a repeat offender who was last suspended only 8 months ago. 2 games.

I don't see how you square this with Kadri. They're very different situations, but this one was no less dangerous and was carried out by someone with a similar history (multiple prior suspensions, though Kadri was technically not a repeat offender due to time since last suspension).

Can't see how this is a serious response intended to stop this behavior in a similar future scenario.

It helps when you are best buds with the guy that determines your suspension. Even more so when that guy is a former "enforcer" himself, proud to protect other goons in the league (because he misses the good ol' days...)

Obviously the $5k part was incorrect, as it was just a guess at the time. But the rest is spot-on.

The wheel of justice needs some recalibratin'.

Game 7! 2-0 in the second period.