Into the Boards: Will the Red Wings’ 25-Year Postseason Run Come to an End?
Welcome back, ITB readers! It’s been another action-packed week of NHL hockey, and this one certainly did not disappoint (unless you are a Coyotes fan, in which case we are sorry and we are here for you).
The season’s second week brought us some more highlight-reel goals, more dominant performances, and even our first taste of outdoor hockey with the 2016 Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets. We also got a chance to chat with Aaron Hallman of the band Auras (who are playing their last show of the tour tonight with Toothgrinder and Moon Tooth) about our beloved sport, so let’s get to it!
Eastern Conference Headlines
The Price is Right, Al!
As I wrote in our preseason edition of Into the Boards, the Montreal Canadiens are a reasonably strong team as long as their brick wall of a goaltender stays healthy. Last year’s devastating ligament injury to Carey Price made a strong start to the 2015-16 campaign all for nothing as the Habs slid down the standings and ultimately missed the postseason dance with Mike Condon and Ben Scrivens unable to fill the void left by Price. But the past is the past, and a win last night over the shaky New York Islanders boosted the Canadiens to a 6-0-1 start. It wasn’t the usual suspect in net for Montreal, though; surprisingly enough, it was backup goaltender Al Montoya who backstopped the Habs to victory in his fourth start of the year (compared to Price’s three). The nearly even split in net is an interesting look for the Habs that I didn’t see coming, but the playing time will certainly tilt in Price’s favor sooner than later. Habs fans may still have offensive worries (as I don’t think Alexander Radulov is the answer to all of their problems), but they’ve certainly proved their ability to keep the puck out of their net which has landed them on top of the league through Week 2. Serious question though: why on earth would anyone trade P.K. Subban?
The Winged Wheel is Rolling
With the legendary magic man Pavel Datsyuk retiring from the NHL this past offseason to be closer to his family in Russia, it became even more obvious that Detroit is facing the end of an era. They took a hard run at attracting sharpshooter Steven Stamkos, but failed in doing so when he re-signed with Tampa, leaving a major gap at the first line center position that not even Red Wings fans believed could be adequately filled by the capable, but not all-star caliber Frans Nielsen. On the surface, the signings of Nielsen and a struggling Thomas Vanek appeared to show an unwillingness to rebuild from Red Wings management that I felt would ultimately fail in extending the team’s quarter-century long playoff streak, but Detroit is quietly turning some heads early on. Vanek’s reduced role and smaller contract have kept him out of the spotlight and that may have been exactly what he needed as his eight points (4g, 4a) through seven contests seems to suggest a potential return to form. Former Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green has been right up there with Vanek on the “where did that come from?” list as he’s shown flashes of his former self, notching three goals and four assists of his own. Unfortunately for Motown, the Wings don’t have the build for a deep postseason run, but I have to say I’m now watching carefully to see if Detroit can change my mind about them missing the playoffs entirely.
Western Conference Headlines
The Future Is Now
The “team of the future” is on the right path and currently finds themselves on top of the Pacific Division. That team is… The Edmonton Oilers. After holding the St. Louis Blues to just one goal in their matchup on Thursday, the Oilers carried all of their confidence and momentum to Winnipeg where they would play the Jets in the Heritage Classic. In this season’s first outdoor game, netminder Cam Talbot put on a stellar performance. Talbot completely brick-walled the Jets by stopping all 31 shots fired against him, 12 of those coming on four Winnipeg power plays. He secured his first shutout of the season and the Oilers find themselves on a three-game winning streak. Edmonton has some tremendous shooting talent in Connor McDavid, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and this year’s 4th overall pick, Jesse Puljujarvi. The problem in Edmonton in recent years has always been goaltending and defense. If Talbot continues to play well and stay healthy, one of those weaknesses is eliminated. The Oilers defense was slightly improved in the off season with the additions of Adam Larsson and Stanley Cup winner / great two way forward Milan Lucic, who is playing exceptionally well on the McDavid line. To boot, there are some major defensive players that are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. If the Oilers continue to play well and make the postseason, the addition of a solid defenseman could go a long way. It’s only week two, but the Oilers are looking pretty sick and have been very entertaining to watch.
Dead Dog Desert
It’s a bummer to rip this team apart, but Arizona, please get your shit together. Despite kicking off the season with an OT win at home against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Yotes have lost their last five games putting them at 1-5-0 and dead last in the league. Losing starting goaltender Mike Smith for a week due to a lower body injury is a kick in the teeth, but there is no excuse for losing five games straight (seeing as how Smith isn’t exactly a gamebreaker to begin with). Maybe I’m being a little harsh here, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for this team. The Coyotes have a unique combination of veteran players like Shane Doan and Brad Richardson, and seasoned players who have had some success in their careers with their former teams. There is enough talent in the fold with players like Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Radim Vrbata, Jamie McGinn, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and the super young Jakob Chychrun. Arizona is a long ways away from a Stanley Cup, but hopefully they can turn it around and at least make it interesting for the sake of their dedicated desert fans.
Player of the Week
Scott: Taylor Hall, the hot hand for the New Jersey Devils (who I picked a couple weeks back as a potential sleeper). The 2010 first overall pick tallied three goals and one assist for four points in his last two games including a dominant performance against the Yotes on Tuesday night. For the offensively challenged Devils, Taylor Hall is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Vincent: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber. This summer’s blockbuster trade where the Habs and the Predators swapped all star defensemen seems to be working out for both parties. Shea has been killing it since putting on the red sweater. In the last week, he has been a fantasy monster with a +7 rating, 2 goals, 3 assists, including a game winning goal against the Coyotes.
Built for Sin-Bin
Moon Tooth are finishing up a tour with our Jersey boys in Toothgrinder and Canadian buds in Auras. Tonight we had a show in Fayetteville, NC. After loading up the trailers Auras guitarist Aaron Hallman and I got to hang out to talk some puck. Aaron is a lifelong fan of watching and playing ice hockey. I put him in the sin bin and asked him some questions to see where his mind has been since the start of the 2016-17 NHL season.
ITB: When did you first take an interest in hockey? First memories of your introduction to the sport?
Hallman: I’ve been playing and watching hockey as long as I remember. It was just ingrained into me by my father, and the earliest great memories [I have] are staying up late to watch the West Coast games. Even as a young kid, against my mom’s orders I was staying up till 12:30 or 1am to catch those late games. I can remember some awesome memories of watching Brett Hull score in overtime to win the Cup way back.
With six teams north of the border, who is your favorite franchise and why?
My favorite franchise is the Canucks, and it’s been that way for a while now. Back in the Bertuzzi days they really drew my attention and I fell in love. They have been doing great things ever since… but I do have a soft spot for the Leafs. They are my local home team and I’m really hoping they can step it up. It’s been pretty bleak for Leafs fans in the last decade or so.
Will the Canucks make the postseason?
If you would have asked me weeks ago, I would probably have said “no.” But surprisingly, they have started the season pretty nicely. Loui Eriksson is looking like he can fit in with their system so I’m pretty optimistic, but incredibly biased as a Canucks fan. But my ultimate answer is “Yes.”
Favorite player to watch?
My favorite player to watch, and I’ve seen him live now, is a young guy named Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres, who I saw at a live game in Buffalo. To be that dominant and confident even as a young player, it was really exciting.
My favorite player for the longest time has been Crosby just because of how explosive and dynamic he is. It’s unfortunate that concussions have plagued him, but that guy is a pleasure to watch every time he’s on the ice. He seems to win the game for Canada every time.
If you could pick any goalie to snipe a goal against, which goaltender would it be?
This is a weird one because he doesn’t really play anymore, but Miikka Kiprusoff from the Calgary Flames back in the day. As a Canucks fan, that was a huge rivalry and I just couldn’t stand that guy.
You have the first overall pick in your fantasy hockey draft. Who are you going with: Patrick Kane or Alexander Ovechkin?
This is a tough one, and I’ve had the first pick many times in a draft. I would pick Ovechkin. The guy’s got a ton of heart. He plays plays with it on his sleeve every night, and he’s just a solid, disciplined player who just wants to win.
***Also, guys, Vin here. If you want to chat with me in person and talk some hockey over a beer, I’ll be on tour again with Moon Tooth supporting Thank You Scientist starting on December 1st. Here are the date of where I will be, and a thank you to all who are reading this column and getting down in the comment section!
