I don’t mention the Ottawa Senators much because they’re the Senators. But they do have a few good young players. Drake Batherson, Brady Tkachuk, and Josh Norris. Matt Murray is getting better, too, posting his first shutout against the Sabres. Batherson was heading to his first all-star game until Aaron Dell blatantly body-checked him in that game. No penalty was called because reasons, but the NHL has thankfully suspended Dell three games. He has since been waived because Craig Anderson is coming back.
Dell is a goon masquerading as a goalie. He’s taken out a few players over the years. He hit Eeli Tolvanen of the Nashville Predators a few weeks ago and Mark Stone. All hits are blatant, and he tends to aim for the head or neck region. In regards to the latest hit, Dell said, “I mean, I was just trying to buy some time for my defenseman and step into his lane. I hope he’s alright, I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody.” Please. Does anyone believe that? He isn’t a very good goalie either. Here’s hoping nobody claims him. Below are all his hits.
Things I like
-
The Flames have been an offensive juggernaut at times lately, recording a whopping 62 shots against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’ve also put up 5, 5, 7, and 6 goals in winning efforts this month. But they’ve also lost by four goals twice and three goals three times this month. They‘re still inconsistent. Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk racked up 12 points in a four-game stretch, and both are on pace for career highs in points. Gaudreau had the lone goal in overtime against the Vancouver Canucks. It’s great to see him rolling again.
-
I talk about Evander Kane a lot for someone who hasn’t actually played an NHL game this season. With the blessing of Connor McDavid, Kane signed with the Edmonton Oilers. It’s a low-risk, high-reward move for the Oilers. They can always use another winger. It already paid dividends as he tipped home a goal a few minutes into his first game against the Montreal Canadiens. I really hope he turns his life around now that he has full custody of his daughter and is away from his wife. The Oilers are starting to click again too.
Things I don’t
-
No sports franchise has been sadder than the Arizona Coyotes. Bankruptcies, countless failed bids to purchase the team, low attendance, unpaid bills, and arena drama too numerous to detail. We can add one more chapter to the arena drama. The Coyotes are moving to an arena that, once converted, will only seat 3k fans. They’re moving because Glendale doesn’t want them in their current home, Gila River Arena, anymore. They’re trying to build a new place in Tempe, and yes, that hasn’t gone smoothly either. Even though nothing is working in Arizona, they’re still trying. They should try moving to another state.
-
The New York Rangers thought they tied the game against the Minnesota Wild, but it was waved off, and the fans threw trash on the ice. Classy. It’s fine if you’re annoyed, but why throw trash? What does that accomplish? The goal was disallowed for pushing the goalie. Although it looks like Ryan Strome was going for the puck, it’s pretty clear he was trying to push the goalie with his last swipes.
Fights of the Week
Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.
Jonah Gadjovich vs Garnet Hathaway
My favorite fight type, long and fists of fury with some grappling to boot. It happened after the game was over, so you know they wanted to go.
Luke Glendening vs Michael McLeod
It’s not often you see someone go down in a heap, but McLeod does here.
Goat of the Week
Alex Pietrangelo - Vegas Golden Knights
A very bizarre goal. After winning the face-off right outside the Hurricanes’ zone, Pietrangelo continues straight back into his zone. Then with two open teammates, he makes a bad pass to the less open player, and Sebastian Aho probably got a piece of it. A terrible way to lose in overtime.
Goal of the Week
Trevor Zegras - Anaheim Ducks
Zegras had another one of his trickshot plays. This time a lacrosse style goal.
Stat Line of the Week
01/26/21 Chicago 8 vs. Detroit 5
Skater TOI G A +/- SOG PPG D.Strome 17:00 3 1 1 6 2
For someone who was drafted third overall and beat out Connor McDavid (McDavid missed 20 games, though) for an OHL scoring title, Dylan Strome has been a disappointment. He played well his first two seasons in Chicago but was disappointing last season as most Blackhawks were. Strome notched his first hat trick against the Red Wings.
Honorable mention goes to Michael Bunting, who also had his first hat trick in the Toronto Maple Leafs' comeback win against the Detroit Red Wings. His net-front presence is unreal. One of the better pickups by the Maple Leafs and a tougher loss for the Coyotes. One of the reasons they never improve.
Numbers, Numbers
2 – Points by Nolan Patrick against the Carolina Hurricanes, his first multi-point game since 2019
965 – Consecutive games played by Keith Yandle, now first all-time in the NHL
101 – Career NHL points for Kirill Kaprizov
13 – Game winless streak by the Philadelphia Flyers,a franchise record, finally snapped
17 – Game home win streak by the Colorado Avalanche
Rankings
The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.
Top 5
- Colorado
- Florida
- Carolina
- Minnesota
- Pittsburgh
Bottom 5
- Philadelphia
- Montreal
- Arizona
- New Jersey
- Seattle
Random Football Thoughts
1.I don't understand Andy Reid. He chose to go for it at the end of the half rather than kick the field goal. I don't care if Patrick Mahomes wants to go for it. It's not like you need a touchdown at that point. You don't leave points on the field. They would have won. He should know this better than anyone. A few weeks ago, against the Chargers, their coach passed on a field goal like three times. They barely lost the game and missed the playoffs by one win. Andy Reid saw firsthand how not taking the points can cost you. Learn from mistakes.
-
I don't get Patrick Mahomes and his inconsistencies. It shouldn't be possible for someone that talented to have a great first half and a dreadful second in the same game. In 2019 against the Raiders, he scored 28 points in the second quarter and none the other three. How do you do that?
-
Speaking of not learning from others' mistakes, I saw a commercial for the USFL. Huh? Why?! We just had the AAF and XFL fail back to back. Why in the world are we getting another spring football league? And Dwayne Johnson plans to revive the XFL at some point. Make it stop.