The Winter Classic made its debut in Seattle. While it is a lovely city, quite a few teams have yet to host one. Some have yet to be in one. It also makes the first time they’ll have to compete with college football. It might help the NHL get more eyeballs if people have the TV on all day. But it’s not ideal the game ends during the first CFP game. I suppose the NHL wanted to feature the last two expansion teams, but a Seattle Kraken vs Vancouver Canucks game would be more interesting. But there’s some unwritten rule about not having a Canadian team in a Winter Classic. I suppose the Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights will have to do.
There is a running gag between Paul Bissonnette and the Kraken mascot Buoy. They get into fights, and Bissonnette wins with his fake punches. Buoy got the last laugh, dunking him in the dunk tank with the help of Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is a Kraken minority owner. He’s also a big hockey fan and narrated the intro, which was quite nice.
Both teams were wearing what I guess is their interpretation of what their jersey would have looked like had they been around in the ’60s. I thought they were odd. But I liked the Golden Knights jersey. I couldn’t get into the Kraken’s. It’s also odd that humans throw dead fish around for fun.
As for the game, it was dull and anticlimactic. Despite being outshot, the Kraken simply dominated the game, out-hustling the Golden Knights at every chance, even when only a minute was left. The only goals were from the Kraken scoring in the first five minutes of each period. Two were off juicy rebounds, the second set up from a gorgeous steal by Will Borgen.
Joey Daccord was superb in goal, robbing Jake Eichel from point-blank range and recording the first shutout in Winter Classic history. The Kraken have recorded a point in nine straight games.
Things I like
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The Bruins had a hard stretch where they lost four straight and weren’t scoring. But they’ve since won three straight, scoring almost five goals a game. They also called up undrafted center Georgii Merkulov, who’d been tearing it up in the AHL. He’s moved into the third line. While he hasn’t scored, the coach thinks he’s done some good stuff. Considering the Bruins recently lost their top two centers, they probably want Merkulov to take one of those spots. As much as I like Morgan Geekie, he’s more of a third-line center.
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Connor Bedard became the youngest player in Chicago Blackhawks history to score an overtime goal when he single-handedly beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1. He’s the third youngest to do so in the NHL because there’s a stat for everything. He also scored in the first. The Jets have points in eight straight games, so beating them is a big deal. Only the Blackhawks and Canadiens were able to bet them in overtime.
https://www.nhl.com/video/wpg-chi-bedard-scores-goal-against-winnipeg-jets-6343943079112
- The NHL is great because no team is ever out of it. They also say a two-goal lead is the worst lead in hockey. But sometimes, four goals can be too. The Colorado Avalanche led four nothing in the second period with a 97% chance to win. But then the Arizona Coyotes scored one in the second and followed it up with three more in the third. Even while tied, the Avalanche had a 51% chance to win. But the Coyotes scored in overtime, and that was that.
Fights of the Week
Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.
Jacob Middleton vs Brenden Dillon
A long one that gets better as it goes.
Mathias Ekholm vs Ryan Strome
A strange fight because Ekholm was spun around. I wish it had gone longer.
Goat of the Week
Rasmus Ristolainen and Tyson Foerster - Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are tired in overtime and consequently do a sloppy job of covering their man or communicating the switch. If you leave Justin Schultz wide open, he’s going to score. The Kraken won 2-1.
https://www.nhl.com/video/phi-sea-schultz-scores-goal-against-carter-hart-6344040317112
Stat Line of the Week
12/29/23 Dallas 5 vs.Chicago 4
| Skater | TOI | G | A | +/- | SOG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R.Hintz | 18:20 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
I still remember watching Roope Hintz in the 2019 playoffs and marveling that he’ll probably be a star. He hasn’t disappointed. Against the Blackhawks, Hintz had his fifth career hat trick, three are against the Blackhawks. He has 13 points in his last ten games. The Stars followed up this close game with an 8-1 beatdown of the Blackhawks. Hintz has yet to score 40 goals or 100 points in a season, and he isn’t on pace to do either this season.
Numbers, Numbers
1000 – Games played by Marc-Andre Fleury
5 – Points by Kris Letang in the first period of the Penguins win over the Islanders, the first defenseman to score 5 points in a period in NHL history
5 – Goals a game by the Oilers during their five-game win streak
2 – 6-5 Toronto Maple Leafs losses to the Columbus Blue Jackets in December, the second one they never trailed until the overtime goal
66.3 – Face-off winning percentage, first in the NHL, by Michael McLeod, who has increased his percentage each season
Rankings
The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.
Top 5
- Winnipeg
- Vancouver
- Colorado
- Dallas
- NY Rangers
Bottom 5
- San Jose
- Chicago
- Anaheim
- Ottawa
- Detroit
Football Thoughts
1.Benching Russell Wilson is quite frankly stupid, and so is the Broncos threatening to bench him if he doesn't redo his contract. His contract is dumb, but the Broncos gave it to him, and they should honor it. I'll never know why they thought giving an aging quarterback who wasn't wanted by his team anymore a giant contract while giving up eight things to acquire him was a good idea. I wrote how it was bad last year, and it still is. These blockbuster trades are so stupid. Learn how to draft an NFL quarterback, Denver. I wrote about that, too.
2.It sucks how the Detroit Lions lost to the Dallas Cowboys, but they deserve it for being too cute. It's pretty obvious the lineman reported, but if the other lineman had been reporting all game and they both went over to the ref, it's possible the ref didn't hear due to the crowd noise and just assumed it was the same player as usual. The Lions deserve that for trying to hide it from the Cowboys. But not only didn't the referee not hear, they should have blown the play dead as soon as the ball was snapped. The lineman they thought reported being covered is a pre-snap penalty.
3.In a game the Minnesota Vikings needed to win, they started a rookie quarterback who had never completed a game. Predictably, it didn't go well, and the game was over by the time Kevin O'Connell pulled him in the second half. Great coaching job.
4.Those college football playoff games were phenomenal. Michael Penix Jr should be great in the NFL. I don't feel sorry for Florida State not getting in. I do feel bad that Georgia didn't. Had Georgia beaten Alabama, I think Florida State would have made it. But they couldn't take Alabama without Texas. But considering how badly Georgia beat Florida State, it affirms they don't deserve to get in. I don't want to hear the excuses, either. If Florida State wasn't trying, they should. Georgia did because they wanted to show that they should have been in. If you give the most starters didn't play excuse, so? Jordan Travis said they should have gotten in because the team was more than just him. So the team should be more than just those starters that didn't play. You can't have it both ways. Even if you make the first-string vs. second-string argument, Georgia rested their starters in the second half and still crushed them. Being undefeated doesn't mean anything. Liberty was, too, and Oregon crushed them.