NHL 2023-24 Recap Week 7 Wild pointlessly fire coach, Kane to Red Wings, Blackhawks lose wingers

The calendar hasn’t even turned to December, and another NHL coach has been fired. First, the Edmonton Oilers and now the Minnesota Wild. Except this firing is pointless. The Wild are the definition of an average rudderless franchise. They’ve had six coaches in fourteen years. It’s been nine years since they won a playoff series. They’ve only made it past the second round once in their 22-year existence. To say that this coaching change is going to change anything is comical. They’ve won three in a row since the firing, but we all know how this season ends. Probably without a playoff berth, and if they do get in, they’re losing in the first round.

But with the success the Oilers and Wild have had after coach firings, don’t be surprised if we get a few more.

Things I like

1. In my season preview, I wrote I believed Patrick Kane would return around January, and now he will. I was leaning toward him returning to the Buffalo Sabres, but the Detroit Red Wings make sense. It’s between his hometown of Buffalo and Chicago, where I assume he still has the house he just bought. He also loves playing with former teammates. He desperately wanted to go to the New York Rangers to reunite with Artemi Panarin. Now he’ll play with former teammate Alex DeBrincat in Detroit. I wonder if he would have gone to Ottawa had DeBrincat stayed there. But this is a great veteran addition for the Red Wings and their playoff hopes.

Things I don’t

1. I also wrote in my preview that I didn’t understand what the Chicago Blackhawks were doing. It was pointless to sign guys like Taylor Hall and Corey Perry. And fate proved me correct because neither is playing for them anymore. Hall had season-ending knee surgery, and Corey Perry was cut due to alcohol problems. It’s a good thing the Blackhawks aren’t playing well because they can use another top pick to pair with Connor Bedard. It is vitally important to draft well in later rounds, but you need at least two superstars on your team, and that’s easier to get with the top picks.

2. The Tampa Bay Lightning have been quite awful lately. They’re 4-8 in their last twelve, and they’ve had some very lopsided games. A 4-0 loss to the Hurricanes, a 5-0 loss to the Blues, and an 8-1 drubbing by the Stars. They’re also 30th in GAA. Goaltending and defense are usually their strong suits, and they were doing reasonably well about a month ago. There’s still time to turn it around, but the team might be getting stale.

Fights of the Week

Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.

Jonah Gadjovich vs Josh Anderson

A decent, long fight.

Tanner Jeannot vs Josh Brown

A few big boys go at it for a while.

Goats of the Week

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lighting took a 2-0 lead into the second period, and then all hell broke loose. The Lightning turned it over twice, enabling the Penguins to tie the game in the second. The Penguins scored twice in the third, one was an empty-net goal. I don’t even know what they were doing in either play. I don’t understand how he passed it in the second turnover.

https://www.nhl.com/video/pit-tbl-crosby-scores-goal-against-andrei-vasilevskiy-6342124747112

https://www.nhl.com/video/pit-tbl-o-connor-scores-goal-against-andrei-vasilevskiy-6342126653112

William Nylander - Toronto Maple Leafs

I have no idea what Nylander was doing. Brad Marchand capitalizes with the overtime goal.

https://www.nhl.com/video/bos-tor-marchand-scores-goal-against-joseph-woll-6342273300112

Stat Line of the Week

11/30/23 NY Islanders 5 vs. Carolina 4

I’ve been waiting for Mathew Barzal to elevate his game to the next level. That may never happen, but he’s scored seven points in his last two games. Against the Hurricanes, he had three assists, and the overtime goal was off a one-timer. The Islanders will be fighting for the wild cards all season long.

Honorable mentions to Tom Wilson, Brad Marchand (natural), and Artemi Panarin, who all had hat tricks during wins this week.

Numbers, Numbers

120 – Penalty minutes during a two-minute span in the third period of Ottawa Senators vs Florida Panthers

758 – Career assists for Anze Kopitar, surpassing Marcel Dionne for first in Los Angeles Kings franchise history

16 – Points by Connor McDavid in his six-game scoring streak

.930 – Save percentage for Jonathan Quick, on pace for the best of his career

40 – Points by Nikita Kucherov, first in scoring

Rankings

The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.

Top 5

1. New York R
2. Los Angeles
3. Boston
4. Edmonton
5. Detroit

Bottom 5

30. Chicago
31. Anaheim
32. San Jose
33. Buffalo
34. Montreal