The state of New York Hockey is deplorable. None of the three New York state teams would make the playoffs if they started today. The Buffalo Sabres have extended their losing streak to 13 games. Next up is the New York Islanders. Speaking of which, they haven't been relevant since Barry Trotz left. Then there's the New York Rangers. A team with Stanley Cup aspirations that are now just trying to claw themselves back into playoff contention.
Surprisingly, the Rangers have not fired their coach, but they did make moves that were not necessarily good. They traded Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks for Urho Vaakanainen, which doesn't make sense. They traded Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken for Will Borgen and picks. The low picks don't help now, and I don't know anything about Borgen. Kakko was part of the kid line but never took the next step. I don't know how either move helps the Rangers. It seems like they became slightly worse.
Things I like
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Matt Murray said he felt healthy for the first time in ages. Then, the Toronto Maple Leafs lost their starting goalie due to injury, and Matt Murray pitched a shutout in his last AHL game. He was called up and got his first NHL win in two years over the Sabres. Sure, it was the Sabres, and he gave up three goals, but a win's a win. Murray was sensational when he debuted for the Pittsburgh Penguins but then fell off a cliff. He's only 30. Hopefully, this is the start of his comeback.
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Patrik Laine continued his power play, scoring tare with a hat trick against the Buffalo Sabres. He added a goal in his next two games. All eight of his goals are on the powerplay. But this begs the question, when will he score a regular goal? The Montreal Canadiens are undefeated when Laine scores a goal.
Things I don't
- I can't watch Anaheim Ducks' games due to the local blackout. I don't even know what network they're on but I know I don't have it. However, the Ducks seem to be stuck in rebuilding for years with no progress. They aren't hitting on their draft picks, and when it seems like they do, they regress. Trevor Zegras is the most prominent example of this. Zegras is now on injured reserve and will miss a lot of time. Goalie John Gibson was great and then regressed too, and now, at age 31, they'll need to find another goalie. They ended an era by trading away Cam Fowler for prospect Jeremie Biakabutuka. Hopefully, that will work out. I don't know why the Ducks want Trouba. Trouba wanted to stay in New York and refused to go to Columbus. He said Anaheim was a better fit for his wife who is completing her medical residency in New York. Last time I checked, Columbus was closer to New York than Anaheim. I assume he means once she's done, there are more hospitals in the Los Angeles area.
Fights of the Week
Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.
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Goats of the Week
We have a bevy of goats this week. Baahhh!
Mattias Ekholm - Edmonton Oilers
Ekholm can't handle the pass and then falls down. Sam Reinhart scores his 20th and the game-winner.
https://www.nhl.com/video/fla-edm-reinhart-scores-goal-against-stuart-skinner-6366096472112
Lucas Raymond - Detroit Red Wings
Raymond does an awful job handling the pass, and Jake Evans scores a short-handed goal. The Red Wings lost by one.
https://www.nhl.com/video/mtl-det-evans-scores-shg-against-cam-talbot-6366298903112
Thomas Harley - Dallas Stars
Harley completely whiffs on the pass, and Reilly Smith scores a short-handed goal. The Stars lost by one without the empty net goal.
https://www.nhl.com/video/nyr-dal-smith-scores-shg-against-jake-oettinger-6366300129112
Kevin Korchinski - Chicago Blackhawks
Korchinski passes it right to Nazem Kadri, who scored a goal. The Blackhawks lost by one without the empty net goal.
https://www.nhl.com/video/chi-cgy-kadri-scores-goal-against-petr-mrazek-6366323896112
Stat Line of the Week
12/21/24 Philadelphia 5 vs. Columbus 4
| Skater | TOI | G | A | +/- | SOG | Blk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O.Tippett | 19:11 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
On Johnny Gaudreau day in Philadelphia, Owen Tippett scored the overtime winner on a nifty backhand move and added three assists. This is one of the rare trades that worked out for both teams. Odd since the Florida Panthers basically received nothing after Claude Giroux left. But Tippett might not ever become a 30-goal scorer. That's okay, but most top-ten picks do.
Numbers, Numbers
1 – Natural hat trick for Kiefer Sherwood
1 – Career regular-season hat trick for Joel Kiviranta
4 – Shutouts for Connor Hellebuyck
0 – Regular goals scored in the Florida Panthers 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning
2 – Short-handed goals scored by the Panthers
Rankings
The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.
Top 5
- Vegas
- Edmonton
- Utah
- Florida
- Ottawa
Bottom 5
- Buffalo
- Columbus
- San Jose
- Anaheim
- Vancouver