Official 2009-2010 NHL Season Thread

TheXym · #1 09-30-2009, 09:53 AM

With the NHL season opening up this weekend, I figured it was time to start the thread. The overseas openers should be interesting. I'll be paying a bit more attention to them since the Wings are involved in a pair of games in Sweden, home to a large chunk of their roster.

Nicklas Lidstrom was only the second person bestowed with the honor of becoming a Dalarna Ambassador of Honor. He's a native of that county. Here's a link to a nice article about it from the Detroit Free Press. Lidstrom Honored for Diplomacy.

I'm looking forward to discussing hockey with my fellow bass players. Let's keep it classy like the vast majority of posters did last season!

edit: I was able to see some of the Wings exhibition today - Zetterberg/Cleary/Bertuzzi looked very good, and Franzen/Datsyuk were pretty sick as well. As much as I'm not happy about the Wings signing Bertuzzi due to his past transgressions in the Moore incident, he seems to be a good fit.

TheXym · #2 10-01-2009, 12:59 PM

Bump for opening day. Hopefully those of you on Dish Network won't be blacked out from the Versus game. I've been hearing of quite a few folks getting discounts on center ice because of it. Four games are on tap tonight.

Capitals at Bruins - should be a good showdown by two of the top teams in the East. I've got a feeling Ovechkin is going to be coming out hard. I'm more interested in seeing how Green and Chara play, as they're two prime contenders for the Norris trophy. Personally, I'd like to see Lidstrom win it again, though I don't expect the media to let it happen. IMHO, Shea Weber of Nashville is a dark horse, but with the Pred's dearth of offense, I don't know if he'll be able to put up the numbers to justify contention.

Canadiens at Maple Leafs - renewal of an original six rivalry. The Leafs seem to have made some strides during the offseason, and the Canadiens are hoping to recover from the 100th anniversary season debacle last year. Should be a spirited game.

Sharks at Avalanche - a recently retooled Sharks squad figures to decimate an Avalanche squad that lost its heart and soul with the retirement of one of the all time greats, Joe Sakic.

Canucks at Flames - a lot of pundits seem to be picking the Canucks to go deep in the playoffs this year, and I can see why. The Flames hope to rebound from an early playoff exit. If Kiprusoff returns to his vintage form, it's going to showcase two of the top goalies in the league. If Kipper plays like last year, it could get ugly. Will Dion Phaneuf lay anyone out like he did Kyle Okposo in the offseason? (If you haven't seen the hit, find it on youtube, it's a monster hit, and it was legal - a primer on why you don't skate with your head down in the NHL).

iamlowsound · #3 10-01-2009, 01:17 PM

Predictions for the year. Leafs will miss the playoffs by a few points, like they do every year (man, it is rough being a leaf fan). I think the Flames will go deep this year. Look at their defense, 3 of the top defencemen in the league, plus they have Kipper. Chicago will do well, but I could see goaltending being their weak point with the Wall being gone (who picked him up BTW?). That is it for now.

lowsound

TheXym · #4 10-01-2009, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

Predictions for the year. Leafs will miss the playoffs by a few points, like they do every year (man, it is rough being a leaf fan). I think the Flames will go deep this year. Look at their defense, 3 of the top defencemen in the league, plus they have Kipper. Chicago will do well, but I could see goaltending being their weak point with the Wall being gone (who picked him up BTW?). That is it for now.

lowsound

Chicago just MIGHT dethrone the Wings in the Central, but I'm not counting on it. Personally I agree about the Leafs, but they'll stay in contention longer than in recent memory.

If I recall correctly, Khabibulin is in Edmonton now. And, the Flames D is going to be sick with Phaneuf and Bouwmeester there. Top to bottom on D I'd put them pretty darn close behind the Wings this year on paper, provided the Wings focus like in 2008 and not like last year it'll be nice to see the blueline battles between them.

**Jerose** · #5 10-01-2009, 02:04 PM

Lots of people writing off Buffalo this year, but I'm predicting that they'll rise up as an underdog and grab a 6 to 8 spot in the East. They're a lot tougher and if Miller gets on a hot streak he can steal games. Defense-wise they are pretty young and inexperienced, but their young players are being paired with the solid veterans and seem to be learning very quickly. There is a logjam in both forward and defense that will hopefully keep everyone on their toes and ensure that players can be benched if they under perform.

If Tim Connolly can stay healthy for at least 70 games this season setting up Vanek, Roy or Pominville, they'll all rack up totals at least within the 70 point range. If Vanek can find consistency and avoid the injury bug, I can see high 40s and possibly 50 goals scored by the end of the season, especially considering how much of a beast he is on the power play. If Buffalo's penalty kill can look anything like it did last year, expect them to dominate special teams play.

MoBeach · #6 10-01-2009, 05:00 PM

Bruins will make it to the finals against the Sharks, yes the Sharks will figure out how to make it that far! But the Bruins will take it all

bassman1987 · #7 10-01-2009, 06:50 PM

Here's hoping the Avs can improve on the dismal season they had last year. TheXym is absolutely right that Joe Sakic is one of the best and classiest to ever play the game, it will hurt bad to not have him.

On a side note for you college hockey fans, I'm PUMPED for DU hockey this year!! Number one in the preseason rankings, the team Gwozdecky has assembled this year should be able to get my Pioneers back to their national championship form.

warwick.hoy · #8 10-02-2009, 07:41 PM

Flyers open their season with a road win in Carolina. I'm without TV but a friend and I watched a streamed game on his computer. Once I get my computer issues sorted out I may get myself that there NHL Game Center,...and hook it into my TV.

I missed most of tonight's game but from what fuzziness I saw,...it was a good one for Emery,...getting a shut out and the Flyers looked good on the PP and the PK. I'm glad to have Pronger on board and I think it's good that JVR got on the roster. I think they'll make it to the POs for sure,...how far they go????

blues_bassist · #9 10-02-2009, 07:55 PM

The Pen's are looking good tonight. Fluery looks solid.

What happened to the Canucks last night? The Flames out right owned the Canucks, which is a good thing because being a Wild fan any time the Canucks lose is a good thing.

I have a feeling that the Caps just might win the cup this year. Ovie is on a mission to bring the cup to Washington, and the entire team looked solid last night. Its a long season though, so I gues we'll see.

blues_bassist · #10 10-02-2009, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoBeach

Bruins will make it to the finals against the Sharks, yes the Sharks will figure out how to make it that far! But the Bruins will take it all

If the Sharks want to make it that far, they need to get their act together. The way they played last night was sad. I know that last night was only the first game of the season and that it takes time for team chemistry to take full effect, but still. Heatley was a -3 and Patrick Marleau was the only goal scorer. Nabokov didn't look that great either. But, time will tell.

tplyons · #11 10-03-2009, 08:23 AM

Devils season opener tonight. We no longer have Shanahan, but Zajac and Parise are looking good. Marty's still looking tough and I'm excited to see what Rob Niedermayer can do. The team's getting younger, but we've got enough vets to keep a balance. I see playoffs in our future, but probably not going all the way.

blues_bassist · #12 10-03-2009, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tplyons

Devils season opener tonight. We no longer have Shanahan, but Zajac and Parise are looking good. Marty's still looking tough and I'm excited to see what Rob Niedermayer can do. The team's getting younger, but we've got enough vets to keep a balance. I see playoffs in our future, but probably not going all the way.

The thing that I am looking forward to for the Devils is when Marty breaks Terrry Sawchuck's shutout record. It shouldn't take too long...

tplyons · #13 10-03-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blues_bassist

The thing that I am looking forward to for the Devils is when Marty breaks Terrry Sawchuck's shutout record. It shouldn't take too long...

Two more to go, right?

That'll happen before 2010.

blues_bassist · #14 10-03-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tplyons

Two more to go, right?

That'll happen before 2010.

I believe you're right. Marty is at 101 I think and the record is 103. Without a doubt it will happen before 2010. Marty is the best.

warwick.hoy · #15 10-03-2009, 06:43 PM

Looks like Emery is on a 5 period long shut out streak to open his season. It's killing me to not be able to watch these games. Keeping posted is one thing,...but after two years of not missing any games,....I wanna watch.

Jeff K · #16 10-03-2009, 10:14 PM

Well, he (Emery) didn't get the shutout tonight, but I'll take a 5-2 win over the Devils any time I can get it. So far, so good...

warwick.hoy · #17 10-03-2009, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff K

Well, he (Emery) didn't get the shutout tonight, but I'll take a 5-2 win over the Devils any time I can get it. So far, so good...

Especially in their building.

I went ahead and picked up gamecenter live (NHL live streaming). The computer I'm using sucks but when I get my transportation figured out I'm going to pick up a new laptop with a wireless card and set up a network so I can watch games while I'm preparing dinner/on my couch/yadda yadda.

Pronger has been a huge pickup and he can bring the bomb from the point. I think he's got a lot of years left and it seemed like our beefed up D was really frustrating the Devils. I'm surprised to see Marty let five get through,...I have a feeling the Devils will bounce back for their next game. Get those first game jitters out of their system.

As for the Flyers,...what little I saw was impressive,...solid D,...good passing,...active and quick offense even from their depth lines (Powe,...etc.) and plenty of snarkiness. This is going to be a fun season to watch.

Good to see Carter and Richards get goals in consecutive games. Matt Carle ends a scoring drought and Ian LaPerriere of all players picks up a goal. Still waiting on Briere, Gagne, Hartnell, Giroux, and JVR to pick up their first goals. The first one always seems the hardest.

Emery's looking solid in net,..although SH goals are tough pills to swallow.

Around the league,...it's hard to escape Ovechkin and Crosby highlights,...so I guess I'll suck it for a moment and say good on them for getting their firsts out of the way. (I saw some espn highlights at a bowling alley,...guess which games they highlighted,....) The Caps and Pens are going to be hard to beat.

blues_bassist · #18 10-04-2009, 12:10 PM

What do you all think of the Leafs? On paper they look good. I think Burke has done some good things, but I still don't think that Toronto will be cup champs this year.

iamlowsound · #19 10-04-2009, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blues_bassist

What do you all think of the Leafs? On paper they look good. I think Burke has done some good things, but I still don't think that Toronto will be cup champs this year.

Give them two more years of Burke and good coaching and they will have a contender. They will finish 9th in the East this year.

lowsound

TheXym · #20 10-05-2009, 06:59 AM

Short post (for me) this time. Colorado surprised me against San Jose. I'm guessing they were inspired by the Sakic ceremony, and they actually looked quite good. San Jose, as a top contender on paper, needs to get its act together quickly. Ray Emery is looking good in net for Philly. Despite his off-ice issues, I'm glad for him. It was enjoyable to see him playing for the B-Sens a few years ago.

Detroit/St. Louis. It's easy to overlook the fact that down the stretch last season, the Blues were one of the best teams in the league, and the return to health of Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya was huge. Game 2, Keith Tkachuk was a monster.

Detroit played very well for stretches, but had some serious breakdowns that cost them both games. The Jimmy Howard project (Detroit's backup goalie) needs to end soon. He was so-so in the AHL, and while the cap issues almost forced his departure, keeping Conklin would have been better. Howard looked decent against Farjestad, but in game 2 against St. Louis, he gave up several goals that an NHL (heck I'll even say AHL) goaltender should have had. Daniel Larsson played better than Howard in the minors last year, and even though he's very young, I think he should get a shot this year unless Howard improves drastically quickly.

That said, the Wings power play popped a few goals, but St. Louis' PK overall was quite good, clamping down on some lenghty PK sessions to hold the Wings off. The PK killed the Wings, as they surrendered far too many power play goals. I'd like to chalk it up to distraction for the Wings being in the homeland of several of their players, but the games weren't pretty (well they DID look nice on the new TV, so they were pretty in that regard, I guess).

It's going to be a hectic week for me with a big gig on Saturday, and hopefully finishing the repaint of the living room around work and practices, so I'm counting of all of you for the recaps of the non-Detroit games.