TropicalFruitGirl26

5 on 3 for the Wild....doesn't get much better than that.... Gotta do something with it though.

That McNabb on Vegas...one nasty piece of work. But he isn't your typical "hitter"...he can play. Working over some Wild forwards along the walls.

Vegas giving Minnesota chances, but for some reason, Wild players are taking the puck TOWARDS the perimeter instead of taking prime real estate ice to take better shots.

Well I hope this teaches that goon Farabee about fair play in the league. Tellin ya.... Farabee makes Gudas look like an annual Lady Byng candidate!!

Looking at this from the point of view of New Jersey, and according to the terms of the trade, the Devils will be rooting real hard for the Yotes to not only win a round in the playoffs, but for Taylor Hall to re-sign with them, as those two things happening upgrades their 3rd rounder in 2021 all the way to a 1st round pick. As for the forwards Jersey is getting, a 22 yr old (Merkley) and a 20 yr old (Schnarr) who are putting up decent numbers in the minors (Schnarr did really well in Juniors and is just now starting his AHL career)….. they've got a combined 1 NHL game between them, but doesn't mean that with a bit more time in the minors, they can't become useful players to compliment the likes of Hischier, Hughes, Bratt, and Boqvist in a couple seasons. I am guessing the REAL hook for NJ was acquiring the pterodactyl-like Kevin Bahl on defense. At 19 yrs old, already 6'7 and 235 pounds or so....what is he gonna be like when he is "filled out"? Will he be another Zdeno Chara? In which case, by himself he would have been worth Hall and the other guys and picks are bonuses.... Or will he be another Andrej Sustr and find himself on the German circuit in about 5 or 6 years?

@JR Ewing My dig at Klima wasn't at all personal. After seeing players like Robin Lehner fight with and overcome personal demons, I fully understand that what you see on the ice isn't always the entire story. So that's just what I stuck with...what I saw on the ice and what was being said about him in the local media. And that's why I compared Kovalchuk to him at this stage. The version of Klima the Lightning got in the mid 90's was near the end of his career...he actually put up a decent season or two if I recall, but again, like Kovalchuk, his 'half game only' was tolerated as long as he was producing. He was, as you know, otherwise putrid in his own end (if he could ever be found there), and once the offense dried up, so did the appeal of having him on the team. Kovalchuk would probably see the same if he ended up in Philly...albeit with a much more rabid fanbase chomping at his heels.

Or I could just track down some of the know-all "insiders" we have on this site. They got sources and have the inside track on everything.... don't believe me? Just ask them. (Bad TFG...bad, bad, BAD, TFG.... ok, ok she is going to her room without her cheese curds....)

Chance he ends up back in Western Canada then (Van, Edm, Cgy), or maybe Vegas as I posted earlier?

Kovalchuk? On the Flyers? I wouldn't. Actually, he shouldn't have been on an NHL team upon his return to North America. He has become the Petr Klima of the modern era... that is to say, a guy who teams and some fans HOPE he still has something left, but the fact that he only plays half of the game is really showing through more than ever now because the half that he DID play, is no longer anywhere near acceptable. And to continue the Klima comparison, way back when I was a kid, and some Lightning studio analysts were talking about what the Botls had on their roster, the phrase, "That Klima...he's a dog isn't he?" had come up on more than one occasion. When the HOMER announcers say things like that, well, you know there are some issues. I imagine Kovalchuk has gotten that same sort of "review" even within the LA market...and THEY were probably nice about it. Philly media won't be. Neither will the fans. He brings nothing at this stage of his career and even though the Flyers are hurt, beat up and generally in trouble, they need to stay the course, continue to look at the big picture and do what is best for the organization when they should REALLY be ready to compete in about another season or two. They are not ready this year, I felt that even before the season started, and adding a Klima'esque forward to their ranks does nothing but eat up a roster spot.

Now for the interesting part: Can they convince Hall to stay past this season? And if so, how much is this gonna cost and for how long? Looking at capfriendly, seems the Yotes are set to make a run this season and next, before a boatload of UFA/RFA's come due. On top of that, right now, after this trade, their draft board looks a little bare as well

See...that's why Hart shouldn't be in there. This was Elliot's game to suffer through/win if his team could. Dropping Hart in the middle of a massacre like this, ridiculous. I expect better from Alain Vignault.

Flyers getting a week's worth of penalty minutes this game....

Carter Hart in? Really? I am no Elliot fan, but can he really be blamed for the glut of goals scored by the Jets? The defense was dicey at best for Philadelphia and the major didn't help. I wouldn't have thrown Hart in the middle of this mess, even though the Flyers looked like they had a little something towards the end of the 1st. I would have let Elliot "take one for the team" and if the team rebounds, then he can benefit from that as well.

LOL @ Jets announcers... "Mathieu Perreault...devastating hit, and he never goes down easily...." Lies, lies, all lies!

Yea, I didn't understand that. I thought maybe there was some rule I didn't know about. Late hit...interference, two minutes...sure. Perrault's head wasn't hit....looked like he took it straight to the chest. Major for that though? Why? Because Butter Perreault was shaken up? And I call him that because it seems at least 3 or 4 times a year, Perreault gets rocked by some hit (legal usually), and he looks like he just barely survived Hiroshima. Guy plays with his head down a lot, looking the wrong way.... guy has an "unawares" issue...and one of these days, its gonna be the end of him. Reminds me of Kris Letang.

This game got ugly quick. However, Flyers don't seem to be folding the tents. Scored their second with under 30 ticks left in the period. They still have 40 minutes to come up with 4 more. The Jets defense has looked sloppy this game.... if the Flyers stay tenacious, they still have a shot.

With all these injuries, the Flyers are REALLY gonna find out what they have in short order. And the spotlight will shine even brighter on the team vets..... if they don't perform, Philly might want to re-evaluate who the leaders on this team should be moving forward.

Not sure how realistic this is, but I am going to go off the board and say Las Vegas. Maybe a deal where Hall and NJ's 4th is sent there for something involving Shea Theodore, Malcolm Subban, and one of Vegas' 2nd rounders (they have two). If the Knights are willing to move Alex Tuch, perhaps he and one of the above mentioned players can be packaged for Hall. The trick is, WILL HALL RE-SIGN WITH THE TEAM THAT TRADES FOR HIM!??

Hmmm.... 4th line banger?

Link from NJ.com https://www.nj.com/devils/2019/12/what-could-devils-get-in-a-taylor-hall-trade-a-look-targets-from-4-contending-teams.html So.....he has been jonesing to get out of New Jersey even though this past off season's glut of moves was supposed to have been done to convince him to stay on past the last year of his contract. Obviously, the Devils moves have not only failed, but NJ looks like they are wayyyyy back to square one (worse if you consider how barren their draft board looks right now....they have their own 1st rounder, but nothing more till the 4th round), and look to be stuck with some veteran players they may have a hard time moving out, and no solid goaltending to buoy the team either. Curiously, Hall has been a healthy scratch from the Devils' last two games as a "precaution". Ummm...precaution to what, exactly? Is a trade imminent? Team won't confirm that of course. Why else would you hold out a guy who could certainly help the team.....unless he is a goner, the team is actually trying to tank, or there is some disciplinary issue? Taylor Hall wants to win, but he wants to win now. Some say he might even be part of the problem in New Jersey and the Devils would do well to just trade him already and recoup some prospects and/or picks. But that can be debated all day long....Hall IS a fantastic player, albeit underperforming by a lot this season. The reason.....perhaps only he knows for sure. But teams sure do want in on him. They see the talent, the potential for him to either elevate their rebuilds or put them over the top as contenders. Colorado, Florida, Arizona, and St. Louis are the top teams according to the above link. But there could be others. Does Nashville have anything left to be able to trade for him? Does a team like Dallas or Winnipeg have enough assets to make a real pitch? How about Hall returning to Western Canada and joining the likes of the Flames, Canucks, or re-joining the Oilers? All three of those squads are in various states of competitiveness, seem to be trending upwards (with the right help), and he could possibly elevate any one of them. Would the Devils dare make a deal with a division rival (charging them more of course), such as the Islanders, Penguins, or even the Capitals? Where does Taylor Hall end up? And will be really be "that player" that people will talk about for years as being part of a trade that put Team X over the top......or will he be an overhyped player that moves, then fizzles out, finds himself on IR, and hamstrings his new team in terms of cap (provided he extends) for years to come? We may soon find out.

Could the Vancouver Canucks be looking at a bit of a surge up the standings coming up in the next week or two? They have been treading water as a .500'ish team the last two weeks or so, not too far off the top spot in the Pacific, and look like they are slowly getting healthy bodies back. Antoine Roussel recently came back and has impacted the team as the resident sandpaper/chip scorer and veteran presence in the top 9. Brandon Sutter is close to returning and while the expectation for him isn't to light up the scoreboard, if he can take more of the defensive zone responsibilities, it could free up Bo Horvat to focus more on some offense, which in turn would make Vancouver's top six more dangerous....particularly 5 on 5 where the team has struggled a bit to produce offense. A big piece that is still not close to returning is Alex Edler on defense. Vancouver has done ok with what they have on the blue line now, but Edler really does stabilize that group and the sooner he gets back the better. The team will also lean on starting goalie Jacob Markstrom more than ever while Thatcher Demko deals with concussion symptoms. In the meantime, Mike DiPietro has been called up from Utica to back up Markstrom, but you can bet the team would rather not have DiPietro exposed very much at this stage in the team's competitive curve......so lots of starts for Markstrom it will likely be. Overall though, the team looks like it could trend upwards with the addition of Roussel and the imminent return of Sutter as no single team looks like they are taking control of the Pacific....even Edmonton looks like they've cooled a bit, leaving other teams like Calgary, Arizona, and possibly Vancouver to push up the standings. Canucks take on the San Jose Sharks at the Shark Tank tonight. It will be the first of a back to back, as they will be in Las Vegas tomorrow night. Jacob Markstrom looks to take the game against the Sharks....does that mean DiPietro gets the Knights tomorrow? Or will Markstrom pull double duty.? We will see.

All depends on which Wild team shows up... The one that all pull in the same direction and put in a full 60 minute effort....especially when the young core is going strong? If so, then the Flyers are in for a tough game. Or is it the version of the Wild that plays haphazardly, puts in a fantastic 40 minutes, then falls asleep for 20? If so, then the Flyers, even without TK and OL should be able to make a dent in their defense....particularly with "Cowboy" Alex Stalock slinging pucks all over the defensive zone and playing like he is the next coming of Martin Brodeur The Assist Man. Minnesota has been so topsy turvy this year that I really don't know which one will show up. Flyers' star players just gotta play like it. Bottom line. I know Sean Couturier will give his all, Giroux, you know, for all the flack he gets, puts in good efforts game after game..... Guys like Voracek, JVR, Hayes.....they need to bring it. No brain lapses, no lack of hustle, no excuses. From the defense, guys just need to play smart. Wild forwards aren't exactly going to light people up on a nightly basis, but if you play defense like you are in practice mode, they can and will put a few past your goalie. Coverage will be key for The Fly...give Wild shooters the worst possible scoring chances as Minnesota really doesn't have a Grade A sniper type that will put away shots with just a bit of daylight.

Claude Giroux finally gets The Fly on the board.... too little too late though? Philly has 5 mins to come up with two more....and NOT give up anymore.

If you are referring to Konecny and Lindblom, I was thinking that way as well. Those two young players are SORELY missed in this game.

Hayes should have at least been in position to lift the stick on Rantanen….didn't need to "interfere" or take any other kind of penalty, but if ol Purple had his wits about him (he didn't), he could have prevented that easy tap in by the Colorado forward on the Avs' 2nd goal.