Math

32 minutes ago, mommax3 said:

I'm going to go out on a limb and say I believe the goalie rotation will be shelved for now and Swayman will start game 4, especially with an extra day rest

TVA Sports analysts were pretty straight on that take. The rotation in the playoffs is BS, if Swayman doesn't start next, Montgomery should be fired lol.

And what a terrible play by Tavares who literally took away all hope to tie with that pee-wee level penalty.

Blanking the Blues in St-Louis should have led to an automatic 7-year contract extension, given the roster they had.

7 minutes ago, thegx.ca said:

Who's worse...?

Maybe Pocklington...? No, honestly IDK. Whalers fans will say Karmanos Jr., Quebecers will have Marcel Aubut, Minnesotans will shout Norman Green (or maybe Leipold), Maybe Spano even if it's not techniquely his fault. Or former Coyotes' owner Jerry Moyes, Some Senators fans would have Melnyk on their list, maybe the Pegulas or any former Trashers owner.

I recently watched the Spano saga that occured with the Isles in the mid 1990s, and back at the time the NHL put in place numerous rules and procedures to avoid such epic laughable failures in the future. It's not at that level but Bettman & co. clearly didn't their due diligence when they gave control of the franchise to Meruelo.

And let's be honest: Meruelo and Gutierrez were chosen not because they were successful and competent businessmen, but only because they were Hispanic, so that the League can serve that as an example and show the world how inclusive and careful about minorities they were, and that backfired in their face. Selecting people as a function of the origin, skin color or language spoken (and not as a function of who they are and what they have accomplished) is never a recipe for success...

This is very bad and sad because now some people makes the simplistic link Latino = incompetent, which is untrue and has the exact opposite effect of what was initially looked for. The League screwed up until the very end of this story.

Meruelo being a worthless piece of garbage is an euphemism...

https://theathletic.com/5439189/2024/04/24/arizona-coyotes-alex-meruelo-utah-nhl/?source=targeted_email&campaign=9670025&userId=6665247

Quote

 

At the center of that failure is Meruelo. He was viewed as a potential savior of the franchise when he bought the team five years ago but became the final nail in its coffin, failing and defiant to the end.

In August 2020, reports surfaced that he failed to pay players signing bonuses. Gutierrez blamed it on their lack of experience owning a sports franchise. As more vendors and employees began cropping up with complaints about unpaid invoices and strongarm tactics, it became clear that it was a feature of Meruelo’s business practices, not a bug.
 
Instead of trying to forge inroads with power brokers and rebuild his reputation among local leaders, he was brash and arrogant. Former Tempe city councilmember Lauren Kuby recalled an interaction in which Meruelo remarked: “I bet you’ve never met a billionaire before.”

 

In February 2021, The Athletic published a report that Meruelo’s first 18 months of ownership was marred by a revolving door of executives, strained relationships with corporate partners, and a litany of financial issues, some made worse by the pandemic. The story, which drew from interviews with more than 50 people, detailed a pattern of unpaid bills and jilted vendors, a disastrous draft pick that earned them universal scorn and employees complaining about a toxic environment.

The franchise had no suitable place to play while Meruelo attempted to get politicians, unions and voters behind a $2 billion development plan in Tempe that included a new arena. As he worked to secure that project, Meruelo’s years of hubris came back to bite him. Grassroots organizers pounded his track record and credit rating, citing a financial analysis commissioned by the Tempe City Council. Campaign materials characterized him as “corrupt,” “scandal-plagued” and a “deadbeat billionaire.” Local trade and worker unions lobbied against the plan. And Meruelo didn’t dive deep into his coffers to counteract that negative messaging. He said last week he poured $7 million into the referendum; campaign finance records show that he spent just over $1 million.

 

“I think the narrative in Tempe … is that they botched this campaign,” said Randy Keating, a Tempe City council member who supported the development proposal. “And they did.”

 

“I have not witnessed a group more committed to doing things the wrong way and failing to develop any sort of meaningful support in the political community, business community and with the influential stakeholders they need to make this happen,” said David Leibowitz, a former communications consultant for the Coyotes who worked with three different owners, including Meruelo.

 

Said Keating: “I have zero faith they will be able to pull that off. The fact that he couldn’t build an arena when he had a team. Who’s going to build it now?” He added: “No one wants to do business with this guy. Why would you?”

 

There was an upward motion but Panarin's skates remained in the ice and the head wasn't the first point of contact. The right call was given IMO. It's funny because when I watched it live, former NHL referee Stéphane Auger explained that the review was to determine if Panarin should get a 5-min major or a game misconduct. Result: no penalty lol.

Didn't watch the replay on Panarin's check on Oshie. The refs went to the revision for a potential major penalty but he surprisingly didn't get anything while Oshie remained out in the concussion protocol 

He should use some duct tape. You can fix everything with duct tape.

35 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

WHAT WENT RIGHT Keller developed brilliantly into a dangerous point a game weapon. Schmaltz quietly had a fantastic season. Durzi came over from the Kings an potted 41 points on the back end. Macelli was a fantastic playmaker. Bjugstad and Kerfoot were solid vet players. Goalie Ingram was among the top five goalies in all of hockey for the first half of the season until he got banged up. Logan cooley started slow but caught fire late and showed so much promise. Guenther looks like the real deal. Crouse and Carcone had Cy Young 20 goal seasons.

That's really promising for this team, and quid of Hayton who showed pretty good things one season ago before getting several injuries. Another right thing is head coach André Tourigny. I really things this is a good fit and that the team has the right person in the right chair. He held an interview each week on the french TVA Sports where he openly spole on hoy does he envision things, the strategies, his vision etc. And that was extremely interesting. Anyway, I had them as a wild-card team but the injuries and that awful 14-game losing streak killed their hopes. Ironically, they started to play better once they knew they wouldn't play there anymore...

Another good thing is the change of ownership. If the organization finally has someone who cares and who wants to put money and a good team on the ice, that's all bonus. Maybe they will stop to be the NHL's salary dump just to ease other teams with their bad contracts. I can't believe that Bettman is keeping this dípshit owner in the loop for a potential reactivation of the franchise (yeah technically, it's neither a relocation nor an expansion. Salt Lake City is starting fresh like a new team but with former Coyotes' players, staff and assets while the Coyotes franchise is put on hold but with the branding and history staying in the boxes in Arizona. Sutpid but it helped the NHL keep the apparences...). Meruelo has five years to build something, I really hope he miserably fails.

Beating a Craig Ludwig record. That's mean.

And we have the Öëttïngër version tonight. Oh my...

0/2, 2 shots, 2 goals against. The Stars were absolutely splendid on the PK in this first. If Marchment is glued on the bench, maybe his teammates can concentrate on something else than cover for his gaffes.

31 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

Not for lack of trying....

Wrong team: I was speaking about the Isles...

Guys stayed in the locker room. And that disallowed Suter (thanks Marchment, once again) goal somehow made the Stars nervous. And then, awful turnover by Härlëÿ... 

Wot? they didn't blow it?

The question is: how will the Leafs shoot themselves in the foot ? 

Jeez Nylander... Stop being a soccer player and go.

17 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Ryan Miller out of retirement to lead them in net?

The great Darcy Wakaluk !

I was sure that Canada was name as a tribute for Kanata, the fantastic location chosen to build the Senators' arena...

Some fantastic goaltending and up-to-date tremendous defensive structure there.

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

Like the Avalanche-Jets series, a typical opposition of styles: offense condensed in the top-6 vs. defensive-structured team. I don't trust either Skinner or Talbot in this stretch. This will be played on the Kings' ability to shut down the two-headed monster. If the Kings take an early lead, that might be interesting. However, the Oilers have more arguments overall.

Oilers in 6.

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

I'll try to be objective here. The addition of Hanifin and Hertl with Stone back is huge. The Knights have more lethal weapons but the Stars can count on its depth and a solid defense (the Tanev trade looks underrated but it had helped the Stars a lot). I think this series will be decided in goaltending: if Öttinger reaches his strength he had two years ago against the Flames, Dallas will go through.

Stars in 7.

(Still funny to have the old Stars logo there)

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

I might think Vancouver was kinda overperforming, at least in the first part of the season while I didn't know what to expect from Nashville. This is an intruiging series and the Preds could push it to the limit.

Canucks in 7.

It seemed like the Kings reeeeeaaaally didn't want to get the Stars. On the other hand, it felt like Vegas was targeting Dallas as they completely let it go against the awful Ducks. Given the bad record in the regular season, the Golden Knights was my least favorite team I wanted to face in the first round. But I guess if you have the ambitious objective to go for a deep run, you should be capable to beat anyone... 

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

The Jets have the Avalanche's number. I don't trust Colorado: Georgiev has been awful, Makar is the best Dman but outside of him there's a huge hole, they rely too much on their top-6 to win games with their offense. I'm surprised the Jets made it that far despite their coach. I'll go with the relative upset:

Jets in 6.