Math

Book it, Vegas are the 2024 back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. They have the best centerline of the league (I mean they can have a 30-goal 60-point scorer to center their fourth line...), their top-4 defencemen are elite, they can have the luxury to scratch a guy that has three rings, their bottom-6 can be part of a top-6 everywhere else. They have complete versatile players than can adapt and play in all situations. It's the first time of the season that the Golden Knights have a full roster including their new aquisitions, and it's scary. Hanifin and Hertl are perfect fits. The only question mark remains the goaltending but this relative uncertainty is perfectly handled by the best D corps in the League. That being said, it's a series of details so far. Both teams are really close but DeBoer is completely outcoached by Cassidy and his defensive system consisting in clogging the slot and push forwards to attack from the outside. The Stars just can't handle and they are struggling like hell to get significant scoring chances from close. I'm not pissed about the Stars being down 2-0, it's the way to get behind 2-0. Öttinger was sub-average in game #1 while having a ****** start and palyed trailing hockey for the rest of the game. The Stars did a good job in game #2, very good first period, Öttinger was solid, the forecheck was good, they did what they had to do but two major pee-wee brain farts led to two Vegas goals. Again, a series of details, but no way you can win when you make such mistakes. No disrespect to the Rangers, the Panthers and other very good teams but with their full roster Vegas is ahead IMO.

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.

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

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.

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.

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...