Additional intradivisional games don’t solve NHL’s problem

Including two intradivisional matches whereas growing the NHL schedule to 84 video games subsequent season is tantamount to placing a Band-Assist on a gunshot wound.

Such a transfer, which we’re advised has a fair amount of momentum inside the Board of Governors, would symbolize a rise from 32 p.c of the schedule being performed contained in the division to 33 p.c.

That may be a distinction and not using a distinction.

In actual fact, altering the schedule to make sure 4 matchups between division rivals (as a substitute of 4 towards 5 opponents and three towards the opposite two) would solely serve to codify the NHL’s infuriating setup that deprives paying prospects of leisure worth.

The concept is to maximise significant confrontations over the 12 months and to reinforce rivalries in a league through which ability is spiking, however depth typically flatlines. It’s to highlight showdowns down the stretch in playoff races. The present matrix does precisely the other.

Do you perceive that underneath the present system, it doesn’t matter whether or not the successful staff goes to time beyond regulation within the 39 p.c of video games performed out of conference whereas it has nice bearing on the standings within the 61 p.c of video games inside the convention?

What sort of crazy system is that?

The treatment is obvious. It’s time for the NHL and NHLPA to desert their insistence that each staff go to each venue not less than every year.

Each different 12 months would do exactly fantastic underneath a matrix through which golf equipment would play six video games apiece towards golf equipment of their division, three video games apiece towards golf equipment within the different division inside the convention, and both a home-and-home towards golf equipment in a single division of the opposite convention or a home-and-home towards half the golf equipment in every division of the opposite convention on a yearly rotating foundation.

That will compute to 51 p.c of the schedule inside the division, 80 p.c inside the convention and solely 20 p.c of video games with diluted that means. It could restore aggressive integrity to the schedule.

Snapshot. Elite Eight: 1. Boston; 2. Carolina; 3. Toronto; 4. Pittsburgh; 5. Dallas; 6. Vegas; 7. Rangers; 8. Tampa Bay.

By the best way, anybody hear any apologies to Lindy Ruff these days?

So Matthew Tkachuk had 100 minutes of hockey unfold over two video games and 4 nights to problem Nico Hischier straight up if he actually believed the Devils captain had gone down and soiled on a crosscheck chop to Aleksander Barkov’s knee on a face-off at 19:57 of the primary interval of the match in Newark on Dec. 17 that injured the Florida heart.

However no. In fact not. Whereas a variety of his teammates took a number of low cost photographs towards Hischier all through the rest of that recreation, Tkachuk waited till Tomas Tatar scored an empty-netter with 39.1 seconds to go within the rematch at Dawn on Dec. 21 to tug his weasel act and leap Hischier from behind in a scrum.

Web page Six believes that may have made Sean Avery proud.

Caught the thrilling finish of regulation between Vancouver and Seattle on Thursday through which Elias Pettersson tied it with 1:20 to go for his fifth level of the night time after which was nearly put to sleep by the time beyond regulation interval, through which the Kraken persistently regathered and introduced the puck out of the offensive zone in an effort to get possession adjustments.

I get the technique to some extent, nevertheless it perverts the leisure worth of time beyond regulation, which options three-on-three solely due to its leisure worth. I’ve seen quite a lot of of those this season through which the shootout is much extra compelling than time beyond regulation.

PS: That match in Vancouver was one in every of them, with Pettersson himself getting the shootout clincher.

Thus far a decrease proportion of time beyond regulation video games have been required to be settled by a shootout (29.7 versus 35.4 final 12 months), so possibly the moist blankets behind the bench haven’t succeeded in ruining it entirely, but when possession hockey in OT turns into the norm, the NHL simply may need to legislate towards it.

You hear John Tortorella saying: “You [writers] try to pit him towards me and me towards him, which is so ludicrous. So I’m not supplying you with any replace on Kevin Hayes.”

I hear John Tortorella nine-plus years earlier saying: “Don’t intrude with my friendship with Gabby [Marian Gaborik]. We now have an important relationship.”

In discussing the potential haul the Blackhawks may demand in return for leasing Patrick Kane: Is that this the time at which somebody is allowed to level out that No. 88’s 0.37 five-on-five objectives per 60:00 rank 76th of the 79 forwards with 450 minutes (per NaturalStatTrick)?

And who am I to point that the widespread denominator between the wildly shocking Jets and the terribly disappointing Puddy Tats appears to be … Paul Maurice?

Possibly it’s simply me, however why at any time when I see a photograph of a mustachioed Auston Matthews do I see Solid Iron Mike Keenan?

This simply in: Gary Bettman says a ballot he commissioned this week reveals that season ticket holders choose paying to observe as many meaningless video games as attainable.