In the latest episode of Ikan änäri, we talk about the Anaheim sensation, neck guards and plowing in Edmonton. Regarding Finns, among other things Kaapo Kako.
What are we talking about?
Stars are planted.
The talk of the NHL week can be considered the benching of expensive star players with good reason. First in Columbus, head coach Pascal Vincent benched the team’s most expensive striker Johnny Gaudreau. The American striker has only scored one goal this season, and that too empty – and the game is not convincing anyway.
From the beginning of the week, the Canadian talent, who is already building another strong past season, had to be benched in Calgary Jonathan Huberdeau. Huberdeau was the single biggest disappointment of the last NHL season, and the start of the new season has not given the promise of better things. Huberdeau seems to be completely lost in Calgary with his game and even his identity.
Planting was also done in Vancouver the other week JT Milleran expensive star too.
In the case of the star cult league, it can also be considered exceptional that multi-millionaire stars were planted by a yellow-beaked coach in the first two cases. Both Columbus’ Vincent and Calgary’s Ryan Huska are coaching as a head coach in the NHL for the first year.
– We welcome this topic in Finland with interest, because we have always talked about how stars in the NHL are allowed to do whatever they want. It’s great that the young coaches have reacted in such a way that “now the boys are enough”. Anaheim also has a new tight end coach, and many of them are doing a good job, according to ‘s hockey expert Ismo Lehkonen praises.
– Maybe there, the coaches have an understanding and courage born from the fact that there is also their own job in question.
Who surprised?
Quinn Hughes–Filip Hronek.
We talked about Vancouver, the surprise of the fall, a week ago, and from the inside of the story, perhaps the league’s hottest pair of defenders should be highlighted. Hughes’ skills with the puck were known in advance, but now this has also raised playing without the puck to a new level.
Filip Hronek, acquired from Detroit, on the other hand, has found his home next to Hughes confusingly quickly. The two support each other well and do things with top quality at both ends of the field.
Hughes’ power statistic reading before Thursday’s round was +16, Hronek’s was +13. By last night, the duo had scored a whopping 28 (5+23) power points in 12 matches. Five against five, the duo had won their game with goals of 12–2!
– Excellent lifting. These brothers have an excellent stick defense with catches and breaks. It’s not some kind of concrete piggyback game, but the opponent is removed from the puck in the right way. The boys read the game well and often the pressure comes at the right time to where the puck is going. Then we will be exploited, Lehkonen opens.
In the case of Vancouver, there has been a lot of talk about the head coach By Rick Tocchet for the impact, but for the development of defensive play, praise must be given to the new assistant coach, a former top defender To Adam Foote.
– This theme fits perfectly into his account. He has seen skilled defenders in his career, but was more of a workman himself. He is an excellent defensive skill coach and spiritual leader for that club. He, if anyone, understands the rules of the game.
Who flopped?
Canadian goalies. How can it be so difficult for Canadian teams to find good goalkeepers? Especially for those who are seriously aiming for the Stanley Cup. In Edmonton, along with all other fiascos, there is a complete goalkeeping chaos, which was already covered in more detail on Urheilu’s website.
On Wednesday, the Oilers fired their expensive point guard by Jack Campbell to the transfer list, from where it continues its journey to the farm. I am now inexperienced in combat responsibility by Stuart Skinner on the shoulders.
Toronto isn’t doing any better. The goal is the Stanley Cup, but the goaltending department is in dire straits. Ilya Samsonov is far from the top level and well started, a real wild card By Joseph Woll has about 20 games of experience in the NHL. Things are not much better in Ottawa (Joonas Korpisalo), in Montreal or Calgary.
Only in Vancouver and Winnipeg can you find a reliable and high-quality goalkeeper.
If you look at the statistics, which tells you how many goals the goalkeeper has saved, and turn the statistics upside down, Canadian clubs are strongly featured. Positions one, five, six, eight, twelve and thirteen are in possession.
– It seems that the veskars are always crumbling in Canada. It’s appropriate to ask why club managers don’t invest more in character when hiring. There are still teams there that don’t play a very disciplined game. It requires the shopkeeper to be able to carry out those robberies. It is part of the job description, so all you have to do is turn on the screen, Lehkonen insists.
Goal of the week
There is a lot to be found in the goal of the week. First of all, the victory over Toronto was especially important for Ottawa after a difficult autumn, and the winning goal was a single masterpiece.
On the other hand, at the same time, in the three-set 5–3 goal that sealed Ottawa’s victory, we can see Toronto playing that you would no longer expect from them. Reckless hairing with three, counterattack and own lamp lights up.
– The head coach With Sheldon Keefe stuck to that. There were first five under the game and then in three seconds suddenly after the ladder the puck was in the goal. It looks pretty embarrassing when Toronto plays like that, Lehkonen says in Finnish.
What next?
Calgary will be in for a tough test in the coming days and weeks. The team got off to a really poor start, but then beat Seattle and Nashville. Next up are Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal – all winnable games. By winning more than losing, the direction of the season could still be turned around. If you don’t get anything from the trip, the ship starts to sink.
– Definitely the most interesting team of the week. They took a couple of big wins there and ten million men were planted on the bench. There are some doubts about the quality of the players, but the next games will show whether that team really has character, Lehkonen says.
You can find the NHL standings at this link.