Connor McDavid’s Vire kävä kaltal is one of the topics of conversation in recent weeks. Tampa has long been believed to win the point exchange and the most valuable player award Nikita Kucherov and Colorado by Nathan MacKinnon competition between, but what else.
Edmonton’s Canadian megastar has risen to the challenge in both categories in an incredible way. The fact that McDavid is fighting for these awards is not surprising in principle, but there was already quite a bit of a backlog during the season.
November – 9 points
December – 10 points
January – 13 points
February – 18 points
March – 10 points
April – 1 point
In other words, McDavid took the hard-hitting top in February-April with 17 points! In the year 2024, McDavid’s average points per game is exactly two.
– That guy is quite an animal, Urheilu’s hockey expert Ismo Lehkonen start.
– We are talking about an absolutely insane competitive spirit for him, and it starts with very small things in the game. On the other hand, there is a nice touch of individual sports in that, because it would seem that he is not ready to give up the struggle to win the points exchange. From everything he does, you can sense that he is not going to give up this fight. On the other hand, it seems that he really enjoys what he does From Zach Hyman 50-60 goal players. This guy’s physique is built to such an incredible level that when others freeze, he increases the tempo even more. A mindless beast as a player.
Who surprised?
There hasn’t been anything positive to report about Arizona in a while. However, there is something Finnish about it. Defender Juuso Välimäki played a beautiful March in the desert. The +11 recorded by the defender in his power statistics was the 9th highest quote in the entire series during the month. Välimäki won their game with five against five, 17-5, and controlled more than 56 percent of the goal chances in the first sector.
Välimäki has been his team’s top defender since the stands in the early winter. The raise comes at a convenient time for the Nokia native, as the contract worth a million talas expires in a couple of weeks before the regular season.
– I looked closely at Arizona at the point when they were previously on a long losing streak. I wanted to see who would give up and I could tell that Välimäki exuded the attitude that others could break, but he didn’t. It can be considered a wise choice. He fought with shoulder strength and took care of assigned important things really reliably. It is important to remember that this kind of observation is also done by the club management in difficult moments, Lehkonen reminds.
Lehkonen sees a good future in Välimäki in the NHL. He doesn’t profile as a first-team puck player, but a good all-around defender.
– There is something similar about him Esa in Lindell. Maybe Juuso is a little lighter on his feet. All the same, a player who takes care of his duties conscientiously, moves well and gives passes to the shoulders. I believe that the stand command clarified the player’s self and brought humility to the muscles. A great player who needs to move on from here.
Who cheated?
Florida has been considered one of the biggest championship favorites throughout the season, but the skiing has started to slip worse just before the playoffs. Out of the ten previous matches, the pack of cats has won only two, and deep data or eye evidence paint a prettier picture.
The defense has been weak at times and the attack has been congested. For example, the team has lost 60 percent of goal posts from the first sector with five against five during the weak period.
Lehkonen recognizes the problems, but refuses to panic.
– They clearly had the style of play under control before this difficult period. There, a lot of pucks were thrown at the end and they wanted to polish the hairballing to diamond condition. Exploiting the offensive zone and playing for superiority work.
– Now it’s probably a little tiring in the shirt, when it’s known that we’re going to the playoffs and we have the home advantage. Not the head coach Paul Maurice seem to take stress from this. Rather, they seem to have stated that if Boston runs away, then we will take Toronto in the first round.
Florida has also had to play with a weak lineup. The top defender was the last player to drop out of the division Aaron Ekblad. They were sidelined against Montreal earlier in the week due to injury Carter Verhaeghe and due to illness Matthew Tkachuk.
– Those kinds of things are already clearly visible in the game. However, I’m not worried about the big picture. That team is hungry and I’m even a little surprised how balanced the season they’ve played after last summer’s trip to the finals. The level of demand in that club is quite high.
Lundell’s goal of the week
Lehkonen picks up the goal of the week by Anton Lundell hit in Montreal. Lundell (10+21) hasn’t celebrated with power throughout the season, but now a handsome hit was born.
– There is a guy who hasn’t scored many points, but who always plays in the upper register. From there you can look at the power statistic reading +17. Lundell is a sane guy who doesn’t throw tantrums, throw tantrums or steal from the game if there aren’t any points. I will never catch him cheating, which is atypical for young people who want points. This dude pushes his chin on his chest to get things done both ways. Great man.
What next?
Who will join the line of complainers next?
The way the Los Angeles Kings play has caused discussion in the NHL in recent weeks. The Californian group, which leans heavily on the 1-3-1 midfield control game, has been cracking tough scalps in recent weeks and making the opponents’ tongues tingle at the same time. Recently, the Vancouver players were complaining about how the Kings only hit the puck in the gutters, and don’t even try to play and just hang around in the 1-3-1 trap.
Are the Kings with their 1-3-1 trap the dark horse of the spring?
– It’s now starting to freak everyone out, this Kings’ scorched earth hockey. They play the defensive game very carefully and all the time with skin. Thinking about spring, the question is whether the opponents have the patience to play goal games with them.
– Help Armias if you start to over attack them or you try to play through from the middle area all the time. Then the pick-up comes. The Kings still have that libero there, who picks up pucks and corner pucks and throws them out of the zone with an elephant. Los Angeles is definitely a dangerous team in the spring.