The Stars have had a tough time of it against the Blackhawks lately. Not that that’s anything unique to the Stars. The Blackhawks are fairly good after all.
But a five game losing streak to Chicago is not ideal, nor is the fact that Chicago have the most road victories in the league and also lead the NHL in goals per game. But who’s counting? Who pays attention to records or stats anyway? Not Trevor Daley, that’s for certain. Or maybe he pays too much attention to stats…
“I think [plus-minus] plays a huge role in not wanting to take risks, and I think that just slows everything down. If you’re out there and worried about taking a minus, it makes you think too much. If you get a minus early in the game, it makes you think too much. Honestly, if you want to add more scoring and open up the game, you should just take out plus-minus. I think it makes that much difference.” [Sports Day DFW]
I love this. Forget adjusting the goal dimensions or reducing goaltender’s pad size… just remove a stat from consideration and scoring in the NHL will blossom. I wonder what impact removing Corsi and Fenwick would have…
I jest. But seriously, maybe we could see about only keeping track of plus-minus for the Blackhawks tonight. Get it weighing on their mind.
* * *
Ahem. Pay attention. There’s a game tonight. [Stars Inside Edge] [ESPN]
Tyler! Tyler! Come back! All is forgiven! [Stars Inside Edge]
No Calder consideration as yet, but Jim Nill is having a pretty good start to his rookie season. [The Hockey News]
It’s not beating a dead horse if the poxing horse refuses to die. Yes, the Western Conference is awesome. And yes, the Stars play in the Western Conference. [On the Radar]
So Thanksgiving is all about giving and thanks. Or something like that. The friends of Puck Daddy chime in on what they’re thankful for. [Puck Daddy]
And the puck daddies of Puck Daddy also chime in. [Puck Daddy]
And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, and counting blessings and all that, this one’s about a couple of wounded veterans who will have the chance to represent the United States in sled hockey at the upcoming Paralympics in Sochi. [The Color of Hockey]
Last Thanksgiving one. What does this have to do with hockey? Umm… Dustin Penner tweeted it? [BuzzFeed]
Moving on. Was there actually a positive to take out of the dark days of the 2005 NHL lockout? Maybe for these players… [The Hockey Writers]
Pierre LeBrun talks playoffs. I know, I know, we’re only a quarter of the way into the season, but some people get antsy, you know? [Cross Checks]
What? Ilya Bryzgalov gets a win in his first start with the Oilers? Ilya Bryzgalov gets a shutout in his first start with the Oilers? Ilya Bryzgalov gets his first start with the Oilers? [NHL.com]
And lastly, Patrick Roy can shut the f*** up. No wait, Patrick! Before you come after me, I didn’t say it, Ken Hitchcock did! [Puck Daddy]