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“Quiet Ice is a phrase used to characterize a sliver of playing surface goal-scorers love to find because it’s unguarded by opposing players and can be used to rip off a good, quick shot. It is not, as some had understandably assumed, a reference to any place where Sean Avery isn’t.” (Source, the Hockey News) In the new spirit of NHL gambling, I’m calling this the “over and under” — but instead, the over and underrated. We’re questioning some of the reputed best in the game and shining the light on some who are lurking in the quiet ice throughout the Metro. So, lace upRead More →

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People are getting all kerfuffled over the Carolina Hurricanes’ unique twist on post-game fan appreciation tributes. ESPN, which doesn’t even cover hockey so’s you’d notice, deemed this story important enough to commission a piece by Greg Wyshynski titled, “Inside the Hurricanes’ wild new postgame celebration,” as if it was a carefully orchestrated campaign of a President’s Cup-winner, rather than a quirky bit of fun at the end of a nothing game. I have to assume ESPN’s hockey editor — if there ever were such a person — had their tongue firmly in cheek when slapping this title on because pretending there was any “inside” toRead More →

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Rejoice, Caniacs everywhere: we are fast, we are physical, and we are competitive on the ice this year! The Canes started off the season against 3 Metropolitan division rivals, and took 5 out of 6 possible points, going 2-0-1 to start the year. But there’s something even more important to note about this team full of scrappy veterans and young prospects- they have a great time together on the ice, and it shows when watching. Embed from Getty Images Sebastian Aho is the best player on this team, and he’s going to have to continue to make strides at the center position in order forRead More →

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It’s time to do some season previews! The 4th Line Hockey Podcast #199 – The NHL Eastern Conference Preview First though, the Philadelphia Flyers debut their new mascot: Gritty. And he is terrifying. Max Domi was suspended for the pre-season for his punch on Aaron Ekblad. Was it enough? (It never is) This week the Eastern conference is previewed, looking at things such as: Which of the terrible teams in the Atlantic division will be the most terrible? Which of the good, not great teams in the Metro division will be the most good, not great? Who is the favorite to win the division? AndRead More →

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The tilt of the Earth’s axis slowly moving away from the sun can only mean one thing; fall will soon be here and we can all rejoice at the impending return of the NHL. Here at 4th Line Towers we can’t wait to watch some proper hockey again. This year we’re approaching our previews in a different way; the word count for each team’s preview has been dictated by the number of points that team scored last season. To further mix things up, we’ve divvied up the teams between our writers. Let the Metropolitan division preview begin! Our other previews are: Central Division 2018/19 Preview PacificRead More →

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Okay, so Hurricane fans everywhere rejoiced whenever Bill Peters, aka the Kinetico Waterman, packed up his belongings and left Raleigh, which was step 1 in getting the Hurricanes back to the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Here are the next steps in taking this team back to the promise land, under new head coach and longtime franchise leader Rod Brind’Amour. 1- Trade Justin Faulk The combination of Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen had a stellar season putting the puck in the back of the net. While we all love Jordan Staal and the leadership he brings to the Hurricanes team, he’s getting older,Read More →

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On Monday May 28th, at 8pm, the puck will drop in Las Vegas to start the first game of an historic Stanley Cup Finals. Instead previewing the series in our usual, we invited each of a writers to contribute giving you a plethora of insights into what will undoubtedly be a superb swansong to the 2017/18 NHL season. Stanley Cup Predictions   Carl Landra My Pick: Capitals in 6 Full disclosure: I have a complicated relationship with the Washington Capitals. After being my bandwagon team of choice for seasons, I finally gave up on them this offseason. I just couldn’t handle being disappointed after suchRead More →

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With the Tampa Bay Lightning’s game five win over the Boston Bruins, the Bolts stamped their ticket to the Eastern Conference final, where they will meet the Washington Capitals, avoiding a repeat of the 2015/16 Conference finals. The Bolts were knocked out of that tilt by Pittsburgh, so the team will definitely aiming to do better against Ovi & Friends. How did we get here? The Tampa Bay/Boston match-up in the second round was a bizarre affair, with the news being unfairly dominated by Brad Marchand‘s unsporting actions. Despite a 6-2 thumping in the opening game of the series, the Lightning were able pick apartRead More →

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Round two of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs will soon be here, we’ve already previewed both match-ups in the Western Conference, now it’s time we turned our attention to the east! The first series to be decided in the east will be played between the perennially disappointing Washington Capitals, and the current Cup holders, Pittsburgh. How did we get here? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, the Washington Capitals won the Metropolitan division, but only managed the same points as the Toronto Maple Leafs (105). History tells us that the Caps aren’t good in the playoffs, and the Columbus Blue Jackets took advantage of thatRead More →

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Taylor Hall. Nikita Kucherov. Nathan MacKinnon. These three are currently the front runners to win the Hart Trophy this season as the league MVP. But who will win it? Chace, Joe and Carl make their case for each. Taylor Hall (by Chace McCallum) The NHL’s Hart Trophy goes to the”player judged most valuable to his team“. This is an important caveat in Taylor Hall’s MVP case. He has fewer points per game than Nathan Mackinnon and Nikita Kucherov, his biggest opponents. This likely knocks Hall out of the most outstanding player debate, however in terms of value to their team, it’s Hall and it’s not close.Read More →