By:
On:
In: Atlantic Division, Metropolitan Division, Playoffs
With: 1 Comment

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 →

By:
On:
In: Metropolitan Division, Playoffs
With: 1 Comment

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 →

By:
On:
In: Atlantic Division, Central Division, Metropolitan Division
With: 1 Comment

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 →

By:
On:
In: Metropolitan Division
With: 1 Comment

This weekend has a been one to forget for the New York Rangers. Two heavy losses to both the Senators and Flyers have alarm bells ringing at MSG. Henrik Lundqvist, in particular, has been put under the microscope. The 35-year-old Swede has looked out of sorts and almost lost. Due to the Rangers rebuild, key names will be traded. Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh have apparently given trade lists. Should Broadway Blue management look to Lundqvist to secure future talent? Embed from Getty Images First of all, I highly respect Lundqvist and over his 13 seasons in the Big Apple, he has carried this team.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Metropolitan Division
With: 7 Comments

Coming out of the NHL All-Star break we can see the teams with a realistic shot at winning the Stanley Cup. Any list of Cup contenders starts with the consensus Cup favorite Tampa Bay Lightning. Then there are trendy picks like the scorching-hot Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights. After that, the field appears to be more wide open than ever before. Sadly for the rest of the league, I dug a little deeper and realized something inevitable. The Pittsburgh Penguins are going to win their 3rd straight Stanley Cup. They currently sit 5th in the east, with a 51.7% Corsi and +1 goal differential.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Metropolitan Division
With: 3 Comments

Welcome to a series where I will be looking at what each team should be doing this trade deadline. We will be looking at their future, players to buy or sell, and overall possibility of a Cup. Stay tuned for all four divisions, but today we will be breaking down the Metro! If you missed it, you can see the Atlantic Division here. #1 Carolina Hurricanes: This division is so much tougher than the Atlantic, that had 5 sellers in it. Usually I would err on the side of caution here, like I did with Toronto. However, the Canes desperately need a playoff appearance. TheirRead More →

By:
On:
In: Metropolitan Division
With: 2 Comments

Just past halfway through the 2017-18 season, it’s that time of year again where we begin to see midseason awards voting. The award that generally generates the most conversation is the Hart Trophy, given to the NHL’s most valuable player. It’s easy to make a case for plenty of players. Nathan MacKinnon is probably the frontrunner, with John Tavares, Nikita Kucherov, and some of the league’s other top scorers trailing just behind. However, I think there is one sleeper pick for the Hart Trophy: Artemi Panarin. There are 3 main reasons for this, so let’s dive into Panarin’s results and you will see what I mean.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Central Division, Metropolitan Division, NHL
With: 0 Comments

At this point of the season, the playoff picture is all but clear. Some teams aren’t going anywhere but some teams. have all but cemented their spots and other teams won’t go down without a fight. The teams that are in a position to lose their seat and the teams still clawing away to make the playoffs, all need a little tweaking if they want to get/stay there. New York Rangers 6th in the Metropolitan division, one point behind the Islanders who hold the second wild card spot, but the Rangers still have one game at hand . Second last in the NHL for SA/GPRead More →

By:
On:
In: Atlantic Division, Central Division, Metropolitan Division, NHL, Pacific Division
With: 0 Comments

Welcome to the newest series on the 4th Line! This is a series where I will be looking at the top 5 draft steals. Now these won’t always just be the 6th and 7th rounders of a draft. My aim here is to find some of the best players of the draft that weren’t taken where they should have been. This means there may be late first rounders, or second rounders included. With this in mind let’s start our first draft, 2010! Honourable Mention – Petr Mrazek, Round 5, 141st Overall: I am giving Petr Mrazek an honourable mention here because finding a possible starterRead More →

By:
On:
In: Atlantic Division, Central Division, Metropolitan Division, NHL, Pacific Division
With: 0 Comments

If I was to build an NHL team from scratch, I would start by looking at centers. It’s a tough position play and maybe the hardest to acquire. So today let’s dive into my top 10 centers in the NHL which I ranked using 3 main variables. The first is power-play prowess, which is how well players produce weighted points and shots on the power-play. The second is their offence which considers their ability to drive play offensively, produce points, and draw penalties. The final is their defense, which is a mix of their shot and expected goal suppression, ability to not take penalties, winRead More →