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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) from the Quiet Ice . . . I hear a lot of player assessments — negative and positive — that frankly baffle me. Now, I know I have a memory more sieve-like than most, but sometimes it seems our hockey media “experts” are worse off than I. The Oversung TheyRead More →

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So, your favorite team has played their first game. You are most likely thrilled that your team exceeded expectations or trying to convince yourself that it’s not a rebuilding season. But does it actually matter? Is one game out of 82 any more valuable than another? Let’s look at what the numbers tell us. Looking back at the last two seasons, let’s start by looking at what winning your first game means. When we look at the 2016-17 and the 2017-18 seasons, 32 teams made the playoffs. Of those teams, 63% of them won their first game, as the table below shows. Won their firstRead More →

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In: Central Division, NHL
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As the arrow of time advances from summer to fall, 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 and some special guests. Let the Central division preview begin! Nashville Predators – Mike Laybourne 2017/18: 117 points For a good preview on the Preds, go read last season’sRead More →

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This week Joel is replaced by two fantastic guests as Steven and Rachel from the Hockey Feels join us, diving into the Conference Finals. Why have the series been close but the games haven’t been? Everyone either loves or hates the Vegas Golden Knights. Where do we stand with them in the Conference finals, and why? How does Carl feel about the Washington Capitals’ success now that he’s off the bandwagon? Are there ways that an additional off ice official can be added to make calls as accurate as possible? How would this play out? Kyle Dubas has been named general manger of the Toronto MapleRead More →

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In: Central Division, Pacific Division, Playoffs
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The Winnipeg Jets had the Nashville Predators on the ropes, but last year’s runner up was able to dig deep and force a Game 7. While a Game 7 win is energizing on its own, Game 1 on Saturday could be a rude awakening for the Jets as the Vegas Golden Knights have been kicking back since last Sunday. The question is, will the advantage be to the fresh team or the one riding a wave of adrenaline to kick off the series. The Ride So Far These two teams both came into the season with something in common, no one was really sure they’dRead More →

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The Nashville Predators came into the NHL playoffs expected to be a real contender for the Stanley Cup, and many believed that they were poised to make a return to the Stanley Cup Final.  They won the President’s Trophy; they had a historic season where they dominated on their home sheet of ice, and on the road. The Preds were the big tough schoolyard bully, and they came into the 2018 NHL Playoffs ready to shakedown some opponents and take their allowance. That is not what’s happened. Shakedown Street? The Preds rolled into the first round looking to annihilate the wounded Colorado Avalanche. A teamRead More →

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The scene is now set in the for the second round games in the Western Conference, with the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets vying for a place in the Conference final. We’ve already previewed the Golden Knights Vs Sharks series, now it’s time for the Central division match-up: How did we get here? Before Jacob Trouba‘s game winning goal in the first period sealed the deal on Friday, the last time an NHL team in Winnipeg made the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs was in 1987. That was with the original iteration of the Winnipeg Jets. The current franchise has never been ableRead More →

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With all the hype that swallows up the NHL’s Entry Draft, it’s easy to forget the player who wasn’t quite good enough, in the scouts’ eyes at least, to be chosen first overall. This short series will be looking that the other guy; the fella who went second. We’ve already looked at Eric Staal, Tom Lysiak and Jason Spezza, and as there’s 9 days to go until Christmas, here’s #9 in the 4th Line Podcast’s top 12 2nd Overall Picks. 9. Dave Babych, D Embed from Getty Images Drafted 1980, Winnipeg Jets Games Played 1195 Points 723 Of all the great mustachioed hockey players, DaveRead More →

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In: Central Division
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The season is just days away, and we’ve reached part three of our series looking previewing each team’s schedules. Until Prudhoe Bay, Alaska gets an NHL team (sort it out Bettman), the farthest distance between two teams is the trip from the Vancouver Canucks to the Florida Panthers. A journey by air of 2,780 miles. Considering that the Canucks are one of the worst teams in the NHL, they could save a whole of rainforest by just sending the two points by email with the subject title ‘foregone conclusion’. Geographically speaking, the closest teams in the NHL, perhaps unsurprisingly are the New York Rangers andRead More →

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The 2016-17 season is a little over a week away, so today we’ll be sharing our Calder Trophy predictions, with a twist. This time we’re each going to pitch our nomination and let you decide. Last year’s Calder Trophy was won by the Chicago Blackhawks’ Artemi Panarin, edging out fellow rookies Connor McDavid and Shayne Gostisbehere. Joel Schnell If you feel like you don’t get enough Leafs gushing and love from when I talk about them on the podcast then you might want to skip this section and move on to the next pick.  Everyone knows that I am going to pick a Toronto Maple LeafRead More →