Around the League 46: Sharks Finally Yank A Win Out Of Their Cloaca

[Discipline Daddy]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1851796295268082066

Kucherov is so good

That's what I'm talking about when I saw Kuch is a generational passer. His passing skills are better than any player we've ever had suit up for our team, including Ron Francis, even. He's just insane and he pulls that stuff all the time. Francis is probably the closest we've come to that level of vision, and Ray Whitney and Cory Stillman aren't far off. It's a beauty to watch.

 

[chaz4hockey]

From this week's 32 thoughts:

Didn't know this:

"11. The average NHL save percentage hasn’t been below .900 since 1995-96 (.898), but we were at .897 heading into Tuesday’s games. My theory is that players hiring skills coaches at younger ages have turned them into spectacular marksmen. Combine that with the thinning of goaltender equipment, and, for the first time in a long time, the skaters have surpassed the stoppers. Teammate Justin Bourne has a good article with his ideas here"

 

[tarheelhockey]

From this week's 32 thoughts:

Didn't know this:

"11. The average NHL save percentage hasn’t been below .900 since 1995-96 (.898), but we were at .897 heading into Tuesday’s games. My theory is that players hiring skills coaches at younger ages have turned them into spectacular marksmen. Combine that with the thinning of goaltender equipment, and, for the first time in a long time, the skaters have surpassed the stoppers. Teammate Justin Bourne has a good article with his ideas here"

I don’t know if I’d go that far. A lot of guys don’t even look at the net when they shoot. They just know if they they pop the puck to a certain space with no windup on their 65 flex, there’s a decent chance it finds net. Half the time they smack it off the glass. Nothing wrong with it, but I don’t think I’d characterize it as “spectacular marksmen” so much as “it’s really not hard to roof a puck at 80mph anymore”

 

[WreckingCrew]

I don’t know if I’d go that far. A lot of guys don’t even look at the net when they shoot. They just know if they they pop the puck to a certain space with no windup on their 65 flex, there’s a decent chance it finds net. Half the time they smack it off the glass. Nothing wrong with it, but I don’t think I’d characterize it as “spectacular marksmen” so much as “it’s really not hard to roof a puck at 80mph anymore”

Additionally, aren't there often a lot of higher-scoring games to start most seasons...like goalies always seem to "start slow"? I seem to remember similar in some previous years over a smaller sample size but it "regressed to mean" over the course of the year.

 

[A Star is Burns]

I do think a lot of guys have skills coaches coming up more than they used to and even when they are up in the show more than they used to. I'm sure it factors in. Like with most things, there are many different factors that come into play with slightly higher scoring in recent years and higher end scoring at the top of the charts as well.

 

[Stickpucker]

“it’s really not hard to roof a puck at 80mph anymore”

May I direct your attention to Jordan Staal.

 

[Svechhammer]

happy the bjs have started well

And to think we assumed having a toothless offense would be a bad thing

 

[tarheelhockey]

May I direct your attention to Jordan Staal.

Proof of the difference a generation makes!