Brutal October Schedule Leads to Top Pick?

[Good Intentions]

This is premature, but the concept may be right - if the wheels do in fact fall off, and encourage an early sell-off, I think a brutal month of scheduling is in large part to blame (or thank) - depending on which side of the win/lose to win coin you may be...

I don't think it's been said enough, but we've had a horrid hand from the schedule. Consider the following:

1. Open on home ice against a cup favorite. Play a damn good game, probably deserve OT or better. Get 0.
2. BB on the road, Buffalo and Carolina. Don't need to rehash how those two went. Get 0.
3. Saturday brunch at MSG vs. Edmonton, drop another 1-goal regulation decision. Get 0.
4. Another BB, get results but then three full days off before beginning in Calgary.
5. West Coast trip, one game over 4 days. LA collapse leads into SJ and Anaheim...

This group has (had) some jam to open things up. We could end up 3-10-1, I think some better scheduling (and ability to defend a lead) would have very easily brought us something closer to 6-6 (or even better when you consider some of these results).

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[Amazing Kreiderman]

I don't see how we need a separate thread for this

 

[Kaapo Cabana]

The schedule thing is a BS excuse.

Remember how salty Isles fans were because they thought we were only good in 14-15 because of our easy schedule?

It was BS then, and its BS now

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Brutal?

I think it’s been pretty light. If this months schedudle is brutal, we’re doing to be dead in December

 

[Don Chytil]

Just found a couple of sites that rank Strength of Schedule by teams played so far: ESPN has us at 17th league wide, Playoffstatus.com has us at 23rd. I don't know what these sites use to come up with these rankings, but I'm assuming it's some combination of win% of teams we've played and goal differential of teams we've played. But either way, it's been far from brutal.

 

[BroadwayBlues]

The tough schedule has yet to began.

 

[Good Intentions]

Fair enough. Perhaps I'm just trying to reason with the uppercut coming.

 

[Mac n Gs]

The schedule thing is a BS excuse.

Remember how salty Isles fans were because they thought we were only good in 14-15 because of our easy schedule?

It was BS then, and its BS now

Was that the cupcake schedule season? Those were great playoff avis.

 

[nyr2k2]

Seems like the schedule has been pretty easy. We're not a very good team, yet we could probably have 4, maybe even 6 more points than we do if not for tough luck and an inability to bury chances (also partly due to tough luck). It's only going to get harder.

 

[Kaapo Cabana]

Was that the cupcake schedule season? Those were great playoff avis.

Certainly was