An NHL Expansion Story: Deep in the Heart of Texas

[m1a2lt]

Quote: Originally Posted by SeattleBattleCat

Those are sweet banners bud. Nice work. Good luck in advance for back-to-back.

Thanks Bro; let's see if the Huskies can be the next Islanders.

[m1a2lt]

[kinsmen7]

I love seeing the difference between the way people play this game.

You went for it, and seem to have absolutely no issue trading draft picks. I'm in the semi-finals in mine right now, with 4 1st round picks in the upcoming draft (projecting to be 5th, 24th, 26th, 32nd), but wish I had of spent some of that capital on a good player or two, as injuries and lack of depth have started to take a toll.

[m1a2lt]

Quote: Originally Posted by kinsmen7

I love seeing the difference between the way people play this game. You went for it, and seem to have absolutely no issue trading draft picks. I'm in the semi-finals in mine right now, with 4 1st round picks in the upcoming draft (projecting to be 5th, 24th, 26th, 32nd), but wish I had of spent some of that capital on a good player or two, as injuries and lack of depth have started to take a toll.

I think if I hadn't started the game with the #1 overall and two first rounders. I've got everyone locked up for some reasonable dollars right now but might have to make some decisions in a couple seasons.

[m1a2lt]

After the Houston Huskies played their 41st game on 9 January, they were sitting with a record of 26-14-1, good for 53 points and sitting third in the Central Division and fifth in the NHL. That being said, Houston has only two points on the San Jose Sharks, who sit outside the playoff window (Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets also sit two points back in wildcard positions). That said, Houston only sits three points behind Dallas for lead of the Central Division and seven points behind the league leaders, the Florida Panthers. Everything being equal, what are the chances of a repeat by the Huskies? Let’s break it down:

The good: Houston has a playoff seat in what is considered the most competitive division in hockey. 8-2-0 in their last ten, Houston is an amazing 15-4-1 away from their home rink. Amazingly, they lead the league both in goals for per game (3.22) and goals against per game (2.02). Their powerplay sits fourth in the leage, capitalizing 30 times in 125 chances. Their penalty kill sits fifth, killing 93 of 110 attempts.

For goalies having played more than fifteen games, Sergei Bobrovski sits second in the NHL in save percentage, with a 93.5% (only .1% behind the league leader, Roberto Luongo). Even more impressive, Bobrovski leads the NHL in goals against average for all goalies that have played a game this season. He is also tied for second in shutouts with five (Luongo has seven). Although backup Phillip Grubauer's 4-5-1 is not impressive, his 92.5% Sv% and 2.34 GAA are still respectful.

Center Nico Hischier sits seventh in the NHL in points, with 43 in 39 games. He is third in powerplay points, and tied for the lead in +/- (+25) with teammate Joe Pavelski and St Louis’ Ryan O’Reilly (Houston Left Winger Artemi Panarin is fourth at +24).

Thirty-six year old defenseman Mark Giordano is having a career year and leads defensemen in the NHL with 15 goals (San Jose Sharks’ Karlsson is second with 10), game winning goals (4), power play goals (6) and, believe it or not, hits (97). Giordano currently leads predictions for the Norris Trophy and an additional note: he is still signed for another year for a respectful $6.75m.

Nineteen year old rookie center A.J. Likens leads rookie scoring in goals (9), assists (21), and points (30). Powerplay goals (2), and powerplay points (9). He is also second in +/- (8) and tenth in hits (42).

The so-so: Houston has not found that one goal scorer that can be relied on constantly. Joe Pavelski leads the Huskies with sixteen but sits tied for twentieth in the NHL. The good part is that two players (Giordano and Hischier) sit tied for twenty-seventh. The bad part is the next player is Anders Lee, tied for 87th, with 11.

The team has struggled at home, with an unimpressive record of 11-10-0. Going into the playoffs and their current standing, they need to righten that ship before going into the playoffs.

The bad/ugly? This one is actually rather difficult; nothing seems to stand out. If pressed, I would say the Huskies need to look at their fourth line of Chandler Stephenson, Peter Holland, and Martin Frk, which is a combined -8 for the season. Also, after Giordano, the rest of the Huskies’ defense has only 52 points on the season and has had problems moving the puck out of the zone. The Huskies have also dropped a few close ones in the last minutes, loosing a point in the process.

Not playoff related, the Huskies grabbed three first round picks over the summer but have traded them all away, though not without grabbing some significant return. This could come back to bite them going forward and their top young players are looking at their payday.

Do the Huskies make the playoffs? Yes. Though not amazing, they are 11-6-1 against the Central and have shown that they tend to win against the better teams. Also, they tended to struggle more towards the beginning of the season but seem to be riding high now.

Do the Huskies win the cup? Last year, I said no and ended up eating a whole dinner of crow. Looking at this team, it is far better constructed than the team last year. That said, they have a chance, but in the last twenty years, only one team has done a back to back Stanley Cup wins. Unlikely but they have a chance.

Other notes: Once again, the Arlington Bald Eagles are outshining the big club. Sitting first in the AHL with a 30-7-4 record, their 5-on-5 play has been phenomenal but will need to clean up their powerplay and penalty kill. Left winger Morgan Klimchuk leads the team with thirty points and starting goalie Chris Driedger is 23-7-0, with seven shutouts, 91.7% save percentage and 1.97 GAA.

[m1a2lt]

[SeattleBattleCat]

Huskies have a had a nice strong run home to the playoffs. Good luck, hope Big Joe gets another Cup

[BT2008]

Good luck with the back to back my friend.