Afternoons by the pool. After 8 p.m. sunsets. Walking around the backyard in bare feet. What are shoes? What are socks?
Music to Set the Mood…
–
This song slaps, and I broke records listening to this on walks and out by the pool….
Yeah you can have Spring, Fall and Winter. Like, take them away. I want my summer back.
I used to think Seasonal Affective Disorder was a joke. Nah, buddy, I’m the living embodiment of it today.
Sigh.
Anyway, back and marginally better for the god-knows-how-long-it’s-been time (16 years?), I’m back in full time blogging up the local hockey team. You can’t get rid of me that easily!
A Quote…
Summertime is always good. It is what it is. — Oscar Peterson
The Setup….
Out of the box I expect them to contend this year better than they did last year. They normally hit the ground running in October and the first parts of November, but they finally have a fully stocked prospect system which, barring trades and the plague affecting the team in Pittsburgh, should keep a large cadre of hungry, good prospects here chomping at the bit keeping the wheels going on the farm.
Oh, opening night Friday off, they open with Springfield on Saturday and then are (sigh) right back at it Sunday at home against Hartford, the first of EIGHT Sunday home games this season.
Records
Neither Springfield or Hartford play Friday. Hartford is in Allentown Saturday.
Ch-ch-changes…
So here’s the major hits in case you have been under an umbrella at the beach or out by the pool all summer, like I have been….
– They have a new ECHL affiliate. It’s the Florida Everblades who have won three straight Kelly Cups. The Hoffmann Family, who, now owns the Pittsburgh Penguins, already had the Everblades in their portfolio. Yeah, it sucks losing Wheeling as an affiliate, but it’s a business. Get ready for a lot of Reading, Trenton, Adirondack, etc. PTOs if bodies are needed in a pinch. Closest Florida comes up to these parts is Cincinnati, I think. And, yes, airplanes exist. I am aware!
– The Nailers partnered with the Columbus Blue Jackets, so they landed on their feet, so to speak.
– The Pens have a new radio home, moving to Fuzz 96.1 FM
– Big offseason adds from Coal Street include Hugh McGing, late of Springfield, Ryan Mast, late of Rockford and Rafael Harvey-Pinard, who needs no introduction, to straight up AHL deals.
The Rest of those Rascals…
Charlotte is in Hershey for a pair to start the season….Lehigh Valley only has one game against Hartford Saturday….Providence hosts Utica Friday, Springfield Sunday.
It’s too early for this!
Give me a bunch of sentences on the rest of the division…
Boy you are asking a lot just coming off a summer break, but here goes….
Providence: I would expect them to contend again with the Pens for tops in the division all season. Hartford: Biggest unknown. Same thing with them year after year, they look great on paper in October but are out of it by Christmas. Springfield: Could contend / could surprise. How do they survive playing Providence a thousand times with Bridgeport gone will be the answer, I think. Hershey: Scrambling late, because they lost Clay Stevenson to waivers this week and don’t have a bonafide number one goaltender. They will play the Pens tight, as always. Lehigh Valley: I don’t see them as a playoff team. Jonathan Gruden plays for them now. Could be a pain in the ass team, as per usual. Charlotte: I expect them to contend but in no way do I think they are better then the Penguins or Providence.
Records
Everyone is 0-0. Again, it’s too early for this!
Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who’s Out?
Tristan Broz made the NHL team but Broz is banged up, so he remains up. Owen Pickering, Harrison Brunicke are down. Rutger McGroarty joined them Thursday. Wilkes-Barre sent a bunch of bodies to Wheeling, err, Florida, (where’s that fine jar?) earlier in the week.
What can we learn about the Penguins this week?
First impressions are lasting ones. I don’t see any reason why they can’t win both of these games easily, but I really haven’t paid attention to what they did in the offseason or preseason. They only had one scheduled home game which was last Friday but that got cancelled due to “mechanical” issues at the arena.
(Guess the ice wishes it was a pool, too)
No reason to think however, based off of the current roster construct, that they can’t pick up where they left off last season and run at the top of the division.
They will be strong on defense, probably the deepest corps in the Atlantic to start, Conference to challenge and League to be seen.
Only question I have is how AHL ready Taylor Gauthier is. He set every record imaginable in Wheeling last year in goal and is more than ready. But the AHL is a level up and it’s own animal.
Also, some of the rookies and first year guys may be tested. It’s 72 games and a grind of a season, after all, but the defense is elite and goaltending is more than capable, so we will see.
Are they better then they were last year? Let’s temper our expectations on this no matter what happens this weekend, or this month.
Who’s in Goal?
Joel Blomqvist should start Saturday and then Taylor Gauthier should make his debut Sunday.
Who’s Running the Show?
Mason Riley and Adam Tobias don the orange arm bands with Dominic Moore and Onni Hautamäki running the lines on Saturday. Sunday sees Mathieu Menniti and Graedy Hamilton in town with Moore and Hautamäki sticking around and keeping them onside.
Looking Ahead…
They aren’t home again until October 23, next weekend takes them to Hartford next Saturday and Providence on Sunday. They knock out their Cleveland trip in a fortnight.
Give us a bold prediction…
They win both games, handily, and at the end of the weekend they will be in the top five on the power play.
YOU DIDN’T THINK I WOULD FORGET DID YOU!
NASCAR: I don’t see any reason why Yung Money can’t continue his run of form and win in Vegas, but give me Denny Hamlin.
MLS: New York City Football Club is off till October 10. They need points if they are to make playoffs. A trip to Chicago October 10 isn’t going to be easy, but you can never count the pigeons out.
WBS News
