1) Charlotte's goaltending situation is still an area that needs improvement. Both goaltenders, Rasmus Tirronen and Drew MacIntyre, have sub .900 save percentages thus far this season. I do believe that over the course of the year, both men will find their consistency and the Checkers will be better for it. This past Sunday's victory against Iowa is an indication that MacIntyre, who is eighth all time in AHL wins, is moving forward in the right direction.
2) A coach like Mark Morris has seen plenty of things during his long career. However, he told me after this past Saturday's comeback when the Checkers scored six goals on eight shots in the third period to win 7-4 against Iowa that it was something he'd never experienced. He gave full credit to the leadership in the room that never relented despite being down by three goals in the final period of regulation. I thought a demoralized Iowa team would show up the following Sunday afternoon but they played a heck of a game to force overtime.
4) I saw this tweet today and thought it was interesting. "With the NHL expanding in 2017, the statistical chance of a person making the NHL will go from 0.000000085166785% to 0.000000096522356%." So, you're saying there's a chance.
5) If Phil Di Giuseppe continues to score at his current pace, he will end up around 50 points this season. That would be a 20 point increase from his rookie season. He is definitely trending in the right direction. He's also taken to playing center quite well, which is strange considering the move was an in-game decision during a victory at San Antonio a few weeks ago.
6) Buffalo Sabres General Manager Tim Murray said the recent focus on lack of scoring and making NHL nets bigger is a "media driven" creation. I agree. While stats may indicate that scoring is down this season, using that as evidence to change the game in a way that suits a small group of people's interest is absurd.
7) If Dylan Larkin wasn't on the Detroit Red Wings roster, they would be in the cellar of the NHL standings. Larkin is proving not only to be a great player but the most valuable player on that team.
8) Twenty years ago today Patrick Roy played his last game for Montreal. He allowed nine goals on 26 shots and Detroit won 11-1. Mario Tremblay was the Montreal head coach at the time and refused to pull Roy from the onslaught. After Roy had enough, he skated to the bench, took his mask off, walked past Tremblay, turned to Montreal's team president and said that he would never play for the Habs again. Roy went on to win two more Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe with Colorado, the team he was traded to after the debacle in Montreal.
9) Zach Boychuk has compiled seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in his last five games. It's clear to me that his past two weeks have been the most confident and aggressive we've seen Boychuk play this year. He is now being rewarded with points. No one questions that Boychuk could easily carry the Checkers offensively considering how much talent he possesses.
10) Radko Gudas used a leaping forearm to knock down Mika Zibanejad last night. Look up the video if you'd like. Gudas, who is one of the dirtiest players in the game, should be suspended heavily. There is no point to doing what Gudas did unless he intended to injure Zibanejad. The guy is reckless and I hope they throw the book at him.
