Ice-Capades 10: Week 5 Overreactions

Since you liked the first Overreaction article from Week 2, I’m bringing it back for Week 5 of the NHL season. To speed up the publication of this article, I’ve reduced the number of teams I’ll look at in each conference from 10 to 7. Why 7? Because it’s between five and ten, and distinguishes me from the glut of articles that focus on five teams.

And with that in mind, let’s get to the teams! As always, the teams are divided by conference.

The good news is the Philadelphia Flyers do not have the worst goaltending in the league! For the first time in at least five years (when Hart led the Flyers into the second round of the 2020 playoffs), we have a goaltender who can keep the Flyers in games. All hail Dan Vladar—Calgary, keeping their ace goaltender and making him a UFA has been a boon for the Flyers. Even Kolosov turned in a great performance against the Flames, which I think is banner-worthy. The Flyers don’t have the worst power play either, which should also be added to the “Better Goaltending than Last Year” banner. Trevor Zegras has excelled alongside his former Duck friends Cam York and Jamie Drysdale, who are having some great starts to the season. It’s great having another cheat code in the shootout outside of Michkov. Speaking of shootouts, could we PLEASE stop going to overtime and win games in regulation?

The problem is shot attempts. I think Tocchet suited up and showed them how to take shots after the Flyers had 18 and lost against the tanking CALGARY FLAMES. The shot total obfuscates the fact that the Flyers had three and six shot attempts in the second period. At home. It’s the most embarrassing Flyers loss I’ve seen this season, and also the easiest win Dustin Wolf will ever have (if you don’t face a lot of shots as a goalie, you’re going to win). So for the love of all things John LeClair, Mike Richards, AND Rod Brind’Amour: SHOOT THE PUCK!

And if I hear ANY MORE Matvei Michkov discourse, I will sic Gritty. It’s not a threat, it’s a promise. We know sophomore slumps happen, and Michkov is most certainly in one. He’s gotten slightly more responsible defensively, and I’m sure it’ll improve as the season progresses. He also scored three goals in three out of the four games he’s played, so it’s safe to say he’s regained his offensive game from last season. Like I’ve said this entire season, if we’re a bubble team by the playoffs, I’ll be happy with how the season has gone. The Eastern Conference has a lot of teams above .500 (except

Yes, I have BOTH Philadelphia teams on this one. In all honesty, I want the Pittsburgh Penguins to be better. I’ve heard of the fights and other legends of the Keystone State battle, and I want to witness it myself. The last time the two teams met this season ratcheted up the drama, in particular overtime with an Evgeni Malkin goal that wasn’t, followed by a Tyson Forester goal that wasn’t, and then, if we didn’t have enough madness, an overtime fight followed by Trevor Zegras and some other Penguins getting ejected for the shootout. Oh, and the Flyers won, so you know full well the Penguins will be gunning for revenge.

What’s the secret to the Penguin’s turnaround? Well, of course, young players like Harrison Bruenecke have done well, as has the addition of a goaltender who doesn’t turn into a sieve in Artur Silovs. It also doesn’t hurt that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin keep playing like it’s 2009. They are third in the Metropolitan division, and even though most of the teams are above .500, the Penguins should look at how this season went as an accomplishment. The calls to trade Crosby have died on the vine, as Kyle Dubas’ retool seems to be going as planned. One thing that unites Penguins and Flyers fans is our hatred of Ron Hextall as a GM.

And now, a picture of me watching the New York Rangers when they play at home in Madison Square Garden:

When you have to bring out the record book and look at a defunct team that no longer exists—the 1927-1928 Pittsburgh Pirates, who were shut out in five of their last seven games— you know you’re doing badly at home. They wanted their 100th season to make history, and they did, alright, just not the one you’d like to make. They could only score one goal against teams not named the San Jose Sharks at home, and they lost that game in overtime! The most frustrating part is that the Rangers looked good on the road. Before they got shut out at home by the Islanders, they won 4-1 against the Red Wings on the road. It felt like the Rangers forgot their playing skills the moment they walked through the door of Madison Square Garden.

Oh, I know they won against the Predators at home. My bad on rooting for Nashville to do something cool for once—that will not happen again. The Rangers then followed it up by putting a seven-spot on the Lightning, but I will always remember their home scoring woes. I will laugh so hard if their slow start leads to them missing the playoffs. When the Rangers lose, every one of their rivals (including my Flyers, Hurricanes, and Panthers) wins.

The New Jersey Devils just concluded a disastrous West Coast road trip. While they beat the Kings, they lost all three games against the San Jose Sharks, the Anaheim Ducks, and the Colorado Avalanche. Goaltender Jake Allen gave up a goal on the first shot against the Ducks and Sharks, which rivals the muligans the 2024-2025 Pittsburgh Penguins goaltenders allowed.

Then they went on to win three out of their next four games, including an OT thriller against the Blackhawks that I didn’t watch because it was 10 pm and I don’t stay up for late games unless it’s playoff hockey time. Jack Hughes looked back to his old self, but we know what happens—he will get injured. And he did by CUTTING UP FOOD while at a team dinner, sidelining him for eight weeks. I’m certain another Jack Hughes injury will lead to another Devils downward spiral, like last year and the year before that, but we have to see how they’ll play. Yes, Cody Glass got injured, but that’s just him living up to his namesake. I’m hoping players like Nico Hischier, Jack’s brother Luke, and Connor Brown will step up so that this does not happen, but that’s more so because I want to see them get cocky before they get gentleman-swept in the playoffs again. Next time, Devils, bubble wrap Hughes.

The Carolina Hurricanes got hit hard with the injury bug. Jaccob Slavin got injured in a preseason game, played through a few games, and then sat out on the injured list with a lower-body injury; the return date is to be determined. Jalen Chatfield got an upper-body injury after a dangerous hit to the head by the Wild’s Tyler Pitlick in November. Rookie defenseman Charles-Alexis Legault got a skate cut to the hand and is now on the injured list. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov spent time on the injured list at the beginning of the season, and his goalie partner, Freddie Andersen, is out with a concussion. And to make matters worse, star forward Seth Jarvis is on the injured list due to a puck to the face in their last game against the Vancouver Canucks.

Despite the barrage of injuries, the Canes are second in the Metropolitan Division. Canes fans have seen the benefits of their scouting and drafting, as in the absence of Kochetkov, the emergence of Brandon Bussi, which means that they have three good goaltenders. It’s the antithesis of last year’s Flyers, where we had three bad goaltenders, but I’ll digress back to the Canes. Chicago Wolf (the Canes AHL affiliate) Charles-Alexis Legault looked like a great defenseman before his injury, and fellow Wolf Brady Nadeau looks like a star in the making. The same goes for Alexander Nikishin, who brings his size and puck-handling skills from SKA St. Petersburg (where he served as their captain) to a North American stage. I hope he gets some Calder votes. The Canes seek to weather the storm, and they have done so admirably.

The Florida Panthers have slightly turned things around after a disastrous start to the season. While they won’t be as deadly without Barkov and Tkachuk (especially on their power play), they have the Rat King himself, Brad Marchand, to thank for keeping them afloat. He’s sometimes the only reason the Panthers get goals some nights, and I’m sure he’s using his leadership skills as Boston’s captain to help the team in the absence of Sasha Barkov. He also reached 1,000 points, becoming the 103rd player to do so in NHL history. With Tkachuk scheduled to come back in the next two weeks, the Panthers get one of their best scorers back at an important time. The Olympics break is fast approaching, and it is paramount that they get as many points as possible before the hiatus.

Now that’s how you recover from a slow start, Tampa Bay! The Tampa Bay Lightning are back in the saddle, winning four of their last five. And while they let the Rangers score a touchdown plus an extra point at home, they look back to their old, world-beating selves. Vasilevsky is doing Vasilevsky things (being an elite goalie), Kucherov is still racking up assists, and Jake Guentzel is still very good at playing hockey. Like with the Hurricanes, they do have key players out on injured reserve, including captain Victor Hedman, forward Brandon Hagel, and defenseman Ryan McDonagh.

Now let’s see how they play today

¹ against Florida. They had two heated preseason match-ups, with the last racking up over 300 penalty minutes. I’m basically expecting Marchand and Bennett to get some fighting majors.

The San Jose Sharks are back! 8-7 and led by the amazing skills of Mackin Celebrini and Will Smith. They started the season winless in their first five, but came back to life after winning an offensive showcase against the Rangers on the road. Will Smith got four points, and Celebrini got a hat-trick. While they lost the next game to the Devils, they went on a four-game win streak and, most importantly, are not bottom feeders in the Western Conference. The four-year-long rebuild has finally progressed. One of those fruits of the rebuild includes goalie Yaroslav Askarov. Askarov has a decent .906 save percentage in tandem with veteran goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who also has a .906 save percentage. League-average goaltending has also helped the Sharks to maintain the leads that Celebrini, Smith, and company have built. It is an improvement from last year’s tandem of Alexandar Georgiev and Georgi Romanov, who respectively had a .875 and .877 save percentage.

The Colorado Avalanche are very good. That is all.

Just kidding, here’s some more about them. Nathan MacKinnon is leading the league in points as always, the lumber yard in Scott Wedgewood, and Mackenzie Blackwood are stopping pucks and making great saves, and Avalanche fans get a full season of Gabriel Landeskog. Plus, Canes legends Martin Necas and Brett Burns join the Avalanche and have done well in the burgundy and blue. What I’m looking at as a test for the Avalanche is the postseason, which I’m sure they’ll make. The Avalanche haven’t made it past the second round since their Stanley Cup-winning season in 2022, and I’m sure fans and players want a deep playoff run.

Time to check back in on the Nashville Predators, who are one of the two teams I did a deep dive on before the season started. It’s been less than 20 games, and they still are at the bottom of the Western Conference. Nashville is slightly faster thanks to youth like Fedor Svechkov and Ozzy Weisblatt, but only slightly. They have to give their older vets in Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, and Brady Skjei many minutes. After all, GM Barry Trotz has to justify the expensive contracts he handed out to them. While captain Roman Josi is out long-term to help manage his POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), Filip Forsberg has picked up the slack. At least goaltender Juuse Saros looks better than he did last year! Progress! I’m guessing Trotz will use this to justify keeping everyone around instead of positioning his team for a rebuild. Gotta love GMs refusing to face the reality that their team needs a rebuild to relive old glories.

Seven in a row for the Anaheim Ducks. Nice!

Or shall I say..

Yeah, they lost to the Colorado Avalanche, but they are cementing themselves as a team to watch in the Western Conference, unlike the other team I covered in the Nashville Predators. Veterans like Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider, and Radko Gudas (plus Ross Johnston as a goon) have meshed well with the youth.

I would put a pithy Cutter Gauthier line here, but I want to say a hot take, which is that both the Ducks and Flyers won the trade.
Jamie Drysdale has only had one extended stint on the injured reserve, and because of this, has developed into a decent defender who will only improve under Tocchet’s defense-oriented system. And thanks to Drysdale coming to Philadelphia, the Flyers got his buddy Zegras, who has done very well for his new team. While Gauthier’s pre-trade drama is more acrimonious than Drysdale's or Zegras’, all three players needed a change of scenery. Injuries and mismanagement by then-coach Greg Cronin sidelined Drysdale’s and Zegras’s careers. Gauthier’s unwillingness to play in Philadelphia after getting drafted, plus getting blasted for it, made him persona non grata in Philadelphia. Irrespective of my level-headed take, I am excited to yell “Jamie’s better!” at my TV screen on January 11 when the Ducks and Flyers play.

We all saw the Edmonton Oilers’ goaltending problem coming. When the Flyers meaningfully address their goaltending concerns, but a back-to-back Western Conference champion does not is a problem! You have Connor McDavid at a discount, GIVE HIM SOME GOALTENDING HELP! And also someone who doesn’t turn the puck over or puckwatch like Evan Bouchard, please. I know that he’s great offensively, but those don’t mean much when you give up more goals than you pot home. Do you think Stan Bowman regrets the Trent Frederic contract now? I would. Zach Hyman will be back soon, but if they waste two of Connor McDavid’s prime years, I will personally circulate a petition to get rid of Bowman as a GM.

Why yes, my Flyers let the Calgary Flames win a game. While the Sharks have improved to be sixth in their conference, the Flames have not. It looks like the rebuild is in full force after the Flames nearly secured a playoff spot last year. Scoring remains a problem from last year, now attenuated as Dustin Wolf can’t save the Flames from their inability to score off the side of a barn. They now serve as the previous year’s Sharks, wherein their wins mean the other team either played down to competition (Rangers, in their only road loss so far) or did not play up to their potential (Flyers, need I say more?). It’s been less than 20 games, and we already have a Tank Bowl contender.

I knew the Dallas Stars would come back from their slump! Doesn’t hurt that they revved up the (Thomas) Harley for an eight-year extension, and they play well from behind! Yes, Otter isn’t back to his old self, but he just became a dad, so it‘s understandable. Like the Panthers, they have a few injuries to key players like captain Jamie Benn, center Matt Duchene, and the eight-year extension defenseman himself, Thomas Harley. Wyatt Johnson, Miro Heiskanen, and Colorado’s favorite Avalanche Mikko Rantanen have picked up the slack in their absence. My Flyers play the Stars later tonight, and I’m expecting an offensive showcase after a fight-fueled Panthers-Lightning matchup. Let’s hope I’m right! And congrats to Daryl “Razor” Reaugh on his Hockey Hall of Fame induction as a color broadcaster. He’s one of the best in the business, and I highly recommend listening to some of his calls.

NHL Masters

Here are the NHL Masters leaders in Week 5. Our week 2 Masters leader, Sam Bennett, is now outside the top 10. Bennett finally realized that even though he got paid for his postseason performance, he should at least play decently to justify the contract. The top five players are from Calgary and St. Louis, both of which are bottom-feeder teams, but having two Oilers shows how awful their defense has been. When a serviceable winger in Andrew Mangiapane has a -19, you know their defensive coach needed to get fired yesterday. As I said above, when I talked about the Oilers, McDavid and Draisaitl can only mask so many flaws.

Thank you for sticking around for 10 Ice-Capades! 1,000,000 thank yous for all the likes and reposts of my hockey newsletter. It’s become some of my more popular content on here, which I’m happy about. If you like this, please share it with your friends, on social media, with your pets &c&c&c.