Gästebuch » New York might need to put up more goals

SEA ISLAND Arizona Coyotes Hoodies Authentic , Ga. (AP) — Seattle’s NHL expansion team has its roots in Dave Tippett’s computer.That’s where the longtime coach-turned-senior adviser keeps a running list of players around the league who might be available in an expansion draft that is still 2½ years off. It is just an exercise for now but will become a key building block when Seattle picks its first players in June 2021.“Every year it’ll change a little bit,” Tippett said. “By the time it gets here, you’ll have a pretty good idea of where you think teams are going to fall.”Long months are ahead before the as-yet-unnamed team plays its first game, but work is already underway and the effort can begin in earnest now that the NHL Board of Governors has officially awarded Seattle a franchise. Groundbreaking on a total overhaul of KeyArena is Wednesday, and Seattle’s front office will spend the rest of this season plotting the course for an organization that has a tough act to follow after the Vegas Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season.“Part of the DNA of this ownership group is we’re extremely competitive,” said Tod Leiweke, a minority partner, president and CEO of Seattle Hockey Partners. “We’re here to win. And we want to win. So we’re going to look at these timelines and how it can be put to our advantage.”That means Tippett will watch the rest of this season with an eye on the new team’s future and he will sketch out the beginnings of a hockey operations department. He will likely be senior vice president of hockey operations and have a big say in choosing the first general manager of the league’s 32nd team.Tippett will likely hire some scouts this summer and move forward on the GM search.“When you’re a year or two out, everything continues to evolve Arizona Coyotes Hats Authentic ,” Tippett said. “You continue to monitor things. It’s an ever-changing world out there right now in the hockey world between coaches and GMs.”Veteran Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland is considered a potential candidate, and Vegas assistant Kelly McCrimmon would know the recipe for a successful expansion draft after helping George McPhee put the Golden Knights together. The same rules will be in place that allow teams to protect only seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender, or eight skaters at any position and a goaltender.That means that for $850 million, Seattle will have an opportunity to win right away.“It gives you an excitement that you can have a team that’s not your expansion teams of the past with the NHL rules,” Tippett said. “You can have a competitive team like Vegas. Nobody expected that from them. But it’s not as if you’re in a five-year rebuild or five-year starting point. You actually can get some good players because of the rules.”Leiweke is friends with McPhee and Golden Knights president Kerry Bubolz and said his new team will build “brick by brick” like Vegas did.First, there are real bricks. Majority owner David Bonderman said the immediate focus is on getting arena renovations and three-rink practice facility construction completed. Leiweke expects the 17,000-seat downtown arena to open in March or April 2021 and host the expansion draft.Tippett has a hand in all those projects and is also working to settle Seattle’s American Hockey League affiliate.And he and the ownership group will, at some point Custom Arizona Coyotes Jerseys , go on a hiring spree to try to replicate Vegas’ success.“We have momentum, and this is a business of recruitment,” Leiweke said. “We now really feel confident that we’ll be able to recruit a top-flight staff. And we need to, because this is the most competitive league in the world, and parity is the trademark of the National Hockey League today. So we’re going to have to be really, really good at recruiting, but our owners are going to give us everything we need.” Hitting the road isn’t normally seen as a good thing for NHL teams, but the New York Islanders are embracing their longest trip of the season to date.New York (15-12-4) starts a four-game Western Conference swing Monday night at Colorado with a good attitude and with the hope of building momentum after a 4-3 shootout win over Detroit on Saturday night.“I think it’s kind of nice, get on the road www.officialbruinsproonline.com , be together as a group, kind of get that bonding again,” center Mathew Barzal told Newsday after the win over the Red Wings. “I get excited playing in front of other fans. I think we all do.”Article continues below ...The Islanders will be on the road when the NHL roster freeze starts Wednesday and concludes Sunday in Dallas just ahead of the Christmas break.“It’s right before Christmas, right before everyone gets to see family and get some time off,” Anthony Beauvillier, who extended his goal streak to three games on Saturday, told Newsday. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.” Beauvillier might change his tune when facing the high-scoring Avalanche on Monday night. Colorado (18-9-6) has scored 121 goals, tops in the Western Conference and third overall, and is coming off a 6-4 win over Dallas on Saturday night.The top line for the Avalanche has combined for 148 points this season and scored five of the six goals against the Stars.Colorado could have had more goals Saturday but had two disallowed upon review.Forward Mikko Rantanen (56 points) is on a 14-game point streak and leads the NHL in scoring. Center Nathan MacKinnon (52 points) is second.The third member Boston Bruins T-Shirts Authentic , captain Gabe Landeskog, has 21 goals, tied with MacKinnon for the team lead.“I’m fortunate to be part of such a good line that finds different ways to score goals,” Landeskog said after the game.The Avalanche pulled out that win on Landeskog’s goal at 16:40 gave them the lead, and MacKinnon added an empty-netter 1:57 later after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period.New York has had issues with the third period this season before pulling one out against Detroit at home. It was the first time in 10 games the Islanders have won when trailing after two periods but helped them improve to 3-3-1 in December.New York might need to put up more goals Monday than it has lately. The Islanders average 2.9 goals per game but only 2.3 in the last seven. That might not be enough against a team that averages 3.7 goals per game.They also can’t afford to lose ground in the playoff race. Even though it’s only December, dropping valuable points could make things tougher down the road.“You’re going to see in these next four, five games things start to settle in a little bit,” New York captain Anders Lee told Newsday. “It’s that time of the year where these points are crucial. Moves are starting to be made and things start to get a little more set in stone. It only gets harder and harder to climb out of a hole if you get put in one.”