David Puddy

If he's not a Devils fan, I'll take it.

If Toronto or Atlanta get hot, we have a lot to worry about. I doubt they will, but it's fun to follow the games until they're just specks in the rear view mirror.

Theoretically yes, but referees have to ignore penalties all the time to keep the game going, just like highway cops don't usually pull over someone doing 70 in a 65. That leads to inconsistencies between referees. Making such specific rules does nothing but give the ILLUSION of consistency.

USA Hockey's rule is written almost exactly the same. This is a matter of rules interpretation/spirit of the rule. They should just rewrite the rule so all the armchair refs will stop bitching about creative moves like this. The trend towards overly objective, detailed rules in American sports is ridiculous. You can't let the fans call the game. Open up the rulebook, let the referees have more discretion, and spend more time training them on points of interpretation.

You're being too pedantic. The puck's overall motion has to be towards the goal line, but the player is still allowed to move the puck backwards in the process of stickhandling. This is from USA Hockey: The spirit and intent of the rule that states the puck must be kept in a forward motion during the penalty shot attempt is to prohibit a situation where the player taking the shot turns back in an effort to delay the shot or loses control of the puck and has to retrieve it. The spirit and intent is not designed to prohibit a player from making a creative move where they maintain control of the puck at all times in an effort to deceive the goalkeeper in the process of taking the shot. This is the same for both the NHL and USA Hockey.

This is a direct quote from NHL Rule 24: "The spin-o-rama type move where the player completes a 360° turn as he approaches the goal, shall be permitted as this involves continuous motion." Basically, the player gets some leeway. As long as he doesn't turn around and go backwards, do a loop rather than a spin, or completely stop the puck for more than a split second, the shot will be counted. I think goalies should just go for the feet in this situation. If you can react in time, just go for the trip. Best case, the referee judges you're going for the puck and the shot is no good. Worst case, the player gets a redo, and he probably won't get so cute the next time. "When an infraction worthy of a minor penalty is committed by the goalkeeper during the penalty shot that causes the shot to fail, no penalty is to be assessed but the Referee shall permit the shot to be taken over again."

And the Sabres win. They're not going to slip. Devils will need to pass the Rags AND Canes to get the 8th seed.

And down go the Rags.

That isn't right. Teams with shootout losses would have gotten a point for a tie, so you'd have to go through every OTL to figure out which were from OT (point stays) and which were from the SO (point deducted). Kind of a pain in the ass to figure out.

All the Devils have to do is lose 2.5 fewer games than the Canes and 2 fewer games than the Rangers. Doesn't seem that crazy when you put it that way. I'm predicting Sabres 7 and Devils 8. Canes and Rags miss.

#WINNING

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/sports/basketball/07naps.html?_r=2&ref=sports

That's the best way to look at it. Was talking to a buddy of mine who's a Sabres fan last night, and said I wouldn't be surprised if both the Canes and Rangers drop out and the Sabres and Devils are the 7 and 8 seeds.

I'd be down with that as long as they still have dollar beer nights!

It's still a possibility considering the Rags have played more games than anyone in the league.

Completely agree. For those that think this is a good idea... get past the sentimental aspect, and you'll realize how bad of an idea it is. Set foot in downtown Winnipeg and you will instantly change your mind.

C'mon Wild!

Atlanta is 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. Not worth worrying about them. Buffalo, Carolina, and the Rags are the teams we need to pay attention to.

It's not worth worrying about Atlanta or Florida anymore. If the Devils win like they need to, those two teams will be left in the dust.

Empty netter. Game over. Thank you Peter Laviolette.

Damn, wish I could make it to the Rock. Cleveland seems to me like the Hot Dog capital of the world... live just a few blocks from both these places. Chili dogs are something like $1.80 here... one of the few nice things about living in a depressed city.

Question to those in the know... What happens to that money? Is that something the teams have to pay the league on top of the fine, or do they just get to stick that back in their pockets?

They just went way too far the other way. Not terrible, but definitely something any rec team with a buddy who knows how to use Adobe Illustrator can roll out. At least they got it right by putting "Tampa Bay" on the road jersey and nothing on the home (*ahem* Dallas).

How do you think Zach Parise feels sitting at home watching the team starting to win? Is he thinking, "they're winning?! Now I'm definitely not taking a long-term deal."

Great to read this. One silver lining about this season is that JL can put Kovy on the penalty kill without worrying about ruining anything. If JL doesn't stick around, maybe he'd stay on as a special assignment coach since Kovy seems to be open to learn from him.