June 11, 2015
Michael Clifford
2015-06-11
Chicago wins Game 4, offer sheets galore, and looking at Silfverberg’s new potential fantasy floor.
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As always on Thursdays in the Dobber Hockey Forums, I'll have an open thread for any fantasy hockey questions that Dobber readers may have. Whether it be trades, projections, keeper selections, or otherwise, I'm happy to answer any and all fantasy hockey questions. The thread will be opened around lunchtime Eastern.
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It was another great game between Chicago and Tampa Bay last night, as the Blackhawks took Game 4 by a score of 2-1. The series is now evened up at two games apiece, with this now down to a best-of-three between the two finalists.
The big news before the game was that not only would regular starting goalie Ben Bishop not start Game 4, he wouldn't even dress for the Lightning. There was no official reason for Bishop not dressing, but it’s obvious he’s playing with some sort of lower body injury.
It would be Andrei Vasilevskiy in net with Kristers Gudlevskis backing up. Vasilevskiy is a 20-year-old rookie, while Gudlevskis is just 22 (and also a rookie). The latter name may be familiar to anyone who watched the 2014 Sochi Olympics, as Gudlevskis was the Latvian goalie who nearly stole a game against Team Canada in the knockout round.
Despite taking the loss, Vasilevskiy was fine. The first goal for Chicago was batted in off the goalie from a shot that deflected, and the second goal was a five-hole shot on a drive across the net by Brandon Saad. The second goal may have been a bit soft, though there have been significantly worse goals let in by his predecessor in these playoffs. All told, if Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper would be told before the game that Vasilevskiy would only let in two goals, I think the coach would take his chances against this Chicago team.
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For the "where's Jonathan Toews" crowd, the Chicago captain did his part in the Game 4 win. Not only did he have the first Chicago goal, he and Marian Hossa managed their fair share of offensive pressure. It's nice that Toews got on the board, but the whole line (including new line mate Patrick Sharp) created a couple of good rush chances, and some good zone time. They had a couple of bad shifts that made their possession numbers look bad overall, but at some point, there has to be credit given to the Tampa Bay offensive attack. The people clamouring for offence from that line finally got it, and they had several opportunities beyond that. All good signs for Chicago fans and players going back to Florida.
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One thought I had last night was that on any given night, any of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat can appear to be the best player now (and of the future) of the three. It's true that Johnson does appear to be labouring a bit and there will be some type of injury announced after the playoffs are over, but Palat has looked great for the Lightning going back to the East Final.
Think about a young team that needs a stud defenceman, and Edmonton comes to mind immediately. Dobber wrote about why Edmonton should try to get Hamilton in yesterday’s Ramblings, and it’s worth the read.
Besides the compensation issue, it seems there's a reluctance from general managers to rock the boat of another franchise; the last accepted offer sheet (from Wikipedia at least) was Dustin Penner away from Anaheim and to Edmonton. Nothing became of the picks (yet), and Edmonton even signed one of them later on (Justin Schultz).
I hope it happens, I doubt it will. We'll see how this plays out.
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For anyone wondering where "Kneel Before Saad" comes from, look no further than Christopher Reeves-era Superman (Superman II, specifically).