shrader

I want to see if this kid can start to get some more production at even strength. That's when it could really start to get interesting. So far 7 of his 12 points are on the powerplay. He's not always going to have that space to work with. While the numbers aren't as gaudy, Nylander's over a point per game (7 in 6). Hopefully he's turned the corner.

It's amazing how consistent they are so far, even if it's just 6 games. The first goal says everything. If they fall behind, they're immediately done. I don't know how you fix that problem, but it should be blatantly obvious already how they crumble if they give up the first goal. They're going to have to get over that at some point or else we're once again competing for the first overall pick.

When they lose, they lose badly. It's early, but it's not a good trend so far. My worry from game 1 when they fell behind Boston 2-0 was whether or not this team could play from behind. So far, they've done as poorly as possible in that position. That is what will make or break this season. Edit: I can't do the 10PM games and I didn't watch it. I'm assuming it wouldn't have mattered, but unless he's backing up Hasek himself, I would have been giving Ullmark the start after getting a shutout.

I'd let him stay there as long as possible. If he can sustain similar production over an extended period of time, you suddenly have a pro-ready prospect waiting in the wings. I can't remember the last time we had that, someone far more developed than the crap shoot aspect of most prospects.

It's been ages so I don't remember where any of this outrage might have been focused. Looking at the "special" bell in the video upthread, I'd imagine that people might take issue with that as well. But at the same time, if we based everything off of today's so called sensibilities, I doubt we ever get Rudolph. I don't want to live in a world without Rudolph.

Here's your answer:

With that kind of reaction, it has to be a savior. The problem is, I don't think any of those characters are properly developed at this point to make them worthy of that kind of reveal. Dwight has his redemption, so it doesn't fit him at all. Just about the only developed character I could think of being worthy would be Negan somehow sneaking out of his cell each night, but clearly that's not happening.

It seems like he's been here for about 4 years at this point, but he's still just in year one of his ELC. The kid still has so much time to develop into an NHL player. He's just now at the age where players typically enter the pro game. You don't get players very often like that who actually have two years of North American pro experience.

Does that Christmas special ever air anymore? I haven't seen it in ages.

I said it over on Sabrespace last week that once Skinner gets one, you can blink and he'll be up to about 6. It just always seems to go that way with goal scorers who start out in a funk. The second they finally score, the flood gates open. We'll see where he goes now because that mini-funk was not due to a lack of chances.

I like how even rolling logs have an unusually high head shot rate.

Were they specifically named though, or more than just one or two of them? I only watched the complete series one time, so it's been a while. I could see a lab builder finding his way on there if things go the right way in the future. Hell, I could even see Kai somehow turning around and becoming very useful once the switch flips in his head.

I know I'm not alone on this one. I know I've heard the same exact comment several times over the years. Hell, it's even hinted at in a Seinfeld episode.

I did watch some of it actually. I just can't do it when I know the final score ahead of time.

Thanks to games with stupid start times, my eyes are currently at .500

Did they ever give a full explanation of the list of people that Mike was protecting and giving money at the end of his run on Breaking Bad?

I think we're anointing Boterill way too fast. People said a lot of the same things about Murray early. It is very clear how different the approaches of those two are, but so far, we still have no proof of anything. He still is given a lot of credit based on the Pittsburgh, where ultimately we really don't know how involved he truly was. I've said it a million times but a job is so much easier when you're starting out with Crosby/Malkin. He'll never have that luxury again. So far, yes, his approach does look to be more promising. I can't get past that Buffalo cynicism though where I'll believe it when I see it.

I don't think you need to watch Breaking Bad to understand Jimmy's motives. This whole season has painted a very clear picture that he wants absolutely nothing to do with Chuck. That was pretty much the entire purpose of his portion of the story this entire season, right up to being disgusted by the decision for Chuck's memorial scholarship. Once he got his license back, he no longer needed to take advantage of anything Chuck-related, so he completely cut ties.

The only thing I can ever think of that shows the passage of time in Breaking Bad was the birthday bacon. Now if only someone with incredible eyes had somehow caught a glimpse of Walt's DOB on his license or something.

Did they ever actually say when Breaking Bad took place? I know an episode or two ago they showed a ton of paperwork from either Jimmy or Kim that said 2004.

I feel like it has one season left at this point. Next season he gets his Saul operation up and running and Fring gets the lab up to pre-Heisenberg levels. That does sound like it could be a lot of details, so maybe they get two seasons out of it. The one thing that bugs me is that we have to wait a very long time to see who will be getting that post Breaking Bad phone call after Saul fled. With the amount of time between seasons, I'll probably forget about by the time we get the next season. It may just be the biggest loose thread out there at this point. edit: And the Werner scene was tough to watch. The stuff he had to say to his wife knowing that those were his last words to her, that was rough.

Finally an explosion of even strength goals, their first 3 of the year (I don't count the ENG). They're going to need to get that going a bit more if they're going to continue to get some wins. I expect that it will once Skinner finds his first goal.

I call it the Gerbe special (he did it all the time in college). He grabbed the defender's hand and immediately fell, making it look the he (Skinner) was the one who was pulled down. I'm amazed that he can draw that kind of call even after doing it for so long already in the NHL.

Right when I want to see if they can build on some positives... they schedule a day time game that I can't watch. At the moment, I'm a little concerned that this team will still struggle to produce offense. So far it's two powerplay goals and an ENG. That's not encouraging so far, but maybe once the likes of Skinner and Dahlin can start to click, things can turn around. Skinner has definitely showed some flashes, minus the finish so far. I'll never be able to get used to his horrible dives though. Yeah, it got the team a power play, but I absolutely hate that crap.

Even with how down on this show people are, last night quickly reminded me of why it is still light years ahead of the absolute trainwreck of a season that they just had from Fear. It's something so simple, but most of what they showed last night was at least visually appealing, especially compared to the constant dark and gray of Fear. There's no specific threat at this point, but even that is still better than a crazy injured old lady.