This is new. We figured since the Central Division is the most entertaining, we would have fans from around the division give a weekly rap-up that we—being Blues fans—cannot. Here, you will be able to read about your team through the vision of a fellow-fan. Scroll to your team and read about others. Enjoy. Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports (I deleted that photo from my computer as quickly as I could) Some notes: - The Chicago Blackhawks claimed first place in the Central Division - The Blues and Stars have had a rocky entrance into 2016 - Predators trade for Johansen Dallas Stars Who am I? Well, I am new to the Dallas Stars’ family, but I couldn’t be happier... except for the recent road trip. Thank God for the Star's five day break. It feels like another winter break, and this team needs it. From January 2-9, the Stars played five games. The first three games took place in the Eastern Conference. The record ended up being 0-2 1 with the Stars; getting one point out of a possible six. What does that show the rest of the league? I bet they think the Stars don’t belong at the top. When they came back home, they won against the Jets, but they won in a shootout. Then they lost—again—to the Wild. So they went 1-3-1 this past week. That isn’t great,and there is an issue with how the Dallas Stars are playing. First of all,what’s with all of the penalties? In the past five games the penalty minutes were 8:00, 25:00, 6:00, 8:00, and 4:00. Okay, that wasn’t as bad as I thought, but they seem to cause game-changing moments. The Stars cannot, as of late, kill off the opponent’s powerplay. Also, the penalties are caused by players who are critical to the power play kill unit. Second, I know that Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are in a bit of a skid. These two—yes, the best players on the team—cannot carry the team. Other players have tried to step-up, and some have snapped out of their own slumps, but the players who have stepped up cannot stop all of the damage. If there is one positive thing to say about this week: at least Kari “LetitIn” did not let many goals in during the one win over the week. I appreciate that, and at least he didn’t act like a high school student trying to fight through finals like the rest of the Stars. No more senioritis for the Stars, because winter break is here. They will come back stronger than ever. Believe that, Central Division. - Kristina Sullivan Most recent game highlights: Nashville Predators Well, this week can be summed up with a few words: loss to rivals, another game another penalty, and Johansen. It came as quite a shock to me that management decided to trade Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen. But—for once—the management team does something intelligent. Jones has not been playing at his full potential this year, and (from what I’ve heard) Johansen has been too, along with rumored conflict with the Blue Jackets’ coach. This trade has benefitted the Predators. When watching Friday’s game against the Avalanche, Johansen scored one goal and got an assist. Is he the solution to an ever-fading Predators team? Well, the trade is the first step in breaking the team out of a slump. He has helped the team out a little bit, but the Predators can’t just rely on one guy. As a Predators fan, it is getting harder to watch them play “their best” and see little-to-no results. This past week has been a prime example of that, with the team having two losses against Colorado and Winnipeg. We’re on the brink of getting booted out of a playoff spot, and were only halfway through the season. What happened to the team that busted down the gate at the beginning? Now, I’m not a fan that knows every penalty, and I don’t know what hybrid icing is. But using my basic observation skills, the Predators can increase the win column by examining two of the flaws: the penalty kill and the third period. Don’t even get me started on overtime. That's another rant for another day. The Predators are taking shots on the powerplay, but the issue comes on the penalty kill. No matter what we seem to do, the opposing team always score. One solution: stop picking up all of the tiny penalties such as tripping, hooking, holding, cross checking... the list goes on and on. As for the third period, this mainly applies to Rinne. When the third period comes up, I usually cringe and brace for something bad to happen. I’m not just calling out Rinne; the rest of the team needs to step up and start trying to help their teammates out, especially during the third. One simple solution to the third period curse: realizing hockey isn't played in two periods. It’s played in three periods. I know that three periods of play can be tiring and is a foreign concept, but you have to remember that until someone wins and the other loses, the game is not over. Is the season over? Certainly not! But if we don’t snap out of this funk and work on these skills, then it could be over sooner than we think. - Shannon Sulllivan St. Louis Blues The Blues need to wake up. Simple as that. The losing streak says something about their effort. If you've been following Blues Buzz, you know where we stand and can check today's preview to see what our numbers—this is a rant. It really sucks. The Hawks just passed us. You know who is ahead of us? The Panthers, that's who. Don't even try to defend the Blues by saying "the Panthers have really stepped it up this season". I know they have, but THE BLUES have lost 6 games out of their last 8. The positives to take away from this horrible stretch: not many. The losing streak featured points in 4 of those 7 games, which is better than nothing. If you're earning points in this league, you're giving yourself a chance. You're treading water. That's what the Blues are doing. The Blues are in the middle of a critical stretch of hockey; buckle up folks! - Zachary Wilson and P.J. Cox Chicago Blackhawks Well, We don't have a Hawks writer yet so... I guess I have to write something. Although I haven't been paying attention to them, I know that they are now 30-13-4. That puts them first in the Central and second overall. That sucks (I'm a Blues fan). As the Blues have fallen into a major slump, teams that haven't been at the top this year are starting to step-up their game. It used to be the Stars, Caps, and Blues at the top, but now we're 6th overall—I can't trash talk Hawks fans anymore. If you are a Hawks fan and would like to start writing the weekly rap-ups for Central Saturday, email [email protected]. Colorado Avalanche (No writers yet) Colorado Avalanche: 22-20-3 Most recent game: Jets and Wild (No writers yet) Minnesota Wild: 22-14-8 Winnipeg Jets: 21-21-3 Most recent game: We need some writers! Email [email protected] if interested. P.J. Cox
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