PUCKING THOUGHTS RADIO - EDITION 12 & PUCK 'EM - DAY 35 (11/29/16)

PUCKING THOUGHTS RADIO - EDITION 12

(Photo Credit: Karl B Deblaker - Associated Press)

 On the latest edition of Pucking Thoughts Radio, Adam & JC dive in to the head-scratching decision by the Florida Panthers to fire Head Coach Gerard Gallant over the weekend. They'll also talk about which coaches could be next on the chopping block, the returns of Jack Eichel & Bryan Little, the Vegas Golden Knights and plenty more on the last November edition of of PTR!

After what seemed like weeks, Adam is at the top again thanks to a 15-3 streak since 11/23. In that same stretch, JC went 9-9. It's only a one game lead, but on a twelve game night in the NHL anything can happen. Adam deferred first pick to JC, and he took San Jose in hopes of getting back on track. 

ADAM (78-61): NY Rangers (2nd), Minnesota (3rd), Chicago (5th), New Jersey (7th), Detroit (9th), Toronto (12th)
*Buffalo upset

JC (77-62): San Jose (1st), Nashville (4th), Ottawa (6th), Boston (8th), Tampa Bay (10th), Montreal (11th)
*Dallas upset

PUCK 'EM - DAY 33 - 11/26/16

Thanksgiving Eve was great to Adam. He pulled off the rare 6-0 perfect night and gained two more games to JC in the standings. Both guys went 3-2 in yesterday's action, so Adam deferred first pick to JC on this nine game Saturday in the NHL. The only game that went unpicked was Chicago @ Los Angeles.  

ADAM (72-60): Pittsburgh (2nd), St. Louis (3rd), Florida (5th), Ottawa (8th)

JC (75-57): Montreal (1st), Colorado (4th), Washington (6th), San Jose (7th)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

PUCKING THOUGHTS WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Enjoy the Carolina @ Montreal and Boston @ Ottawa games at 7:30PM Eastern today!

PUCK EM - DAY 31 - 11/23/16

It was a rough night for both Adam & JC despite it being a give game night. Both of them went 0-2 (Adam is strongly with Anaheim in contesting Thomas Hickey's shooutout goal for the Islanders). JC is on a five game losing streak while Adam missed an opportunity to cut in to JC's five game lead in the standings. All twelve games were picked on this Thanksgiving Eve, and we'll be picking shooters for the two games going on tomorrow. 

ADAM (63-58): Tampa Bay (1st), Los Angeles (4th), New Jersey (6th), Detroit (8th), Nashville (10th), Pittsburgh (11th)

JC (68-53): Washington (2nd), Columbus (3rd), Minnesota (5th), Edmonton (7th), Chicago (9th), Vancouver (12th)

PUCKING THOUGHTS RADIO - EDITION 11 & PUCK 'EM DAY 30 (11/22/16)

PUCKING THOUGHTS RADIO - EDITION 11

(Photo Credit: Grant Halverson - Getty Images)

 On the latest edition of Pucking Thoughts Radio, Adam & JC round up all of the latest injuries and returns from around the league. They'll also talk about the surprising Carolina Hurricanes, new All-Star Game voting protocol, their all Turkey Teams, and much more on the pre-Thanksgiving edition of PTR!

Adam seems to be coming out of his slump as JC's seems to go on a little longer. Adam caught two games on JC in the standings thanks to a 2-1 night (to JC's 0-3 evening), and now only trails by give games. Adam deferred first pick to JC for the five game Tuesday slate. Only St. Louis @ Boston went unselected.

ADAM (63-56): Anaheim (2nd), Toronto (3rd)

JC (68-51): Montreal (1st), Florida (4th)

PUCK EM - DAY 29 11-21-16

Adam was able to get home ice back over the weekend, but both he and JC went 0-2 on Sunday. Both guys have been treading water with their picks lately, but a seven game Monday night slate offers up an opportunity to get back on track. The one game that went unselected was Minnesota @ Dallas. 

ADAM (61-55): San Jose (1st), Tampa Bay (4th), Buffalo (5th)

JC (68-48): Columbus (2nd), Pittsburgh (3rd), Chicago (6th)

*Flames upset

PT RADIO - EDITION 10 & PUCK 'EM DAY 26 - 11-18-16

PUCKING THOUGHTS RADIO - EDITION 10


(Photo Credit: SportingNews.com)

 On the latest edition of Pucking Thoughts Radio, Adam & JC talk about the three big injuries of the week (Steven Stamkos, Johnny Gaudreau, Taylor Hall) and how they'll affect their respective squads! They'll also dive in to NHL player participation in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and plenty more on PT Radio - Edition 10!

Adam is definitely in a slump and can't seem to hold on to home ice despite getting it back twice within the last week. JC's performances haven't been great lately, but they've been good enough to maintain a ten game cushion on the top spot. JC decided to go first on this five game night. The one game that went unselected was the NY Rangers game at Columbus.

ADAM (56-51): Chicago (2nd), Pittsburgh (3rd)

JC (65-41): Washington (1st), Montreal (4th)
*Canadiens upset

PUCK 'EM - DAY 25 & WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

Adam stole home ice back with a medicore 3-3 Tuesday night. JC had his first subpar outing of the season with a 2-4 night, but is looking to take home ice back on a ten game Thursday night. Adam kept first pick on a mediocre night of action in terms of the match-ups. 

ADAM (55-47): Anaheim (1st), Edmonton (4th), Boston (6th), Ottawa (8th), San Jose (9th)

JC (63-39): Tampa Bay (2nd), Dallas (3rd), Winnipeg (5th), Florida (7th), Arizona (10th)

*Winnipeg upset in Philadelphia

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

(Photo Credit: Marilyn Indahl - USA Today Sports)

ADAM - It would be easy to pick San Jose @ St. Louis in a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals, but Zach Parise's return to the Minnesota (8-6-1) lineup from a foot injury trumps that. He comes back to play a Boston (10-6-0) team that is looking to wrap up a perfect three game road trip (they've beaten Arizona and Colorado so far). While Parise comes back to the lineup, the Bruins might be without David Pastrnak, who has ten goals on the season. Both teams are struggling to score consistently, and it doesn't look like either team will improve on that tonight. Tuukka Rask (10-1-0) has been lights out for Boston with a .945 save percenatgae and 1.45 GAA. In the other crease, Devan Dubnyk (6-5-1) has gotten off to a great start with three shutouts (tied for the league), a league leading .948 save percentage, and his 1.60 GAA is second to Rask's. 

Boston @ Minnesota - 8PM Eastern - Xcel Energy Center

(Photo Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

JC - I'll be watching Winnipeg (9-7-2) start their five game road trip in Philadelphia (7-7-3) tonight. The Jets have won four of their last give and seem to have developed some team chemistry in the early part of the season. On the flipside, the Flyers have lost four of their last five and are benching Shayne Gostisbehere for this game (on the same day he was named Philadelphia Athlete of the Year, go figure). This should be a high scoring game with both teams offensive talents on display. 
Winnipeg @ Philadelphia - 7PM Eastern - Wells Fargo Center

PUCK 'EM - DAY 24 - 11/15/16 & PTR EDITION 9

Adam snagged home ice back over the weekend, but lost it right back to JC, who has opened up a nine game lead on Adam as we get in to mid-November. JC deferred first pick to Adam on this 13 game evening in the NHL. Adam hopes to chip away at JC's big lead, and nights with a ton of action are the best opportunities to do that. The only game that went unpicked was New Jersey @ Dallas. 

ADAM (52-44): NY Rangers (1st), Minnesota (4th), Chicago (6th), Washington (8th), Toronto (10th), Tampa Bay (11th)
*Florida upset over Montreal

JC (61-35): St. Louis (2nd), San Jose (3rd), Philadelphia (5th), Montreal (7th), Anaheim (9th), Los Angeles (12th)

PUCKING THOUGHTS RADIO - EDITION 9


(Photo Credit: Gene J. Puskar/Assciated Press)

 On the latest edition of PT Radio, Adam & JC go through the 2016 Hall of Fame induction class. They'll also talk about the Penguins need to move Marc Andre Fleury as well as plenty of other goalie related news from around the league. There are some coaches whose seats are starting to warm up, we'll tell you who and plenty more on PTR!

PUCK 'EM - DAY 20 - 11/10/16 & WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

JC declined to make any picks on a three-game Wednesday night and deferred first pick to Adam today. Tuesday could have been a rough night for both, but JC escaped 3-2 to Adam's low-water mark of the season at 1-4. We won't be recording today or tomorrow due both of us leaving town for the weekend, but here are today's picks. I will try and post picks for Friday and the weekend. 

ADAM (44-36): Boston (1st), Montreal (4th), Anaheim (6th), St. Louis (8th), Dallas (9th)
*St. Louis upset over Nashville

JC (46-29): Detroit (2nd), Pittsburgh (3rd), Tampa Bay (5th), Winnipeg (7th), San Jose (10th)

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

(Photo Credit: NHL.com)

ADAM - You might be scratching your head as to why I picked this game when there are better match-ups right now. Both teams are underachieving for various reasons right now (Dallas is injuries and goaltending, Calgary is goaltending). The winning team could use this as a jump start to gain some positive momentum, while the loser's woes continue. The Flames have lost four of five and are coming off a four game road trip where they were outscored 16-5. The Stars were spanked in Winnipeg 8-2 on Tuesday night, and have lost six of seven. Something has to give here. 

Dallas @ Calgary - 9PM Eastern - Scotiabank Saddledome

(Photo Credit: NHL.com)

JC - Nashville has started off the season slowly but has begun to show signs of life, most recently with a 3-1 victory over Ottawa on Tuesday. The Blues are one of the most well-rounded teams in the league, but are coming off a 2-1 loss to Chicago in overtime last night. They're also 3-4-1 in their last eight games and are struggling to score. Carter Hutton gets the start for St. Louis against his former team. Historically this Central Division clash provides great entertainment, and I don't see tonight being any different. 
St. Louis @ Nashville - 8PM Eastern - Bridgestone Arena

PUCK EM - DAY 19 & WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

JC declined to make any picks on Monday night and deferred first pick to Adam today. Both of them went 4-2 on Saturday night. It's a ten game night in the NHL, but Adam called it a "Poo pile to pick from" after the first 3 picks.  

ADAM (43-32): NY Rangers (1st), New Jersey (2nd), Ottawa (6th), Washington (8th), Philadelphia (9th)
*Ottawa upset

JC (46-29): Montreal (2nd), Pittsburgh (3rd), Colorado (5th), Dallas (7th), Los Angeles (10th)
*Los Angeles upset

(Photo Credit: Joe Sargent - NHLi via Getty Images)

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

ADAM - This is a layup - it's the first meeting between  the generational talents of the past two decades. Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby meet for the first time, and both teams are coming in hot. Pittsburgh just wrapped up a 3-0-1 road trip and sit in second place in the Metropolitan. Edmonton is in the cat bird seat in the Pacific Division, and have won two straight since losing three games in a row. This is the last of the five games on the Oilers road trip. Cam Talbot will be in net for Edmonton, while Matt Murray will be between the pipes for the Pens. 
Edmonton @ Pittsburgh - 7PM Eastern - PPG Paints Arema

(Photo Credit: Montreal Gazette)

JC - As you know, I'm a sucker for Original Six matchups. This game should be quite the contest for anyone looking for confirmation that Montreal is the real deal. Boston will be coming off of their victory at home against an injury-hampered Sabres. The Canadiens started the season off on a tear and they're looking to continue their dominance. If the Bruins play Rask, then they have a shot. If not, Montreal should roll right over Boston. Look for Shea Weber to introduce himself to this long and storied rivalry early and often.
Boston @ Montreal - 7:30PM Eastern - Bell Centre

PTR Edition 8 - 11/7/16

(Photo Credit: Frederick Breedon - Getty Images )

(Photo Credit: NHL.com)

On the latest edition of Pucking Thoughts Radio, Adam Bernard & Jon Casilli examine a very tight Atlantic Division from second to eighth place. We'll also talk about the surprising Columbus Blue Jackets, as well as the middling Sharks, Predators, Kings & Stars. We'll also talk about the Jacob Trouba contract and plenty more on Edition 8 of PTR!

PUCK 'EM - DAY 18 11/5/16 & WHAT WE'RE WATCHING THIS WEEKEND - 11/5 & 11/6

JC declined to make any picks last night and deferred first pick to Adam today after going 4-2 on Thursday night to Adam's 2-4. It's a thirteen game night in the NHL, so that means one game left unpicked. No one wanted to touch the late game between the inconsistent Flames and Kings in Los Angeles. We'll be making picks for the Sunday games, but they may not be up on here until the late afternoon tomorrow. 

ADAM (39-30): St. Louis (1st), Montreal (4th), Edmonton (6th), Minnesota (8th), Ottawa (10th), Chicago (11th)

*Oilers upset

JC (42-27): Tampa Bay (2nd), Washington (3rd), Toronto (5th), Nashville (7th), Pittsburgh (9th), NY Rangers (12th)

(Photo Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports)

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING THIS WEEKEND

ADAM - I'm going to cheat and pick two games. It's the Stars-Blackhawks back-to-back/home and home games on Saturday and Sunday. I'm a sucker for home-and-homes, and they don't often happen on consecutive nights (both in building named after airlines no less). Both teams are coming off wins as the Stars (4-4-2) got a much needed victory against the Blues and the Hawks (7-3-1) blanked the Avalanche (both on Thursday night). It was Corey Crawford's second shutout of the week. Dallas did well against Chicago last season, going 3-1 and outscoring them 16-7. This will be their first and second meetings of the season.
Chicago @ Dallas - 8PM Eastern - Sat 11/5 - American Airlines Center
Dallas @ Chicago - 7PM Eastern - Sun 11/6 - United Center

(Photo Credit: Bryan Snider - Reuters)

JC - The game I'll be watching is another Original Six matchup (I'm a sucker for those) between the Rangers and Bruins. It's the unstoppable force (Rangers) versus the immovable object (Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask). Both New York (8-3-0) and Boston (6-4-0) come in to this game on three game winning streaks. The Bruins most recently beat Tampa Bay in a shootout, while the Rangers handed Edmonton their third loss of the season (both on Thursday night). 
NY Rangers @ Boston - Saturday 11/5 - 7PM Eastern - TD Garden

PUCKING THOUGHTS RADIO - EDITION 7 - 11/4/16

(Photo Credits: Boston Globe & Cave SportsTalk Blog)

On the latest edition of Pucking Thoughts Radio, Adam & Jon talk about the two New York City hockey teams. On one side of the East River, the Rangers are rolling along and exceeding early expectations. Over in Brooklyn, not much is going right, with talks of the franchise possibly moving elsewhere in NYC again in the future. They'll also talk about the offensively-challenged Vancouver Canucks, Tuukka Rask, and plenty more on the first edition of PTR for November! 

PUCK 'EM - DAY 17 - 11/3/16 & WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

Both Adam (Montreal) & JC (Pittsburgh) won their games last night while going 1-1 respectively with their shooter picks. Tonight is another twelve game slate, with Adam declining first pick to JC. 

ADAM (37-26): San Jose (2nd), Chicago (3rd), Nashville (5th), Toronto (7th), St. Louis (12th)

JC (38-25): Washington (1st), NY Rangers (4th), Ottawa (6th), NY Islanders (8th), Pittsburgh (10th), Florida (11th)

Photo Credits: NHL.com & Getty Images

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

Adam - The last time St. Louis and Dallas played each other was in Game 7 of their Western Conference Semifinal series last May. The Blues ended the Stars season with a 6-1 win, and things haven't been going well for Dallas since then. They're 3-4-2 out of the gate, they're on a three game winless streak, and have dealt with a rash of injures early (Patrick Sharp & Ales Hemsky to name a couple). St. Louis started off the year strong, but it's been a rough road lately. The Blues have only scored five goals in the past 366:40 of hockey (about six games), and were spanked by the Rangers on Tuesday 5-0. Both teams should play with some desperation to try and snap their respective skids.  

St. Louis @ Dallas - 8:30PM Eastern - American Airlines Center

JC - Tonight the Rangers welcome Connor McDavid and Cam Talbot to the World's Most Famous Arena. The Oilers started off hot with seven wins, but have dropped their last two games. The Rangers also have seven wins, but have won their last two games. This will be McDavid's first game at MSG since he was injured when Edmonton visited last season. It will also be Cam Talbot's first game at The Garden since being traded by the Blueshirts. The Oilers captain won't be the only young star to watch tonight, as the emerging Jimmy Vesey has nine points in ten games and has been hot lately. 

Edmonton @ NY Rangers - 7PM Eastern - Madison Square Garden

PUCK EM - DAY 16 - 11/2/16

Home Ice is back with Adam (despite Dallas not getting a much needed road win) as he went 4-2 last night to JC's 3-3. For the first time this season, someone has decided to make a pick on a three game night (and not decline). Adam is taking the Canadiens, JC is taking the Penguins, and Detroit-Philadelphia is left on the board. We each took a couple of shooters as well. 

ADAM (36-26): Montreal (1st)
*Goal Scorer Picks: Patrick Hornqvist (PIT), Wayne Simmonds (PHI)

JC (37-25): Pittsburgh (2nd)
*Goal Scorer Picks: Alex Galcheynuk (MTL), Dylan Larkin (DET)

PUCK EM - DAY 15 - 11/1/16 & WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

The weekend picks weren't posted, but it wasn't a good one for Adam, going 5-7 on Friday through Sunday to JC's 7-5. Jon's got home ice back and looking to build on his two game lead. He deferred first pick to Adam on this twelve game night in the National Hockey League, and we've sprinkled in a couple of upsets. 

ADAM (32-24): San Jose (1st), Chicago (4th), Ottawa (6th), Dallas (8th), Nashville (10th), Anaheim (11th)
*Anaheim upset

JC (34-22): Washington (2nd), Minnesota (3rd), Tampa Bay (5th), Florida (7th), Edmonton (9th), NY Rangers (12th)
*Dallas upset

Photo Credits: Ryan Remiorz - Canadan Press & NHL.com

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING TONIGHT

Adam - This one is too easy. Edmonton kicks off a five game road trip with their first stop in Toronto tonight. That means it's going to be all about Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews. This should be a fast paced game with a lot of North/South action. Both Cam Talbot (7-2-0 / 2.04 GAA / .936 save %) and Frederik Andersen (2-3-2 / 3.67 GAA / .876 save %) should see a lot of rubber, and the Oilers definitely have the edge there. Edmonton is 7-2 and coming off a 2-0 loss at home to Ottawa, while the Leafs have lost two in a row to Montreal and the Islanders.

Edmonton @ Toronto - 7:30PM - Air Canada Centre

JC - Dallas was beaten at home by Columbus last week 3-0. The Stars have stumbled out of the gate and desperately need to get this victory to get back on track. They're coming off a 4-0 shutout by Minnesota on Saturday. The Blue Jackets are returning home from their west coast swing, in which they went a surprising 2-2, including a 4-0 shutout of Anaheim. They'll continue to lean on the sturdy play of Sergei Bobrovsky, posting a .940 save percentage so far this season.

Dallas @ Columbus - 7PM Eastern - Nationwide Arena