"It was the worst event I've ever seen around a football match since 1989 at Hillsborough and it could have been as serious as Hillsborough with the lives lost," he said.
Each Monday during the NHL season, Rob Mixer takes a look at the biggest storylines from the hockey week that was.
The Metropolitan Division is Blank Jersey just silly.
Theres never been a ton of separation, but now that the bye weeks are here, were starting to get a clearer picture of just how insane this second half race is going to be. A couple of weeks ago, it seemed reasonablethe top three of the Metro would feature some combination of theCapitals, Devils andBlue Jackets but man, its getting air-tight at the top, and the bottom of the division is starting to make a push.
Sunday's game between the Rangers and Penguins made things even more interesting. Both teams enteredwith 49 points, a mere four behind the Blue Jackets for second place, guaranteeing that one of those teams would be within two points of second and move the playoff bar up a notch.
THE OLYMPIAN:
Its just not going to be easy for anyone to create breathing room especially when the volume of division games increases in February. You know what that means: loser points galore!
Washington is clearly in the best spot here, sitting six points ahead of Columbus and 11 clear of eighth-place Carolina, which has slipped back after back-to-back regulation lo ses to Washington and Calgary.
The team to watch here is New Jersey. The Devils were one of the NHLs best stories in the first half, a team that appears ahead of schedule but owning some le s-than-promising underlying numbers. The Devils dont have strong puck po se sion numbers and get a lot of offense from their bottom six, which doesnt exactly bode well for the long term.
Theyve lost six straight after winning five in a row late in Jose Peraza Jersey December. If theres a glimmer of hope for the Devils, its that theyve played three fewer games than Washington and four fewer than Columbus. Lets say the Devils get their act together, which is po sible: They can get themselves back in a better position while they make up ground in games played. But its not going to be easy considering the trends in their game.
MORE:
TheCentral: Alsocrazy!
Weve talked so much about the Metro this season that the Central Division hasnt gotten its fair share of attention. It may be even crazier.
Only 10 points separate first-place Winnipeg (59) with last-place Colorado (49), and the Avalanche are making their move having won six in a row. Four points stand between Scott Feldman Jersey Winnipeg and third-place St. Louis, so nothings even close to being settled at the top of the Central. This division has eight quality teams, and two teams capable of turning it on Dallas and Chicago lurking in the background.
Can the Jets continue to set the pace? It certainly looks that way. They have the skill and depth to keep racking up points, but you can bet the Predators will do their best to close the gap. Nashvilles played well on the road this season and they already have a tremendous home-ice advantage at Bridgestone Arena; Peter Laviolettes team can take its uptempo skating game to any rink and feel confident in its chances.
If anyone can unseat the Jets, my moneys on Nashville.
MORE:Finding legitimacy among playoff contenders at season's midpoint
A Pacific miracle
The Flames are the NHLs hottest team, winners of seven straight and riding the excellent goaltending of Mike Smith into second place in the Pacific.
Get this, though: with seven wins in a row, the Flames have pulled to within seven (!) points of the first-place Vegas Golden Knights. This is getting ridiculous.
Theres a bit more separation in the Pacific, thanks in large part to the Coyotes, who sit 34 points behind the Golden Knights. Alex Wood Jersey I dont think theyre making the playoffs. Whats going to be watch-worthy in the Pacific is the final spot in the top three.As of today, the Kings, Ducks and Sharks are separated by only four points with Los Angeles leading the group at 53 points.
The Kings have lost three straightand, coupled with the Flames run, have fallen back into third place after leading the Pacific earlier in the season and, more recently, trying to close the gap on Vegas.
Related Articles Jonathan Marche sault slips through the cracks into starring role with Golden Knights
Each Monday during the NHL season, Rob Mixer takes a look at the biggest storylines from the hockey week that was.
The Metropolitan Division is Blank Jersey just silly.
Theres never been a ton of separation, but now that the bye weeks are here, were starting to get a clearer picture of just how insane this second half race is going to be. A couple of weeks ago, it seemed reasonablethe top three of the Metro would feature some combination of theCapitals, Devils andBlue Jackets but man, its getting air-tight at the top, and the bottom of the division is starting to make a push.
Sunday's game between the Rangers and Penguins made things even more interesting. Both teams enteredwith 49 points, a mere four behind the Blue Jackets for second place, guaranteeing that one of those teams would be within two points of second and move the playoff bar up a notch.
THE OLYMPIAN:
Its just not going to be easy for anyone to create breathing room especially when the volume of division games increases in February. You know what that means: loser points galore!
Washington is clearly in the best spot here, sitting six points ahead of Columbus and 11 clear of eighth-place Carolina, which has slipped back after back-to-back regulation lo ses to Washington and Calgary.
The team to watch here is New Jersey. The Devils were one of the NHLs best stories in the first half, a team that appears ahead of schedule but owning some le s-than-promising underlying numbers. The Devils dont have strong puck po se sion numbers and get a lot of offense from their bottom six, which doesnt exactly bode well for the long term.
Theyve lost six straight after winning five in a row late in Jose Peraza Jersey December. If theres a glimmer of hope for the Devils, its that theyve played three fewer games than Washington and four fewer than Columbus. Lets say the Devils get their act together, which is po sible: They can get themselves back in a better position while they make up ground in games played. But its not going to be easy considering the trends in their game.
MORE:
TheCentral: Alsocrazy!
Weve talked so much about the Metro this season that the Central Division hasnt gotten its fair share of attention. It may be even crazier.
Only 10 points separate first-place Winnipeg (59) with last-place Colorado (49), and the Avalanche are making their move having won six in a row. Four points stand between Scott Feldman Jersey Winnipeg and third-place St. Louis, so nothings even close to being settled at the top of the Central. This division has eight quality teams, and two teams capable of turning it on Dallas and Chicago lurking in the background.
Can the Jets continue to set the pace? It certainly looks that way. They have the skill and depth to keep racking up points, but you can bet the Predators will do their best to close the gap. Nashvilles played well on the road this season and they already have a tremendous home-ice advantage at Bridgestone Arena; Peter Laviolettes team can take its uptempo skating game to any rink and feel confident in its chances.
If anyone can unseat the Jets, my moneys on Nashville.
MORE:Finding legitimacy among playoff contenders at season's midpoint
A Pacific miracle
The Flames are the NHLs hottest team, winners of seven straight and riding the excellent goaltending of Mike Smith into second place in the Pacific.
Get this, though: with seven wins in a row, the Flames have pulled to within seven (!) points of the first-place Vegas Golden Knights. This is getting ridiculous.
Theres a bit more separation in the Pacific, thanks in large part to the Coyotes, who sit 34 points behind the Golden Knights. Alex Wood Jersey I dont think theyre making the playoffs. Whats going to be watch-worthy in the Pacific is the final spot in the top three.As of today, the Kings, Ducks and Sharks are separated by only four points with Los Angeles leading the group at 53 points.
The Kings have lost three straightand, coupled with the Flames run, have fallen back into third place after leading the Pacific earlier in the season and, more recently, trying to close the gap on Vegas.
Related Articles Jonathan Marche sault slips through the cracks into starring role with Golden Knights