A Week of Shootouts
November hockey is here as teams are beginning to round into form. In this week’s edition of The Puck Bulletin, we’ll explore the topic of shootouts and take a look at our usual Weekly Roundup and Player Spotlight.
Are We Okay with Shootouts Deciding Games?
This past week, six NHL games were decided by shootouts, including the San Jose Sharks who lost all three of their games this past week by shootout. There are many arguments for shootouts deciding the result of NHL games including that continuous overtime takes too much time and/or extra energy from players, especially if they are playing on a back-to-back. However, it is pretty much universally acknowledged that a shootout is essentially a skills competition which doesn’t properly resemble the game of hockey and the often doesn’t result in the better hockey team earning the win, whereas 3-on-3 overtime more closely resembles regulation hockey.
As a hockey fan, I am okay with regular season games being decided by shootouts purely for the entertainment factor, but I am grateful that playoff games are always decided by continuous 5-on-5 overtime. If you ask anyone on the San Jose Sharks, I assume they are not too happy that all of their results this past week were decided via a skills competition. After all, the extra point awarded to a shootout victor are important when it comes to standings and the playoff race. Let us know what you think about shootouts in the poll below!
The Weekly Roundup
Atlantic:
Boston Bruins (20 pts | 10-2-0)
LW: W 6-5 PIT, W 5-2 NYR, L 1-2 TOR
11/7 vs. STL, 11/10 vs. CGY, 11/12 @ BUF, 11/13 vs. VAN
Though Boston has been playing good hockey, the recent signing and subsequent cutting of Mitchell Miller has been the center of attention for the organization.
Detroit Red Wings (16 pts | 7-3-2)
LW: L 3-8 BUF, W 3-1 WSH, W 3-0 NYI, W 3-2 NYR
11/8 vs MTL, 11/10 vs. NYR, 11/12 @ LAK
Detroit looked great this week against the Metro.
Toronto Maple Leafs (16 pts | 7-4-2)
LW: W 5-2 PHI, W 2-1 BOS, W 3-1 CAR
11/8 vs. VGK, 11/11 vs. PIT, 11/12 vs. VAN
Three strong wins have the fans happy again in Toronto.
Tampa Bay Lightning (15 pts | 7-4-1)
LW: W 4-3 OTT, L/SO 3-4 CAR, W 5-3 BUF
11/8 vs. EDM, 11/11 @ WSH, 11/13 vs. WSH
Tampa Bay seems to be finding their game and consistent play.
Florida Panthers (15 pts | 7-5-1)
LW: L 1-3 ARI, W 4-3 SJS, L 4-5 LAK, W 5-3 ANA
11/9 vs. CAR, 11/12 vs. EDM
Before the Panthers could head home from out west, Matthew Tkachuk was handed a two-game suspension.
Buffalo Sabres (14 pts | 7-5-0)
LW: W 8-3 DET, W 6-3 PIT, L 3-5 CAR, L 3-5 TBL
11/8 vs. ARI, 11/10 vs. VGK, 11/12 vs. BOS
Tage Thompson’s 6-point night on Halloween has to be the Sabres’ highlight of the week.
Montreal Canadiens (11 pts | 5-6-1)
LW: L 1-4 MIN, OTL 2-3 WPG, L 4-6 VGK
11/8 @ DET, 11/9 vs. VAN, 11/12 vs. PIT
A tough week for the Haabs going 0-2-1.
Ottawa Senators (8 pts | 4-7-0)
LW: L 3-4 TBL, L 4-5 VGK, L 1-2 PHI
11/8 vs. VAN, 11/10 vs. NJD, 11/12 @ PHI
The Sens lost three close game this week, but at least they were in all three games.
Metropolitan:
New Jersey Devils (18 pts | 9-3-0)
LW: W 5-2 VAN, W 4-3 EDM, W 4-3 CGY
11/8 vs. CGY, 11/10 vs. OTT, 11/12 vs. ARI
New Jersey continues to roll and is on a six-game winning streak.
Carolina Hurricanes (17 pts | 8-3-1)
LW: W 3-2 WSH, W 4-3 TBL, W 5-3 BUF, L 1-3 TOR
11/9 @ FLA, 11/10 vs. EDM, 11/12 @ COL
A 3-1 week looks great for the Canes but losing to Toronto who was on a back-to-back was not ideal.
New York Rangers (15 pts | 6-4-3)
LW: W 1-0 PHI, L 2-5 BOS, OTL 2-3 DET
11/8 vs. NYI, 11/10 @ DET, 11/12 @ NSH, 11/13 vs. ARI
All of a sudden, the Rangers are having some scoring difficulties.
Philadelphia Flyers (14 pts | 6-3-2)
LW: OTL 0-1 NYR, L 2-5 TOR, W 2-1 OTT
11/8 vs. STL, 11/10 @ CBJ, 11/12 vs. OTT, 11/13 vs. DAL
I’m very curious to see how the next couple weeks go for Philly. Are they contenders or pretenders?
New York Islanders (14 pts | 7-5-0)
LW: W 3-1 CHI, W 5-2 STL, L 0-3 DET
11/7 vs. CGY, 11/8 @ NYI, 11/10 vs. ARI, 11/12 vs. CBJ
The Islanders followed up some good hockey by laying an egg in Detroit.
Washington Capitals (12 pts | 5-6-2)
LW: L/SO 2-3 CAR, OTL 2-3 VGK, L 1-3 DET, L 2-3 ARI
11/7 vs. EDM, 11/9 vs. PIT, 11/11 vs. TBL, 11/13 @ TBL
The Caps went 0-2-2 this week, but Alex Ovechkin broke a historic NHL record.
Pittsburgh Penguins (10 pts | 4-6-2)
LW: OTL 5-6 BOS, L 3-6 BUF, L 2-3 SEA
11/9 @ WSH, 11/11 @ TOR, 11/12 @ MTL
The Penguins continue to look like one of the worst teams in hockey on their first seven-game winless streak since 2006.
Columbus Blue Jackets (6 pts | 3-9-0)
LW: L 3-6 COL, L 1-5 COL
11/10 vs. PHI, 11/12 @ NYI
The Blue Jackets’ struggles followed them to Finland for the NHL Global Series.
Central:
Dallas Stars (17 pts | 8-3-1)
LW: W 5-2 LAK, W 7-2 ARI, W 6-2 EDM
11/8 @ WPG, 11/11 vs. SJS, 11/13 @ PHI
The Stars are beginning to become a wagon!
Winnipeg Jets (15 pts | 7-3-1)
LW: W 3-2 MTL, W 4-0 CHI
11/8 vs. DAL, 11/12 @ CGY, 11/13 @ SEA
Winnipeg is sneakily playing some good hockey.
Colorado Avalanche (13 pts | 6-4-1)
LW: W 6-3 CBJ, W 5-1 CBJ
11/10 vs. NSH, 11/12 vs. CAR
The Avs tallied two easy wins in Finland.
Chicago Blackhawks (12 pts | 5-5-2)
LW: L 1-3 NYI, W 2-1 LAK, L 0-4 WPG
11/10 @ LAK, 11/12 @ ANA
The Blackhawks magic appears to be sputtering a bit. Can they get back to work out west?
Minnesota Wild (11 pts | 5-5-1)
LW: W 4-1 MTL, L 0-4 SEA
11/8 @ LAK, 11/9 @ ANA, 11/11 @ SEA, 11/13 vs. SJS
The Wild continue to look inconsistent.
Nashville Predators (11 pts | 5-6-1)
LW: L 4-7 EDM, W 4-1 CGY, W 4-3 VAN
11/8 @ SEA, 11/10 @ COL, 11/12 vs. NYR
Nashville is getting their game going. This week will be telling for the Preds.
Arizona Coyotes (9 pts | 4-6-1)
LW: W 3-1 FLA, L 2-7 DAL, W 3-2 WSH
11/8 @ BUF, 11/10 @ NYI, 11/12 @ NJD, 11/13 @ NYR
The Coyotes have the fifth-best PP percentage in the NHL, so their results this week shouldn’t be THAT surprising.
St. Louis Blues (6 pts | 3-6-0)
LW: L 1-5 LAK, L 2-5 NYI
11/7 @ BOS, 11/8 @ PHI, 11/10 vs. SJS, 11/12 @ VGK
The Blues are struggling on both ends of the ice.
Pacific:
Vegas Golden Knights (22 pts | 11-2-0)
LW: W 3-2 WSH, W 5-4 OTT, W 6-4 MTL
11/8 @ TOR, 11/10 @ BUF, 11/12 vs. STL
The Golden Knights continue to roll, albeit against a weaker schedule.
Seattle Kraken (16 pts | 7-4-2)
LW: W 5-4 CGY, W 4-0 MIN, W 3-2 PIT
11/8 vs. NSH, 11/11 vs. MIN, 11/13 vs. WPG
The Kraken are taking care of business. Is this a playoff team?
Los Angeles Kings (15 pts | 7-6-1)
LW: W 5-1 STL, L 2-5 DAL, OTL 1-2 CHI, W 5-4 FLA
11/8 vs. MIN, 11/10 vs. CHI, 11/12 vs. DET
The Kings, like a couple other teams in the Pacific, are struggling to find consistency.
Edmonton Oilers (14 pts | 7-5-0)
LW: W 7-4 NSH, L 3-4 NJD, L 2-6 DAL
11/7 @ WSH, 11/8 @ TBL, 11/10 @ CAR, 11/12 @ FLA
The Oilers head out east to face a tough schedule this week.
Calgary Flames (11 pts | 5-4-1)
LW: L 4-5 SEA, L 1-4 NSH, OTL 3-4 NJD
11/7 @ NYI, 11/8 @ NJD, 11/10 @ BOS, 11/12 vs. WPG
Calgary is struggling a bit. Can they get back in the W column against a tough schedule?
Vancouver Canucks (9 pts | 3-6-3)
LW: L 2-5 NJD, W 8-5 ANA, L/SO 3-4 NSH
11/8 @ OTT, 11/9 @ MTL, 11/12 @ TOR, 11/13 @ BOS
Vancouver looks like they could possibly be turning the corner into some better hockey soon.
Anaheim Ducks (9 pts | 4-8-1)
LW: W 6-5 SJS, L 5-8 VAN, W 5-4 SJS, L 3-5 FLA
11/9 vs. MIN, 11/12 vs. CHI
The Ducks need to address some glaring issues on the defensive end.
San Jose Sharks (9 pts | 3-8-3)
LW: L/SO 5-6 ANA, L/SO 3-4 FLA, L/SO 4-5 ANA
11/10 @ STL, 11/11 @ DAL, 11/13 @ MIN
As we mentioned earlier, losing three straight games in a shootout is tough.
Player Spotlight
Roope Hintz, Dallas Stars
This week’s player spotlight is on Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz. The 25-year-old Finn has been a key contributor for Dallas the past few seasons. Through 12 games this season, Hintz has tallied 16 points (5g, 11a) for the division-leading Stars team.
Drafted in the 2nd round, 49th overall by Dallas in 2015, Hintz spent his first full season in North America in 2017-2018 playing for the Texas Stars, Dallas’ AHL affiliate. The next couple seasons, Hintz worked his way up the Stars’ depth chart and ultimately landed on Dallas’ top line alongside Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski. In the shortened 2020-2021 season, Hintz averaged over a point-per-game for the first time in his young NHL career, tallying 15g and 28a in 41 regular season games. In the 2021-2022 season, Hintz showed his ability as a prolific goal scorer, tallying 37g and 35a in 80 games. I’d love to see Hintz eclipse the 40-goal mark this season, and if one thing is for sure, his production this season is guaranteed to be high playing alongside Robertson and Pavelski, who are in my opinion one of the most dominant lines in the entire NHL. I hope ya’ll have the opportunity to tune into a Dallas Stars game at some point, watching Hintz and co will not disappoint.