Quick Note: The beta is out and NHL 19 seems like a step in the right direction, but who knows what it'll be like with a full population of players on the servers. Too late, though, everyone is already too hyped up about it, including myself. Also, I skipped the IRL Awards this week because I was pressed for time. Don't worry though, they're not gone. Super 16: Motor City Magic 1. New York Rangers Hit: Didn't lose a game in their division this week, and won 8 of 9 this week which has them nearly running away with the best record in the East. Miss: One goal away from a perfect week and in the last game of the week as well. What a heartbreaker for the Rags. 2. Detroit Red Wings Hit: At the deadline, the Wings were right on the playoff bubble with a couple teams just a point or two back. Their big 7-0-2 week gives them a nice cushion and keeps any hopes of capturing 1st in the Atlantic alive. Miss: They ended the week tied in points with Ottawa, but could have been ahead of them if they hadn't lost their match up with the Sens this week in OT. On the bright side, it was their newly formed West Coast line's only loss of the week; they went 2-0-1. 3. Chicago Blackhawks Hit: The Hawks are on fire right now with a 15-3 run the last two weeks. Any one will tell you, the best time to get hot is right before the playoffs, and they might not be cooling down any time soon. Miss: A loss to Vancouver who has been one of the worst teams in the West this season is a blemish on a pretty good week. To be fair, @JuniorHawk16 and @Go Bar South23 are two guys that can put pucks in the net if you underestimate them. 4. Anaheim Ducks Hit: Scored 3 or more goals in 7 of their 9 games this week. Not surprised that they won most of those games going 6-1-0. Miss: If anything, felt they could've separated themselves from the Oilers and Sharks this week as they won the hard games on their schedule. Instead, Edmonton erased Anaheim's lead and are now both sitting at 90 points. 5. Pittsburgh Penguins Hit: New Penguin @McLxvinn goes 2-0-1 in some important games for Pittsburgh in his first week. Miss: No team has been able to keep up with the Rangers the last few weeks, but still the Penguins needed to keep it close going into week 8 and maybe could have done a bit better in that regard. 6. Edmonton Oilers Hit: Allowed just 15 goals this week, their best amount since week 1, and some of this might be in part to their recent goalie exchange with the Blues which landed them @Tolvanen l11l . Miss: They put themselves in a great position to jump ahead of the Ducks this week, but couldn't quite close out a close game with Anaheim leaving them in 2nd in the Pacific (losing the first tiebreaker with the Ducks). 7. Los Angeles Kings Hit: I'd say the Kings were just playing spoiler, but their last two weeks have been their best two weeks. Could they maybe make a push for the playoffs being only 6 points out? Regardless, without a great week in week 7, playoffs would be out of the picture. Miss: Maybe there were some missed opportunities this week losing to Vancouver and Vegas, with wins there they'd be right on the doorstep to the postseason. 8. Nashville Predators Hit: @l Wall x 31 l is back with Smashville after several week on the East Coast, and he picked up right where he left off going 5-0-0 with 2 shutouts. Miss: Some tough overtime losses to the Oilers and Blackhawks put a bit of a bad spin on an otherwise good week, especially when many times looking back at an overtime game it seems like just one extra bounce your way could have won you the game. 9. Toronto Maple Leafs Hit: They had a couple teams bearing down on them the last few weeks. They were able to win a game against one of them beating the Senators 5-1. So, that had to feel good. Miss: Their deadline acquisitions didn't have a great first week; let's hope the Leafs continue to trend up and the new Leafs go with them. 10. Ottawa Senators Hit: Crucial wins against the Canadiens and Wings leave the Sens with a decent shot at first in the Atlantic which is where many thought they would be before the season started. Miss: They had to ban @Johnson x 92 for not showing up to his scheduled games. Seems odd because he showed up the first 7 weeks mostly, and when he gets on arguably the best team he's been on, he skips the games. 11. Montreal Canadiens Hit: Any time you can improve your lead on the rest of your division, you had a good week. Also, I know a couple of the Canadiens were pretty hyped about ruining the Rangers perfect week on Wednesday. Miss: They had a tough couple lines thrown at them, but losses against Ottawa and Detroit are missed opportunities to gain two points and rob their opponents of any. 12. New Jersey Devils Hit: The Devils are most certainly just sticking around to play spoiler and mess with the standings, and they definitely did that beating both Pennsylvania teams this week. Miss: They aren't playing for much right now, so what could they miss? 13. Philadelphia Flyers Hit: Big 3-0 week for @IMSLIMSHADY, the opposing teams scored just 2 goals altogether in his games this week. Miss: Losing to the Pens and Rangers doesn't hurt as much because they're not exactly chasing them any more, but still hurts a little. 14. Dallas Stars Hit: Like the Kings, the Stars needed a big week to stay alive. They're still 6 points out, but maybe not all hope is gone yet. Miss: They've had trouble keeping pucks out of their net most of the season, and this week wasn't too different as they allowed 30 goals against in week 7. 15. Minnesota Wild Hit: I doubt the Wild were too concerned about missing the playoffs, but they gained two points on the Blues this week. If they were worried, they probably aren't now. Miss: Allowed just 18 goals this week, but only managed to win 4 games. So, the offense wasn't there, but they've proven that they can score. The offense just ran cold this week. 16. Calgary Flames Hit: The Flames are another team that is pretty much out of the playoff race, but it still looking to burn some teams. Looks like they can add a few notches to their belt with wins over the Sharks, Oilers, and Coyotes. Miss: I know the players themselves would have liked to pick up a few more wins, but their losses aren't doing much damage to them now anyways. Rookie of the Week: @Eamonn (RD) The rookie of the week this week is someone who has probably flown under the radar based on the fact that he's a conservative defenseman on a team that will likely miss the playoffs. @Eamonn spent week 1 on TC playing a CHL game, a couple AHL games, and an NHL game (won all of them). It didn't take long for the Knights to realize they drafted a pretty solid player, and he was called up to take a full-time role with Vegas for week 2 and beyond. This week he won all 3 of his games against the Kings, Flames, and Avalanche. While LA and CGY are currently out of the playoffs, both teams had some of their better weeks this season, and COL is in the hunt for the President's trophy. His stats are pretty similar to his other weeks this season with 3 points, a +4, and a +1 in TA-GA in his 3 games in week 7. That's something that's difficult for a lot of players, playing at a consistent level, that @Eamonn would appear to have and has exhibited this season. Surprise of the Week: Detroit Red Wings Win 7 of 9, No Regulation Losses The Wings have definitely underperformed in man people's eyes before the trade deadline. It's hard to say exactly why, most likely just the roster didn't quite mesh. With how fast summer season seems to move, there isn't a whole lot of time for experimenting because teams are always weary about division rivals having a big week against possibly lesser competition. In addition, at the deadline the Wings were just barely in the playoffs with a slim lead over a couple other teams. Maybe the used that as motivation, but they had a giant week going 7-0-2. It might not be surprising to see the Wings turning it on based on how good they were projected to be, but it took plenty of trades to get to the Wings final roster post-deadline. Everyone performed this week, including the couple new players which includes @johnwaynee90 who is now the center of the Wings very own West Coast line. Funnily enough, they matched up against the Sabres West Coast line at Buffalo and were able to beat them. Do the Wings now own the best West Coast line in the league? Will the Wings keep their hot streak going? All I know is, the Red Wings seem to be pretty dangerous, and they let the teams in their division know it this week.
