The Sports Insanity Network

Taking The Next Step

By Mike Rifkin

The 2023 Baltimore Orioles were the envy of Major League Baseball, win 101 games with a young core. They won the AL East and were eliminated by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the ALDS. The Orioles entered 2024 with high expectations, expectations that got bigger when they acquired Corbin Burnes from the Brewers.

The 2024 Orioles won 91 games, finished second in the AL East and were just eliminated by the Royals in the Wild Card series. Yes, the Orioles won 91 games and made the playoffs, but I feel this team underachieved this season. Now injuries certainly played a part in this ; Starting pitchers Grayson Rodriguez (lat), Kyle Bradish and John Means (Tommy John) would have played pivotal roles as would closer Felix Bautista, who also had Tommy John at the end of last season. The Orioles could’ve used Bautista, who had 38 saves and a 1.48 ERA in 2023, they tried replacing him with future Hall of Famer Cragi Kimbrel. Kimbrel struggled post All Star break and was DFA’D a few weeks ago. The injuries were one thing, the bats going cold was another. But the AL East could’ve been the Orioles long ago.

There was a two month stretch where the New York Yankees really struggled. They couldn’t put anything together, but because the Orioles couldn’t put them away the Yankees stayed alive in the division race. But the day Orioles fans will always remember is the trade deadline. The Orioles were in need of a few arms, but they weren’t that aggressive. A team with the young nucleus they have and on top of that the top farm system in all of baseball, they wound up with starters Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers, and reliever Seranthony Dominguez. Rogers was so bad he got sent to triple A, Eflin was solid for the most part.

The problem was because this team is so young, they should’ve parted with better talent to get better talent for a few reasons. But the biggest reason is that this was their only guaranteed season of Corbin Burnes. If Corbin Burnes leaves in free agency, is this team going to be aggressive in replacing him? Well we don’t know and that’s the problem. Yes, there’s new ownership that might be aggressive, but we don’t know how they’re going to go into free agency. The Orioles had a golden opportunity and it feels like they let this season slip away.

SIN BLITZERS RECAP WEEK 4

BY SIN BLITZERS

TEXAS TWO STEP

COWBOYS BEAT NYG

BY MARK HALPERN

The Dallas Cowboys came to Met Life stadium, Saw the New York Giants and Kicked their ass (if you’re a movie fan you get the reference.) However, Dallas may have won but there are still holes on this defense. To make matters worse they lost two key pieces. Michah Parsons was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and will miss at least 3-4 weeks and if that was bad enough the Cowboys also lost Demarcus Lawrence to broken bones in his foot and will miss several weeks, he was put on IR. Prescott had 221 yards and 2 touchdowns and Cee Dee Lamb had 7 receptions for 98 yards and a TD. The Giants didn’t play bad ball and they also lost a big piece with star rookie Malik Nabors left with a concussion. Dallas moves on to Pittsburgh Sunday night, and the Giants travel to Seattle.

STROUD TO THE RESCUE

BY MARK HALPERN

Coming into this game all focus was on the Texans rebounding after last weeks loss. What made it easy for them to come up with a plan was that they were playing the unidentified Jacksonville Jaguars in what ended up being a great game. Jacksonville, though winless was up for this divisional showdown. Stroud was phenomenal going 27/40 for 345 yards and 2 touchdowns one of them being the winning one to Dare Ogunbowale with just 14 seconds left to seal the win for the Texans. Even in the absence of Joe Mixon other players excelled none more than Nico Collins, who had 12 receptions for 151 yards and a Touchdown. If the Texans want to be a heavyweight, they’ll get tested next week against the Bills.

THE PRIDE FEASTED

BY MARK HALPERN

In a game that had one of the remaining teams that was undefeated called for for the Seahawks to pick a part the Detroit Lions secondary that has been trying to find its footing over the beginning of this season. However, the Lions were ready and Jared Goff and company rose to the occasion. Goff was perfect going 18/18 292 yards and 2 touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.Jahmyr Gibbs had a great day rushing the ball and totaled 78 yards and 2 touchdowns. Not to take away the games of Geno Smith who threw 395 yards and a td and Kenneth Walker III returned with a big night in which he rushed for 80 yards and 3 touch downs. The Lions are of next week and will return in week 6 to face the Cowboys.

Bengals vs Panthers : Recap

By Bill Murphy

The Bengals have entered the win column with a 34-24 win over the Panthers. It wasn’t pretty, but at the end of the day a win is a win.

Stars of the Game:

Bengals

Joe Burrow- Burrow having another solid performance , was 22-31 for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

Ja’Marr Chase – After a breakout game last week , Chase had a good game this week with three receptions 85 yards and one touchdown. The touchdown was a 63 yard strike. With Tee Higgins back Chase is now breaking out.

Chase Brown – Now to the other Chase , Chase Brown had a solid performance ran for 15 carries , 80 yards and two touchdowns.

Panthers

Andy Dalton – Dalton’s second start after the benching of Bryce Young was solid. Dalton threw 25 completions for 40 attempts ,220 yards and two touchdowns taking advantage of the glitchy Bengals defense. Dalton’s two touchdown passes were to Dionte Johnson and Xavier Legette.

Chuba Hubbard – Hubbard ran for 18 carries , 104 yards and one touchdown. This was a big part of the Panthers taking advantage of the Bengals weak rush defense

.Dionate Johnson- The Panthers receiving game really stepped up this week. Johnson had seven receptions , 83 yards and one touchdown.

Next Week

The Bengals will be facing off against their AFC North rival the Baltimore Ravens

The Panthers will be facing off against the Chicago Bears.

WOOF

By Mike Rifkin

The Miami Dolphins fell at home Monday night to the Titans 31-12. Now the score is not indicative of the fact that this was a close game until late. But the Dolphins’ struggling offense continued to struggle. Tyler Huntley, in his first start was 14-22 for 96 yards, he also had 40 yards rushing with a touchdown. Let’s be honest this Dolphin offense has really struggled without Tua, but this game they were also missing Raheem Mostert and Left Tackle Terron Armstead, but this offense has not been the same really since the KC playoff game. They also had 10 penalties for almost 100 yards, which is unacceptable. For the Titans Mason Rudolph replaced an injured Will Levis and was 9-17 for 85 yards. The Titans ran the ball for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

The Dolphins sit at 1-3 and if they want any chance at being a playoff team, they need to figure something out ASAP. They travel to New England to play the Patriots and former Dolphin Jacoby Brissett. The Titans are on bye and will play the Colts next week.

IMPROVEMENT AT A COST$

BY MARK HALPERN

For the first time in a long time the New York Knicks were the toast of the town in New York and in the NBA. The Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, before losing to the Pacers. But one thing is for sure the Knicks are back and Madison Square Garden will be a tough place to play again.

Injuries played a huge role in the Knicks getting eliminated. Mitchell Robinson went down, and with Julius Randle already out, the Knicks were thin in the front court. Making Josh Hart guard some bigs. One of the goals of the offseason was to get more size. The Question became what could the Knicks do to improve without really gutting the team?

Lacking size in the NBA is a big problem and the Knicks made a move to bring in a player who can do it all in Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists to go along with and almost 1 block a game. This is exactly the type of player that this young fast New York team needed. However, when you acquire such a talent you have to give something in return and the Timberwolves received Julius Randle (missed most of last year to injury) and Donte DiVincenzo (Who I am sad to see go) in return. Donte had become a huge fan favorite of the Garden and I am sure it is going to sour the stomach of many a Knick fan for some time.

The question on people minds is how does Towns fit in with revamped knicks front five. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges will be at the guard positions, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart at the forwards and then Towns at Center. With the addition of Bridges the Knicks had to make a decision on whether to extend Randle or find a way to replace him and Towns can fill Randles shoes at Center and the size of Anunoby and the electric play from Hart, Towns finds himself in a position to have one of his best offensive and defensive years in his career. Towns, like Randle can also stretch the floor and shoot from three.

I reached out to my good friend Rudy Campos of Sweep the League and this was his response “The Wolves won the trade but the Knicks also came out good. Wolves got out of that contract and will be able to max out Edwards. The first round pick they got in return is big as well. Donte gives the Wolves a shooter and scorer. Randle is the factor. He makes so much sense for the Wolves. More sense than KAT.” I think Rudy hit the nail on the head the Wolves get out of the contract and now can focus of maxing Edwards and the Knicks get the big inside man they have been missing. The big combo of KAT and Rudy Gobert was always interesting to me, but it never seemed like it would work.

I am truly excited for this season and now with the addition of Towns the Knicks’ starting five is as good as it has been in years.

REST IN PEACE DIKEMBE MUTOMBO

BY MARK HALPERN

When you think of the best Centers to ever play in the NBA everyone will put Dikembe Mutombo in their top ten. The great Center who played 17 seasons for the Rockets, Nuggets, Hawks, Knicks, Nets and 76ers passed away at the age of 58 from Brain Cancer.

Dikembe Mutombo came from the Republic of the Congo to play for the Georgetown Hoyas and he was a sight to watch. He dominated is his four years and drafted with the fourth pick in the first round by the Nuggets. Throughout his career Mutombo averaged 9.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1 assist per game. Mutombo had a long outstanding career and he did it with style. Mutombo had a signature move when he blocked a shot and it was him waving his finger back and forth saying to the person whom shot he blocked “Not in my house.” Mutombo was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2015.

One of Mutombo’s life dreams was to be able to create a way of making improvements in his home country of the Congo and in 1997 he did just that by creating the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation with doing the goals of just that. He helped provide various different areas from agriculture, jobs and yes Basketball. Mutombo was the hero to many kids in his country and the Basketball camps he created helped several kids see opportunities they might not get with out the help of Mutombo.

Mutombo was also a longtime supporter of the Special Olympics and was once on the international board of directors for that committee. Mutombo believed sports were never just meant to be just played by stars. He always believed that there was a place for everyone in the sports world not matter their condition in life.

Dikembe Mutombo will be greatly missed not just as a Basketball Player but a man of outstanding Character.

BLITZERS PREVIEW WEEK 4

BY SIN BLITZERS

A CHANCE AT REDEMPTION

BY MARK HALPERN

There is no secret that the Houston Texans are angry over their disappointing loss last week to the Vikings. The question becomes how does the Texans handle the loss going into this week against the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars. Stroud really couldn’t get going and neither could the running game without Joe Mixon. I think the Texans got a little shaken and off their game but, this week is time to show off.

The Jaguars resemble nothing of what they looked like last year at all. There has been rumors that Trevor Lawrence could be seated if things don’t change and don’t expect them to Lawrence could be riding the pine pony very soon.

Stroud has vigorous work out and becoming prepared to take on any opponent. He watches countless film and the way the Texans started has paid off. For the Texans to be successful they have to get the running game going and early because a Quarterback who is throwing 50+ times a game doesn’t always have the advantage. Currently Mixon is listed as questionable so expect to see a lot of Cam Akers if he can’t go. Tank Dell wont be available. Expect Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and maybe Dalton Schultz to be active this weekend. I don’t see any resurgence of Lawrence this week and the Jags could be 0-4 to start this first month of the season.

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

BY MARK HALPERN

The Lions have made some changes and strides to keep them in the hunt in the NFC North. Yes it’s early to talk playoffs but, when you have

a division that as good as this one taking one small step back could

mean the playoffs. The Lions have moved to 2-1 on the season and have a huge game against the 3-0 Seahawks. The Lions’ clock management will be key. We known that Geno Smith can hit any of his receivers at almost any point on a drive. The Lions secondary have the hardest job covering these receivers. If the Lions secondary that has played lazy a little shows up it’s going to be for field day for the Seahawks.

Keys to this game are simple. Use this two headed running back of Gibbs and Montgomery to control the clock and find St. Brown and Williams early. Also the Lions got good news on Sam Laporta’s ankle and he is practicing today and if he completes practice tomorrow he should be good to go for this great Monday Night Football contest. You might want to take the over in this one.

REMEMBERING THE TITANS

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Last season the Dolphins hosted the Titans on a Monday night, the Titans scored two touchdowns in the last two minutes to win the game 28-27. That loss cost the Dolphins the AFC East as well as a top seed. On Monday night the Dolphins will look for some payback. The Titans are one of three teams still searching for their first win. The Dolphins in the game last season got to Will Levis once, Levis in three games has been sacked 15 times. The Dolphins have not announced their quarterback yet, but I would guess Tyler Huntley would get the start.

Keys : Dolphins

Pressure Will Levis : The Dolphins got to Levis once in their meeting last season, Levis has been sacked 15 times so far this season. If pressured Levis might make a mistake, he already has five interceptions on the season.
De’von Achane : Whether Raheem Mostert is back or not the Dolphins need to run the ball. The Titans are giving 124 yards rushing per game.
Containing Nuke: Deandre Hopkins killed the Dolphins last year posting seven catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. It’ll be interesting to see if Anthony Weaver is willing to have Jalen Ramsey shadow Hopkins.

Bengals vs Panthers: preview

By Bill Murphy

The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-3 to the start the season after their loss to the Commanders. Joe Burrow was 29-38 for 324 yards and three touchdowns. This week , it’s the battle of the felines in which the Bengals are taking on the Carolina Panthers who are coming off of their first win of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders 36-22. They got the win with former Bengal Andy Dalton under center.

Keys Of The Game

Bengals

Offense: Ja’marr Chase

After a contract dispute and quiet start , Ja’marr Chase had the breakout game he needed last week with six receptions 118 yards and two touchdowns. That coincides with the return of Tee Higgins. The Bengals will have to use Chase to take advantage of the weak Carolina secondary. Over the first three games of the season the Panthers have surrendered seven touchdown passes.

Defense : Pass Rush

The Bengals cannot give Andy Dalton time to cook them, last week Jayden Daniels did. The good news is Dalton doesn’t have the mobility of Daniels, and the Panthers o line is not great as they’ve given up eight sacks through three games. If there’s one guy who has to step up it’s Sam Hubbard, who is yet to register one after having six last season.

Panthers

Offense : Xavier Legette

Veteran Adam Thielen is now on the IR due to an hamstring injury . Now with Theilen sidelined , Dalton will now hopefully provide opportunities for rookie wide receiver Xavier Lagette . Last week Legette had an explosive 35 yard catch. The Panthers are going to need the rookie to step up in Thielen’s absence.

Defense : The Secondary

The Panthers are giving up just below 202 yards in the air through three games, now part of that was they’ve had issues stopping the run so far as well. Jaycee Horn, a former first round pick is still finding his way in the league. Michael Jackson (no not that one) got the team’s first interception of the season, and they did well against Davante Adams last week. But now they have to deal with Tee Higgins and Chase, so they’ll have to be at their best.

Prediction

Bengals 27 Panthers 10

2024 Pacific Division Preview

By Mike Rifkin

2023 Standings

Vancouver Canucks : 109 points
Edmonton Oilers : 104 points
LA Kings : 99 points
Vegas Golden Knights : 98 points
Calgary Flames 81 points
Seattle Kraken :81 points
Anaheim Ducks : 59 points
San Jose Sharks : 41 points

X FACTORS

DUCKS : TREVOR ZEGRAS :. After posting back to back 23 goal and 60 plus point seasons, Zegras had six goals and 15 points in 31 games last season. Zegras has been the center of the Ducks rebuild, but during the summer Zegras’s name came up in trade rumors. We will have to see what direction the Ducks use the 23 year old Center.

FLAMES : DUSTIN WOLF : There’s a lot of moving parts in Calgary, GM Craig Conory has talked about a rebuild, but they also have some bad contracts on their books. Dustin Wolf got into 17 games last season starting 15 of them, and posted a 7-7 record with a 3.16 GAA and a .893 save percentage. Now with Jacob Markstrom in New Jersey it’s time for the 23 year old to take the reins of the net in Calgary

Oilers : VIKTOR ARVIDSSON : The real answer here is Stu Skinner, but if he struggles the Oilers should upgrade at the trade deadline. But my answer is Viktor Arvidsson, who the Oilers are familiar with from playing the Kings in the playoffs. But with the news on Evander Kane, who will miss a few months, Arvidsson might be able to get into the top 6 and play with either McDavid or Draisaitl.

LA Kings : DARCY KUEMPER : The Kings are still looking to fill the void left by Jonathon Quick, in the 2010’s. As guys like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty get older, the Kings find themselves in a spot where they are still trying to win with an eye on the future. This summer they made an interesting trade with the Capitals, Pierre Luc Dubois for Darcy Kuemper straight up. Kuemper, was a member of the Avs Stanley Cup winning team, the Kings are hoping for him to regain that form and help them advance in the Playoffs.

SHARKS : YAROSLOV ASKAROV : It was a busy summer for Mike Grier, who has talked about the Sharks rebuilding for a few seasons now. The Sharks won the draft lottery and selected Macklin Celebrini, they signed Tyler Toffoli and added Barclay Goodrow up front. Grier than pulled the trigger on a high upside trade, acquiring goalie Yaroslov Askarov from the Predators. Askarov, was awesome in Milwaukee in the AHL winning 56 games over the last two seasons including going 30-13-1 last season with a 2.39 GAA and .911 save percentage with six shutouts. The Sharks may have found their goalie of the future.

Kraken : SHANE WRIGHT : There’s a new bench boss in Seattle in Dan Bylsma. Bylsma, had been coaching Coachella Valley, the AHL affiliate of the Kraken. Shane Wright was the fourth overall pick in 2022, and has yet to find a regular footing with the Kraken. In 16 games Wright has five goals and seven points. Maybe knowing the new coach could create the right advantage for Wright.

Canucks : Goal tending : Part of the reason the Canucks were successful last season was their goal tending. Thatcher Demko was 35-14-2 with a 2.45 GAA and a .918 save percentage along with five shutouts. There have been questions about Demko’s health, if he is out long term that can be a major issue for the Canucks.

Golden Knights : Goal tending : The Knights have a very interesting trio of goalies. Led by Adin Hill, who helped the Knights win the Stanley Cup a few seasons ago. Over the summer they traded Logan Thompson and replaced him with Ilya Samsonov. Last season in Toronto wasn’t a good one for Samsonov, who had a goals against average of 3.13 and a save percentage of .890. They also acquired Akira Schmid from the Devils. Schmid went 5-9-1 with a 3.15 GAA and .895 save percentage last season for the Devils. One other x factor for the Knights is who steps up in place of Jonathan Marchessault, who went to Nashville.

PREDICTIONS

OILERS
GOLDEN KNIGHTS
KINGS
KRAKEN
CANUCKS
FLAMES
SHARKS
DUCKS

SIN BLITZERS WEEK 3 RECAP

Bengals vs Commanders : Recap – Bill Murphy

Well it was the battle of the former Heisman winning LSU quarterbacks on Monday night Joe Burrow vs Jayden Daniels. The Commanders defeated the Bengals 38-33. The Bengals start the season 0-3 and are definitely in a hole.

What Went Wrong For the Bengals?

The Defense – The Bengals Defense tonight was not good in this game. The Bengals defense gave up 21 points in the second half , this was the first time that the Commanders have scored 21 points in the second half since 2018. On top of that The Bengals defense did not force any punts or turnovers during this game .

Stars of the Games: Bengals

Joe Burrow – Despite the loss Joe Burrow had a great game this evening throwing 29 completions for 38 attempts ,324 passing yards and three touchdowns .
Ja’marr Chase – After a contract dispute and quiet two weeks , Ja’Marr Chase has had a breakout game with six receptions , 118 yards and two touchdowns. The return of Tee Higgins had a big role in Chase’s breakout.
Zach Moss- Zach Moss is really breaking out as the replacement for Joe Mixon. Moss had 12 carries 58 rushing yards and one touchdown. Moss added five catches for 39 yards.
Andrei Iosivas – Andrei Iosivas is emerging as a top receiver along with Higgins and Chase. Iosivas had five receptions 52 yards and one touchdown .

Stars of the Game : Commanders

Jayden Daniels –Well as the old saying goes when one former LSU QB loses another one wins. Rookie Jayden Daniels had a dynamite game throwing 21 completions for 23 attempts ,254 passing yards, 39 rushing yards , two passing touchdowns (including his first touchdown pass) and one rushing touchdown.
Terry Mclaurin – Jayden Daniels has found his top receiver in Terry Mclaurin . Mclaurin has four receptions ,100 yards and one touchdown.

Next Week

The Bengals will take on the Carolina Panthers .
The Commanders will take on the Arizona Cardinals

Seahawks 24 Dolphins 3 – Mike Rifkin

Well, the Dolphins quarterback situation just got murkier. Skylar Thompson got the start in Seattle, and it was not great. Thompson was 13-19 for 107 yards, and was sacked five times. Thompson was caught holding the ball too long at times, and no feel for pressure, eventually Thompson left the game with a Chest injury and was replaced by Tim Boyle, who Dolphin fans should know well ( he threw the pick six to Jevon Holland on Black Friday last season). The Dolphins offense was 1-15 combined on third and fourth down. De’von Achane had 58 total yards on 14 touches. Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill once again were non factors combining for 66 yards on seven receptions. The only three points the Dolphins scored was, when Geno Smith threw an interception at his own 10 yard line.

The Dolphins defense did what it could against a good Seahawk offense. They forced two Geno Smith interceptions and sacked him three times. The defense held their team in it although the 71 yard touchdown by DK Metcalf late in the first quarter was a back breaker, they held Seattle scoreless in the second and third quarters.

Both teams will play on Monday night as the Dolphins host the Titans and the Seahawks travel to Detroit to play the Lions.

Note : Texans, Cowboys and Lions postgames will be released as vlogs on the SIN YOUTUBE PAGE.

TIME TO TAKE A GIANT LEAP

BY MARK HALPERN

It’s hard to fathom that the Dallas Cowboys have the same record as their long-heated rival the New York Giants. There is no secret love loss these two teams have for each other. The Cowboys and Giants both sit at 1-2 on the season. If asked before the season that at any point the Cowboys and Giants would have the same record, I’d call you a liar.

The Cowboys are headed to MetLife Stadium on Thursday night. The Giants are coming off their first win of the season. An impressive game against the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday. The Cowboys were handed their second straight loss (In a game they should have won) to the now 1-2 Baltimore Ravens. The real question becomes what has to change and will it change?

The Cowboys have a chance to get their team back on the right track and not coming out and trying to make sure you have a balanced attack cause Dallas doesn’t. I still love that Zeke Elliot is back and I hope he hangs it up after the year because there will be no room for him. The Cowboys need to throw the playbook out the window and look at this as an opportunity as a get right game. The Cowboys need to come out and put up 40 points at least while not giving up 41. The Cowboys Offense has been the same old story, now they need to unleash Dak. This team has to see the fun side of football right now because the Dark Shroud is starting to show its ugly face. It’s three games into the season and the Cowboys are 1-2 and to me that is unacceptable. Especially when their two losses look eerily similar to the loss to the Packers in the wild card game. Prescott needs to put up the same type of numbers as he did last week but, with 5 touchdowns to go along with it. Rico and Deuce should be running the ball and Zeke be a receiving back more and be used on those third and short or goal line opportunity. Cee Dee Lamb has a chance to easily go over 100 yards with a TD and so does Jalen Tolbert as he has become a very good deep threat with his speed and route running. Montgomery and Cooks stats could get padded a bit as well.

In my opinion the defense has the perfect opportunity to get their footing back when playing this one-dimensional rival. Pressure Daniel Jones on all four downs and don’t let him get any view of Malik Nabers cause this kid is special. We will se Trevon Diggs matched up with Nabers all night and I am sure it will be a big feature point if Jones can even get the ball towards him.

This game is personal for the Cowboys because they were embarrassed back to back weeks at home. Now they go up against a team that they are clearly more talented than, and last year they blew the Giants out twice. If the Cowboys lose this game, the pressure cooker goes way up on Mike McCarthy.

2024 ATLANTIC DIVISION PREVIEW

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Another Hockey season is upon us. Here is how the Atlantic Division shook out last season, and how I think it will shape it out in 2024.

2023 Standings

Florida Panthers : 110 points – Won Stanley Cup
Boston Bruins : 109 points – Lost in Second Rd to Panthers in six games
Toronto Maple Leafs : 102 points – Lost in First Rd to Bruins in seven games
Tampa Bay Lightning : 98 points – Lost in First Rd to Panthers in five games
Detroit Red Wings : 91 points – Missed Playoffs
Buffalo Sabres : 84 points – Missed Playoffs
Ottawa Senators : 78 points – Missed Playoffs
Montreal Canadiens : 76 points – Missed Playoffs

X FACTORS

BRUINS : Goaltending : I know this is weird, but as of this writing Jeremy Swayman remains unsigned, if the Bruins enter the season with that being the case that means Joonas Korpisalo is in net. If Swayman isn’t signed by December first, he cannot play this season.

Sabres : Tage Thompson : By all accounts 29 goals and 56 points is a solid season. But it’s not as solid as 47 goals and 94 points. Thompson’s numbers took a hit last season, but maybe under Lindy Ruff his numbers increase again. Maybe he doesn’t hit 47, but maybe 35, the Sabres will need more production to replace Jeff Skinner.

Red Wings : Goaltending : The Red Wings brought in Cam Talbot and are pairing him with Ville Husso. One thing on the Yzerplan in Detroit is it hasn’t addressed goaltending for now.

Panthers : Stanley Cup Hangover : We’ve seen it in the past, the teams who go to the Cup Final have a slow start, if the Panthers can avoid that they should be as dangerous as they were a year ago.

Canadiens : Patrick Laine : Montreal added the former second overall pick from Columbus in a trade during the summer. Laine has scored 30 goals or more twice. He is still only 26, if healthy he adds more dynamics to Montreal.

Senators : Shane Pinto : Pinto is a part of a really good group of young forwards. Last season wasn’t kind to Pinto he was limited to 41 games and did have nine goals and 27 points. He was limited due to his contract and suspended for gambling purposes. If Pinto can give the Sens more offense, they might just make the playoffs.

Lightning : Defense : Yeah, the big story out of Tampa was the departure of Steven Stamkos, but I actually think there is a bigger one. That is the departure of Mikhail Sergachev, who was traded to Utah. The Lightning did bring back Ryan Mcdonagh from the Preds. This Blue Line isn’t deep and a major injury could set them back, but they have the right guy leading them in Victor Hedman. It also doesn’t hurt that Andrei Vasilevskiy will be there from the jump.

Maple Leafs : Goaltending : Every year it’s the same thing from the Leafs, they’re highly skilled, but don’t come up big in the playoffs. Joseph Woll played well last year when given the chance and he was great in two games in the playoffs, but between him and free agent signing Anthony Stolarz the Leafs have two guys who have never been true number ones in their career. They cannot let goaltending get in the way of their goal.

Predictions

Panthers
Lightning
Maple Leafs
Bruins – WC (IF SWAYMAN SIGNS)
Senators
Canadiens
Sabres
Red Wings

Returning To The Scene Of The Crime

By Mike Rifkin

Halloween is still a month away, but for the New York Mets they’ll be entering their haunted house a month earlier. The 2022 New York Mets led the NL East by 10 games at one point during the season. In late September the Mets played their division rival the Atlanta Braves, with one goal in mind: win a game to win the division. The Mets rolled out their top three starters in Max Scherzer, Jacob DeGrom and Chris Bassitt, and the Mets were swept by the Braves and relegated to a Wild Card spot. I’ve always felt that the 2023 Mets failed because they couldn’t get over the failures of 2022.

The 2024 versions of both the Mets and the Braves have had to overcome multiple obstacles. For the Braves it’s been injuries to important players. For the Mets it’s been 11 games under .500, injuries, guys struggling, etc… But once again it all comes down to this a massive series in Atlanta, if the Mets win two of three, they’ll clinch a wild card spot, if the Mets lose two of three then they go into the final weekend of the season with a one game lead in the Wild Card.

Atlanta has been a house of horrors for the Mets, they are 187-273 all time in Atlanta, including 25-36 at Truist Park. On a positive note the Mets did win the only other series in Atlanta earlier this season. With the season series tied five wins a piece, whoever wins this series will have the tiebreaker over the other (if needed). But for the Mets they can erase what happened in 2022 by winning this series and go to the playoffs, which most thought was not obtainable when they went 11 games under .500. The Mets have played so well since June, overcoming a lot of obstacles, but their biggest obstacle is the one that has stood in front of them before.