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NorthWestCowboy

OT: US Thanksgiving NHL snapshot

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This week the NHL passed the 1/4 way mark with all teams having played at least 20 games.  US Thanksgiving is always a good measuring point in an NHL season.  Historically, in the 30-team era when an NHL team is under .500 after 20 games there is only a 13% chance they'll make the playoffs.  Thirteen percent means there will be some movement but for the most part the picture has become clear.

This time last year the VGK were 15-7 and the magic that was their inaugural season was not yet believed by most.  This year the VGK are sitting at 10-12 in a woefully weak Pacific division.  Vegas has had some key injuries (Stasny, Haula) and missing their best D man (Schmidt) due to a 20-game performance enhancing substance suspension has hurt but this is not the same team we watched in 2017-18.

As it stands right now the Pacific might get 3 teams into the playoffs with the Central being loaded should get 5 in.  Only Calgary and San Jose seem to be firmly on the path to the playoffs in the Pacific.  LA has no shot to make the playoffs which means that there are 5 teams (Anaheim, Vancouver, Edmonton, Vegas and Arizona) all hovering around .500 vying for the 3rd playoff slot in the Pacific.

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49 minutes ago, retrofade said:

Coyotes need to get healthy, and hope that Raanta also stays healthy once he returns, and they should be able to make a run at it. 

Arizona has dissapointed before when picked to do well.  That said of the Pacific teams around .500 I think they've got the best chance to climb the standings.

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I didn’t go to a vgk game last year because it was so expensive, and here I am in town again and tickets are still around $100.. is it all just high rollers getting comped tickets or are locals really throwing down hundreds of dollars to go see a game?  Are ticket prices ever gonna drop to commoner prices? 

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1 hour ago, brillio said:

I didn’t go to a vgk game last year because it was so expensive, and here I am in town again and tickets are still around $100.. is it all just high rollers getting comped tickets or are locals really throwing down hundreds of dollars to go see a game?  Are ticket prices ever gonna drop to commoner prices? 

NHL hockey is rather expensive to attend but the VGK have among the highest ticket prices in the league.  The VGK have the second highest average ticket price in the league second only to Toronto.  The VGK are also second in the leage in ticket price increase year over year with a 25% increase.  The links below gives some interesting info.

https://www.vividseats.com/blog/nhl-ticket-prices

https://blog.ticketiq.com/blog/2018-19-nhl-tickets-prices-trends

Give it a few seasons and you'll likely see prices fall closer to league average.  The Vegas market is a bit unique though with all the casino's and hotels.  Perhaps comp ticket sales will keep the prices artifically high.

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49 minutes ago, brillio said:

I didn’t go to a vgk game last year because it was so expensive, and here I am in town again and tickets are still around $100.. is it all just high rollers getting comped tickets or are locals really throwing down hundreds of dollars to go see a game?  Are ticket prices ever gonna drop to commoner prices? 

Hockey is expensive. 

What seat do you get for $100?

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1 hour ago, brillio said:

The cheapest one I see is $100 on stubhub but that doesn’t include the fees. Are all these games full or do a lot of seats end up empty from the ones who didn’t sell their $100 seats? 

Best thing to do is wait until right before game time, people lower the prices a lot on unsold tickets. I got into a playoff game and a Stanley cup game that way last year for pretty reasonable prices just waiting for a deal last minute

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5 minutes ago, VegasAggie said:

Best thing to do is wait until right before game time, people lower the prices a lot on unsold tickets. I got into a playoff game and a Stanley cup game that way last year for pretty reasonable prices just waiting for a deal last minute

Which outlet do you use? I’ve been watching through flashseats.  And btw I’m glad usu b-ball looks to be back this year! 

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17 hours ago, NorthWestCowboy said:

Arizona has dissapointed before when picked to do well.  That said of the Pacific teams around .500 I think they've got the best chance to climb the standings.

It's a good thing that we weren't predicted to do well this year then. ;) We went on a tear in the second half of last season with a healthy Raanta, and we should be better on offense for the rest of the year than we were during that stretch. We're hurting on defense at the moment after losing Demers likely for the rest of the year.

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The Blues are stinking it up.  Been awful since letting Hitch go.

"I never saw a buckin' hoss to top Steamboat. Fact is, he was the closest thing to perpetual motion that ever wore hair. Few men could stand that kind of battering without bleeding from the nose, and most became nauseated as well. Ol' Steamboat put some of the toughest into the hospital for repairs."

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23 minutes ago, TyranosaurusFlex said:

Realistically they're only a point away from 8th in the western conference. Yeah the season is over, might as well pack it up boys. 

The Pacific Division is pretty mashed up with no team separating from the others - Get a 3 or 4 game winning streak combined with key Pacific Division losses by other teams and the VGK jumps almost to the top inside 10 days 

Not to mention the VGK have been on the road more than at home and against mostly non-Pacific Division teams 

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