GDT: 11/16/17 - 7:30PM EDT - Dallas vs Tampa Bay

[The Gongshow]

Big Ben back in Tampa...

 

[Stammertime91]

Obviously I want us to win, I'm not Sustr, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a big time performance from Bishop. He's gonna want to win this one regardless of how bad Dallas has been playing.

 

[MattM92]

We aren't shopping Sustr and I don't think we should. He's fine as a #8 and decent depth. Even if we are, Koekkoek's development is more important than getting rid of Sustr. Let the kid play and see where he is after his 200 games.

 

[DFC]

You have to think we have something in mind to take advantage of Bish constantly leaving the crease.

 

[RDTBay4]

Big Ben back in Tampa...

 

[Stammertime91]

NHLN just showed the projected lines for us and they had Sustr on the 3RW spot.

Lmao. Knew something looked horribly wrong.

 

[These Are The Days]

We aren't shopping Sustr and I don't think we should. He's fine as a #8 and decent depth. Even if we are, Koekkoek's development is more important than getting rid of Sustr. Let the kid play and see where he is after his 200 games.

At this pace Sergachev is gonna hit 200 games and Sustr will play another 200 before Koekkoek even reaches 200 games in his own right. As far as I'm concerned the Sustr experiment needed to end 3 seasons ago. He had 158 professional games between the AHL/NHL in both the regular season and playoffs by the end of the 2014-2015 season. I don't expect a defenseman to turn into a Norris caliber player in 158 professional games, I just expect them to not regress so much by that point that I could quantify the performance as going from a consistent "5 out of 10" to a "3 out of 10" by that point. It was clear by his 100 game mark that he had taken a major step backwards in his development because that was his baseline as a player.

It's entirely possible I'm being too harsh but after 100 NHL games (which Sustr had before the end of 2014-2015) an organization needs to recognize that with such a severe degree of regression something has gone HORRIBLY wrong by that point in his development. Keep in mind, his 100th NHL game mark came in 50+ games played in the 2014-2015 season. It's not like we were dealing with small sample size. He had to play over half the 2014-2015 season to get to that point and by God he was getting worse and worse every night. So you have 3 options. You need to go back to the drawing board and sit him out a while to teach him the game, or send him to the minors or salvage whatever value you can still get for that player in a trade. The first 2 options are the ideal solution. However, we did none of those things and kept trotting him out night after night now we are stuck with arguably a top 5 worst D in the league.

By 2014-2015 it got to the point where he and Matt Carle were being babysat by the TKO line so that way they wouldn't have to play any actual defense. God knows the 3 of them almost never saw the other side of the red line because they were so dominant.

Now we're lucky if we even get a "2" out of Sustr and I'm gonna guess that's what we get out of him tonight

 

[Stammertime91]

I was with you until you said a 2 out of 10.

More like a 0 out of 10, in which we usually get a -1. And so does his +/- .

 

[DaBolts]

I love Bish, but if Sustr, who burned Bish a zillion times with his crappy play while he was here scores a goal on him, I'm going to die laughing.

Then again, I think I will win the Powerball too.

 

[Stormbreaker]

 

[These Are The Days]

If Palat wasn't playing so damn well with Point and Gourde I'd recommend him reuniting the glorious Pallahan connection with Johnson and giving Killorn a chance with the others. If that actually worked out as well in real life as it sounds on paper then it just would not be fair.

 

[Stormbreaker]

 

[These Are The Days]

I pity the fool who gets the giraffe's jersey

 

[These Are The Days]

Welcome home Bish!

Prepare for pain.

We're gonna get killed bruh

 

[Brie]

Let's go Lightning!

 

[TropicalFruitGirl2]

Good evening fellow Bolts fans.
Ready to welcome back Ben Bishop.........then light him up!

Let's go Lightning..........Kick Ice!!

 

[TropicalFruitGirl2]

Blue vs Green

Game ON!

 

[TropicalFruitGirl2]

Antoine Roussel already trying to get under the skin of the Lightning....Sergachev in particular.
Hoping the young Russian player doesn't buy too much into Roussel's crap.

 

[These Are The Days]

That was a really bad decision by Palat. Just who exactly was he passing it to?

 

[TropicalFruitGirl2]

That was a really bad decision by Palat. Just who exactly was he passing it to?

Well, no harm no foul, but I agree.
Careless pass.

I am thinking HE thought he has a linemate to his left....but just like the frog, he needs to look before he leaps....

 

[Stormbreaker]

Vladdy fighting!

 

[These Are The Days]

lol Vladdy dropping the dukes.

 

[Brie]

Vladdy isn't a fighter but he's good at keeping his own.

 

[JoVel]

Go Vladdy!!

 

[TropicalFruitGirl2]

oh man....Namest....please...stick to scoring goals.
I like that he stands up for himself, but that slap fighting was ridiculous....