GDT: Blues vs Canadiens 7pm- Who Is Robert Thomas?

[Linkens Mastery]

When did Pronger start telling Parayko bedtime stories?

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

When did Pronger start telling Parayko bedtime stories?

Not soon enough?

 

[MissouriMook]

What in the world was Bouwmeester looking at during that interview? He wasn’t looking at Panger or the camera, just constantly staring at something off camera, even when the interview was over.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

What in the world was Bouwmeester looking at during that interview? He wasn’t looking at Panger or the camera, just constantly staring at something off camera, even when the interview was over.

The incoming storm of tax season.

 

[Spektre]

Good to see Barbashev get rewarded with a goal. He's been playing well with and without the puck. Thompson continues to gain confidence. He's making a lot of quicker decisions with the puck compared to earlier in the season.

Is it too early to say there's a goalie controversy? Hutton is 8-1-1 in the last 10 with a 1.72 gaa & a .942 save %. I know Allen has to get a game in soon but I'd always ride the hot goalie.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Couldn't watch, so I'm assuming Thomas had a hattrick

 

[The Note]

Vince Dunn needs to play as much PP time as he can handle. He’s the only one who possesses the skating and to gain the line on a consistent basis.

 

[CitizenSnips]

I

Vince Dunn needs to play as much PP time as he can handle. He’s the only one who possesses the skating and to gain the line on a consistent basis.

This kid continues to impress me game in and game out. I love his positioning, outlet passes, hockey IQ, and speed. I also agree in that he can QB a PP for years to come and there is no reason for him not to get some serious time on a nightly basis

 

[ManyIdeas]

Dunn still surprises me defensively as well. His skating and stickwork are pretty solid, I don't think he's a liability at all and hope he continues to grow.

 

[Halak Ness Monster]

Take a bow, Jay Bouwmeester. (Take a bouw?) Great game for him.

Hutton continues to shine in net. I love that Yeo is continuing to ride the hot hand. He has to be in there on Thursday vs. a tough Boston team.

Overall we are now 5-1 since the week off and it appears that we are well past our midseason struggles without Schwartz. The only negative was the Arizona game and I think that is one we just took too lightly.

Thursday is going to be fun. Two Cup contenders going at it. Boston lost to Anaheim last night but they had won 5 straight before that. It was actually their first regulation loss since December 14th! They were 14-0-4 in that time frame! So they'll be pissed.

 

[Celtic Note]

Dunn still surprises me defensively as well. His skating and stickwork are pretty solid, I don't think he's a liability at all and hope he continues to grow.

He made a couple very astute plays defensively last night. One one of our PPs Montreal gained our zone and Dunn squared up. He aligned himself with the players body, positioning himself to take it if necessary. Instead he did a sweep check backwards, while helping position. That doesn’t happen often by a lot of defenders. The brilliance of the play was amazing he direction he swept the puck. He knew he had numbers back with a man advantage. So, sweeping back made perfect sense even though we intuitively think to sweep to the side or forward. It was a little play, but shows you how intelligent he can think the game.

 

[Celtic Note]

Take a bow, Jay Bouwmeester. (Take a bouw?) Great game for him.

Hutton continues to shine in net. I love that Yeo is continuing to ride the hot hand. He has to be in there on Thursday vs. a tough Boston team.

Overall we are now 5-1 since the week off and it appears that we are well past our midseason struggles without Schwartz. The only negative was the Arizona game and I think that is one we just took too lightly.

Thursday is going to be fun. Two Cup contenders going at it. Boston lost to Anaheim last night but they had won 5 straight before that. It was actually their first regulation loss since December 14th! They were 14-0-4 in that time frame! So they'll be pissed.

No played a fantastic game. Hopefully we see more of that moving forward.

 

[67Blues]

Vince Dunn needs to play as much PP time as he can handle. He’s the only one who possesses the skating and to gain the line on a consistent basis.

I was impressed with Dunn's entrances into the zone on the PP. He would carry the puck into the zone, establish his position and then pass the puck to set up the attack. I wish Parayko would use his size and skill to do the same. Dunn is only going to get better the more PP time he gets. I think we have a keeper here

 

[The Note in MI]

There was one or two entries he did alone where I felt the urge to just clap.

 

[DeuceNine]

It's my contention Dunn drives the offense almost as much as Schwartz. He has a knack for the smart, slick but never dangerous play.

 

[MissouriMook]

Couldn't watch, so I'm assuming Thomas had a hattrick

No, the kid was pretty much invisible out there last night. For the life of me I can't figure out why Montreal fans are so fixated on this guy. First game after the All-Star break and he doesn't even bother to show up.

 

[Brian39]

Good to see Barbashev get rewarded with a goal. He's been playing well with and without the puck. Thompson continues to gain confidence. He's making a lot of quicker decisions with the puck compared to earlier in the season.

Is it too early to say there's a goalie controversy? Hutton is 8-1-1 in the last 10 with a 1.72 gaa & a .942 save %. I know Allen has to get a game in soon but I'd always ride the hot goalie.

No controversy. You ride Hutton until he stops having a historically good season. If he can keep this up for another 20+ starts he is likely a Vezina candidate depending on what Fleury, Vasilevski, and a handful of other guys do in the last 30 games.

I can't wrap my head around the narrative that this is in any way about Allen. Hutton is having a completely unheard of season. Not a single goalie in the history of the NHL with 10 or more starts has ever finished with a SV% of .945. If he keeps this up (massive if), he will set the all time record in SV%. Now, obviously he is the beneficiary of a smaller sample size right? Well let's look at performance to date. Since the full season lockout of 2004/05, two goalies have carried a .945 SV% from the start of the season through January 31st (with a minimum of 10 games played, which is less than half of Hutton's total). Hutton is one of them and Tim Thomas in 2010/11 is the other. Thomas won the Vezina, Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe and set the all time single season record for SV% that year. In at least 15 years, no guy who started the season as a backup has done what Hutton is doing (full disclosure, I'm too lazy to look past the lockout as checking each season required several clicks on NHL.com's horrific stats page).

Hutton isn't have a good stretch. He's not having a great stretch. He's having one of the best stretches of goaltending the league has seen in the salary cap era and has maintained it with the increase in his workload. You don't walk away from that until it cools and it doesn't matter who the other goalie is. This isn't a controversy unless Hutton keeps it up another 6 weeks+ but starts seeing a dip in play precariously close to the playoffs. If Hutton continues playing one of the best goaltending seasons in the modern era, he will keep the net and it doesn't matter whether the other goalie is Allen, Lundqvist, Price, etc. If he cools off more than a couple weeks before playoffs, Allen will get ample opportunity to take the net back.

My money is on the idea that Hutton didn't go from an average to above average backup to the world's best goalie in 6 months and what we are seeing is unsustainable, but you ride him until he proves that. I'd still happily take an even money bet that Allen is in net for game one of the playoffs.

 

[Halak Ness Monster]

It's my contention Dunn drives the offense almost as much as Schwartz. He has a knack for the smart, slick but never dangerous play.

Remember Schwartz's first season? He was always making the smart play. Working hard. Impressing us with his IQ more so than with his raw ability. However, at the same time he was a bit timid. Not toward the NHL level but just of making a bad play. He wouldn't hold the puck long. He wanted to make a smart play quickly rather than hold it to try to make a great play. He pretty much played like a 4th line player and not a guy you would ever think could put up 50-60+ points a year.

That's what I'm seeing with Dunn. He isn't out there looking to make a big play. He is out there looking to make smart play after smart play while limiting any potential danger. And he does it.

It makes me think that in a year or two we could have a really special player here. Once he gets confidence and an understanding of what he can and can't get away with at the NHL level. The raw ability to make big plays is there. IQ, skating, hands. If he wants to get involved more or hold the puck more to create something, he has the ability to do it. It's just a question of him being comfortable enough to do it.

I'm very excited about Dunn's potential!

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

No controversy. You ride Hutton until he stops having a historically good season. If he can keep this up for another 20+ starts he is likely a Vezina candidate depending on what Fleury, Vasilevski, and a handful of other guys do in the last 30 games.

I can't wrap my head around the narrative that this is in any way about Allen. Hutton is having a completely unheard of season. Not a single goalie in the history of the NHL with 10 or more starts has ever finished with a SV% of .945. If he keeps this up (massive if), he will set the all time record in SV%. Now, obviously he is the beneficiary of a smaller sample size right? Well let's look at performance to date. Since the full season lockout of 2004/05, two goalies have carried a .945 SV% from the start of the season through January 31st (with a minimum of 10 games played, which is less than half of Hutton's total). Hutton is one of them and Tim Thomas in 2010/11 is the other. Thomas won the Vezina, Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe and set the all time single season record for SV% that year. In at least 15 years, no guy who started the season as a backup has done what Hutton is doing (full disclosure, I'm too lazy to look past the lockout as checking each season required several clicks on NHL.com's horrific stats page).

Hutton isn't have a good stretch. He's not having a great stretch. He's having one of the best stretches of goaltending the league has seen in the salary cap era and has maintained it with the increase in his workload. You don't walk away from that until it cools and it doesn't matter who the other goalie is. This isn't a controversy unless Hutton keeps it up another 6 weeks+ but starts seeing a dip in play precariously close to the playoffs. If Hutton continues playing one of the best goaltending seasons in the modern era, he will keep the net and it doesn't matter whether the other goalie is Allen, Lundqvist, Price, etc. If he cools off more than a couple weeks before playoffs, Allen will get ample opportunity to take the net back.

My money is on the idea that Hutton didn't go from an average to above average backup to the world's best goalie in 6 months and what we are seeing is unsustainable, but you ride him until he proves that. I'd still happily take an even money bet that Allen is in net for game one of the playoffs.

Exactly this. Thanks for saving me time by writing my thoughts for me.

 

[JoshFromMO]

I think its weird that Dunn's upbringing is similar to Parayko, yet so deferent. They both earned coaches trust really quickly, and both have me optimistic for their futures.


Now watch as I jinx Dunn's career with this post

 

[Halak Ness Monster]

For an example of what I'm talking about with Dunn looking to make the smart play, look at Barbashev's goal.

Dunn is in his own end with the puck and has a Habs player closing in on him. His Blues support is all right around him so a great pass(through a MTL player) just keeps things in a high danger area. A turnover and a pass by Montreal would have gave them a great chance.

So instead of trying to make a fancy pass or skate it out he just hoists it out of danger to center ice. Lucky for us it took a fortunate bounce off a glove and landed on Barbie's stick.
But that play would have allowed our D to get setup a lot better than it was.