GDT: Detroit @ Ottawa 4/4/17

[TheOtherOne]

Two games left for Riley. Is it approaching a historic streak? If you include the 5 playoff games last year, it's now at 82 games.

One of the announcers said if he finishes the season goalless he'll be the first player in recorded history to do so while having over 100 shots.

 

[Super Cake]

What do you guys think is going to happen to Riley?

I mean his streak is both impressive and sad at the same time.

Hopefully he comes out with a fire in his belly next season with a new coach.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

What do you guys think is going to happen to Riley?

I mean his streak is both impressive and sad at the same time.

Hopefully he comes out with a fire in his belly next season with a new coach.

Probably scores this season. If not he has to eventually. He can score 10-15 goals. 20 on a lucky year. It's not like he scores 5 or less. If that was the case nobody would like him. He can be a good 3c. Outside chance for a second center but after this season that's super unlikely now

 

[Mijatovic]

Ha.

Saw this on reddit.

Worth a laugh

https://twitter.com/detroitmoments/status/849471092343361536

 

[Shaman464]

Ha.

Saw this on reddit.

Worth a laugh

https://twitter.com/detroitmoments/status/849471092343361536

If AA would put have as much effort on the ice as this person put into this video, he would be on the ice more.

Seriously, he's float and dumb or try to do it all by himself. Nothing in between lately.

 

[HIFE]

AA hasn't been the same since getting crosschecked in the back on the breakaway in Carolina. He did sit out a game remember. Now with damage to his mouth he looks injured out there to me.

What is the vibe against Larkin? The last month other teams have been relentless checking and up in his face after every shift. Is he hacking or doing something different to draw such attention? Seems weird the aggression wasn't as strong before.

Ouch yeah I agree the game was pretty dull but you have to admit it's been this way all season.

Poor Ottawa's hockey ability has probably fallen down a level playing the Wings for two games. Watch they play Boston next and in shock go down 4-1 in the 1st period.

 

[Winger98]

AA hasn't been the same since getting crosschecked in the back on the breakaway in Carolina. He did sit out a game remember. Now with damage to his mouth he looks injured out there to me.

What is the vibe against Larkin? The last month other teams have been relentless checking and up in his face after every shift. Is he hacking or doing something different to draw such attention? Seems weird the aggression wasn't as strong before.

Ouch yeah I agree the game was pretty dull but you have to admit it's been this way all season.

Poor Ottawa's hockey ability has probably fallen down a level playing the Wings for two games. Watch they play Boston next and in shock go down 4-1 in the 1st period.

I think Larkin's just been playing better, and that he can be an annoying guy to play against with his speed and flopping. I take it as a good sign that teams are focusing on him more rather than ignoring him.

 

[njx9]

Probably scores this season. If not he has to eventually. He can score 10-15 goals. 20 on a lucky year. It's not like he scores 5 or less. If that was the case nobody would like him. He can be a good 3c. Outside chance for a second center but after this season that's super unlikely now

Sheahan is not a 2C in any way, shape or form, and he'll never score 20 goals. He might score again next year, but the sooner the team moves on from him, the better. He's soft, he doesn't play like he's skilled (in spite of a bare handful of highlights from past seasons), I don't think he's particularly good defensively, and it's not even like this year is really a huge aberration: he's been trending downward every single year he's been in the NHL, and he's at an age where every season should've been building on previous seasons in at least some way.

*shrug* Trade him if he has any value, but I don't think he'll ever be an even mediocre player again. If nothing else, the team would be improved solely by him not even getting the minute or so of PP time he gets per game, and it would be dramatically improved by him never again appearing in OT.

All that said, I'd be really interested to know if any other player has ever rebounded from such an utterly horrific season to have a decent one after. I can't find any evidence that's either not injury-related, or that's just a great player who had a down year, but maybe I'm missing someone or not thinking of something.

 

[jolly roger]

AA hasn't been the same since getting crosschecked in the back on the breakaway in Carolina. He did sit out a game remember. Now with damage to his mouth he looks injured out there to me.

What is the vibe against Larkin? The last month other teams have been relentless checking and up in his face after every shift. Is he hacking or doing something different to draw such attention? Seems weird the aggression wasn't as strong before.

Ouch yeah I agree the game was pretty dull but you have to admit it's been this way all season.

Poor Ottawa's hockey ability has probably fallen down a level playing the Wings for two games. Watch they play Boston next and in shock go down 4-1 in the 1st period.

AA missing half his teeth and with his mouth stitched up from a dirty high stick in Toronto didn't even get a call. London calling?

 

[chris05]

3 major reasons why the wings did not make the playoffs this year.

1) 65 was brutal .... the scouting report missed one important category...when you play the game of hockey you need to use a hockey stick....

2) nothing wrong with not scoring any goals....but that applies to the fans seating in the stands.....net front activity...nosak scores first goal ....that is net front activity....

3) why 39 did not start the season with the big club over 71 is a bigger joke than 15 not scoring any goals...

That is how you kill a 25 year playoff streak......

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

Well it was encouraging to see Larkin play one of his best games of the season. Especially considering it was at center.

 

[Super Cake]

Probably scores this season. If not he has to eventually. He can score 10-15 goals. 20 on a lucky year. It's not like he scores 5 or less. If that was the case nobody would like him. He can be a good 3c. Outside chance for a second center but after this season that's super unlikely now

Thanks for the answer.

 

[chances14]

Well it was encouraging to see Larkin play one of his best games of the season. Especially considering it was at center.

I also like seeing him being engaged more physically lately.

next season is going be a big one for his development

 

[TheOtherOne]

3 major reasons why the wings did not make the playoffs this year.

1) 65 was brutal .... the scouting report missed one important category...when you play the game of hockey you need to use a hockey stick....

2) nothing wrong with not scoring any goals....but that applies to the fans seating in the stands.....net front activity...nosak scores first goal ....that is net front activity....

3) why 39 did not start the season with the big club over 71 is a bigger joke than 15 not scoring any goals...

That is how you kill a 25 year playoff streak......

I think it mostly comes down to Mrazek, Kronwall, Dekeyser, Abdelkader, and Sheahan all having ridiculously bad seasons at the same time. If that group had been merely below average instead of godawful we'd easily be a bubble team (for better or worse).

 

[NyQuil]

This came up on the Senators board:

Apparently Zetterberg is pretty damned classy.

“My buddy Mike and I were down against the glass for the warms ups last night in the Red Wings end… he had his beer sitting on the up against the glass as we were taking pics. When Hank was done stretching, he got up and banged into the boards a couple times.”

“In doing so, Mike’s pint went smashing to the floor. We knocked on the glass to show him what happened as I got a kick out of it. Zetterberg started laughing! A few minutes later, he went over to the bench, grabbed one of his brand new game sticks and autographed it saying: “Sorry! I owe u one! (with his signature.) He skated over and tossed it over the glass to us! How classy is that guy!!!

http://www.ottawasun.com/2017/04/05/henrik-zetterberg-spills-fans-beer-in-ottawa-writes-awesome-iou

EDIT: Whoops, looks like you already have it in the Zetterberg appreciation thread.

 

[chances14]

All that said, I'd be really interested to know if any other player has ever rebounded from such an utterly horrific season to have a decent one after. I can't find any evidence that's either not injury-related, or that's just a great player who had a down year, but maybe I'm missing someone or not thinking of something.

depends what you define as decent. funny enough, tyler wright (wings scout) went pointless in a full season once (played 61 games). and then scored 12 goals in 50 games next season. Would you consider that decent?

most players that go goaless are 4th liners that aren't expected to score more than a few goals a year and hardly ever play a full season schedule to begin with

sheahan is in uncharted waters when you factor in the ice time, games played, and expectations for him. closest comparable to him that i can think of is ville leino who went goaless in 2013-2014 but only played 58 games. he was bought out after that season and never played in the nhl again. so we don't know how he would have responded after his goaless season

 

[izlez]

depends what you define as decent. funny enough, tyler wright (wings scout) went pointless in a full season once (played 61 games). and then scored 12 goals in 50 games next season. Would you consider that decent?

Wow, his numbers that season are ever more astonishing than Sheahan's. How do you go 61 regular season games and 13 playoff games and not get a single goal OR assist???

 

[njx9]

depends what you define as decent. funny enough, tyler wright (wings scout) went pointless in a full season once (played 61 games). and then scored 12 goals in 50 games next season. Would you consider that decent?

That's a really impressively bad season. Though his TOI numbers look bizarrely low for having that many games credited (I'm seeing like, 230 on hockey-reference). I can't find a better source, so maybe those are just badly fudged. To answer - I'd consider that roughly Luke Glendening with a bit of puck luck, so.. sort of? I'd be disappointed if that was the best rebound we got from a guy being jammed into top 6 minutes, and wouldn't be thrilled even if it was 3rd line production.

most players that go goaless are 4th liners that aren't expected to score more than a few goals a year and hardly ever play a full season schedule to begin with

sheahan is in uncharted waters when you factor in the ice time, games played, and expectations for him. closest comparable to him that i can think of is ville leino who went goaless in 2013-2014 but only played 58 games. he was bought out after that season and never played in the nhl again. so we don't know how he would have responded after his goaless season

Fair point about the usual role - though it looks like Leino never produced again, at any level of play. I feel like I vividly remember a time when he was the 'next big thing' out of our system.