GDT: Game 4: Detroit Pizza Wings @ Arizona Coyotes | 7:00 p.m. PDT | FS-A | 620 AM

[Ebb]

Another thought...Let's not put Stepan out there as Center in the last 3 minutes of a tied game. Mix up some of the lines or at least find a Center that can win FOs. As usual, we did well in the first and then petered out (although switching to LD in net probably didn't help). If Raanta can't get into game shape (I'm guessing it was a groin injury, but feel free to correct me if they've shared any more details), we need to find a more consistent back up (and I like LD, but he's been rough this season); it's like he channeled Smith out there or something

 

[MIGs Dog]

but eventually...

 

[Jakey53]

Haha Richardson should just stop trying to take faceoffs this game. They are kicking him out every time.

Richardson ends us with a 75%FOW. I will take that any day of the week.

 

[Jakey53]

I'm obviously in the minority but I don't see that as a soft goal by Louie on the second one. He was positioned to defend the shot and OEL's stick jammed the Wings players stick and either changed the height of the shot and/or the velocity.

Still think the save could be made though. Just not as soft as everyone is saying

I say it was a very very weak goal. He never had his stick on the ice.

 

[Jakey53]

Softest schedule possible through 4 games. Winless.

I guess the game isn't over...

That is why I thought we would come out of the gate very good. We have done just the opposite. I guess we will see what kind of character this team has.

 

[Jakey53]

We need more than one dangerous scoring line. Let's call up a couple more scrubs from Tucson.

I would split up the first line. I know they look good, but I would put Domi with Duclair and Dvorak, and Keller, Stepan and maybe Rieder. I think we have to spread the scoring around. Cousins and Kempe do not impress me. Crouse is the only one that hits anyone and he gets less that 10 minutes ice time and Cousins gets 13.

 

[Jakey53]

So was Max Domi. I mean he just kind of watched Larkin skate right by him.

That's what happens many times when you have a forward playing D on the powerplay. Larkin in a very fast skater.

 

[Jakey53]

Not sure I'm ready to be as hard on Louis as everyone else seems to be. Came in cold and got hung out to dry twice. He could be a better goalie sure, but he's not worse than the team in front of him. Our skaters are worse than our goalies so far.

LD was bad, has been bad this year. Raanta was bad his second start. You need your goalie to stand on his head with a young rebuilding team.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Louis’ post game FSN comments, oh man. Frustrated dude. I really like the guy. Want him to succeed, but he really has to be better. Sounds like he is the first to know it.

It's like deja vu all over again.

 

[Jakey53]

Anthony Duclair looked great despite boat anchor linemates. If he had some talent on his line, we would have won this hockey game. We still have zero wins. Makes you wonder about the choices that led us to have two garbage minor league players on a line with a young guy who's been one of our most dangerous offensive threats in our first four games. Why? Why has he been saddled with Kempe and Cousins? Skippy and Zippy the Super Hustle Brothers bring nothing of value to the table. They are the mascots of winless hockey.

Yup. Duclaiar will have a bounce back season if he can get decent line mates. Duclair has finally shown that he can play without Domi which is a big for him and the team.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Anthony Duclair looked great despite boat anchor linemates. If he had some talent on his line, we would have won this hockey game. We still have zero wins. Makes you wonder about the choices that led us to have two garbage minor league players on a line with a young guy who's been one of our most dangerous offensive threats in our first four games. Why? Why has he been saddled with Kempe and Cousins? Skippy and Zippy the Super Hustle Brothers bring nothing of value to the table. They are the mascots of winless hockey.

Idk man, tonight was the best Duke has looked in a long time.

 

[Jakey53]

I fear that this team is going to find every which way to lose before they learn how to win. We lost today because we couldn't take advantage of chance early in the game, and lost our focus at the end of the game.

Like the saying goes, you have to learn how to lose before you learn how to win. Much better effort tonight, but our goalies have to be much better.

Only 4 games in...78+ potentially to go. We have all seen lots of positives. Keller looks great. Let’s get a win Saturday against the B’s.

Cheer up everybody

I agree.

The people who said that we looked pretty good tonight are right. We did, but just couldn't quite close it out.

It's the same thing that happened previous years. Tocchet mentioned it the same as Tippett did - players attempt to do too much and they get out of position, which makes us chase the puck and the game. We got away from that more
today and that was why we looked decent. People are getting mad at Stepan for dogging it - Stepan actually played a pretty solid game - he was directly responsible for a backcheck in the 1st period that led to PP and did fairly well along the boards, which I don't think is his game. It could be that line knew they were the ones that could kickstart the scoring, and he was truly dog tired at the end, along with Domi.

Anyhow, we just need a win to get confidence so that we continue the buy into system and process. We are a super polar team right now - sometimes we look 100% exciting and dangerous, and then we look like we hardly know what to do. Good news is that polarity narrowed this game and we looked more functional for a good 90% of the game.

Good post. Stepan's best game by a country mile.

Stinks to lose, but vast improvement.

Less trying to force the puck up ice, support was much better and allowed for the former. More concerted effort at getting pucks deep as well - like I said vast improvement.

Yup. Baby steps.

- Stepan is fat and out of shape.
- OEL is a headcase right now
- Young players outside of Keller are struggling
- Garbage is playing up in the lineup like Cousins
- Players that have been good like Duclair are playing down in the lineup, Strome is in Tucson
- Gogo-Demers is so bad it has to be actively coached around

You have one D playing well, one rookie, and a bunch of dudes that are either out of shape or out of sorts. Oh, and your starting goalie is an injury roulette wheel.

Some of these wounds are unexpected, but some of them are self inflicted. They need to get this **** sorted. It's not a case of "oh, it's 4 games." They look awful. There's no progression so far.

Like Coyotedroppings said, vast improvement tonight. IF LD had been better, we would have had a win.

 

[Jakey53]

It's like deja vu all over again.

Exactly. Talk is cheap.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

IF LD had been better, we would have had a win.

Yep, Howard > Domingue. That was the difference, right there.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Exactly. Talk is cheap.

Well, he did improve after same last season. I remember DT taking heat for calling him out as well.

 

[rt]

I would split up the first line. I know they look good, but I would put Domi with Duclair and Dvorak, and Keller, Stepan and maybe Rieder. I think we have to spread the scoring around. Cousins and Kempe do not impress me. Crouse is the only one that hits anyone and he gets less that 10 minutes ice time and Cousins gets 13.

I'd like to give this post 7 up thumbs.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

I wouldn't split up the first line. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The players are scoring because they play so well together. We finally have a line that other teams have to match up against.

 

[AZviaNJ]

13 of next 19 on the road (10 in Eastern time zone). Oh boy......

 

[AZviaNJ]

I would split up the first line. I know they look good, but I would put Domi with Duclair and Dvorak, and Keller, Stepan and maybe Rieder. I think we have to spread the scoring around. Cousins and Kempe do not impress me. Crouse is the only one that hits anyone and he gets less that 10 minutes ice time and Cousins gets 13.

Love this idea Jake. The real chemistry on the first line is Keller/Stepan...Rieder is a good compliment. Domi/Dvo/Duke may get the latter 2 going. Crouse(until Perlini returns)/Richy/Martinook or Fischer should be a decent 3rd. 4th: Kempe(Crouse)/Cousins/Marty or Fischer.

 

[AZviaNJ]

Thought the D played better last night. Clendening > Connauton was noticeable. OEL looks like he's still not 100% (or even 85%)

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Miska got lit up and chased out by the Gulls his first game in Tucson.

So? It was his first AHL game. Every goalie on the planet and in history has had a few bad games. If it becomes a habit, then I'll rethink it - but I still think he's our best goalie prospect for the future. Hell, Strome did absolutely nothing in his two games this season and yet people are still praying he gets called up to save us...

 

[rt]

Love this idea Jake. The real chemistry on the first line is Keller/Stepan...Rieder is a good compliment. Domi/Dvo/Duke may get the latter 2 going. Crouse(until Perlini returns)/Richy/Martinook or Fischer should be a decent 3rd. 4th: Kempe(Crouse)/Cousins/Marty or Fischer.

Rieder-Stepan-Keller
Domi-Dvorak-Duclair
Perlini-Strome-Fischer
Nook-Richardson-Crouse

 

[PhoPhan]

Rieder definitely deserves more minutes. He's been one of the more consistently effective forwards through four games.

 

[moosemeister]

It looks like a lot of us agree that it should be

Keller - Stepan - Crouse/Perlini/Rieder
Domi - Dvorak - Duclair

The killer D’s Always looked dangerous out there. Keller is the real deal and if those two can find chemistry with literally anybody on that top line, I like the idea of perhaps having two scoring lines instead of one.

 

[PhoPhan]

Sans Strome, I think my ideal configuration would be:

Rieder-Stepan-Keller
Domi-Dvorak-Duclair
Crouse-Martinook-Perlini
Kempe-Richardson-Fischer