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

[Coyotedroppings]

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.

I certainly can't argue against this concept. If Stepan/Keller can work with another, it's worth trying to generate more elsewhere. The only question mark that seems ignored is the effort and solid contribution that Domi is making, not that it won't work with someone else, but will it work as well? Anyway, like I said - may be worth trying.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Sans Strome, I think my ideal configuration would be:

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

This is what it would look like.

 

[rt]

Minus Strome plus Perlini:

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

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Minus Strome plus Perlini:

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

Or this

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

Fischer is a puck hound with some ability at the net, no reason to subject him to working w/Cousins and Richardson

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

I don't want Cousins out there anymore...at least Kempe is fast (doesn't do anything but skate fast, but he does skate fast). Crouse hasn't proven to me he can put the puck in the net, so he gets to be on the 4th line until he can start putting pucks on net and being involved offensively.

 

[Mosby]

In the post game, Louie is talking about last year. He can’t be worried about that. That can’t be his focus. He sucked last year.

Yesterday’s loss isn’t entirely on him but he doesn’t look sharp or focused at all. No doubt he’d clear waivers right now.

Louie aside, we’re only four games in and this season is such a frustration.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Louie aside, we’re only four games in and this season is such a frustration.

No kidding. If someone said "you're guaranteed to be leading in the last minute of the second period 3 out of 4 times", you'd take that, right?

 

[RABBIT]

While in the moment of these games, i think "we are doomed.."

The following day i realize there have been some huge positives, even though we have a really young roster, a new goalie and a bunch of new faces that have yet to learn to play with one another...under a brand new coaching staff...only 4 games into the season.

I'm not calling it yet. Message me if we are 0-10-1 and I will happily punch a nun for you.

 

[Grimes]

Perlini with Stepan and Keller is ideal. Reider or Crouse up there until he is back would be great. I like the idea of Crouse playing with Keller so he can do the dirty work and see if we can get Keller to elevate Crouses game. It also put a big body on an otherwise smaller line.

The offense really needs better distrinution though. We need to get Dvo going and he played well woth Domi last year.

Keep the top PP line Domi-Stepan-Keller. Distribute the offense in 5 on 5

 

[TheLegend]

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...

So you think the NHL is going to be easier for Miska than the AHL??? Let him get a couple of solid games in Tucson then I'll rethink my position.

And Strome is down because that's where he should be.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

So you think the NHL is going to be easier for Miska than the AHL??? Let him get a couple of solid games in Tucson then I'll rethink my position.

I didn't say that. I think Miska is a more naturally talented goalie than Domingue is - or, in fact, anyone else in our goalie pipeline. That doesn't mean he's NHL-ready (which is why I originally said "I can't wait"). He may not be ready for a couple of years yet. But I believe and hope that when he is he'll be a good piece for us.

And Strome is down because that's where he should be.

Yep.

 

[BUX7PHX]

While in the moment of these games, i think "we are doomed.."

The following day i realize there have been some huge positives, even though we have a really young roster, a new goalie and a bunch of new faces that have yet to learn to play with one another...under a brand new coaching staff...only 4 games into the season.

I'm not calling it yet. Message me if we are 0-10-1 and I will happily punch a nun for you.

I think that the most disconcerting part of this was that all of the changes in coach, style, etc. were meant to play to our strengths. Frankly, if there was discord about how things were in the past with regard to coach and system, players should be 100% gung-ho for this change and hypothetically, we should have much better results than where we are at so far.

Even with Gretzky as coach and a new system, we found ways to be extremely competitive, with each of our first 5 games decided by a single goal. (We opened the 05-06 season 1-3-1, with the win in the 3rd game, and the SO L in the 5th game)

In Tippett's first season, we started 3-2, with wins in games 1, 2, and 5. We had a ton of roster turnover that first season with Tippett - Boedker, Turris, and Tikhonov were sent down to the A. Upshall, Lombardi, and Prucha stayed, but they were late additions from 08-09 season. Jovo, Doan, Hanzal, Yandle, Winnik, Bryzgalov, and Michalek were the only players who remained the same from the past year.

I think the youth of our roster is the primary difference in the buy in process, but new faces shouldn't be a deterrent and the new system also shouldn't be if it plays to our strengths as a roster. If things were as dark under Tippett for the last 3-4 years as people made it sound, then there should be very few excuses since all of these changes should present so many positives for the players to grow from.

 

[Fyreman]

Absolutley. Napalm the arena. Shoot the zamboni driver. Salt the Gila River earth. Run with scissors, cut in lines, and drink wine before its time.

I absolutely rolled on the floor LMAO when I read this! I wish I was half this witty,

 

[TheLegend]

I didn't say that. I think Miska is a more naturally talented goalie than Domingue is - or, in fact, anyone else in our goalie pipeline. That doesn't mean he's NHL-ready (which is why I originally said "I can't wait"). He may not be ready for a couple of years yet. But I believe and hope that when he is he'll be a good piece for us.

No disagreement on his talent. He's entertaining as all hell. Just call me old school in that you don't usually rush goalies into the league.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

drink wine before its time.

Wow. How old are you, again?

 

[Llewzaher]

I know we lost but I feel a lot better than I did after the Las Vegas game.. Had we got dominated like we did there I am not sure what would have happened. This game at least gives me hope. it was back to an entertaining game , and at times we dominated..

The PP can really be a momentum killer.. They just aren't moving their feet. especially on the 5-3 ..

 

[TheLegend]

Wow. How old are you, again?

Old enough to drink wine before it's time.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Old enough to drink wine before it's time.

I had to go look it up - 1979

 

[Plub]

Steapn needs to start putting in all the chances Domi and Keller setup for him.

 

[Jakey53]

So you think the NHL is going to be easier for Miska than the AHL??? Let him get a couple of solid games in Tucson then I'll rethink my position.

And Strome is down because that's where he should be.

I disagree. Strome should be here and Cousins, Kempe and soon to be Rinaldo should be in Tucson.

 

[TheLegend]

I disagree. Strome should be here and Cousins, Kempe and soon to be Rinaldo should be in Tucson.

So you're okay with letting Strome develop into the NHL by playing 4th line minutes with two plugs? Because that's exactly where he was slotted and it isn't going to change for a while.

 

[rt]

So you're okay with letting Strome develop into the NHL by playing 4th line minutes with two plugs? Because that's exactly where he was slotted and it isn't going to change for a while.

This isn't binary. It's not either he's in the AHL or he's on a 4th line getting no minutes in the NHL.

In his two games in the NHL this season Strome averaged 10 mins of EV TOI/GP and 2 mins of PP TOI/GP.
Christian Dvorak has averaged 12.5 mins of EV TOI/GP and 3 mins of PP TOI/GP.
I'd say go ahead and reverse the PP usage there. Make Strome the #2 PP C after Stepan, rather than Dvorak.

Let's look at our "centers" in terms of number of face-offs taken per game:
1. Stepan - 21
2. Dvorak - 17
3. Richardson - 14
4. Strome - 9
5. Cousins - 7

Nick Cousins has averaged 13 mins of EV TOI/GP and nearly a minute of PP TOI/GP.
Domi-Stepan-Keller averages about 16 EV TOI/GP and Nick Cousins is currently the 4th highest among all forwards in EV TOI/GP.
Number 5 is Dvorak with 12.5
Number 6 is Fischer with 12
Number 7 is Rieder with 12
Number 8 is Richardson with 11
Number 9 is Duclair with 11
Number 10 is Martinook with 10.5
Number 11 is Crouse with 10
Number 12 is Strome with 10

So line number one is roughly 16
Line number two is roughly 12 EV
Line number three is roughly 11
Line number four is roughy 10 EV

Let's build them:
Domi-Stepan-Keller 16 min EV TOI
Perlini-Dvorak-Duclair 12 min EV TOI (Duclair gets an extra minute as a result)
Rieder-Strome-Fischer 11 min EV TOI (Fischer and Rieder drop a minute while Strome picks one up)
Crouse-Richards-Nook 10 mins EV TOI (Richardson loses one minute and Nook loses half of one)

So that's Strome with 11mins EVTOI/GP and 3mins of PP TOI/GP for 14mins TOI/GP total (up the 12mins he's already averaged) - on the 3rd line with talented scoring wingers in Rieder and Fischer.
What's bad about that? Seems fine to me. Not outgrageous. Not even too far off of reality in the four games we've already played.

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

...is a balanced, scrub free line-up.

You could even tinker and go...

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

or...

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

...and it still works. And Strome still has reasonable minutes and reasonable linemates without it hurting more worthy players.

In ANY of those scenarios the only guy getting totally screwed over is Nick Cousins. By icing the roster we have the last three games, instead of the three rosters I just posted above, all we have done with minutes and linemates is choose Cousins over Strome.

Strome is better than Cousins. That's closer to a binary scenario than the one you've proposed (4th line scrubs or AHL).

Speaking of Strome on a line with worthless scrubs; have you SEEN Tucson's current roster? Yikes. That's not going to help him much.

 

[Matias Maccete]

A lot of good options there rt, but if you think the AHL is the best place for his development don't you have to put him there? The lack of winger talent does make it less desirable though. With etem going down he has one decent ahl scorer, but I'm not sure what else is there.

 

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

The truth is out there.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

It's not just line mates that are important for Strome's development, it's his competition. Strome needs competition a level above the amateurs but below the NHL to hone his skills right now. The A is good for him.