GDT: Game 8: Blackhawks @ Coyotes - 6PM - FSAZ+

[Bonsai Tree]

A few thoughts after ruminating about the game on the way home.

The team played its best game yet, but still can't pass and can't shoot straight.

Domingue made a case to be the backup to Raanta and to send Hill back down when Raanta returns. If, if he continues to play like he did tonight.

The Coyotes continue to pass the pucks to no one. They always seem to miss the intended recipient which costs them tons of opportunities. The team looked plain silly on the 2 minute power play because they just couldn't connect cleanly on a pass.

The defense is too gung ho and pinches way too much. Sometimes its a blunder because a forward doesn't notice and so doesn't move back high in the zone. Sometimes there's just no way for a forward to get there in time. Demers pinched and it cost us the breakaway goal by Kane.

Instead of Rinaldo, the team needs someone just to take important face offs. Where they find him, I have no idea.

The team races down the ice, gives up the puck and races back up the ice. It's like a bag skate out there. I guess that's what everyone wants, the excitement that speed brings.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

I bet most see me replying to no one since he’s on the majority of the ignore lists around here.

Ya gotta have that hunger and that passion. Glad to see Domi have that fire.

OK now I get that post. Domi has fire but he's too important to be in fights, or worse, to be suckered into fighting. I don't want him off the ice with 10 min penalties and I sure don't want him breaking a hand again. As long as I'm posting on Domi, what's with him? He can't seem to finish. He's doing most things right but he's not scoring.

 

[ClassLessCoyote]

Go Keller Go!

 

[XX]

Demers does his f***ing job and doesn't fan on that shot completely (or at least get it deep) and Kane doesn't break the other way. The D are constantly inflicting wounds upon the team that aren't necessary.

 

[Heldig]

Chayka has to do SOMETHING. can't go 0 and 10 and not make a trade for some kind of help. ANY kind of help.

 

[Plub]

Agreed. Our defense is our biggest weakness right now. They seems to never know what to do in any given situation. I don't really know what can be done outside of chicken-run coming back.

 

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

Chayka has to do SOMETHING. can't go 0 and 10 and not make a trade for some kind of help. ANY kind of help.

Maybe the fancy stats say we're 4-2-2.

 

[Muppet]

I'd give Clendening another game. He can gladly replace Schenn. Desperately need Chychrun back to replace KConn, too. Those two alone have made some incredibly dumb decisions with and without the puck.

 

[_Del_]

Aside from his first 10 game audition, I've never seen anything suggesting KConn should be an NHL regular. Not surprising as he was a waiver claim. Schenn is at least an NHL player, IMO.

 

[Summer Rose]

I'm only mildly upset that I slept through this one.

 

[TheLegend]

Watching the replay now since I had to work during the game.

Guess the 5v3 PP was so bad FSNAZ cut it out.

People are faulting Demers for the Kane breakaway but he pinched to take a big slap shot set up for him. Question really should be where was the forward who’s supposed to cover back? We all knew the D was going to be more active and it could lead to odd rushes the other way so I don’t see the issue there.

The issue I really have with the game was five power plays could only generate three shots on goal.

 

[Sinurgy]

I'm sure it's been said already but that 5 on 3 was frustrating to watch.

 

[XX]

People are faulting Demers for the Kane breakaway but he pinched to take a big slap shot set up for him. Question really should be where was the forward who’s supposed to cover back? We all knew the D was going to be more active and it could lead to odd rushes the other way so I don’t see the issue there.

The issue I really have with the game was five power plays could only generate three shots on goal.

It was a pass to Demers and he whiffed on the shot. That's how I saw it and how Tocchet saw it. You want him to go for that shot, but he can't bounce it off someone back to their forwards.

 

[Prarievarg]

I really enjoyed this game!
I think this was our best effort yet. Better balanced and better decisions with and without the puck (of course still a lot of room to improve though). Domingue looked better, our overall defense looked better etc.

Kconn is still not a NHLer.

Dvoraks game worries me. As it stands now I believe Strome could be our second best C if given the chance. I also would like to see Keller centering a line for some games.

 

[Jakey53]

Sullivan took it away from him and it immediately improved.

I tried to pump the brakes on the Tocchet train a bit but people weren't big on thinking about the potential negatives.

Hope his contract has an out for the organization.

Give the guy a chance.

Goligoski also stops skating frequently, like he doesn't care. Didn't they play in that beer league together?

Gogo played very well last night.

Sure is fun watching Luke Schenn consistently turn the puck over in our own zone.

Schenn also played well.

Pretty sad sack attempt by Demers leads to a Kane breakaway goal. Arizona typical.

Unlucky for Demers on that play. Demers also played well.

Rieder goes on the **** list for that. Clean breakaway, gets off a clean shot and misses high and wide. Sums it up really.

That has been Rieder's problem for the last two years. Hands of stone.

 

[Prarievarg]

Unlucky for Demers on that play. Demers also played well.

Yes. He's done some really ugly misplays previous games. This was not one of them. I also think he played respectable tonight.

 

[cobra427]

Again I missed the first 2 periods, but from what I saw I agree with all of this, especially the bolded. I do think we have a glaring hole with our depth on D, but a healthy Chychrun will help that tremendously, or just getting Clandening back in and getting Demers or kconn out.

I almost think all of the lucky games we've pulled out in the last few years by getting opportunistic goals and great goaltending are being balanced by the hockey gods. It's like literally every mistake we make ends up in our net. A big part of that is probably goaltending, we need a big save every so often, and while I think Domingue is getting way too much crap here, and hill played solid, we don't have that goalie who can do that.

Great goal tending, limiting our own mistakes, and capitalizing on the other teams mistakes is what won us games the last few years. While we have way more talent now, our goal tending isn't good, we make more mistakes and don't capitalize on the other teams mistakes. Raanta coming back is part of the answer but the mistakes are still a major problem.

 

[Jakey53]

As soon as we get some secondary scoring, we might be able to re-float this sinking ship. We're really missing Perlini and his shot.

Sure are. We have Strome, Etem and Merkley in the minors just chomping at the bit, but our coach would rather play Cousins and Rinaldo who bring nothing offensively. These two have not hurt us, but we need secondary scoring and we are not getting it from Duclair, Reider, Dvorak, Richardson etc.

 

[Jakey53]

Crawford down and out, better take a giant wind up slapper 10 feet wide - Goligoski

I agree. That was a dumb play by Gogo.

 

[Jakey53]

He looks like mega mind.



Yeah domi has been a little off, he looked much more domi ish last game against Dallas. I'd still like to see him with Dvo and duke, I'm not sure that line needs him as much we need to get another line going.

You won't win many games with one line. They have to break up that first line in hopes of getting that secondary scoring we need so badly.

Tough break, fun game though.

Yeah, it's fun losing.

 

[Jakey53]

They keep improving - breakouts are so much better, more controlled and patient than they've been previously, it's like night and day. This allows movement through the neutral zone with greater success and sets up potential offensive zone presence - which I also thought was better. Get the pp scoring and we'll be in good shape.

I agree. I thought we played well except for the PP. We also need secondary scoring in the worst way.

 

[rt]

Chayka has to do SOMETHING. can't go 0 and 10 and not make a trade for some kind of help. ANY kind of help.

How about adding a new starting goalie? Maybe a rock solid young D that can eat minutes and push Goligoski down the lineup and Connauton out of it? Maybe a super slick young scoring forward that could pot 20 goals for us this season? I have a feeling Chayka will manage to get us all three in the next few weeks.

 

[XX]

How about adding a new starting goalie? Maybe a rock solid young D that can eat minutes and push Goligoski down the lineup and Connauton out of it? Maybe a super slick young scoring forward that could pot 20 goals for us this season? I have a feeling Chayka will manage to get us all three in the next few weeks.

I don't know of anyone available for cheap that's a clear upgrade on what we've got. Carey Price and the Habs are sucking ass right now. It's usually not the fault of the goalie. Domingue was good tonight. Hardly the problem. An LD to get rid of KConn, even with Chychrun back, would be nice. Offense isn't a huge problem right now.

 

[rt]

I don't know of anyone available for cheap that's a clear upgrade on what we've got. Carey Price and the Habs are sucking ass right now. It's usually not the fault of the goalie. Domingue was good tonight. Hardly the problem. An LD to get rid of KConn, even with Chychrun back, would be nice. Offense isn't a huge problem right now.

The joke was it's Raanta, Chychrun and Perlini. Three pretty big additions.

 

[rt]

Domingue had 1 definitely bad goal. One iffy one. He also had a handful of huge saves. I'd say he was "not too bad". Connauton was a trainwreck. He put Schenn in a lot of trouble often. Luke will be better when we give him Goligoski.

OEL-Hjalmarsson
Chychrun-Demers
Goligoski-Schenn