GDT: LAME DAY THREAD: 17 Oct 2013 - Wild @ Tampa Bay - 6:30PM - FSN - PUT THAT COFFEE DOWN

[TZM]

One nice feed from Nino to Koivu and that's it. Sad game.

 

[Lapa]

I didn't like Yeo last season at all, but I think he's done a good job so far.

Koivu's line looked real good. It's amazing how that line is able to get the puck to the other end and create a scoring chance almost every shift. Only a matter of time before the pucks start going in.

Grundelholm looked good. Pommer was pretty invisible. Heater had an OK game.

Scandella sucks ass.

 

[Ladde]

Yeo has really improved as a coach but our players just can´t score. I mean two SH breakaways againts Toronto and they we both saved pretty comfortably. It´s just sad that no one seems able to just score. If we can´t beat Florida I am really starting to worry.

 

[TZM]

I didn't like Yeo last season at all, but I think he's done a good job so far.

Koivu's line looked real good. It's amazing how that line is able to get the puck to the other end and create a scoring chance almost every shift. Only a matter of time before the pucks start going in.

Grundelholm looked good. Pommer was pretty invisible. Heater had an OK game.

Scandella sucks ass.

I thought they weren't nearly enough of a threat as a 1st line should be against the Bolts. First time this season that I wasn't pleased by Parises decisions. He did a lot to PMB stops even when he clearly had the edge to challenge the D and try on his own. Koivu scored a goal and was okay defensively, nothing special. Nino was okay all around and made the play that lead to the lone goal.

 

[Avder]

I agree that Yeo's system this year looks light years ahead of his system last year, but the point remains that we still can not score.

 

[TZM]

I agree that Yeo's system this year looks light years ahead of his system last year, but the point remains that we still can not score.

I'd blame the players on that. Heatley, Poms, Koivu, Granlund and Parise have had multiple chances where you just have to score. Yet, they haven't.

 

[Jarick]

Yeo seems to be doing his job. The players aren't. They might have the puck in the offensive end but they aren't getting good chances. Filpulla looked dangerous half a dozen times with the puck on his stick and a bit of space. Nobody on the Wild did.

 

[Avder]

So how the hell can we get this team to take better quality shots?

Anyone got a shot chart of last nights game?

 

[Jarick]

It's the personnel.

Koivu is not a scorer. He doesn't have that mindset. He can dish but doesn't have the speed or creativity. They know he's going to pass so they just keep him to the outside.

Parise and Pominville are grinders. They go to the net and bang pucks and hope they go in. Sometimes they do, usually they don't. But they aren't creating offense or dangerous carrying the puck.

Granlund and Nino are still learning. They are IMO the closest the team has to scorers, but they obviously aren't elite guys because they are already in their 20's and not scoring. Sorry, but guys like Stamkos, Tavares, Ovechkin, Crosby, etc were scoring in their teens. They are second-tier guys.

Heatley is done. It's plain as day to see. He has a shot but doesn't have the speed to be able to use it and turns the puck over more than he makes plays.

This is why the Wild will be chasing Vanek. They don't have anyone who can be a threat with the puck on their stick. Zucker might, but he's not been good since getting injured in the pre-season. If you look at the prospects, Lucia might be a scorer, but he could just be Nino 2.0 (aka a good 20-25 goal guy but not a high end scorer).

Coyle is the wildcard here...I don't think he's going to be an elite natural scorer, but he could be a 20-25 goal guy who actually shoots the puck. We didn't see that with Koivu and Parise because they never play with the puck in the slot, only on the boards.

Maybe that's why Parise-Koivu-Pominville would work, all they want to do is grind the puck along the boards. Essentially they'd be the best third line in the NHL.

And I'd love to see Nino-Granlund-Coyle at some point in time, or Zucker-Granlund-Coyle very soon. Get Heatley off the ice.

 

[DANOZ28]

So how the hell can we get this team to take better quality shots?

Anyone got a shot chart of last nights game?

at work i must reply, cant post. yeo IS responsible for motivating this team. a championship team finds ways to win , not excuses to lose.

 

[57special]

Wild don't seem to have guys (or the system won't allow it to happen) that park themselves in front of the net to score off deflections and rebounds. Otherwise, I'm a bit mystified as to why they don't score more.


I thought Spurgeon had a bad game. Scandella , too. Dumba was also scary, but he does have big time upside. He looks bigger than his measurements.

Harding was good.

Did I see Heatley out there on a 4 on 4 situation ?

In general, we were still competitive, and got beat by the best goal scorer in the league. Not upset. Continue to be impressed by how well our D (OK Brodin and Suter) move the puck out of our end. They make it look easy. Gives us a huge advantage for close to half the game.

We seem to pass backwards a lot to our own zone. While it does allow us to keep possession of the puck, it also allows the other team to get back on D.

 

[Avder]

at work i must reply, cant post. yeo IS responsible for motivating this team. a championship team finds ways to win , not excuses to lose.

As much as I hate to say it, I think Yeo has most aspects of the team working pretty well at this point. But what he can't seem to do is hammer his team into shooting the puck. To be fair you can only teach that so far. There needs to be a natural affinity to scoring for someone to become a big threat.

I agree with Jarick. We simply do not have the kind of goal scorer we need.

 

[Jarick]

It's not the deflections and rebounds. You need to create the initial shot for rebounds to occur. It's the guys who create that first shot that we lack.

 

[nickschultzfan]

It's the personnel.

Koivu is not a scorer. He doesn't have that mindset. He can dish but doesn't have the speed or creativity. They know he's going to pass so they just keep him to the outside.

Parise and Pominville are grinders. They go to the net and bang pucks and hope they go in. Sometimes they do, usually they don't. But they aren't creating offense or dangerous carrying the puck.

Granlund and Nino are still learning. They are IMO the closest the team has to scorers, but they obviously aren't elite guys because they are already in their 20's and not scoring. Sorry, but guys like Stamkos, Tavares, Ovechkin, Crosby, etc were scoring in their teens. They are second-tier guys.

Heatley is done. It's plain as day to see. He has a shot but doesn't have the speed to be able to use it and turns the puck over more than he makes plays.

This is why the Wild will be chasing Vanek. They don't have anyone who can be a threat with the puck on their stick. Zucker might, but he's not been good since getting injured in the pre-season. If you look at the prospects, Lucia might be a scorer, but he could just be Nino 2.0 (aka a good 20-25 goal guy but not a high end scorer).

Coyle is the wildcard here...I don't think he's going to be an elite natural scorer, but he could be a 20-25 goal guy who actually shoots the puck. We didn't see that with Koivu and Parise because they never play with the puck in the slot, only on the boards.

Maybe that's why Parise-Koivu-Pominville would work, all they want to do is grind the puck along the boards. Essentially they'd be the best third line in the NHL.

And I'd love to see Nino-Granlund-Coyle at some point in time, or Zucker-Granlund-Coyle very soon. Get Heatley off the ice.

A lot of good points in here. I am pretty positive on the team, but I agree this team is lacking a true goal scorer. With this squad, we actually only need one, but it's clear Heatley is done as far as being a sniper, or anything really.

 

[Jarick]

I'm interested in the kind of players that maximize Koivu's ability. He was best with Brunette and Miettinen, players that could cycle the puck, but Mittens did like to shoot (even if he missed a lot). Parise and Nino are similar makeup although Nino doesn't get as much free space and time. I wonder though if he played with a creative guy like Granlund though.

 

[StealthClobber]

http://www.stateofhockeynews.com/2013-articles/october/wild-vs-ning-dynasty.html

Harding was terrific, but this wasn't nearly as good of an effort (team-wise) as there had been the last two games. I have an Alexandre Belanger update too, check it out!

"Minnesota kept pressing but their aggressiveness almost backfired as Mathew Dumba would struggle with a Ryan Suter pass that was tapped away from him by Alex Killorn "

That was Stoner and if it wasn't such a Pejorative Slured pass, Dumba wouldn't have fumbled it. Stoner had clear wide open ice to move/shoot the puck from, and passed it to a covered Dumba.

 

[BigT2002]

Parise has GOT to stop just banging at the puck into the goalies pads....for crying out loud pop it over the shoulder Zach!

 

[DeuceMN]

Why the hell was Heatley on the ice with a minute left in the game?!

Scandella was, better than the last game.

Our whole team was pushing too hard. You could tell they were frustrated, and have been for a while now, which in turn is causing them to make mistakes that shouldn't happen.

We really need to figure out this ****ing PK situation, as well as become a more disciplined team. This season, in that regards, has been a ****ing embarrassment. 7 PP opportunities for the Lightning: of course they won. How the hell can you get any momentum with that **** going on.

The Lightning did play a pretty good game though; man they had good active sticks tonight. They played a very good team game and we did not. We all knew the team who played a better team game going into this was going to win.

 

[DANOZ28]

at work i must reply, cant post. yeo IS responsible for motivating this team. a championship team finds ways to win , not excuses to lose.

we barely beat BUF, one of the weakest teams, i get that TOR & bernier are hot, but losing to a non playoff team like tampa was flushing 2 points! if we miss the playoffs this yr by a few points mark this game down as one of the reasons why.

 

[StealthClobber]

but losing to a non playoff team like tampa

non playoff team like tampa

non playoff team

 

[dwanmaster*]

I'd trade Heatley and Zucker for Vanek

 

[Wild Caniac]

This game was very similar to the Toronto game in my eyes. If Stamkos doesn't pull a Stamkos, we might have gotten a point.

 

[Avder]

I'd trade Heatley and Zucker for Vanek

Would have to add a considerable piece to make up for Heatley. He is subtraction by addition at this moment.

 

[00xtremeninja]

we barely beat BUF, one of the weakest teams, i get that TOR & bernier are hot, but losing to a non playoff team like tampa was flushing 2 points! if we miss the playoffs this yr by a few points mark this game down as one of the reasons why.

we didn't play against Bernier in Toronto........................

Tampa is in the top part of the Eastern standings....................

are you watching the games or looking at Star Tribune headlines and posting based on that??

 

[MNjens]

Parise has GOT to stop just banging at the puck into the goalies pads....for crying out loud pop it over the shoulder

this.

whenever our players have a glorious opportunity in front of the net. They always just pound it in to the pads, or put it right into the body. These guys need to start hitting some corners like Koivu did last night.

Feel like we're the only team that can't raise the puck in tight quarters. I know its tough to do, but most of the guys on the team should be able to do it.

Wes Walz was talking about this same thing last year too when we were struggling to score goals.