Observations XV

[King Weber]

Team gets outshot 31-11 in two periods but yeah, blame the goalie.

 

[Scoresberg]

Team gets outshot 31-11 in two periods but yeah, blame the goalie.

Touche. Rinne was our best player last night. THAT'S how bad that game was. Disgusting.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

Yeah, give credit where credit is due. Rinne played well last night. Deserved a better fate. His team, however, let him down. Things don't get any easier now. Gotta find a way to get a couple of points in either of the next two games.

 

[bdub24]

How many goals because of bad rebounds last night? Hide Rinne behind the defense all you want. Pucks got to him and he didn't control them like he used to. One goal came as a result of a rebound out of his glove. His glove!

 

[glenngineer]

We need to shift Housley to player development (which he is brilliant at) and bring someone competent to be our defensive coach. With that player group, there should be no way in hell we're giving up that many goals. Our strength should still be our D but if Lavy wants to force that high-flying offensive style, then we should at least find someone who can coach that team to defens as a group not as a bunch of individuals.

I see this comment quite frequently about Housley and defense. Is Housley responsible for overall team defense OR the defensemen? The reason I ask is Housley is responsible for the PP right? Probably makes McCarthy responsible for the PK right? That's usually the way teams split up the responsibilities. So this begs the question, the PP I would lump in with the overall offensive scheme of the team while the PK and overall defensive scheme are lumped together. If this is the case, which I have no idea about, that's why I'm asking, is it really Housley or McCarthy that needs to go? OR could it be the gelling of what Housley and McCarthy are trying to do that contradict one another making it impossible for the players to know what to do?

One other comment, the 3 on 3 last night was interesting. The problem I see with the zone defense we play is the players don't feel comfortable with it, it's not natural. At one point 3 guys were lined up in a row and going like, what am I supposed to do and no one was really marking a man. I thought the game was over at that point but Anaheim did not capitalize. You can't change too much of what these guys do because they play on instinct and experience a lot of the time. It's laughable to watch honestly.

 

[Scoresberg]

I see this comment quite frequently about Housley and defense. Is Housley responsible for overall team defense OR the defensemen? The reason I ask is Housley is responsible for the PP right? Probably makes McCarthy responsible for the PK right? That's usually the way teams split up the responsibilities. So this begs the question, the PP I would lump in with the overall offensive scheme of the team while the PK and overall defensive scheme are lumped together. If this is the case, which I have no idea about, that's why I'm asking, is it really Housley or McCarthy that needs to go? OR could it be the gelling of what Housley and McCarthy are trying to do that contradict one another making it impossible for the players to know what to do?

One other comment, the 3 on 3 last night was interesting. The problem I see with the zone defense we play is the players don't feel comfortable with it, it's not natural. At one point 3 guys were lined up in a row and going like, what am I supposed to do and no one was really marking a man. I thought the game was over at that point but Anaheim did not capitalize. You can't change too much of what these guys do because they play on instinct and experience a lot of the time. It's laughable to watch honestly.

I don't know who's in charge of that but that guy who's coaching the defense has to go.

 

[Byrddog]

Touche. Rinne was our best player last night. THAT'S how bad that game was. Disgusting.

Whats frustrating is the Duck game was the one game on this trip I felt good about getting a win. It is impossible to tell what team is going to show up with the Preds. In years past score three goals and they were pretty much going to win every game. Now score 4 and there still not out of the woods. The positive they are scoring more goals but too often its not enough. And its not just the goaltending the team defense is average at best now.

The Blues won a game I thought they would lose last night and will soon pass the Preds. The playoff hopes are now that Quick and Bishop **** the bed and the Kings lay down and die. Something im not counting on. You have to feel that the Preds scoring is going to cool down some as well.

 

[token grinder]

I don't know who's in charge of that but that guy who's coaching the defense has to go.

Don't we lead the league is points by defense now? I thought I saw that somewhere. Let's fire that guy then. We don't need scoring.

Would be cool for a forward to pick up a man down low every now and then too.

and 95 points just to get in? I bet it is 5 fewer than that.

16 games to go. Is it far fetched for the Preds to go 6-10? Would put us at 86 points. Kings are 6 back with a game in hand. They have to go 9-8 to leapfrog the Preds right now. Think the Preds split and go 8-8? Then they have to go 12-5. Think LA has that in them? I don't.


further on the 95 point-Preds would have to go 10-5-1 to do that.
Kings would have to go 13-3-1 to do that.

Math doesn't add up.

 

[hockey diva]

What now?

We are not a playoff team. We have a bunch of assorted players who don't mesh and/or are underproducing. We are stuck with Lavy for at least one or two seasons more. We don't have much in the pipeline either. Winnipeg's young core is maturing and will be much better next season. Minn and Chicago will continue to dominate. So we won't be challenging for the Central any time soon. We may sneak in to a playoff spot but we will go out in the first round.

I think Poile needs to retire. He has tried but he can't seem to put together the right combination of coach and players. His nostalgia for ex players has become embarrassing.

Our scouting staff, while uncovering a few gems here and there have been unable to find truly productive top 6 guys. They need to go as well.

And we need a new goalie coach. Someone who can work on fundamentals with Rinne. Do we need to let Saros get more time AHL instead of getting beat up behind a team that is a mess?

Johansen is a lazy player and is going to demand a new contract that he will not be worth.

Not to mention the FO nonsense regarding the Keep the Gold out restrictions and "sell outs". They are losing a lot of good will from STH.

Help us 303, you are our only hope.

 

[Scoresberg]

Don't we lead the league is points by defense now? I thought I saw that somewhere. Let's fire that guy then. We don't need scoring.

Would be cool for a forward to pick up a man down low every now and then too.

and 95 points just to get in? I bet it is 5 fewer than that.

16 games to go. Is it far fetched for the Preds to go 6-10? Would put us at 86 points. Kings are 6 back with a game in hand. They have to go 9-8 to leapfrog the Preds right now. Think the Preds split and go 8-8? Then they have to go 12-5. Think LA has that in them? I don't.


further on the 95 point-Preds would have to go 10-5-1 to do that.
Kings would have to go 13-3-1 to do that.

Math doesn't add up.

Meant team defense as a whole.

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

What now?

We are not a playoff team. We have a bunch of assorted players who don't mesh and/or are underproducing. We are stuck with Lavy for at least one or two seasons more. We don't have much in the pipeline either. Winnipeg's young core is maturing and will be much better next season. Minn and Chicago will continue to dominate. So we won't be challenging for the Central any time soon. We may sneak in to a playoff spot but we will go out in the first round.

I think Poile needs to retire. He has tried but he can't seem to put together the right combination of coach and players. His nostalgia for ex players has become embarrassing.

Our scouting staff, while uncovering a few gems here and there have been unable to find truly productive top 6 guys. They need to go as well.

And we need a new goalie coach. Someone who can work on fundamentals with Rinne. Do we need to let Saros get more time AHL instead of getting beat up behind a team that is a mess?

Johansen is a lazy player and is going to demand a new contract that he will not be worth.

Not to mention the FO nonsense regarding the Keep the Gold out restrictions and "sell outs". They are losing a lot of good will from STH.

Help us 303, you are our only hope.

I really hope this is tongue in cheek. The franchise is in the best spot it has ever been in, with a window that is going to be open for a while thanks to the young talent this management has acquired. Yes the team defense sucks and yes we lost in the shootout but good grief it looks like this is the Coyotes board. What is the deal with the wild emotional swings? Crazy.

 

[Scoresberg]

What now?

We are not a playoff team. We have a bunch of assorted players who don't mesh and/or are underproducing. We are stuck with Lavy for at least one or two seasons more. We don't have much in the pipeline either. Winnipeg's young core is maturing and will be much better next season. Minn and Chicago will continue to dominate. So we won't be challenging for the Central any time soon. We may sneak in to a playoff spot but we will go out in the first round.

I think Poile needs to retire. He has tried but he can't seem to put together the right combination of coach and players. His nostalgia for ex players has become embarrassing.

Our scouting staff, while uncovering a few gems here and there have been unable to find truly productive top 6 guys. They need to go as well.

And we need a new goalie coach. Someone who can work on fundamentals with Rinne. Do we need to let Saros get more time AHL instead of getting beat up behind a team that is a mess?

Johansen is a lazy player and is going to demand a new contract that he will not be worth.

Not to mention the FO nonsense regarding the Keep the Gold out restrictions and "sell outs". They are losing a lot of good will from STH.

Help us 303, you are our only hope.

Oh my, what an overreaction. You gotta look at the big picture here.

 

[wadesworld]

How many goals because of bad rebounds last night? Hide Rinne behind the defense all you want. Pucks got to him and he didn't control them like he used to. One goal came as a result of a rebound out of his glove. His glove!

If Rinne's performance last night was disappointing to you, your standards are WAY out of whack. I've been on Rinne all year too, but he was fantastic last night by any objective measure.

While I'm concerned about Rinne, at the moment I'm FAR more concerned about why when a rebound pops out, we have NOBODY on that side of the ice. Or why our defensive strategy now seems to be "lay down and try to block the pass, but don't worry about covering the guy coming right down the slot, and don't worry about the guy standing still by the far post."

 

[drwpreds]

If Rinne's performance last night was disappointing to you, your standards are WAY out of whack. I've been on Rinne all year too, but he was fantastic last night by any objective measure.

While I'm concerned about Rinne, at the moment I'm FAR more concerned about why when a rebound pops out, we have NOBODY on that side of the ice. Or why our defensive strategy now seems to be "lay down and try to block the pass, but don't worry about covering the guy coming right down the slot, and don't worry about the guy standing still by the far post."

Yep- the Rinne discussions on here are almost bordering on ridiculous. People are letting his recent bad play cloud their judgment in the current moment. Rinne was the 3rd star of the game on both of his starts the past week. He was fantastic last night in the third period especially and also did a great job in the shootout. Because of his recent poor play, it is almost like he has to be 100% perfect to avoid criticism on here.

Don't get me wrong- I am not optimistic he will be able to continue it, but if Rinne plays the rest of the season the way he has the past 2 games we will be just fine.

 

[triggrman]

It's easy to see if we're winning or losing by the number of post from groups in this thread.

I didn't even need to read the post to tell you what they say....

 

[NSH615]

Oh my, what an overreaction. You gotta look at the big picture here.

And what's that? Barely make the playoffs and get swept?

 

[Scoresberg]

And what's that? Barely make the playoffs and get swept?

Go even bigger. Look at this team on paper and it's prospect pool. To me, it looks pretty good. This organization is in a good shape. Of course, there are some things we need and etc. But you know what, so does every team. On paper, this team is a potential contender. On ice, no. And things aren't going to get a lot worse any time soon. I think if we acquire a #2C in the summer and a top-6 vet D we may have an actual shot at the Cup next year. But with this team, too, we should be able to contend. It's the system that is lacking rn.

 

[PredsV82]

Im going to pop back in just long enough to express my appreciation for the fact that calling for coaching change is now in vogue. I was ahead of the curve last spring.

 

[ILikeItILoveIt]

We need to keep an unemotional perspective. I was as ticked as the next guy we blew a 2 goal lead last night but remember, we GOT a 2 goal lead. I love when people complain about not holding leads in the middle of the game. Games have flows to them. Almost like b-ball has "runs". Last night was an exciting game. Probably our best 3-on-3 in a while. We lost a 5 Round shootout. Stuff happens.

We've played top teams (Habs, Hawks, Ducks), lost 2 in the final minute and got a loser point with a shootout loss. We are able to win any game we play against any team we play. We will make the playoffs and it doesn't matter our seed.

The only thing that matters is winning enough games to get in, then how we play once we're in. All this other stuff like the recent last minute loses or the shootout 1 pointer last night, will be distant memories. We like to think the way we play now drives the way we'll play in the playoffs. Not true. Why do so many 7th and 8th seeds win the first round? Because they play better in that series than the other team. You think the BJs 16 game winning streak means anything in their first round series? Nope.

Remember, to win a series you just have to beat the other team one more time than they beat you. That's been our MO all season. Win one, lose one, win two, lose one.

Keep our Top 4 D on the ice thru the playoffs. Give us Rinne in the first round last year again. And unleash Playoff Willy to compliment the lethal first line, and I like our chances.

 

[Armourboy]

Im going to pop back in just long enough to express my appreciation for the fact that calling for coaching change is now in vogue. I was ahead of the curve last spring.

At a certain point when the same things keep happening game after game you start looking deeper than a certain player is bad, especially when you know previously said player was not that bad.

Rinne did play better last night for sure, but goals like the rebound out of his glove, well those shouldn't happen. Prior to the injuries they didn't happen, if it got near that glove it was a dead play. While the team around him certainly didn't play great, those type of rebounds can't be happening against good teams, they will make you pay every time

I've about decided the biggest problem may indeed be the coaching staff, and I mean the entire staff. Somehow team structure wise, things get worse the longer they are here. That shouldn't be happening with a good coaching staff. We may be discovering the real reason Lavi doesn't make it more than a couple of years.

Granted some guys are having some seriously bad years too boot, but even if it's bad stats wise you should still see the system working correctly, and frankly I don't really see that.

 

[drwpreds]

We need to keep an unemotional perspective. I was as ticked as the next guy we blew a 2 goal lead last night but remember, we GOT a 2 goal lead. I love when people complain about not holding leads in the middle of the game. Games have flows to them. Almost like b-ball has "runs". Last night was an exciting game. Probably our best 3-on-3 in a while. We lost a 5 Round shootout. Stuff happens.

We've played top teams (Habs, Hawks, Ducks), lost 2 in the final minute and got a loser point with a shootout loss. We are able to win any game we play against any team we play. We will make the playoffs and it doesn't matter our seed.

The only thing that matters is winning enough games to get in, then how we play once we're in. All this other stuff like the recent last minute loses or the shootout 1 pointer last night, will be distant memories. We like to think the way we play now drives the way we'll play in the playoffs. Not true. Why do so many 7th and 8th seeds win the first round? Because they play better in that series than the other team. You think the BJs 16 game winning streak means anything in their first round series? Nope.

Remember, to win a series you just have to beat the other team one more time than they beat you. That's been our MO all season. Win one, lose one, win two, lose one.

Keep our Top 4 D on the ice thru the playoffs. Give us Rinne in the first round last year again. And unleash Playoff Willy to compliment the lethal first line, and I like our chances.

Spot on, man, 100% spot on.......

But for the majority on this board, it will fall on deaf ears..........

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

We need to keep an unemotional perspective. I was as ticked as the next guy we blew a 2 goal lead last night but remember, we GOT a 2 goal lead. I love when people complain about not holding leads in the middle of the game. Games have flows to them. Almost like b-ball has "runs". Last night was an exciting game. Probably our best 3-on-3 in a while. We lost a 5 Round shootout. Stuff happens.

I'm usually on board with you but last night was different. It was completely awful. Either we went into a shell to protect the lead and did an awful job of doing it or that was how we actually played, which honestly is worse than going into a shell and being terrible.

As frustrating as the Canadiens and Blackhawks games were, this one was worse to me.

 

[Armourboy]

I'm usually on board with you but last night was different. It was completely awful. Either we went into a shell to protect the lead and did an awful job of doing it or that was how we actually played, which honestly is worse than going into a shell and being terrible.

As frustrating as the Canadiens and Blackhawks games were, this one was worse to me.

I didn't get to see the game, but just from reading everyone the sense I got from it wasn't that we lost a two goal lead, it was how we did it and then how we played afterwards. I mean everything I've read, and then putting that against the stat totals, pretty much says to me we were playing not to lose from the time it hit 3-1 til the end of the game.

It's not so much that they gave up another lead, it's how they played even after they game was tied that has everyone ticked off.

 

[predfan98]

Why was Lavy given an extension? I am beginning to think he can't coach his way out of a paper bag.

What now?

We are not a playoff team. We have a bunch of assorted players who don't mesh and/or are underproducing. We are stuck with Lavy for at least one or two seasons more. We don't have much in the pipeline either. Winnipeg's young core is maturing and will be much better next season. Minn and Chicago will continue to dominate. So we won't be challenging for the Central any time soon. We may sneak in to a playoff spot but we will go out in the first round.

I think Poile needs to retire. He has tried but he can't seem to put together the right combination of coach and players. His nostalgia for ex players has become embarrassing.

Our scouting staff, while uncovering a few gems here and there have been unable to find truly productive top 6 guys. They need to go as well.

And we need a new goalie coach. Someone who can work on fundamentals with Rinne. Do we need to let Saros get more time AHL instead of getting beat up behind a team that is a mess?

Johansen is a lazy player and is going to demand a new contract that he will not be worth.

Not to mention the FO nonsense regarding the Keep the Gold out restrictions and "sell outs". They are losing a lot of good will from STH.

Help us 303, you are our only hope.

I'm with you. I want the whole coaching staff gone. Etc.

This is the big picture. The big picture is all the projections before the beginning of the season and how almost all the writers thought we were going to do so well looking at the players we had, and the reality is how inconsistent and disjointed everything has been.

 

[drwpreds]

To me, what happens next year will decide the fate of Laviolette- he isn't going to be fired this year no matter what happens the rest of this season. And nor should he.

I think this has just been a kind of disjointed year for a variety of reasons. The shock of the Subban/Weber trade and the adjustment period for it. Subban being injured/not looking like his usual self until late in the year. All of the injuries, especially on D. And a bunch of underperforming players, particularly forwards.

All of which adds up to a frustrating, inconsistent, disappointing year.

Next year, though? All bets are off. I really believe we will be primed for a big year next year, maybe even the kind of year many thought we would have this year. Especially if we are able to add a 1 or 2 center over the summer.

If we are sitting here next year at this time fighting for a wild card spot again, I really believe changes will be made, maybe even during the season.......