Sens @ Leafs Oct 10 Heart Attack Edition

[God Says No]

Yeah Wier didn't have a good game and he had a meh game in the first game of the season. The thing with that guy is confidence. If we sit him now, you'll shatter it. He needs to play. He'll get better. If he doesn't Wideman can come in.

I think the biggest issue right now is the zero chemistry for the second and third lines. ZBad and Ryan need to be split up.

 

[Busboy]

Neil was awful. He can't keep up with the pace, never seems to know where he's going on the ice and the play always seems to die on his stick. Prince would completely transform that line.

I don't like Chiasson either, but that goal will ensure he's in the lineup for at least a few more games.

I suspect we'll see Wideman and Prince in the lineup in the near future. Need another smooth skating puck mover on the back end.

Neil isn't on the ice to handle the puck. Watch when he's on the forecheck (which is where he's going, and he knows it) and notice how cautious defenders are to go into corner and move the puck. This creates opportunities for Chiasson to pressure the second defender along the boards.

Any skill guys would "transform" the fourth line if Neil is out.

If you thought Neil was "awful" then I think you made your mind up about his roster spot before the season started.

 

[playasRus]

If Weir is to sit then I'd like to see Boro with Ceci and Cowen with Wideman. With the exception of one behind the back pass late in the game (in the D zone no less!), Cowen made smart, safe plays with the puck last night.

I like the idea of Boro-Ceci, but I'm not sure if putting Cowen with a rookie is a mistake. Is he ready to cover full time for an inexperienced player?

Neil isn't on the ice to handle the puck. Watch when he's on the forecheck (which is where he's going, and he knows it) and notice how cautious defenders are to go into corner and move the puck. This creates opportunities for Chiasson to pressure the second defender along the boards.

Any skill guys would "transform" the fourth line if Neil is out.

If you thought Neil was "awful" then I think you made your mind up about his roster spot before the season started.

I thought Neil was actually great last night at retrieving the puck. I'm not sure how to look at possession time but I thought the 4th line kept the Leafs hemmed in the Toronto defensive zone a lot by making them turn over the puck. And the surprising thing wasn't that they just rode the puck into the board, they actually had a cycle game going on.

Kudos to Neil and Chiasson stepping him. Smith regaining his pre-injury/surgery form.

 

[topshelf15]

Yeah Wier didn't have a good game and he had a meh game in the first game of the season. The thing with that guy is confidence. If we sit him now, you'll shatter it. He needs to play. He'll get better. If he doesn't Wideman can come in.

I think the biggest issue right now is the zero chemistry for the second and third lines. ZBad and Ryan need to be split up.

We need wins ,we need to ice the best team that gives us a chance for this.Give Wideman a game ,let Wier work out the wrinkles on the practice ice

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

2 games in. I'd still wait awhile before taking Wier out. That was his complaint last time. That he would always be in and out of the line up. So far i dont like the Wier-Ceci pairing

 

[topshelf15]

2 games in. I'd still wait awhile before taking Wier out. That was his complaint last time. That he would always be in and out of the line up. So far i dont like the Wier-Ceci pairing

Us waiting on players, while we piss away opportunities to make some headway has happened for too long .If he is so mentally fragile that he cant take a benching after playing poorly then he will never develop

 

[Benjamin]

A back to back is the perfect excuse to take out Wiercioch and Neil.

 

[topshelf15]

A back to back is the perfect excuse to take out Wiercioch and Neil.

Bingo fast fresh legs ,for two underwhelming players .This just makes too much sense

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I thought Neil was solid last night

I have no idea what you guys were looking for if you were disappointed

That being said, I'd be ok with taking him out for a b2b against the speedy Scabs

 

[mcnorth]

It isn't getting 'yanked out of the lineup' this early in the season when there are guys who haven't played yet, you know you're a 65 game guy b/c of your standing in the organization, and it's a back to back. If Weir gets ******** about that he's being a prima donna. (although I will give him being hurt he's missing the home opener and the intros... some guys care about that and I can understand it).

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

You don't move Cowen up. Why the hell would you put him in a top 4 role when he's been playing great where he is? Let him play where he is for now, maybe after a couple more games you can move him up, but it's way too early to move him up.

 

[topshelf15]

It isn't getting 'yanked out of the lineup' this early in the season when there are guys who haven't played yet, you know you're a 65 game guy b/c of your standing in the organization, and it's a back to back. If Weir gets ******** about that he's being a prima donna. (although I will give him being hurt he's missing the home opener and the intros... some guys care about that and I can understand it).

Agreed ,we need wins in the bank early .Its not about Weircoch ,its about the team getting off to a good start .If he cant understand that, then he can sit the whole season for all i care

 

[topshelf15]

You don't move Cowen up. Why the hell would you put him in a top 4 role when he's been playing great where he is? Let him play where he is for now, maybe after a couple more games you can move him up, but it's way too early to move him up.

Put Boro with Ceci and Wideman with Cowen,it cant be worse than what we have seen so far from Wier /Ceci

 

[Benjamin]

I thought Neil was solid last night

I have no idea what you guys were looking for if you were disappointed

That being said, I'd be ok with taking him out for a b2b against the speedy Scabs

Maybe Chiasson instead because of his lack of discipline. Neil definitely has been fine.

I just don't like Smith + Neil on a line together and prefer Smith over Neil.

 

[Studzle]

Id like to try Weir in a few more games, everyone has bad games Weir's are maybe just at the beginning of the season. Im not justifying his play which has been downright awful, but id like to see him get another couple of games before we scratch him.

No one expected Cowen to come out the way he is, and im sure we'd be saying the same about him if he was playing how Weir is.

 

[Xspyrit]

I understand if we panick a bit in that kind of collapse when it's live but here's some factors that made this game close :

- Wiercioch is semi-absent to start this season...

- No-call on Hoffman? And then a call on the Sens right away. It also seem easier for the Lefs to get PPs than the Sens, despite the fact that the Sens had more...

- Hoffman's cross-bar that would have put it 4-2 and then another that would have made it 5-3

- Andy could have been a bit better (but got really strong after the 3rd goal he gave up)

- Reimer was stounding despite the loss. Every shot was basically a great scoring chance


That being said, I notice that rarely seem to give credit to other teams too, this is the NHL, everyone has good players, we won't win all games and all wins won't be an easy 6-0

============================

ILLESToO
Smith is great at stick handling for real. Also, strong effort by Michalek tonight, I know many dislike him but I like him on this team

Yeah, Michalek and Smith are underrated and Under-appreciated on this board.

 

[mcnorth]

No one has played so bad that they've 'lost' their job - too early for that. But we need to get Prince and Wideman into the line-up soon also. That helps everyone.

 

[Busboy]

You don't move Cowen up. Why the hell would you put him in a top 4 role when he's been playing great where he is? Let him play where he is for now, maybe after a couple more games you can move him up, but it's way too early to move him up.

Cowen played :20s less than Wier in the 1st game and 5:00 more than him last night. Second highest TOI among Sens D last night, fifth highest TOI in game 1.

Cowen has already moved up.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

You don't move Cowen up. Why the hell would you put him in a top 4 role when he's been playing great where he is? Let him play where he is for now, maybe after a couple more games you can move him up, but it's way too early to move him up.

It's mostly because Weircioch is awful

 

[Holdurbreathe]

I think Lazar should stay with Zibanejad. Or at least I thought that was where he was. I think that Lazar's speed goes well with Zibanejad and Ryan. Pageau, Mac and Michalek make up a really good, defensive third line, with some speed, and some surprise offense. We will see how things play out, game to game.

Respectfully disagree, while lazar does skate well he just isn't playing at a top six level.

IMO Lazar could use some time in Bingo playing top six minutes to re-establish his offensive instincts. The alternative is drop him back to the third line and never realize the kid's offensive potential.

Watching him in junior he instinctively found the soft spots, separated himself from defensive players allowing for good scoring opportunities.

In the two games this season he is all over the ice, seldom controls the puck or gets open in the offensive zone.

Fundamentally he is skating miles while achieving little.

IMO Murray needs to bite the bullet and send Lazar to Bingo so he can become the player the Sens obviously feel he can be.

 

[Sensfanatic]

We have essentially the same team as last year, and yes, some of the young guys will be better.

We barely beat a team that many see as possibly the worst in the league this year, so the fact that some of the guys I mentioned played "ok" doesn't sway my opinion. The days of a one dimensional player on any line is quickly disappearing, particularly if you want to compete with the best.

Need to improve the lineup to some extent and I believe Neil, Chiasson and Weircoch are weak links. From what I've seen, Puempal, Prince and Wideman could all help in this regard. Not sure why the organization decided not to insert ANY of them.

Anyway, we'll see them soon enough if last night was any indication.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Respectfully disagree, while lazar does skate well he just isn't playing at a top six level.

IMO Lazar could use some time in Bingo playing top six minutes to re-establish his offensive instincts. The alternative is drop him back to the third line and never realize the kid's offensive potential.

Watching him in junior he instinctively found the soft spots, separated himself from defensive players allowing for good scoring opportunities.

In the two games this season he is all over the ice, seldom controls the puck or gets open in the offensive zone.

Fundamentally he is skating miles while achieving little.

IMO Murray needs to bite the bullet and send Lazar to Bingo so he can become the player the Sens obviously feel he can be.

100% agreed

I think it will happen but they are going to give him a few more games to see if he can put it together in the NHL before sending him down

 

[Holdurbreathe]

Cowen played :20s less than Wier in the 1st game and 5:00 more than him last night. Second highest TOI among Sens D last night, fifth highest TOI in game 1.

Cowen has already moved up.

True, but Ceci needs a partner that is playing well so he only has to focus on his game and not be overly concerned with his partner's game.

 

[Busboy]

True, but Ceci needs a partner that is playing well so he only has to focus on his game and not be overly concerned with his partner's game.

But Wier isn't playing well...

It's still early though so I'm not going to fight too hard for changes in the lineup. But I have very little faith in Wiercioch in general. I think he's a decent 5/6 D man but that's it.

I'd like to see what we have in Wideman so if I were taking anyone out of the lineup it would be Weir.

 

[Holdurbreathe]

100% agreed

I think it will happen but they are going to give him a few more games to see if he can put it together in the NHL before sending him down

Hopefully you are right, as I believe it would be the best decision for Lazar and the team.