Half-Assed GDT: ♪ vs. ⛽

[EastonBlues22]

Wtf was that defense in the neutral zone.

Blues have two forwards in deep, with Thompson the only forward high in the zone. Both defenders are matched up on a man, so Thompson needs to recognize that the Oilers forward (McDavid!) high in the zone is his responsibility.



One of two things should probably happen here. Either Parayko needs to bail ASAP and get back to defend with Thompson angling off the guy with the puck, or Thompson needs to turn up ice and fill the center lane (with Parayko containing his current man) in preparation for defending a potential 2 on 2. Most likely it's Thompson's responsibility to read what Parayko does and support accordingly.

Unfortunately, Parayko doesn't bail and Thompson continues to converge. Doubling here would be a fine play with numbers back, but that wasn't the case.



The Blues are now in a precarious situation. Dunn's side is overloaded and he can't possibly defend both potential passes up the ice. Stastny is trailing McDavid down the ice and has no real chance of catching him.

Their best chance is preventing the cross-ice pass, but Thompson's stick is in the wrong passing lane. It should be in the passing lane to his right, the up-ice lane which he should know is currently vulnerable and which represents by far the most dangerous threat. The up-ice passing lane should be the default lane that a defending player in this position should have his stick in, so this is a failure of basic fundamentals in addition to defensive awareness/IQ.

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Lucic makes the easy pass through a lane Thompson failed to defend, to a man that he abandoned, and it ends up costing the Blues.

I think Thompson showed a lot of promise this game, and did a lot of things well, but this goal was largely the byproduct of a couple of rookie mistakes that he made.

I'm not down on him for those and I'm certainly not trying to scapegoat him in any way for this game's outcome. I just think this serves as a timely reminder that contributions in all three zones matter in the NHL, both with and without the puck, and that it only takes one individual breakdown at the wrong moment to expose your team's underbelly. A system is meaningless if you can't count on everyone to be doing what they should be doing.

Thompson still has a lot to learn before I think the coaching staff will feel comfortable handing him a full-time gig.


Edit: Apparently we changed it so you can only embed three pieces of media in a single post. You'll have to follow the link if you want to see the 4th image. It's not critical to the post if you don't.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

Yeo’s system requires knowing your linemates and reading their actions at all times. It’s not as simple as the center covers the center lane - the RW or even the D might do so in a given situation. The basic principles are the same as a Hitch system in that defensive fundamentals are incredibly important and comes before risky offense, but the coverage changes situationally and the guy closest to the puck dictates what the rest of the team does in response.

I’m not saying that Tage just didn’t know what to do - these are defensive fundamentals in any system - but I want to reiterate the point that Tage can’t just be given a roster spot. This is the same reason why our returning-from-injury players have destroyed chemistry every time they return; they aren’t reading the ice well enough to keep up with the fluidity. It’s the same reason juggling the lines is a dangerous game defensively. Tage needs to acclimate himself and build chemistry with Steen and Stastny before he will be able to be penciled in full-time. It’s kind of a catch 22, and is the same reason we had to slug through JBo’s reacclimation, and Berglund’s. The more minutes those returning players have, the more mistakes they are going to make in this system, and the same goes for call-ups like Tage.

Tage is a smart kid, so hopefully he can pick up on Stastny and Steen quickly with guidance. His decisiveness is both a strength and a weakness until he learns how to better read Steen and Stastny, and his willingness to put the puck on net and attack in the offensive zone can leave him unaware once possession changes. Getting caught by speedier transitions is going to happen to any rookie, but rookies in this system have a really tough time with the learning curve. This is why Dunn’s play is so impressive despite his own rookie mistakes, and why it has been so hard for Schmaltz and Blais to be difference makers in all the chaos.

I really like that about Yeo’s system. It lets the players be creative defensively, and allows for a more fluid offense since players aren’t bogged down with where their specific position should be just in case of a turnover; they are instead thinking about scoring and then adjusting defensively as a unit in an instant once the puck is turned over. If everyone does it right, you achieve creatively chaotic offense, and sound defensive coverage. If you do it wrong or transition too slowly, you give breakaways to the other team. Thank god we have a quick transition defense (when we aren’t slumping).

Defensive fundamentals have to be assumed to make this system work, and that’s why it’s so great that we had Hitch before Yeo. Once it can be assumed that everyone KNOWS the right play to make, then the focus becomes reading your teammates in order to determine your role regardless of position. Terms like “center”, “right wing”, and “defenseman” all have less concrete meaning in this system, and only serve as a template. The roles and positions are constantly interchanging based on the coverage, and that’s what makes this system so great and so difficult to just pick up and be effective. It’s also likely why we are really hitting a wall right now. The fundamentals are bad and we aren’t playing as a unit because lines are messed up and they aren’t trusting one another (and no one is playing consistently enough to be trustworthy). Our transition is slow and we aren’t confident enough to move through the neutral zone as a unit with speed.

 

[Ranksu]

"Bare" means "without clothing" or "naked"(paljaana). "To bear" means "to carry a heavy mental or physical burden" (kuljettaa). Your English is sometimes funny. But I like that you include my likeness as an "icon of Blues' fandomness"! Interesting GDT opening post!

Oh my.

Btw Dallas are 5 points behind us.

 

[Ranksu]

Hey guys! First time poster but I’ve been reading on here for what feels like forever lol.. after this loss I finally had enough and made an account. By far the most frustrating loss of the season. Welp, onto Vancouver.

Thankfully looks like we might have a player in Thompson and finally that much coveted right handed shot. Still need another top 6 player with or without Schwartz in the lineup.

Welcome to Blues board.

 

[Oilers in NS]

Tarasenko is firmly entrenched in one of his “I really don’t feel like playing moods”. He can’t be bothered to even win puck battles that are favorably skewed in his direction.

It would be frustrating if it wasn’t so expected.

Oiler fan in peace. The last 2 games we played you guys, Tasasenko was in BEASTMODE. I didn't even know he was playing last night. That is the problem with some of the Russians; they show up on THEIR time

 

[BangarangxRufio]

I think he needs to have a look with 10/91 asap. we’ve seen the chemistry he’s had with tank, why not try to get both of them going at this point

Welcome, and i 100% agree with you. i dont know what this coaching staff is doing slotting 23 on first line duties and continually putting BBshv on 4th and 3rd line. I have really enjoyed what Jaskin is doing this year, and he plays perfect with our 3/4th lines, but if this staff keeps hoping he is going to be the solution to out top 6 troubles they havent watched the last 5 years (23g in 222 games). What is the worst that happens if you slot 49 on the first line? he could increase trade value(if you want him to be traded) or he could gel and create a better top 6, or if it doesnt work you move him back or send him to the Rampage...I just dont get what Yeo is doing lately to fix this rough stretch. I dont see a change in our game. i dont know, i now see why @Ranksu is so crotchety, winter sucks.

 

[BangarangxRufio]

p.s. does anyone have a gif, or gif, however you say that, of the knee to knee from Lucic last night?

 

[Dbrownss]

That is all

 

[The Note in MI]

Don’t get the whole tank idea. This team has shown when healthy they can be awesome. Let them get through their mid season slump and figure it out towards the end like they always do. Rather falter now than at the home stretch when we need consistency.

 

[Celtic Note]

I don’t get the tank/clean house comments either. Do people anticipate us playing like this the rest of the year? Have we forgotten how good they looked at the beginning of the year?

Despite this horrible stretch of games we are still top three in our division.

 

[PiggySmalls]

Oh my.

Btw Dallas are 5 points behind us.

BTW we are 0 (zero) points behind Nashville and Winnipeg. That’s the great thing about perspective.

 

[Mike Liut]

Blues vs gasoline pump? No wonder we lost

 

[Dbrownss]

I don’t get the tank/clean house comments either. Do people anticipate us playing like this the rest of the year? Have we forgotten how good they looked at the beginning of the year?

Despite this horrible stretch of games we are still top three in our division.

Both Winnipeg and Nashville lost too. Went by their board to see how they are doing....

Mass Seppuku.....some fans just cant handle their team not going 82-0

 

[67Blues]

I view this year as a throw away year. With the injuries and the kids not quite being ready, Armstrong is getting to play with house money. We have a lot of 3rd and 4th line players playing well above where they should be. Does anyone believe that Jaskin can actually make Schenn and Tarasenko a better line? It is troubling that we have zero options to fill out two potential scoring lines. Granted, things would look totally different with Schwartz and Fabbri dressed, but the reality of the situation is that they are gone and we have nothing that is ready to step up. I'd rather see what some of the kids can do as Yeo sprinkles them in here and there to understand better where they are in their development than to go all in and trade the future for a rental. Aside from Schenn, what has really changed from the past few years where our offense has all but dried up come playoff time? See what we've got, maybe catch lightning in the bottle, but at least we see where the needs are going into next year, and a hopefully healthy roster.

 

[Dbrownss]

You really do need to look at it from that perspective. We are missing 2 top 6 LWs. I doubt any franchise can easily absorb that in stride. Couple that with Tarasenko losing almost all of his scoring ability. Its not hard to see why the Blues are struggling. Its almost has just been Schenn providing on sheet offense.

Im just not too worried right now. Outside of the 4-0 drubbing, the Blues havn't lost a game in a fashion that they didnt look like they belonged.

 

[Note Worthy]

Schenn has been great but he only has two more goals and 3 more assists than Tarasenko. Yes, Tarasenko has hit a dry spell but almost all goal scorers are streaky.

 

[Robb_K]

Welcome, and i 100% agree with you. i dont know what this coaching staff is doing slotting 23 on first line duties and continually putting BBshv on 4th and 3rd line. I have really enjoyed what Jaskin is doing this year, and he plays perfect with our 3/4th lines, but if this staff keeps hoping he is going to be the solution to out top 6 troubles they havent watched the last 5 years (23g in 222 games). What is the worst that happens if you slot 49 on the first line? he could increase trade value(if you want him to be traded) or he could gel and create a better top 6, or if it doesnt work you move him back or send him to the Rampage...I just dont get what Yeo is doing lately to fix this rough stretch. I dont see a change in our game. i dont know, i now see why @Ranksu is so crotchety, winter sucks.

No sun in Lappland now. Let the Vodka flow!

 

[Xerloris]

Tarasenko usually has a shitty month or 2 every season and that's why he hasn't hit 50 yet. He'll get hot again soonish and still score 80+ points with 35-45 goals.