GDT: 1/19/19 - 7:00PM EDT - San Jose vs Tampa Bay

[Stormbreaker]

2 more points in the bank

 

[DFC]

Wasn't a masterpiece, but we played well over all, and we beat a good team pretty decisively.

I don't think Kuch deserved a star here, but the other two were awesome. Hedman may have turned the corner vs. Toronto and become Hedmonster.

 

[Bozo Nicholson]

Wasn't a masterpiece, but we played well over all, and we beat a good team pretty decisively.

I don't think Kuch deserved a star here, but the other two were awesome. Hedman may have turned the corner vs. Toronto and become Hedmonster.

Yeah exactly. I was actually more worried about this game than the Leafs game earlier this week. The Sharks are deadly.

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

missed 90% of game but came out well I guess..... will watch tonight and noon tomorrow etc.... vasy sooo pissed got to love that in him

 

[Hint1k]

nice revenge on sharks. with the ok refs that would be something like 12-3 probably.

 

[JFleegs]

Looked like vasi was mad at the end and heddy talked him down? Did something happen or am I missing something?

 

[DFC]

Yeah exactly. I was actually more worried about this game than the Leafs game earlier this week. The Sharks are deadly.

We're more a measuring stick for the Leafs though, because they're more/less built in our image. The Sharks are a vet team who know how little the regular season matters, so I think we're 1/82 for them. The Leafs are targeting us because we're in the same division and because they're up-and-comers. But they're as susceptible to bad efforts as we are when they're not motivated. Their game against Florida the next night was hideous.

In other news, thanks to that hideous Leafs game, we're now 16 points up in the Atlantic again.

 

[DFC]

Stamkos saying the right things. "I'm just trying to get to areas where I can score with my shot." That's really been the difference. He's stepping into dangerous areas and getting shots away.

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

Looked like vasi was mad at the end and heddy talked him down? Did something happen or am I missing something?

they got that last goal

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

5 players with a goal 11 players with a point? wow 3 players with 2 points 3 points from d men

that is a team effort and that is what weve done this year sooo often....

as long as we can stay like this we should be a nightmare for the rest of the league

 

[Brie]

Happy to head into the break with a win. Let's hope that the guys that will be going to the All-Star game will have fun and the rest will also have fun but also get a good rest and that the whole team will be ready to go when hockey is back.

 

[Lightning1995]

Stammer is a different cat this year. Carries play and looks dangerous.

 

[Bozo Nicholson]

they got that last goal

Yeah apparently Vasi is a perfectionist a la Kucherov. It's awesome to have that quality in a goalie.

 

[Lightning1995]

I like that 3rd line, would like to see more of it. Wonder if Killer can mesh on line 4 assuming TJ is healthy.

 

[DFC]

We're very machine-like right now. I think that's a good sign. We're not running on emotions, but staying pretty even-keeled.

 

[Rschmitz]

Fun game. Difficult to imagine my dude Cernak getting any better defensively.

 

[Hoek]

Big cat was pisssssed at that last goal. Wow.

Great game. Would've liked to keep some of the shots down but we outchanced them I felt.

 

[Stormbreaker]

 

[Hoek]

She was in my section.

 

[Stormbreaker]

 

[Steazy Doo]

Stammer is a different cat this year. Carries play and looks dangerous.

The puck carrying is the biggest thing for me. The guy is driving his line, we haven't seen this since 2013.

 

[Bolt 45]

Honestly, most of the guys on this team haven't ever played with this version of Stammer. That's how long it's been since he's played anywhere close to this well. It sure is nice to see.

 

[BowDownToVasilevskiy]

The puck carrying is the biggest thing for me. The guy is driving his line, we haven't seen this since 2013.

I think he just got comfortable with the puck again. Last year he put up a lot of points but was playing with Kucherov. This year he is driving a line with Gourde and Palat and looks way better. I think the fear of injury has been pushed away. Also I think he showed little hints of this play in the Washington series last year. I hope this version of him is here to stay because were going to need his play if we want the cup.

 

[Rschmitz]

If you throw out October, Stamkos is shooting about 3.2 times a game with a shooting percentage of around 19.6% which should net him about 20 more goals to end the season if he keeps that pace.

For reference:

His 60 goal season he shot the puck about 3.7 times per game and at a 19.8% clip.

Last year he shot the puck about 2.7 times per game at a 12.7% clip.

That's a hell of a difference.

When comparing this season directly to his 60 goal season. He will obliterate the # of assists he had from that year, and his faceoff percentage from that year was also about 45% and for this year it's about 55%. Huge. He is also playing 4 minutes less per game than he played that year, and if you adjust his shot #'s to compensate, he would have only shot the puck about 3 times per game in 11/12, which adjust to under 50 goals.

In other words......this is very likely the best version of Stamkos we have ever seen.

 

[Steazy Doo]

I think he just got comfortable with the puck again. Last year he put up a lot of points but was playing with Kucherov. This year he is driving a line with Gourde and Palat and looks way better. I think the fear of injury has been pushed away. Also I think he showed little hints of this play in the Washington series last year. I hope this version of him is here to stay because were going to need his play if we want the cup.

He may have been our best forward in that series, which honestly isn't saying much. But I do remember saying he looked better at even strength, which he looked lost at during most of that run.