GDT: 11/06/2014 - Minnesota @ Ottawa - 630PM CST - 230AM Suomi - FSN, FSWI

[this providence]

At some point Coyle's production needs to justify the minutes he receives. It's getting absurd. He's hasn't got a clue in the offensive zone, not to mention avoids going to scoring areas at all cost.

Granlund, Vanek, and Haula are just playing bad hockey this year and that's really all that needs to be said. In Haula's case, he better step it up quick or he'll find himself in Iowa.

 

[Jarick]

Granlund and Koivu both need those fast north-south worker bees to open up space so they can play their game. Shouldn't come as a shock that Parise out will hurt Granlund just like Zucker on Koivu's line picked him up.

 

[MN_Gopher]

When we have a lead other teams open it up and we bury them.

When we are down other teams tighten up and we cannot find a way to score.

I am not calling for Yeo to be fired yet. But i have seen this movie before. He needs to step it up as a coach and start coaching to guys like Granny and Vanek you are creating chances but guys like Coyle and Koivu are going for the cycle instead of the net.

Vanek- Granny- Zucker guys who play aggressive.

Parise- Koivu- Coyle control control control

Pomms- Haula- Nino pass shoot score controled attack style

Carter- Brodz- Fonzy dont sleep on us.

 

[keppel146]

When we have a lead other teams open it up and we bury them.

When we are down other teams tighten up and we cannot find a way to score.

I am not calling for Yeo to be fired yet. But i have seen this movie before. He needs to step it up as a coach and start coaching to guys like Granny and Vanek you are creating chances but guys like Coyle and Koivu are going for the cycle instead of the net.

Vanek- Granny- Zucker guys who play aggressive.

Parise- Koivu- Coyle control control control

Pomms- Haula- Nino pass shoot score controled attack style

Carter- Brodz- Fonzy dont sleep on us.

I haven't seen vanek play very aggressively this year, I'd def swap pommer and vanek

 

[Puhis]

How about:

Haula - Granlund - Pominville
Zucker - Koivu - Niederreiter
Vanek - Brodziak - Coyle
Veilleux - Carter - Fontaine

Might just work. Haula has been a bit invisible in the last few games but I thought he had some good moments in that Ottawa game. He is fast, a hard worker and has some decent playmaking ability as well. In other words, closest we've got to Zach Parise without moving Jason Zucker from that 2nd line.

Coyle gets demoted to 3rd line, where he and Brodziak will face tough opposition while Vanek will hopefully pick it up offensively. Heatley and Brodziak worked quite well, and it seems like Vanek is looking better with Kyle B as well. It's a strange case of a non-skill player having chemistry with skill players.

Nino can play both wings, and thus gets promoted to 2nd line as a big body shooter/power forward presence. Koivu now has two scorers on his wings, something which could turn out well.

The masochistic part in me wants to see Veilleux given another chance. If the team lacks spark, he will give 110% and some each and every night.

Only problem is that 3rd line has three righties while 2nd line has three lefties. Not that it's a big issue to me, but coaching staff might not like it. Still, Vanek - Granlund - Pominville is just not working. Maybe on PP, but not on even strength.

 

[Avder]

When we have a lead other teams open it up and we bury them.

When we are down other teams tighten up and we cannot find a way to score.

I am not calling for Yeo to be fired yet. But i have seen this movie before. He needs to step it up as a coach and start coaching to guys like Granny and Vanek you are creating chances but guys like Coyle and Koivu are going for the cycle instead of the net.

Vanek- Granny- Zucker guys who play aggressive.

Parise- Koivu- Coyle control control control

Pomms- Haula- Nino pass shoot score controled attack style

Carter- Brodz- Fonzy dont sleep on us.

Right now my only complaints with Yeo are that he hasn't made anyone's head roll for the failures of the powerplay, and that he keeps favoring Coyle to the detriment of others like Nino, Zucker, etc.

Other than that, as abysmal as our outings have been the last two games, we still look like we're playing the same way, at least when we're actually playing, as we did last week when we were curbstomping teams.

He's not fully realized as a head coach just yet, but he seems to have undergone a great deal of growth since the playoffs started last season. He still favors vets a little too much, but I suspect as the kids start to work harder than the vets, that should change....eventually.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I didn't think it was as bad as most people here. Game turned on Scandella's decision, whether it was the wrong call or not (and seeing it again, I agree with Russo/Yeo that an instigator was overkill), and Anderson played great. Yeah, the whole 'not being able to finish' things sucks to see again, but it happens. Our offense isn't as bad as our goal output has shown these past two games.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I know the shots blah blah blah, I counted 12 scoring chances for the Wild and 13 for Ottawa. Again, from what I saw, the Wild had a bunch of low percentage shots from the boards and even at center ice, while Ottawa had a good number of odd man situations with clearer lanes including some clean shots from the middle of the ice

Do you remember the period breakdown of the scoring chances? Just off memory, I thought most of Ottawa's were in the 3rd, mostly due to us pressing being down 3-0.

 

[Gaps]

I actually wouldn't mind seeing Nino reunited with Pommer and Granlund. They had some good games last year. But I think we'll have to give Vanek some time with them, not just this one game.

After Parise comes back and if Vanek doesn't work out with Granlund and Pommer:

Nino-Granlund-Pommer
Parise-Koivu-Coyle
Vanek-Haula-Fontaine
Zucker-Carter/Brodz-Cooke

Yes, it sucks to throw Zucker back to the 4th line, but Vanek isn't an option for that line. Well, not until Yeo can no longer tell the difference between him and Heatley.

This is a fantasy though. I don't see Yeo giving Nino a chance like that.

At some point Coyle's production needs to justify the minutes he receives. It's getting absurd. He's hasn't got a clue in the offensive zone, not to mention avoids going to scoring areas at all cost.

Granlund, Vanek, and Haula are just playing bad hockey this year and that's really all that needs to be said. In Haula's case, he better step it up quick or he'll find himself in Iowa.

If you send Haula down, Coyle could end up at center again knowing Yeo.

 

[Jarick]

Do you remember the period breakdown of the scoring chances? Just off memory, I thought most of Ottawa's were in the 3rd, mostly due to us pressing being down 3-0.

1st
OTT 4
MIN 3

2nd
OTT 3
MIN 5

3rd
OTT 6
MIN 4

I defined a scoring chance as a shot on goal from good scoring position, including posts hit. I didn't count weaker shots from the perimeter unless tipped on goal, uncontested shots from the blue line, or swats at the puck while the goalie had control.

For whatever reason, I felt a post was indicative of a good scoring chance because the team let the shot through and the goalie didn't make a save, although I didn't count missed shots. Goalies might change how they play a puck they believe is going wide but they aren't saying "yeah that will hit the post I won't get over all the way".

I saw a lot of little tips and deflections from the Wild where shots were from the perimeter, but they came through with almost no speed on them.

Ottawa was loving dangling with the puck, trying to make moves, the Wild did a great job of killing most of those plays defensively. But when Ottawa had a clear shooting lane, they almost always took it, while the Wild weren't getting those looks.

A big part of the above discrepancy was due to the Wild coasting into the offensive zone while the Sens kept skating as they were crossing the blue line.

At the end of the day, only one of the Sens goals was on one of those rushes (trickled through Backstrom's pads), but that's one more than what the Wild had.

I'd be curious to see if anyone else could track scoring chances.

 

[J22*]

1st
OTT 4
MIN 3

2nd
OTT 3
MIN 5

3rd
OTT 6
MIN 4

I defined a scoring chance as a shot on goal from good scoring position, including posts hit. I didn't count weaker shots from the perimeter unless tipped on goal, uncontested shots from the blue line, or swats at the puck while the goalie had control.

For whatever reason, I felt a post was indicative of a good scoring chance because the team let the shot through and the goalie didn't make a save, although I didn't count missed shots. Goalies might change how they play a puck they believe is going wide but they aren't saying "yeah that will hit the post I won't get over all the way".

I saw a lot of little tips and deflections from the Wild where shots were from the perimeter, but they came through with almost no speed on them.

Ottawa was loving dangling with the puck, trying to make moves, the Wild did a great job of killing most of those plays defensively. But when Ottawa had a clear shooting lane, they almost always took it, while the Wild weren't getting those looks.

A big part of the above discrepancy was due to the Wild coasting into the offensive zone while the Sens kept skating as they were crossing the blue line.

At the end of the day, only one of the Sens goals was on one of those rushes (trickled through Backstrom's pads), but that's one more than what the Wild had.

I'd be curious to see if anyone else could track scoring chances.

There's no chance Ottawa had 13 "scoring chances" using the bolded as your criteria, and there is even less chance that the Wild only had 12.

Obviously, everyone has a different opinion on what constitutes a "scoring chance", but I find it hard to believe that anyone could watch last nights game and come away thinking Ottawa produced more chances.

 

[Sarge58]

I rarely question Yeo's abilities, but in the last few games the team doesn't seem to have much of a game plan. They seem to come out with less determination to get that much needed first goal, and if they don't score it they get too easily frustrated that's when they start giving up odd man rushes, taking very low percentage shots and take stupid penalties.

Maybe as soon as Yeo senses their frustration start to build he should get the players to refocus by reminding them of their defensive responsibilities while at the same time continue to emphasize that suffocating forecheck.

 

[Avder]

I rarely question Yeo's abilities, but in the last few games the team doesn't seem to have much of a game plan. They seem to come out with less determination to get that much needed first goal, and if they don't score it they get too easily frustrated that's when they start giving up odd man rushes, taking very low percentage shots and take stupid penalties.

Maybe as soon as Yeo senses their frustration start to build he should get the players to refocus by reminding them of their defensive responsibilities while at the same time continue to emphasize that suffocating forecheck.

From the way Yeo and Suter have been talking it sounds like Yeo has a gameplan but it's the players who aren't coming out prepared to follow it.

 

[Avder]

GDT for tonights game is up.

Therefore, closed.