GDT: #20 // Coyotes @ Stars // 20 Nov 630pm AZ Time // FSA

[Matias Maccete]

If Hanzal is out for a bit and we get another injury on our blueline - we can easily get there.

Thats true one or yandle or oel being out plus hanzal would make us bottom 3 bad, maybe even only better than Buffalo. I know most of you think doan is over the hill but I think if he went out what little effort we have would drop drastically, he's such a great leader.

Also was that entire first period not the worst hockey anyone's seen two teams play in a long time? Neither team could even hit the damn net haha.

 

[0point1]

This, all with a mostly healthy roster. Anyone still holding out hope?

LeBlanc says we are a playoff team but I imagine as an owner they have to put on a positive public face.

It's time to rebuild.

 

[MIGs Dog]

Smith:“It’s a fine line between winning and losing. Right now, we’re not generating enough goals and it’s tough to win 1-0 in this league.â€

Do you ever hear any of the skaters say "our goalie just isn't making enough saves for us to win."

Smith needs to worry about his own game.

 

[0point1]

Yeah but he has a point, our forwards are not good enough.

 

[Jakey53]

LeBlanc says we are a playoff team but I imagine as an owner they have to put on a positive public face.

It's time to rebuild.

Speaking of LeBlanc, has anyone heard from him lately?

 

[rt]

Smith:“It’s a fine line between winning and losing. Right now, we’re not generating enough goals and it’s tough to win 1-0 in this league.”

Do you ever hear any of the skaters say "our goalie just isn't making enough saves for us to win."

Smith needs to worry about his own game.

Also, he's averaged three and a half goals against per game. He's basically saying our team ought to be putting up 4 goals a night so he can get his wins. Dubnyk sure hasn't had to place blame or make excuses has he?

 

[0point1]

Speaking of LeBlanc, has anyone heard from him lately?

He was on 98.7 two days ago. He said that he believes the Yotes are a playoff team and he mentioned that the final ownership approval will be in the beginning of December. Pretty much nothing new.

 

[Jakey53]

Also, he's averaged three and a half goals against per game. He's basically saying our team ought to be putting up 4 goals a night so he can get his wins. Dubnyk sure hasn't had to place blame or make excuses has he?

I think most were not happy with the Smith signing, but I'm still not sold on Dubnyk. In Edmonton his biggest problem was his consistency. If Burke can get him more consistent he can be a starting goaltender. I would have kept playing Dubnyk until he lost, but I think DT is sometimes too loyal to Smith.

 

[Jakey53]

He was on 98.7 two days ago. He said that he believes the Yotes are a playoff team and he mentioned that the final ownership approval will be in the beginning of December. Pretty much nothing new.

Thanks. Usually you see him on TV frequently, but I had not seen or heard from him the last few weeks.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

A few things I learned last night:

• I've got to finally admit it to myself: as much as I love his attitude, I think Mikkel Boedker is substantially overrated.
• Mike Smith is no longer subjectively awful. He is objectively awful. And we got suckered in by his career year in a contract situation, so it's mostly our fault.
• Tobias Rieder may be the only legit forward we have.
• David Schlemko has no concept of the meaning of the phrase, "Play the game like you want to earn a roster spot."
• I think Newell Brown would make a great head coach.

 

[goyotes]

A few things I learned last night:

• I've got to finally admit it to myself: as much as I love his attitude, I think Mikkel Boedker is substantially overrated.
• Mike Smith is no longer subjectively awful. He is objectively awful. And we got suckered in by his career year in a contract situation, so it's mostly our fault.
• Tobias Rieder may be the only legit forward we have.
• David Schlemko has no concept of the meaning of the phrase, "Play the game like you want to earn a roster spot."
• I think Newell Brown would make a great head coach.

Spot on. Let's face it, we are not a playoff contending team. We will finish in the bottom 4 in the West, and draft somewhere around 7-9. Not low enough for an immediate impact player. Not an easy turn-around either.

 

[MIGs Dog]

I think most were not happy with the Smith signing, but I'm still not sold on Dubnyk. In Edmonton his biggest problem was his consistency. If Burke can get him more consistent he can be a starting goaltender. I would have kept playing Dubnyk until he lost, but I think DT is sometimes too loyal to Smith.

I think it's about riding the hot hand. I remember in the playoffs (2 yrs ago?) where Fleury was yanked and his backup played well. I don't think Fleury saw the ice the remainder of the series. Sometimes your starter is not playing like your starter. This isn't hard to figure out.

 

[MIGs Dog]

I've got to finally admit it to myself: as much as I love his attitude, I think Mikkel Boedker is substantially overrated.

Wish I had a dollar for every time Bods was driving around a defenseman, but then decides to pull up and make a pass instead of taking it to the net. I'm no NHL player, but I often feel like he has star forward skill but doesn't know how to use it.

 

[Coyotes2000]

Wish I had a dollar for every time Bods was driving around a defenseman, but then decides to pull up and make a pass instead of taking it to the net. I'm no NHL player, but I often feel like he has star forward skill but doesn't know how to use it.

He could be Pavel Bure if he had a pair between his legs.

 

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

Sarah has turned on them.

Sarah McLellan ‏@azc_mclellan 25m25 minutes ago
#Coyotes blow lead in Dallas http://azc.cc/1vuxmZR via @azcentral

Rob Turner ‏@ChillyMostFresh 5m5 minutes ago
@azc_mclellan @azcentral You could have stopped after the first 2 words. #Coyotes

 

[Phoenician]

I think the last two games (Caps/Stars) were the first time since I have really been following the team these past three years I didnt even expect them to win. I dont like that feeling but I just dont have the confidance in them. I really hope they make some changes soon, the new guys playing have been good to watch (Gorms and Rieder in particular) but its not as fun going to games with the mindset that I am expecting a loss, especially to teams like the stars.

 

[doaner]

It's all about riding the hot hand. Remember when Boucher set the shut out record? If I'm not mistaken, Burke was our starter (?) and Francis went with the hot goalie. Had Tip been our coach back then, he for sure would have sat Boucher.

I think it might be time for a leadership shake up of the team behind the bench. I'm also in favor of seeing what Brown can do for us.

 

[cobra427]

Smith and Letonin both let in a soft goal. The other 2 goals you can't blame on Smith. Goal tending is not the problem the last 4 games anyway.

 

[XX]

Also, he's averaged three and a half goals against per game. He's basically saying our team ought to be putting up 4 goals a night so he can get his wins. Dubnyk sure hasn't had to place blame or make excuses has he?

Wouldn't surprise me if the team has turned on Smith and only really goes the extra length for Dubnyk.

 

[Grimes]

Wouldn't surprise me if the team has turned on Smith and only really goes the extra length for Dubnyk.

Yeah I wouldn't be either. Doan still seems like a Smith supporter as well.

Speaking of players turning, how many do you think are still bought into Tippetts koolaid? I want to see some big changes soon. I think a lot of this started last year. Rib's probably made things even more sour, and now we are stuck with a half ***** roster that is turning on each other and the coach. I honestly want Doan to go to a contender so I have a team to root for during the playoffs and so we can really reevaluate the leadership in the room and see who really wants to be on the team.

 

[hbk]

i don't think anyone has turned on the coach or Smith. Our work effort has been really good but not perfect. the skill just isn't there and if we aren't perfect we can't win. it's really that simple.

we are not overachieving this year. we are a very mediocre team with very mediocre results.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

i don't think anyone has turned on the coach or Smith. Our work effort has been really good but not perfect. the skill just isn't there and if we aren't perfect we can't win. it's really that simple.

we are not overachieving this year. we are a very mediocre team with very mediocre results.

Exactly.

And it has been a problem since before Tippett and Maloney got here. The same bent-over-swiping-futilely-at-the-puck ethos was around when TGO was "coaching" the team too.

This is a franchise that has spent YEARS with the wrong attitude - i.e., that they aren't on the same level as most of the league and that they have to work hard to combat it.

The teams at the turn of the century had attitude as well as skill, and it took them to the playoffs. I'm pretty sure if you had tried to tell Jeremy Roenick back then that he was on a lunchpail team, he'd have told you to piss off through his wired-shut teeth.

In the 11-12 season, we had a little of that attitude back, and it snowballed as the season went on. It nearly took us to the Cup Final. But that attitude is gone in everyone but maybe Doan, Yandle, and Vitale. It feels like most everyone else is punching a time card.

 

[BUX7PHX]

So here was what I saw from the game:

- The only goal that is on Smith was the last one. Not a great goal to give up, but I think he was slightly screened and thought the puck was shot higher on his body. You can see him start to lift his arm just for a second, and that was enough to squeak by. Not the worst goal to give up, but the fact that he was in decent position and still let one go short side was tough.

- Our forwards did not look horrible - people talk about Korpi like he is useless, but there were at least two situations where he brought the puck in the offensive zone with two Stars players around him. He tried to move the puck, but Dallas had a decent enough recovery and back-check to disrupt the intended target. Rieder was very noticeable.

- Schlemko took some god-awful penalties

- The game really turned when Dallas had the goal negated. And not just in the remainder of the 2nd period. The Stars kept going after it the rest of the game.

Our biggest issue is that we lack poise and response. We don't respond well or don't respond at all. Whether it is the physical side of the game, or a positive situation, or even negative ones - it is like we have no reaction of urgency whatsoever. Maybe we simply are too green to respond. Dallas gets the goal taken away, and they responded by pushing the pace. Both teams go into the locker room, and my expectation would be that the Stars will continue to push in the 3rd, as they had some decent chances in the 2nd. We basically come out with nowhere near the effort required, and the Stars score early, then score a few seconds later with a great deflection. I don't know if we did not expect this or think about this, but our response was awful.

Before it was up to Doan to say the right thing to help this team respond, with other teammates' support. Now, it doesn't look like anyone can say or do the right thing. That's what scares the living crap out of me once Doan leaves, b/c I don't think we have the leadership on this team to dig deep or set the stage for other players to dig deep. We played a great 40 minutes of hockey, but the last 20 doomed us.

 

[Jakey53]

Smith and Letonin both let in a soft goal. The other 2 goals you can't blame on Smith. Goal tending is not the problem the last 4 games anyway.

I tend to agree.

 

[Jakey53]

Wouldn't surprise me if the team has turned on Smith and only really goes the extra length for Dubnyk.

I don't believe that's the case at all. Smith seems to be well liked as far as I can tell.