2023 Jim Robson Division SF: Vancouver Millionaires vs Gallifrey TARDIS

[Theokritos]

Vancouver Millionaires (@ResilientBeast & @rmartin65)

Coach: Cecil Hart

Busher Jackson --- Cyclone Taylor --- Jarome Iginla (A)
Keith Tkachuk --- Bryan Trottier --- Babe Dye
Aurele Joliat --- Russell Bowie --- Bobby Bauer
Gilles Tremblay --- Ken Mosdell --- Ryan Kesler

Frantisek Pospisil (C) --- Bobby Orr
Lester Patrick (A) --- Sylvio Mantha
Derian Hatcher --- John Carlson

Charlie Gardiner
Hugh Lehman

Spares: Frank McGee, Frank Patrick

Power Play 1:
Jackson - Trottier - Dye - Taylor - Orr

Power Play 2:
Joliat - Bowie - Iginla - Patrick/Taylor - Carlson

Penalty Kill 1:
Tremblay - Kesler - Hatcher - Mantha

Penalty Kill 2:
Joliat - Mosdell - Pospisil - Orr

Original roster post: ATD 2023 Roster Thread​

Gallifrey TARDIS (@Hitru & @Professor What)

Coach: Pete Green

Brendan Shanahan - Syl Apps (A) - Charlie Conacher
Markus Naslund - Connor McDavid - Corey Perry
Alexander Yakushev - Ron Francis (A) - Pavel Bure
Don Marshall - Vyacheslav Starshinov - Dave Taylor

Slava Fetisov (C) - Valeri Vasiliev
Ken Reardon - Red Horner
Mark Giordano - Ken Randall

Dominik Hasek
Pekka Rinne

Jack Darragh, Butch Goring, PK Subban

Power Play 1:
Shannahan
McDavid-Apps-Conacher
Fetisov

Power Play 2:
Perry
Yakushev-Francis-Bure
Reardon

Penalty Kill 1:
Marshall-Starshinov-Reardon-Vasiliev

Penalty Kill 2:
Francis-Bure-Fetisov-Randall

Original roster post: ATD 2023 Roster Thread​

Click to read more...

 

[ResilientBeast]

@Professor What what is this, the third year in a row?

 

[Professor What]

@Professor What what is this, the third year in a row?

Yes, it is.

 

[nabby12]

This should be a fun series and one heck of a nailbiter. You could certainly make a very strong case that Gallifrey should have been hosting a playoff series with a higher seeding. Great team you assembled nonetheless @Professor What ! Very impressive and we'll be following this one closely.

 

[ResilientBeast]

@Professor What @Hitru best of luck guys

Both teams go 3 deep with their best/second best winger on the third line

I don't recall where we overall thought as a group on Apps defensive play, but what I recall was it wasn't particularly convincing of his ability. Conacher probably has nothing of note and I don't remember Shanahan being a particularly effective back checker.

Your second line has the same problem, McDavid this season has not rounded out his overall game almost at all. Offensively he's balanced things out and should hold onto the Rocket (fingers crossed).

Your third line looks like it's better suited to play a more balanced head-head role but then you have Bure there who in totality isn't really a defensive plus at this level.

Your top pairing is certainly quite strong and I love the fit of the two together with Vasiliev being a better Kasatonov. Probably a wash to slight advantage to you compared to our unit while Orr is Orr, Pospisil is likely far enough below Vasiliev to bridge the gap.

Reardon, I really don't what to make of but I know that I prefer Mantha over him (hence we picked Mantha) and I would Lester similarly ahead of Horner. But the gap is not huge if there is an advantage to the Millionaires. Based on a quite bio skim both these guys don't strike me as particularly great skaters and given the quality of some of the Millionaires skaters this could pose an issue.

Goaltending is a fun comparison especially in the playoffs between Hasek and Gardiner not much to separate the two in the playoffs.

 

[Professor What]

I'm not going to claim that the two teams are defensive equals among the forward group, because that would be rather preposterous, but I do feel that Gallifrey has a nice advantage offensively. Apps is a strong playmaker and a perennial all-star and Hart competitior while playing a very clean game. He's got a 5-time goal scoring champion and a 600-goal scorer on his wings.

McDavid, as rightly pointed out already has shown a well-rounded offensive game. He wasn't exactly a goalscoring slouch before this season, as he'd scored 40 three times already, but we're really seeing what happens when he's willing to pull the trigger this season. Meanwhile, it hasn't hurt his playmaking, as he's got a career high in assists this season. That should bode well for Naslund and Perry. All three guys on the line are a threat to score and multi-time first team all-stars, so the opposition can't just focus on McDavid and feel safe.

The third line starts to be a little more balanced with Francis and Yakushev, one elite defensively, and one who played in a system where responsibility was expected. Bure is the odd man out there, without a doubt, but he's strong on the counter attack, and with a playmaker like Francis on the line, that becomes an even stronger threat. Again, both wingers will benefit from the center they're lined up with.

I don't want to ignore the fourth line here either. It's definitely there for its defense, but Starshinov and Taylor bring a threat in the offensive zone as well. Basically, from top to bottom, whichever line is out there, the defense has to be aware. This may be a case where the best defense is a good offense. These guys are going to score goals, and the opposition had best be able to keep up if they want to have a chance.

We all know that Vancouver has the best defenseman (player) in this series. It would be absurd to argue otherwise. That said, I think that the top pairing is pretty close, and I'd say that Gallifrey might have a slight advantage because of having a good fit. Both guys come out of the same system, and Fetisov is a well-rounded player who can contribute everywhere.

Reardon and Horner are the shutdown pairing, and they're also the pairing that will make sure that no one messes with the stars. Those guys are physical, and Reardon is a five-time all-star despite a short career and missing time to WW2.

Meanwhile, the third pairing should be quite balanced. Giordano is a Norris winner, and Randall could play forward as well as defense, and brings a solid all-around game to the ice.

Goaltending is indeed an interesting match-up. Hasek is in the argument for being the greatest of all-time, and what we got from Gardiner is enough to make you wonder. We just don't know what his career might have been, sadly. Neither team is going to hurt here. However, I do have to say that I'm very happy with the lineup that we've put in front of Hasek. Had he played with real contenders throughout his career, his playoff resume might look very different. Of course, in fairness, Gardiner played for Chicago, so I understand the same argument could be made.

I would like to say something about special teams. I think Vancouver did well in building theirs, but I really like what Gallifrey has here. The power play for the TARDIS is scary. I think a really strong game of keep away is going to be necessary to survive that. And on the PK, I like the pieces we have. Even though we're admittedly an offensive team overall, I believe we've got a good shut down first unit, and three of the four on the second unit are strong defensively, while Francis or Fetisov making the breakout pass to Bure makes the threat of a counterattack very real. Bure, it's worth noting, led the NHL in shorthanded goals twice, and had 34 shorties on his career.

Anyway, that's what I believe Gallifrey brings to this series, and I wish Vancouver and @ResilientBeast good luck and a good match.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Is there a weirder coaching fit in this draft than Pete Green with Apps and McDavid? Greens best teams were the 20s Senators led by Frank Nighbor the best two way center of all time. Do we know much about how the Marty Walsh led Sens played and even then how much credit can we really assign to coaches in early professional era? I'll give him full credit for the play style of the 20s Senators but the Tardis are not built to play that way whatsoever.

I skimmed IE's 2020 bio and Green attributes his earlier success to his players conditioning which makes sense since he was a trainer. But that's an aspect of the game that's completely gone away as all hockey players are now fully professional athletes.