GDT: 3/26/18 - 7:30PM EDT - Arizona vs Tampa Bay

[These Are The Days]

Welp I'm out. I can't bring myself to care onight if the Lightning won't. @DFC called it

 

[rangerrat]

I admire your conversation skills.

. Tks J as I was carrying on my story of unicorns! Some people believe in magical switches I don't, However I wish that some how the Lightning can turn their game around before playoffs, I would love nothing better

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

Yes, but you would think there would be some preference to face the Devils or Panthers rather than the Maple Leafs. Do these guys believe they can beat anyone they face in any round? Yeah, of course they do; have to have that confidence and conviction as a professional athlete, but the apparent lack of interest these guys have in trying to win the divsion and have home-ice for as many rounds as possible is pretty jarring. You play 82 games to try and get yourself the best matchups and home ice situations possible; giving up the effort after 75 games isn't good enough.

Let the other teams kill themselves for seeding. The season resets before the first round. Then you play the same team over and over and over. You don't have teams cycling in every other night, you're facing the same PP, PK, forecheck, formations etc. All of that practicing and tuning becomes focused around the match-up. There are too many guys on this team who have been here before, we're not just going to throw this season away.

 

[dechire]

If getting dominated by the worst team in the league doesn't fire them up for the next game then nothing will. They should be embarrassed. Can't be taking nights off this late in the season.

 

[Fabiobest]

It might be just me, but I think past experience is a better argument than unicorns. But don't take my word for it, I'm probably alone with this.

You're not alone (of course if I have understood what you've written before xD).
I think that the PO is a completely different season and I think that, till the beginning of March, we're talking about Vasy and the Vezina, Kuch and the Art Ross and so on...
So I think now they're playing not to have some big injury (and the Stamkos case, today, shows that imho).

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

The actual silver lining in this is it's clear TB does not care whatsoever about this game.

And that's a problem as far as I'm concerned. I get that they won't play the Arizona's and Buffalo's of the world where they can't inspire themselves to give two sh/ts about their opponent, but the lack of care is the reason they're gonna have to deal with Toronto in the first round instead of what figures to be, on paper, a softer matchup in the Panthers or Devils.

 

[These Are The Days]

Let the other teams kill themselves for seeding. The season resets before the first round. Then you play the same team over and over and over. You don't have teams cycling in every other night, you're facing the same PP, PK, forecheck, formations etc. All of that practicing and tuning becomes focused around the match-up. There are too many guys on this team who have been here before, we're not just going to throw this season away.

Well said. Even Kunitz -the guy who has won 4 Cups is in total cruise control right now.

Later folks

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

How many breakaways have the Coyotes had tonight? That's not something that can, or should be, just be chalked up to "waiting for the playoffs". Blowing assignments, getting caught out of position, stuff like that, creates bad habits and aren't just fixed by painting Stanley Cup logos under the ice. That's perilous thinking at best.

Yes it is. Mental complacency is a function of low effort. Those breakaways aren't a product of coaching or system.

 

[J T Money]

You can't teach heart and they have certainly been lacking in that department.

If rumors are true, Quenneville will be available next year.

 

[berlin]

Well at least we didn’t deserve to win, give these people back they’re money.

 

[T REX]

Too little too late

 

[Fabiobest]

If we lose to the Leafs round one, who are the high level candidates to replace Coop?

If you want, I can post the names of the coaches "available".
Johnston.
Sutter.
Roy.
Groulx.
Todd Richards.
Maybe Vigneault.
Therrien.

In your opinion, are these coaches better than Cooper?
I'm not sure about that, and I don't think so. And I'm not a big fan of Coop.

 

[J T Money]

At least Kuch saves us from getting shutout.

 

[Master P]

You can't teach heart and they have certainly been lacking in that department.

If rumors are true, Quenneville will be available next year.

Why would we go after Quenneville if you "can't teach heart"?

 

[RussianGuyovich]

kucherov does a thing

 

[JoVel]

At least we get a goal.

 

[rangerrat]

Kuchhhhh

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Let the other teams kill themselves for seeding. The season resets before the first round. Then you play the same team over and over and over. You don't have teams cycling in every other night, you're facing the same PP, PK, forecheck, formations etc. All of that practicing and tuning becomes focused around the match-up. There are too many guys on this team who have been here before, we're not just going to throw this season away.

So the teams that rotate in-and-out every night that slaughter our penalty kill are now going to get to face this penalty kill for 4-7 games straight? Oy vey. Not sure that's gonna end too well for us at all.

And Cooper's playoff history is full of getting worked over by quality head coaches; the only times he's really gotten over on his opposite number were the times he faced Jeff Blashill and Jack Capuano; a bad head coach and a bad former head coach. So I'm not terribly optimistic about that one either.

 

[Stormbreaker]

False hope from Kuch

 

[Hint1k]

Cmon Kuch. McDavid is not that far

 

[J T Money]

Why would we go after Quenneville if you "can't teach heart"?

I agree, was just answering the question about good coaches should we shit the bed in the playoffs.

As far as having heart, that's 100% on the players.

 

[AlphaCatalyst]

Who Ray?

 

[rangerrat]

Any one counting Coyotes breakaways or odd man rushes tonite?

 

[PaulGG]

They are a waste of time to watch, no more for me until the playoffs As much as I hate the Bruins, the game last night was at least worth watching . If this is some kind of strategy to not care, it is stupid idea

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Yes it is. Mental complacency is a function of low effort. Those breakaways aren't a product of coaching or system.

Then it's a good thing I didn't call them a byproduct of the system? I don't think blown assignments are a designed feature of any coaching system! I didn't think I was even suggesting that.