Post-Game Talk: #45| New York Islanders @ Philadelphia Flyers | April 18th | 6:30 PM | F/OTW 1-0

[Satan'sIsland81]

Remember, good teams never play badly for a few games. Ever.

This is more than a few games though at this point. We have scored 2 goals or less in 7 of the last 8 games. And 1 or less in 4 of the last 5. You cannot win playing that kind of hockey.

 

[MJF]

Trotz seems reluctant to put anyone in Lee's spot that can't take a faceoff.

Maybe because Barzal is not good on faceoffs and Eberle just can't take faceoffs?

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

This is more than a few games though at this point. We have scored 2 goals or less in 7 of the last 8 games. And 1 or less in 4 of the last 5. You cannot win playing that kind of hockey.

Yet, they are 5-3 in their last 8.

 

[MJF]

For those of you who want to hear Trotz's comments in context to the questions he was asked in his post game presser instead of just seeing the excerpts on Twitter, here's the link. Start the video at 5:12.

Some of you guys are going to want to fire Trotz into the sun after this one.

NYI 1 vs PHI 0 (OT): Bary Trotz | NHL.com

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

For those of you who want to hear Trotz's comments in context to the questions he was asked in his post game presser instead of just seeing the excerpts on Twitter, here's the link. Start the video at 5:12.

Some of you guys are going to want to fire Trotz into the sun after this one.

NYI 1 vs PHI 0 (OT): Bary Trotz | NHL.com

"We don't play fantasy hockey, we play real hockey."

I get what he is saying, but quotes like that always crack me up.

 

[Chardo]

With all the hand wringing how the team is circling the drain, beat the Rangers tomorrow and they're back in first place.

 

[buud]

exciting game to watch.

the Flyers are a decent team, when they get good goaltending.

i am not happy with Trotz's line juggling, and especially with his handling of Dobson and Wahlstrom. i get the idea of a slow indoctrination, but he still needs to reward and punish according to performance, not age. i do trust that he eventually gets it right.

try to remember that we had 3 regulars out. Lee, Bailey, and Clutterbuck. that's significant. tbh... i am liking MDC (and Leo!) more than Bailey right now. Bailey should not be getting by on his age/experience, chains, or whatever impresses. he needs to start playing hard, or i would sit him.

Sorokin was great!

Coburn was fine. kept it simple, didn't make many mistakes. was a beast in front of our net (always admired him for that).

 

[YoureMyBoyLou]

exciting game to watch.

the Flyers are a decent team, when they get good goaltending.

i am not happy with Trotz's line juggling, and especially with his handling of Dobson and Wahlstrom. i get the idea of a slow indoctrination, but he still needs to reward and punish according to performance, not age. i do trust that he eventually gets it right.

try to remember that we had 3 regulars out. Lee, Bailey, and Clutterbuck. that's significant. tbh... i am liking MDC (and Leo!) more than Bailey right now. Bailey should not be getting by on his age/experience, chains, or whatever impresses. he needs to start playing hard, or i would sit him.

Sorokin was great!

Coburn was fine. kept it simple, didn't make many mistakes. was a beast in front of our net (always admired him for that).

Dobson and Wahlstrom are not playing like they were earlier in the season. Let's hope they find their games again before the playoffs.

 

[buud]

Dobson and Wahlstrom are not playing like they were earlier in the season. Let's hope they find their games again before the playoffs.

huge difference on how BT treats vets vs rooks. it's no secret.

i am the kinda guy the encourages my troops (i was a coach), and i find it a better avenue.

yeah, you want to toughen them up, but positive reinforcement is a big part of my success.

if BT were 'fair', Bailey, Eberle, Beau & Mayfield would all have sat at some point in the past few months.

as a player, having a coach that treats players differently, is frustrating.

well, hopefully, Mayfield, Bailey, Beau, and Eberle find their games before the playoffs...

 

[Throttle]

I said it before the deadline and I’ll say it more trading a first for a rental is bad business and rarely (outside of the Lightning) do teams win cups doing this. Let alone for Palms who isn’t that good at all.

It’s pretty easy to be right on that one since plenty of teams do it annually, yet there’s only one SC winner.

 

[Throttle]

huge difference on how BT treats vets vs rooks. it's no secret.

i am the kinda guy the encourages my troops (i was a coach), and i find it a better avenue.

yeah, you want to toughen them up, but positive reinforcement is a big part of my success.

if BT were 'fair', Bailey, Eberle, Beau & Mayfield would all have sat at some point in the past few months.

as a player, having a coach that treats players differently, is frustrating.

well, hopefully, Mayfield, Bailey, Beau, and Eberle find their games before the playoffs...

What he says in the press conference vs how he coaches outside of those 3-5 minutes are two different worlds.

Those players are struggling because of the NHL pace, the condensed schedule, and playing the same teams over and over again that scouting is relatively easy to do, so teams can counter them quickly, especially Walstrom.

 

[buud]

It’s pretty easy to be right on that one since plenty of teams do it annually, yet there’s only one SC winner.

agreed. it seems like some fans think that all 1st round picks are the same. there can be a huge difference between a 1st overall, and a 30th.

for those who think we wasted a 1st... would you trade Palmieri for JHS? MDC? Griffin Reinhart?

let's see how the season finishes before we start declaring winners and losers. 5 games isn't enough to make judgement.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

KOMAROV IN FOR BAILEY EVERY NIGHT

At 6:40 of the presser here, he also says I don't think the first line survives the first period without Leo. A not so subtle shot at Barzal and Eberle's recent play, a shout out to Leo's play, and a subtle jab at the analytics proponents. All in a span of a min.

 

[Thrasymachus]

Remember, good teams never play badly for a few games. Ever.

this fanbase is so hot / cold it really is something

 

[The Winter Soldier]

From the sounds of it also, if I am going to predict Trotz's moves based on presser comments, it would not shock me if Wally is the next to be a healthy scratch when Dobson draws back in. I don't think he is being too hard on them. Young players adjusting from a much more compressed schedule in the NHL is a big adjustment. But it sure sounded like Trotz sent a message that he needs more from Wally, which I agree. And I am pretty sure that message was heard via presser, and confirmed when Dobson was sat out last night.

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

Maybe because Barzal is not good on faceoffs and Eberle just can't take faceoffs?

 

[Kevin27NYI]

Dobson and Wahlstrom are not playing like they were earlier in the season. Let's hope they find their games again before the playoffs.

They are not, Dobson getting beat in front of the net is one thing but he's straight up missing assignments. He'll bounce back and Whally will too. Not concerned at all.

What he says in the press conference vs how he coaches outside of those 3-5 minutes are two different worlds.

Those players are struggling because of the NHL pace, the condensed schedule, and playing the same teams over and over again that scouting is relatively easy to do, so teams can counter them quickly, especially Walstrom.

I think the NHL pace and scheduling gets overlooked too often with young guys.

 

[SayItAintSoJohnny]

Wahlstrom was on the third line (mainly with Pageau and Beau) for a 17 game stretch between 2/22 and 3/25 where he had 8 goals and 6 assists (14 points) and that line was carrying us over that stretch. He also had 2 PP goals and was the clear shooter and we had an AMAZING month in that department for March. Beau had broke out of his slump and Pageau also was scoring (they each had 5 goals during that stretch) and we were 14-2-1 over that period.

The next game Ollie picked up two penalties (one was a phantom call), struggled and he was in the doghouse. Off the PP and his minutes dipped. The next game BT had broken up the line and none of the three have done much sense (4 goals and 3 assists COMBINED in the last 11 games). He just recently put that line back together, so I can only assume they will start clicking again as long as it stays that way.

Dobson too before his covid hiatus was playing his best hockey. He was averaging 17 minutes a night, chipped in 2 goals and 3 assists in his last 11 and we were 10-0-1 (including winning 8 in a row) during that time and he was a big part of that (+7) while playing on his natural side. Since his return for whatever reason he is playing on his offside much more and his minutes have gone down immensely....

I have watched the games and although I have seen mistakes aplenty by both, particularly Dobson on the defensive end; neither have stood out anymore than what some of the veterans have been doing.

Dobson is one of the few guys we have that can skate while carrying the puck and that is sorely needed and WITHOUT A DOUBT Ollie is INSTRUMENTAL on our power play and one of a few wings we have that isn't afraid to shoot and is pretty damn good at it.

Sorry but I have watched every single game and they seem to be scapegoats here. Regardless, we need them to succeed...

 

[MJF]

Dobson and Wahlstrom are not playing like they were earlier in the season. Let's hope they find their games again before the playoffs.

For Wahlstrom I believe it’s a combination of his conditioning and not having an answer for being checked more aggressively-not having the time and space to use his shot. Smart teams scout the opposition and figure out what the can exploit. Now its up to Wally to adjust.

For Dobson, I thought he was playing his best before he came down with COVID. I wonder if he is in good enough shape now or if his conditioning has slipped a notch.

 

[Throttle]

Wahlstrom was on the third line (mainly with Pageau and Beau) for a 17 game stretch between 2/22 and 3/25 where he had 8 goals and 6 assists (14 points) and that line was carrying us over that stretch. He also had 2 PP goals and was the clear shooter and we had an AMAZING month in that department for March. Beau had broke out of his slump and Pageau also was scoring (they each had 5 goals during that stretch) and we were 14-2-1 over that period.

The next game Ollie picked up two penalties (one was a phantom call), struggled and he was in the doghouse. Off the PP and his minutes dipped. The next game BT had broken up the line and none of the three have done much sense (4 goals and 3 assists COMBINED in the last 11 games). He just recently put that line back together, so I can only assume they will start clicking again as long as it stays that way.

Dobson too before his covid hiatus was playing his best hockey. He was averaging 17 minutes a night, chipped in 2 goals and 3 assists in his last 11 and we were 10-0-1 (including winning 8 in a row) during that time and he was a big part of that (+7) while playing on his natural side. Since his return for whatever reason he is playing on his offside much more and his minutes have gone down immensely....

I have watched the games and although I have seen mistakes aplenty by both, particularly Dobson on the defensive end; neither have stood out anymore than what some of the veterans have been doing.

Dobson is one of the few guys we have that can skate while carrying the puck and that is sorely needed and WITHOUT A DOUBT Ollie is INSTRUMENTAL on our power play and one of a few wings we have that isn't afraid to shoot and is pretty damn good at it.

Sorry but I have watched every single game and they seem to be scapegoats here. Regardless, we need them to succeed...

Every fans view is the young players are always getting shafted. It’s a bit old, no matter what the ‘evidence’ is.

Wally could be playing 20 minutes an night on Detroit where winning does not matter and he doesn’t have to beat out veterans to stay in the lineup.

He helped the team during that stretch, whether it is sustainable is another matter. Seems like he took teams by surprise, the. They paid attention and starting to make him earn it after he was scouted heavily - there’s not stats for scouts watching other teams...

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

The chance that Barry would put light-hitting non-faceoff capable Hall on the top line to replace Lee is about ZERO. So I don't know why people continue to say he is the one we needed...

Well, you ONLY go get Hall in order to put him with Barzal.

If that's not your plan, then no need to get him.

Which they didn't.

But a sufficient option for Barzal's LW was neither already here nor a slower, righty shot.

So the biggest hole wasn't dealt with.

No-one on the market was going to replace Lee from a style standpoint and to be honest, we've often bitched and moaned at these boards that Lee and Barzal aren't necessarily perfect for each other anyways.

This would have been an excellent opportunity to bring in someone for that left side who skates at least as well as Eberle while being a bit skilled as well.

Maybe that IS what Barzal needs on that side.

 

[Axel574]

Yet, they are 5-3 in their last 8.

None of which we very comforting victories... The team is in a funk, I think being a little worried about recent play is more than justified. In the past two weeks I've gone from expecting to win every night to feeling awfully pessimistic about two points prior to puck drop.

 

[SayItAintSoJohnny]

Well, you ONLY go get Hall in order to put him with Barzal.

If that's not your plan, then no need to get him.

Which they didn't.

But a sufficient option for Barzal's LW was neither already here nor a slower, righty shot.

So the biggest hole wasn't dealt with.

No-one on the market was going to replace Lee from a style standpoint and to be honest, we've often bitched and moaned at these boards that Lee and Barzal aren't necessarily perfect for each other anyways.

This would have been an excellent opportunity to bring in someone for that left side who skates at least as well as Eberle while being a bit skilled as well.

Maybe that IS what Barzal needs on that side.

I actually have no idea how that would pan out, it is just obvious Barry wouldn't have done it. Hall would be where MDC is and my guess we will still be seeing Komarov or perhaps Dal Colle on that top line....

Trotz is fixated on having some size there or a "dirty work" player and Hall is worse than Palmieri in that regard- and Kyle hasn't even been considered, even though a 1/3 of his career has been as a LW....right shot or not.

He is also fixated on having another face-off option besides Barzy because he is so woeful at it. Neither of them do it- at least Lee was better than Matt was.

Beau is fast but he never gets a look there either. It just isn't in Barry's DNA....period

 

[Mr Misunderstood]

None of which we very comforting victories... The team is in a funk, I think being a little worried about recent play is more than justified. In the past two weeks I've gone from expecting to win every night to feeling awfully pessimistic about two points prior to puck drop.

Agreed, merely pointing out that they have found ways to win while playing so shittyly and not scoring goals.

They were playing like crap 1/24 - 1/31 and the season was over. Teams can get in and out of funks. As long as you bank the points when you can (like a 9 game winning streak) you are not in so much of a chicken little scenario as you could be.

If the team has played the same over the next 3 at home, it is time to panic.

 

[buud]

Agreed, merely pointing out that they have found ways to win while playing so shittyly and not scoring goals.

They were playing like crap 1/24 - 1/31 and the season was over. Teams can get in and out of funks. As long as you bank the points when you can (like a 9 game winning streak) you are not in so much of a chicken little scenario as you could be.

If the team has played the same over the next 3 at home, it is time to panic.

we seem to be really good at home, and not so great on the road.