GDT: 5/13/18 - 8:00PM EDT - #1M Washington VS #1A Tampa Bay [ECF GAME 2]

[T REX]

I've noticed another thing. Maybe more serious.
During the Cooper era, since the 2014 season, we've done many post season appearance.
2014) Lost in 4 against Habs...In our roster there were tons of injuries.
2015) Lost in SCF, against a great team like Chicago.
2016) Lost in ECF against a great team like Penguins
2017) Shame
2018) If we'll continue like that, we'll lose in thje ECF against a great team like Capitals.
So? If our Tampa meets a very good team, it's quite sure that we'll lose the series.
Chicago-Pittsburgh-Washington.
But we were in enormous troubles also in the first round of the 2015 post season, against Detroit. And these Red Wings were not the Yzerman's ones xD xD xD
It's a serious situation because we cannot pretend to defeat Buffalo-Florida-NJ- Arizona to win the Cup.
We've to fight against hard opponent if we want to raise the Cup.
And against great team, the records are horrible.
I can accept an horrible record if we've a bad roster. But, as I've written in my last post, I think we've a high level roster.

Yeah, Cooper should no longer get a free pass

 

[Fabiobest]

Yeah, Cooper should no longer get a free pass

Imho, Cooper should have been fired after last season.
He showed not to be able to manage our team when the same team has to face to some troubles.
Like Stamkos injury. After that day, the entire coaching staff lose his mind. Completely.
We ended the season 1 point far from Toronto only thanks to Kuch, Heddy and the Crunch guys.
And I'm scared that, now, it'll happen the same thing. I'm scared that he does not know what do to.
He does not know the recipe that need to react.
If I'm right (of course I hope not), we'll lose in 4, without any problem.

 

[The Macho King]

Not saying I disagree, but are they not playing the system because they've tuned him out? They look completely lifeless. Ultimately, that's going to fall on the coach. They aren't going to wholesale make changes to the team, so that's the easiest way to make change.

I think Bowness needs to be gone 100% without any kind of discussion or question regardless of how the rest of this series goes, though.

Why would you tune out a coach in the CF after you have gotten there (in 10 games no less) playing the system? Makes no sense to tune out a coach in the Conference Finals, but at no time before.

 

[The Macho King]

Why do fans just always say bowness needs to go ? Cooper is the head coach he needs the blame first! Ya bowness runs the pk and defense but cooper is the boss if he wants change from bowness he tells him and he does it he is the boss behind the bench not bowness.

Bowness coaches the D (but the D are within the system), and the PK.

The primary issue is the PK. It doesn't make sense on two levels. It's out of step with how we play at even strength. Even strength we're aggressive on pucks and use our speed. Suddenly on the PK we are passive. It doesn't fit the make up of the team at all.

Also - I believe that Sustr's usage over the past 3 years is a direct result of Bowness being obsessed with reach over skill.

 

[God King Fudge]

Why do fans just always say bowness needs to go ? Cooper is the head coach he needs the blame first! Ya bowness runs the pk and defense but cooper is the boss if he wants change from bowness he tells him and he does it he is the boss behind the bench not bowness.

That's not how it works, though.

Bowness is responsible for the defense and the PK. The defense and PK are awful, despite having an incredibly solid blue line and some really good defensive forwards. He needs to go. Period. You can blame Cooper for failures in adjusting or for getting outcoached in big moments, but you can't lay the blame at his feet for that when it's literally someone else's job

 

[God King Fudge]

Why would you tune out a coach in the CF after you have gotten there (in 10 games no less) playing the system? Makes no sense to tune out a coach in the Conference Finals, but at no time before.

Yeah, I'm not saying it makes any sense. I just don't know how you explain what we've seen for the last two games. I mean it's complete domination. Not even close. I honestly can't think of a single positive to take into game 3.

D looks awful. Team looks slow. Vasy looks bad. How does a team that plays like they did against Boston turn around and just die against the Caps?

I'm at a loss for what it is we're seeing right now.

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

UNFINISHED BUSINESS WE STILL WILL WIN THE CUP !!!!!

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

P.S. settle down settle down my friends we got this 03 all over again bank it

 

[The Macho King]

Yeah, I'm not saying it makes any sense. I just don't know how you explain what we've seen for the last two games. I mean it's complete domination. Not even close. I honestly can't think of a single positive to take into game 3.

D looks awful. Team looks slow. Vasy looks bad. How does a team that plays like they did against Boston turn around and just die against the Caps?

I'm at a loss for what it is we're seeing right now.

Maybe they're just playing badly? I don't see how this doesn't fall on the skaters, especially since we can see every breakdown that happens. I can see Killorn's lazy forecheck, or Kucherov's inexplicable need to go cross ice whenever he tries to pass, or JT Miller passing out of every grade A chance, or Girardi screening Vasi, or (etc. ad nauseum). What there makes you think it's a coaching issue? We hear Cooper every press conference (and even in game interviews) say "we need to shoot more" and cover better.

Sometimes players just play bad.

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

p.p.p.p.s. lol we have played well for one period this series maybe 2 the second this game the 3rd game one. Worried sure but see good things if can eliminate the junk bad turnovers. Washington 11 years of choking doesnt end this easy my friends. Their team is not as good as last years team. We just got to play our game. It sucks down 2-0 but even when we went up 2-1 yesterday i was like we were doing good things the type of things that pay off over a full series. I get the frustration read a few pages knew what would see. Yet I am not shoveling snow onto the fat lady. We got work to do but we have won 4 in row in past just last couple series Sometimes taking a breath going on road which we are the best in the league I think can allow for a better focus then momentum tips on our favor and you get the press etc.. on ovie and the whole stack of cards falls

 

[God King Fudge]

Maybe they're just playing badly? I don't see how this doesn't fall on the skaters, especially since we can see every breakdown that happens. I can see Killorn's lazy forecheck, or Kucherov's inexplicable need to go cross ice whenever he tries to pass, or JT Miller passing out of every grade A chance, or Girardi screening Vasi, or (etc. ad nauseum). What there makes you think it's a coaching issue? We hear Cooper every press conference (and even in game interviews) say "we need to shoot more" and cover better.

Sometimes players just play bad.

I guess maybe I made it seem like I'm saying something I'm not actually saying. I think there's a ton of blame to be place on Cooper and I would feel his firing would be 100% justified were it to happen, but I don't put this series so far on him. I'm just confused as to how things are so awful right now when they were so solid like a week ago.

Cooper can't be out there forcing guys to shoot instead of continuously forcing cross ice passes.

 

[Flat Ronnie]

P.S. settle down settle down my friends we got this 03 all over again bank it

Lol...ok

 

[The Macho King]

I guess maybe I made it seem like I'm saying something I'm not actually saying. I think there's a ton of blame to be place on Cooper and I would feel his firing would be 100% justified were it to happen, but I don't put this series so far on him. I'm just confused as to how things are so awful right now when they were so solid like a week ago.

Cooper can't be out there forcing guys to shoot instead of continuously forcing cross ice passes.

I just don't see how anyone can say Cooper wasn't great *this season* and this postseason (up until this round) especially. We played suffocating hockey against Boston and New Jersey. We won the Eastern Conference and were 4 points out of the President's Trophy. Yeah we lagged down the stretch, but when you clinch the playoffs in December it's hard to expect sharpness the rest of the way. I would point out that he back-to-back 90s Red Wings teams that won Cups were 4th and 3rd in the league respectively.

He fixed a lot of his faults this season. He played youth (Sergachev and Cirelli both got meaningful minutes pretty much from the jump). He did not overplay old (Callahan and Kunitz were on the fourth line the majority of the season but for a brief stretch for Kunitz). His lines make a lot of sense. His pairings make a lot of sense. His system changed to be more aggressive both on the forecheck and the breakout.

He's put the players in position to win. They need to execute. What I see are execution problems.

And once again, I'm the guy who's had #FireCooper as his tag for the past three seasons. Cooper has improved and if we fired him we'd be making a mistake.

 

[T REX]

We hear Cooper every press conference (and even in game interviews) say "we need to shoot more" and cover better.

Isn't that "tuning" him out if they aren't listening?

 

[God King Fudge]

I just don't see how anyone can say Cooper wasn't great *this season* and this postseason (up until this round) especially. We played suffocating hockey against Boston and New Jersey. We won the Eastern Conference and were 4 points out of the President's Trophy. Yeah we lagged down the stretch, but when you clinch the playoffs in December it's hard to expect sharpness the rest of the way. I would point out that he back-to-back 90s Red Wings teams that won Cups were 4th and 3rd in the league respectively.

He fixed a lot of his faults this season. He played youth (Sergachev and Cirelli both got meaningful minutes pretty much from the jump). He did not overplay old (Callahan and Kunitz were on the fourth line the majority of the season but for a brief stretch for Kunitz). His lines make a lot of sense. His pairings make a lot of sense. His system changed to be more aggressive both on the forecheck and the breakout.

He's put the players in position to win. They need to execute. What I see are execution problems.

And once again, I'm the guy who's had #FireCooper as his tag for the past three seasons. Cooper has improved and if we fired him we'd be making a mistake.

Improvement is great, but at some point if a team that is built to win doesn't win, the coach needs to go. That's just the reality of sports. You know that. The coach will always be the one to go to initiate change, especially since I don't see TB trying to rock the boat with their roster.

I'm not sitting here with a pitchfork screaming to fire Cooper right now. I'd be fine if it happened, I'd think it'd be justified if it happened, but I wouldn't freak if it doesn't. I think a more realistic outcome is Bowness is gone and Cooper gets another shot next season.

His seat is probably getting pretty warm, though.

Hopefully they snap out of it on the road and we can forget any of this (except the Bowness thing).

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

Maybe they're just playing badly? I don't see how this doesn't fall on the skaters, especially since we can see every breakdown that happens. I can see Killorn's lazy forecheck, or Kucherov's inexplicable need to go cross ice whenever he tries to pass, or JT Miller passing out of every grade A chance, or Girardi screening Vasi, or (etc. ad nauseum). What there makes you think it's a coaching issue? We hear Cooper every press conference (and even in game interviews) say "we need to shoot more" and cover better.

Sometimes players just play bad.

My problem is that everything is snowballing from our frustration with Trotz's 1-4 neutral zone. We have lots of speed to work with from our forwards and we're still conceding the puck with dump and chase. To me, that's a Cooper problem.

There definitely have been some poor performances (Miller, Killorn, Gourde, McDonagh, Stralman, Kucherov, Vasy) but I think everyone is just frustrated right now. I've seen this team give up plenty of times, but that third period was one of the lowest efforts I've seen in a Lightning playoff game.

 

[The Macho King]

My problem is that everything is snowballing from our frustration with Trotz's 1-4 neutral zone. We have lots of speed to work with from our forwards and we're still conceding the puck with dump and chase. To me, that's a Cooper problem.

There definitely have been some poor performances (Miller, Killorn, Gourde, McDonagh, Stralman, Kucherov, Vasy) but I think everyone is just frustrated right now. I've seen this team give up plenty of times, but that third period was one of the lowest efforts I've seen in a Lightning playoff game.

There are two ways to beat a trap - one is you have your Dman skate it up, the other is you dump the puck in and win the race. We have the horses to do both - if we're not winning the race that's on the forwards.

 

[Bolt 45]

I've been on the Fire Coop Bus at various points, and he's not without blame in this series, but the players just weren't in this one this one the way they needed to be from the start. I'd encourage anyone who cares to to go back and watch the guys in the tunnel before Game 1. Completely lifeless. It was like they'd already decided that they'd gone as far as they were going to go. So weird. Same thing before the game yesterday. I have no idea how that's on Coop. I'd wager there's something else going on, but it's the kind of something we'll likely never be privy to.

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

There are two ways to beat a trap - one is you have your Dman skate it up, the other is you dump the puck in and win the race. We have the horses to do both - if we're not winning the race that's on the forwards.

Sadly, sending a D up is costing us these odd man rushes (McDonagh on the 2nd goal and Hedman on the 5th goal come to mind). It's catch-22, Trotz is doing a masterful job this series.

 

[Flat Ronnie]

For those who know more about the Xs and Os of the game: what adjustments do we make going forward?

 

[J T Money]

Don't give them any space throughout he entire game. Stop playing soft and get back to soul crushing forechecking and stop giving them free range in our zone. They've been dominant in suffocating us, we should return the favor like we did with New Jersey and Boston.

 

[Coopers Gum]

There are two ways to beat a trap - one is you have your Dman skate it up, the other is you dump the puck in and win the race. We have the horses to do both - if we're not winning the race that's on the forwards.

There is a third way... smash through it with speed off the breakout/rush. I missed game 1, and caught a bit of game 2, but I'd wager we aren't doing that.

 

[The Macho King]

There is a third way... smash through it with speed off the breakout/rush. I missed game 1, and caught a bit of game 2, but I'd wager we aren't doing that.

Well yeah - that's fair. One way to beat it is don't let them set up. But that's often not an option.

 

[HotPaquette]

For those who know more about the Xs and Os of the game: what adjustments do we make going forward?

Have to do a better job in the neutral zone, that's where Washington is doing the most damage. The defense needs to do a better job of protecting the blueline and working on their gap control. The main problem that I've noticed is that the defensemen are giving the Capitals way too much space on the blue line and in the zone. They did this against the Bergeron line and they tore us to shreds. We're also trying to force carried zone entries which Washington is eating alive with their 1-4. Simply put, Tampa needs to have an effective dump and chase, and take away time and room from the Washington forwards.

 

[Coopers Gum]

Well yeah - that's fair. One way to beat it is don't let them set up. But that's often not an option.

Why not? You said yourself, we have the horses. Like I said, I've missed most of this series so far, sadly. But, if we get that relentless forecheck going, and don't give them the opportunity to organize, we can beat them. I know it's sounding a bit like me saying, "well, play better, and we win," but you catch my drift. We are playing uninterested, timid hockey.