People ***** about coaching because they simply do not want to consider that this team is not as talented as they want it to be or initially thought it was. If coaching does not change a thing as many suggest, the issue must be our players. If it is in fact the players, it may not be realistic to think this team can maintain the streak or even re-build on the fly.
I won't go so far as to say that coaching never matters in the NHL game, but as I said earlier, people use it as a crutch to explain outcomes when they really don't have a firm grasp of what they are watching or want to actually take the time to articulate the dysfunction. Blash sucks! or How is Sheahan still on this roster! are pretty poor explanations of what is fundamentally wrong with this team. They are, however, convenient.
When we are at our worst, we do things that don't work in any system. Tell me right now, how many good PPs have you played on where all five players stood absolutely stationary after they gained possession of the puck? Our biggest issues today were our biggest issues under Babcock. When Nyquist can't complete an unobstructed eight foot pass from the half-wall to the point on the PP, that is on Nyquist, not Blash. When Tatar refuses to drop his shoulder and power to the net, that is on Tatar, not Blash. When DDK rifles wrist shots from the point into the shin pads of oncoming wingers, that is on DDK, not Blash. When AA half-***** a board battle, that is on AA, not Blash. When Larkin refuses to stop on pucks, that is on Larkin not Blash. When Sheahan and Mantha stop moving their feet, that is on Sheahan and Mantha, not Blash. When Big Rig can't connect on a simple re-group pass, that is on him, not Blash. When no one is willing to put in the work to chase the dump or support the puck, that is on the players, not the coaches. Hockey is a game of hundreds of small individual plays that largely defy systems. No one is gong to hold a player's hand when it comes time to make plays.
I understand your frustration regarding the power play. Our PP was bad last year under Ferschweiler and Blash went out and got a new PP coach like everyone asked. Here we are a year later getting even worse results under Torchetti. At what point is it ok to start questioning the players?
Perhaps I am just the boss you hate.