Half-Assed GDT: blu@leef

[Ranksu]

Barbashev should be in the lineup pretty much every game. He's turning into a very effective penalty killer.

The name I question benching Thomas for is Sammy Blais. I'm just not overly impressed, although he does seem to draw a lot of penalties.

I view Blais could be decent at PK too. He has hockey IQ and doesn't afraid to put his body on the line.

 

[Celtic Note]

Backhanded compliment for Maroon. He has been outstanding for what he's getting paid. Dare i say, most bang for the buck on the entire team.

I was joking a bit on that one.

The issues I have with Maroon stem from his utilization. That’s on Yeo. His play has been ok. He digs fairly well in the corners. His passing is pretty good for his skill level. His salary is good for what he brings. His defense and play away from the puck leaves much to be desired though and he isn’t a great skater by any means. If he is on our 3rd line and off the 1st PP unit, I would be happier.

 

[542365]

Is Barbashev better player for our team currenlty compare to Thomas and is it good thing to sit Thomas and developed him that way?

Barbashev is better than Thomas currently. He’s definitely not the guy I would sub out if Thomas gets back in. I would sub Blais as he’s been incredibly underwhelming in every way this year. He’s just one of those AAAA players. He’s a star in the AHL and a plug in the NHL.

I’d rather have Kyrou in San Antonio than playing 7 minutes a night. They could certainly use his skill and he can always be called up whenever necessary. Thomas is a tougher decision as he can’t go to the AHL, but I wouldn’t completely rule out sending him back to Hamilton.

 

[67Blues]

I for one am very happy with our consolation prize from the JT Sweepstakes. Comparing ROR and JT on the ice last night, it was night and day difference and ROR fits so much better withour team than JT would have.

 

[Mike Liut]

I for one am very happy with our consolation prize from the JT Sweepstakes. Comparing ROR and JT on the ice last night, it was night and day difference and ROR fits so much better withour team than JT would have.

Agree. I value defense greatly. ROR is Stastny on steroids.

 

[carter333167]

I think kyrou will learn more here than he can under any circumstances in San Antonio.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Barbashev is better than Thomas currently. He’s definitely not the guy I would sub out if Thomas gets back in. I would sub Blais as he’s been incredibly underwhelming in every way this year. He’s just one of those AAAA players. He’s a star in the AHL and a plug in the NHL.

I’d rather have Kyrou in San Antonio than playing 7 minutes a night. They could certainly use his skill and he can always be called up whenever necessary. Thomas is a tougher decision as he can’t go to the AHL, but I wouldn’t completely rule out sending him back to Hamilton.

I mean Blais does bring energy and checking, I don't think that should be overlooked. His offense is pretty bland though.

 

[David Dennison]

Really liked that Petro-Dunn pairing.

 

[Majorityof1]

Just got to watch the game. Finally, we looked like a competent team. Really good game. Unfortunately, this will buy Yeo some new life. However, I think a game like this shows how badly we need a change at coach. They did the two things fans have been clamoring for since game 1. Get Bouwmeester off the top pairing (benching him is fine) and stop the dumb man-to-man crap. Guess what, Yeo does both and we look amazing. So the question is, why the f*** did it take so long for him to make those changes and why did he implement them in the first place? You can't have a head coach that wastes 10% of the season sticking to two such obvious mistakes. Glad they are fixed, but I still want Yeo gone before next season at the latest.

 

[Vladdy the Impaler]

Really liked that Petro-Dunn pairing.

Amazing how much better Petro looked without Bouwmeester on his side. The healthy scratch was a long time coming, J Bouw just doesn't have the speed that he used to, which was really the only asset that made him worthy of a top pairing. He should be traded if Dunn can step up and continue to contribute.

 

[ScratchCatFever]

Pietrangelo Dunn did look good together but I still prefer Pietrangelo paired with Edmunson if they can get back on the same page. They compliment one another's games so well, and having a defensive responsibility first partner will maximize his offensive output. I understand that at the end of the day all that matters is putting a W in the win column but I believe Edmunson is capable of logging number one pairing minutes while leaving Parayko and Schmaltz as a pair and letting Bortuzzo and Dunn find their chemistry. As I said Wins are what matters, but going forward these pairings would be ideal imo.
Eventually Bouw will get back in the lineup and hopefully plays well enough to attract the interest of a trade partner, to at the very least get a portion of his unholy contract off the books. We may need the cap space at some point this season, even if we have to retain a portion of it.

 

[Novacain]

Just got to watch the game. Finally, we looked like a competent team. Really good game. Unfortunately, this will buy Yeo some new life. However, I think a game like this shows how badly we need a change at coach. They did the two things fans have been clamoring for since game 1. Get Bouwmeester off the top pairing (benching him is fine) and stop the dumb man-to-man crap. Guess what, Yeo does both and we look amazing. So the question is, why the **** did it take so long for him to make those changes and why did he implement them in the first place? You can't have a head coach that wastes 10% of the season sticking to two such obvious mistakes. Glad they are fixed, but I still want Yeo gone before next season at the latest.

As someone who is super not fond of Yeo, if he goes back to zone full time and drops the silly man to man bull, I'm okay with him coaching right now.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I keep reading that they stopped the man to man coverage, but I saw a good bit of man to man on my recording of the game. Is this just being parroted, or did they really change the system strategy?

 

[mw2noobbuster]

Auston Matthews still has 0 points against the Blues in his career, the only team left.

 

[BlueDream]

Any excitement I have going right now will be killed if Bouwmeester is back in the lineup tomorrow. He probably will be but god I f***ing hope not.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Austin Matthews still has 0 points against the Blues in his career. We’re the only team that he hasn’t registered a point against.

Didn’t it also take Crosby forever to even score a goal against us?

 

[BlueDream]

Didn’t it also take Crosby forever to even score a goal against us?

Yeah it did. I think we were the last team he scored against. Or at the very least the 2nd to last one.

Pretty interesting. But goes to show that we are usually a good defensive team and a guy like Petro that gets those top matchups does do well against those elite players.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Yeah it did. I think we were the last team he scored against. Or at the very least the 2nd to last one.

Pretty interesting. But goes to show that we are usually a good defensive team and a guy like Petro that gets those top matchups does do well against those elite players.

I think we were the last, but honestly I think the only Eastern star that really lights us up is Ovi

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Didn’t it also take Crosby forever to even score a goal against us?

Yes, and David Backes deserves a lot of the credit for that.

 

[bluesfanforlife1992]

Yeah and I won't forget Crosby 1st goal against us. Gunnar coughed up the puck right in front of net. Crosby skated up and 20 ft away back of net. I didn't even get enough time to yell at tv before he scored.

His 11th game against Blues, he finally scored that goal.

 

[EastonBlues22]

I keep reading that they stopped the man to man coverage, but I saw a good bit of man to man on my recording of the game. Is this just being parroted, or did they really change the system strategy?

Are you sure it was man-to-man? It's not always easy to tell, especially around the puck where a defender is often "taking a man" even in zone defenses. A lot of teams also use a rotating zone coverage down low (between the two defenseman and the center) that often visually looks like man-to-man, especially when defending a cycle. It's also not easy to tell on very short possessions in the zone where the offense and defense never really have a chance to get "set up."

I didn't watch every second of the game, but I didn't see any of the distinct visuals (mirrored motion across the entire ice, etc.) that suggests a full man-to-man to me. Guys down low weren't sticking with their man outside of their usual zones of coverage (i.e. defenders/centers weren't following guys around all over the zone), something that was very noticeable previously, and the forwards up high (especially on the weak side) were often collapsing extremely low regardless of what was happening at the points, which is something they wouldn't be doing in a man defense. The emphasis in general away from the puck seemed to be pretty heavily on controlling space, not manning up tight.

It looked like a form of the low-zone collapse or sagging zone in the windows of play that I caught, but maybe someone else saw something different.

 

[TruBlu]

I'm hoping this wasn't a "trap" game for the leafs, and that we are just now starting to hit our stride.

 

[shpongle falls]

Really liked that Petro-Dunn pairing.

That's a pairing I've wanted to see for a long time now. Wasn't able to watch the game but it's good to hear they played well.

 

[Mike Liut]

I'm hoping this wasn't a "trap" game for the leafs, and that we are just now starting to hit our stride.

Not many cake walks in the NHL these days. If you dont bring your A game, you can lose to anyone on any given night.

 

[Brockon]

Has a team ever scored on themselves with the goalie pulled with a pending penalty on the other team?

Louie Eriksson did it in his first game playing as a Canuck after signing there as a UFA iirc.

Edit: here's the link