Post-Game Talk: Blues vs. Sens, Nov. 22

[lafite]

I simply don't understand Maclean's coaching decisions.


That Jack Adams trophy seems to render him immune from legitimate criticism.

I would imagine that coaching an extremely young team that was given little chance to have a successful season, and doing all right for themselves might buy Maclean a bit of slack. This team will be a stretch to make the playoffs, anybody who has higher expectations is dreaming. What they have now is a team that could be really solid in a few years when all the pups grow up. Until then, patience, Grasshopper.

 

[Back in Black]

Lost faceoffs, good Blues forecheck pressuring us in our own zone, bad passes.. we didn't have a chance to pull him.

This isn't Mac's fault.

Regarding not pulling the goalie, all your reasoning points to exactly why Lehner should have been pulled for the extra attacker, sooner than later. The 5 man unit was not working and keeping that strategy guaranteed we would not win, so you have to pull a rabbit out of the hat and try something else. But he waited too long and yes we were stuck in our own end and it was too late.

I kept screaming at the TV (not really), asking myself what was he waiting for to pull him before it was too late.

This is Mac's fault for not trying something.

 

[HavlatMach9]

were you that desperate for a 4-2 loss? If I remember Karlsson wasn't on the ice and that we couldn't gain possession in the offensive zone at all. I believe we had some possession earlier but it was just a bit too early to pull the goalie

 

[LuckyPierre]

Cowen lost possession on the wall twice in the first period. In the back of the net seconds later in both cases. He had been a rock since the benching weeks ago, until that first period.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Cowen lost possession on the wall twice in the first period. In the back of the net seconds later in both cases. He had been a rock since the benching weeks ago, until that first period.

And then went on to be one of our better players again for the rest of the game

 

[Sensfanatic]

I would imagine that coaching an extremely young team that was given little chance to have a successful season, and doing all right for themselves might buy Maclean a bit of slack. This team will be a stretch to make the playoffs, anybody who has higher expectations is dreaming. What they have now is a team that could be really solid in a few years when all the pups grow up. Until then, patience, Grasshopper.

I'm just astounded at the slack Maclean is getting. We have a TALENTED team and we can win NOW.
I gave him a mulligan last year when he coached atrociously, but not this year.

I was at the game yesterday and everybody around me was wondering what the hell he was doing.
I saw Greening on the ice more than Hoffman in the 3rd period. The guy is leading the team in +/- and is incredibly dangerous offensively and you're playing a guy who can't score and looks completely lost out there.

You can't tell me that moving Ryan to the top line and double shifting them for the last 10 minutes wouldn't have improved out chances of tying it up. Would have fired up the crowd to.

Just because we're a young team and expectations are low doesn't mean the coach doesn't have to do everything he can to help the team win. We were in that game yesterday and a lot of our guys were going. He didn't do a f***ing thing to help them tie it up.

 

[NyQuil]

Missed shots missed shots missed shots.

 

[Micklebot]

I'm just astounded at the slack Maclean is getting. We have a TALENTED team and we can win NOW.
I gave him a mulligan last year when he coached atrociously, but not this year.

I was at the game yesterday and everybody around me was wondering what the hell he was doing.
I saw Greening on the ice more than Hoffman in the 3rd period. The guy is leading the team in +/- and is incredibly dangerous offensively and you're playing a guy who can't score and looks completely lost out there.

You can't tell me that moving Ryan to the top line and double shifting them for the last 10 minutes wouldn't have improved out chances of tying it up. Would have fired up the crowd to.

Just because we're a young team and expectations are low doesn't mean the coach doesn't have to do everything he can to help the team win. We were in that game yesterday and a lot of our guys were going. He didn't do a f***ing thing to help them tie it up.

We have some nice pieces, and some good potential, but this team isn't built to win now. Big problem is the backend doesn't have a lot of puck movement outside of Karlsson and Wiercioch. McLean put them together in the second half of the third, which meant that whenever Karlsson needed a breather there really wasn't the talent level on the backend needed to break the StLouis defensive system.

I agree that maybe moving Hoffman up to the line with Ryan may have helped, or Ryan onto Turris' line, but let's not pretend this was some majical solution that would have changed everything. StL shuts down some of the best teams out there, be it LA, Ana, Chi or Nsh, why should we be any different?

 

[BigBush*]

We have some nice pieces, and some good potential, but this team isn't built to win now. Big problem is the backend doesn't have a lot of puck movement outside of Karlsson and Wiercioch. McLean put them together in the second half of the third, which meant that whenever Karlsson needed a breather there really wasn't the talent level on the backend needed to break the StLouis defensive system.

I agree that maybe moving Hoffman up to the line with Ryan may have helped, or Ryan onto Turris' line, but let's not pretend this was some majical solution that would have changed everything. StL shuts down some of the best teams out there, be it LA, Ana, Chi or Nsh, why should we be any different?

I agree with everything you said, but Ceci is very good at moving the puck. Wiercioch makes a good first pass, but is just to slow to carry the puck up the ice a lot of the time.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

I'm just astounded at the slack Maclean is getting. We have a TALENTED team and we can win NOW.
I gave him a mulligan last year when he coached atrociously, but not this year.

I was at the game yesterday and everybody around me was wondering what the hell he was doing.
I saw Greening on the ice more than Hoffman in the 3rd period. The guy is leading the team in +/- and is incredibly dangerous offensively and you're playing a guy who can't score and looks completely lost out there.

You can't tell me that moving Ryan to the top line and double shifting them for the last 10 minutes wouldn't have improved out chances of tying it up. Would have fired up the crowd to.

Just because we're a young team and expectations are low doesn't mean the coach doesn't have to do everything he can to help the team win. We were in that game yesterday and a lot of our guys were going. He didn't do a f***ing thing to help them tie it up.

can you define that. what do you mean win now? as in win a game?

And what do you mean by talented... we are talented but those players are no where near ready to take us where we want to go.

 

[Sensfanatic]

can you define that. what do you mean win now? as in win a game?

And what do you mean by talented... we are talented but those players are no where near ready to take us where we want to go.

What I mean is the Eastern Conference is wide open. When we play well, we compete and sometimes beat the best in the league. Not saying we're cup contenders by any means, but we have a lot of raw talent that is getting better every game. We also have amazing goaltending on most nights.

I'm really done with ripping Maclean. If folks think he's doing a good job then fine. If they think breaking up the top line, putting Greening in shootout, playing Phillips on the point in PP, not having Ryan on the first PP unit, hardly using your most dynamic offensive player in the 3rd period of a 1 goal game etc. is ok then just ignore my Maclean rants.
Sometimes the most obvious decisions (which 98% of the fan base seem to echo if in-game HF comments are any indication) are actually the right ones.