GDT: Flames @ Canes 11/10 7PM: #FreeZachBoychuk Edition

[Novacane]

Keep winning

 

[DaveG]

I don't know if it will be enough to overcome October, but this team is playing some good hockey right now. Like really REALLY damn good. Peters is making some killer in-game adjustments right now and it almost seems like other teams coaches can't figure out how to counter them.

 

[Wolfpuck]

Fortunately, they have all season to overcome October. If they keep playing like they have this month, they have an excellent chance of making the p...nope, not saying that word yet.

 

[What the Faulk]

^^ Yeah, I'm still not a fan of his itchy trigger finger and "punshing" guys, but it keeps working, so it's hard to argue against (at the moment at least).

 

[HisIceness]

Pastor Bill has the lord on his side now.

#praisehim

 

[Vagrant]

I'm torn as a fan. I will never cheer to see this team lose games but at what point does a realistic opinion about this team's chances of sustained success like this enter into the equation? We're getting some improbable scoring from unlikely sources and I don't know how long that's going to last. If we can manage .500 hockey until we get Jordan back, is that good enough? At some point the numbers were going to balance out for us regarding wins and losses.... but we don't have enough to make a push this year and I don't think I am alone in that sentiment.

Semin has had two goals taken from him in the past few games and he's still getting his points. Good on him. Despite every play he makes getting labeled "now THAT is what we need to see from Semin", when it's really what he's been trying to do the whole time. But dead horse is dead.

Faulk has made a remarkable bounceback from a **** start to the season and his offense is really starting to take some steps forward. God, do we ever need it with Sekera coming back to earth a bit. We've got nothing remotely offensive back there unless you consider watching Gleason, Harrison, and Bellemore.

Lindholm continues to impress me with how he works the boards. As he continues to get stronger he's going to be a beast down there. He's like a basketball player posting up against contact and he always finds a way to spin off and get where he needs to go to make a play. He's hardly ever the reason the puck leaves the zone. Nothing too cute.

Skinner was possessed tonight. As good of a game as he has played since his goal scoring streak last season. Encouraging for him and the team. Meanwhile EStallo goes missing though. This seems to be something of a trend.

Riley Nash continues to win important offensive zone PP draws to create offensive chances. That Faulk goal was a carbon copy of the Lindholm goal from the game prior. Special teams faceoffs are pretty important bruh.

Cam Ward is playing #good. As unlikely as it seems his season save percentage is now up to .900 and that's acceptable I suppose.

 

[Ole Gil]

I don't know if it will be enough to overcome October, but this team is playing some good hockey right now. Like really REALLY damn good. Peters is making some killer in-game adjustments right now and it almost seems like other teams coaches can't figure out how to counter them.

If you're a coach that likes to match up defensively, good luck with that for sure. Some seriously random combos being sent over the boards.

 

[Ole Gil]

Semin is definitely playing the same. That he has some good results seems inevitable because of his talent. But it still looks like he's playing a very different much slower game than everyone else on the team.

 

[TheOllieC]

Yeah I just realized it but I didn't notice estaalo at all tonight.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

E. Staal looked like he was moving his feet the whole night, for a change. He would chase pucks into the corner/ behind the net after chipping them.

I think it was more that he was being tailed by the combination of Giordano and Brodie the entire night than it had to do with his effort, which may be why he was moved to wing.

Anyways, so far Peters' ultra-aggressive system has somehow gone without anyone exploiting it for multiple odd man rushes yet. I don't think the concern is if the entire secondary scoring core of Nash/Lindholm/ Rask/ Boychuk/Gerbe wilting up, as only Nash is succeptiple to the "u" word, and Gerbe isn't producing at all, as much as if Ward can keep up this production and can Peters keep his offense going when teams get enough tape to figure out how to burn the players. I hope the defense and Cam can hold, because with the offensive weapons at the 'Canes disposal, they can afford to win a lot of 3-2 games. Not so much 4-3.

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

"Faulk of Ages"? Really?

I'm still laughing at Tim Bits

 

[Anton Babchuk]

tripp babbling on about the "increased effort" from skinner and semin after being "reassigned" has to be one of the all-time worst hockey commentating moments.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I have felt Eric has been moving his feet, been backchecking, and been much more engaged defensively, etc... for most of the season so far, so didn't feel this game was a case of "for a change". While he hasn't generated a ton of scoring chances, he is 2nd to only Skinner in shots / game (3.1 to Skinner's 3.3). Still, even though he has 7 points in 9 games, his offense really hasn't been very noticeable for most games and has to (I hope) pick up eventually.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Semin is definitely playing the same. That he has some good results seems inevitable because of his talent. But it still looks like he's playing a very different much slower game than everyone else on the team.

I agree Wally. Maybe he'll be a good match for Skinner. Skinner goes out there with one thing in mind, get to the net and shoot. Maybe Semin playing a more measured, deliberate type of game will allow him to "pick up the pieces" so to speak (rebounds, loose pucks, etc...) and/or to feed Skinner like he did tonight. Will be interesting to watch those two together.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I'm torn as a fan. I will never cheer to see this team lose games but at what point does a realistic opinion about this team's chances of sustained success like this enter into the equation? We're getting some improbable scoring from unlikely sources and I don't know how long that's going to last..

I'm enjoying watching this team play right now as they give effort and don't quit, but I still don't think they have enough to be a playoff team. Maybe the coaching will be enough to prove me wrong, but I don't feel they are talented enough, good enough defensively, or deep enough, as more injuries will surely come. Although the scoring from unlikely sources will probably dry up, it's fair to say that the scoring from primary sources (Staal, Skinner, Semin, Sekera, and even Gerbe) should also go back to the norm and pick up. Hopefully they coincide with each other. The defense though, other than Faulk, Sekera and sometimes Hainsey is brutal at times. At some point, good teams will expose that. You can't turn the puck over like Harrison and Liles did last night and get away with it. Maybe Kev's idea is worth investigating. Split up Sekera and Faulk so that each d pairing has at least 1 NHL caliber defenseman?

Boychuk continues to impress me. He's skating hard, finishing checks, playing better D, and playing with much more confidence when he has the puck. He's consistently much more noticeable than Terry out there.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

^^ Yeah, I'm still not a fan of his itchy trigger finger and "punshing" guys, but it keeps working, so it's hard to argue against (at the moment at least).

I really don't consider it as much of "itchy trigger finger / punishment" as just trying to sort out what works, even though Tripp and others like to play up the "send a message" aspect of it. Skinner, Staal, Gerbe, Dwyer, have only been back for 6-7 games now and to me, this is trying to find chemistry. Gerbe-Nash-Lindholm have it, so he's left that line alone for now. Terry-Rask-Boychuk had it for a while, so he left that line alone, until they struggled. Peters even said in the last post game that he wants to find guys to play with Eric as that line hasn't been going.

Honestly, if/when Nash ever falters and comes back to earth, I suspect he'll try Gerbe and Lindholm with E. Staal because they should be really good matches for E. Staal.

 

[Borsig]

Is it just me, or with Peters / Brindy behind the bench, the young guys seem to suddenly have real potential?

I think we all see this as stellar hockey. Maybe its just "average -good" hockey and we are so used to seeing the team suck, it looks epic.


Ward wasn't amazing last night. He played like a competent NHL goalie, something we have not seen in a while. If he plays like a good / maybe slightly above average NHL goalie, that's more than we've had back there for a while. But 6.5 million it is not worth.

 

[DaveG]

Is it just me, or with Peters / Brindy behind the bench, the young guys seem to suddenly have real potential?

One of the notable things to me was that Boychuk said, when he was sent down earlier this year, it was the first time an NHL coach had conversed with him for even 5 minutes about what to work on. It's like "REALLY?", that's just absolutely frightening mismanagement of a prospect to me, even if it's one that is very much on the older side now and still hasn't shown what it takes to stick at that point. I mean it's been widely speculated that the guy's finally taking things seriously from a work ethic standpoint the past couple seasons, but to me not having those kinds of conversations with a guy that was hardly some marginal prospect is just gross mismanagement. The guy was a former mid-first round pick for a reason, and it's not just because our scouting staff is severely undersized. There had to be some skill there to begin with.

Terry's always had some talent offensively, IIRC he was the last Canes prospect to put up a 100 point season in the CHL, though Tolchinsky flirted with that this past year. Nash was a strong player at Cornell, not too surprising he's been able to hold the fort at the 3 hole. Rask was considered to be a top 10 prospect heading into his draft year for a reason... mind you he also slipped for a few reasons, but none of them aside from his skating had anything to do with his skill level, and his skating is much better then it was 2 years ago in Charlotte and at the WJCs IMO.

I think we all see this as stellar hockey. Maybe its just "average -good" hockey and we are so used to seeing the team suck, it looks epic.


Ward wasn't amazing last night. He played like a competent NHL goalie, something we have not seen in a while. If he plays like a good / maybe slightly above average NHL goalie, that's more than we've had back there for a while. But 6.5 million it is not worth.

Yeah Ward's next contract is going to be for about half or less compared to the current one if he wants to stay in the NHL. Ward at 3.5 per would be a good goalie to have in a rotation like we currently do, and would open the team up to adding another top 4 dman with a lower hit for him and Liles coming off the books.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Nash was a strong player at Cornell, not too surprising he's been able to hold the fort at the 3 hole.

Nitpicking, but this season he's been holding the fort at the 2 hole. (yeah, I know, small sample size)

TOI/GP for Centers:

Staal: 19:22
Nash: 18:12
McClement: 16:00
Rask: 15:24

Granted, some of those guys times are a bit elevated when the had a larger role when Staal was out with injury, but if this team can be successful and spread the ice time around like that, especially when Jordan gets back, it will be great. What we are used to seeing is something like Eric: 21 min, Jordan 20 min, Nash: 12 min, 4C: under 10 min.

I think what it comes down to for a lot of these guys is confidence and these guys (Rask, Nash, Boychuk, etc..) now have it. Will they keep it even when they run into the rough stretch/slump that will surely come? Who knows, but that's what will determine if they stick IMO.

 

[BrindAmours Army]

In the "Postgame Quotes" vid Peters said that we'll probably be keeping Eric on wing for now. I only saw a portion of last night's game, who was playing center with Eric on wing?


Also, Cam's first 5 game win streak since January of 2010. Good for him, but damn, I did not realize it had been that long

 

[DaveG]

ended up as, IIRC:

Skinner - McClement - Semin
Boychuk - Rask - E Staal
Gerbe - Nash - Lindholm
Tlusty - Dwyer - Terry

Don't like McClement there, but not like we have a choice with Jordan not coming back any time soon.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

In the "Postgame Quotes" vid Peters said that we'll probably be keeping Eric on wing for now. I only saw a portion of last night's game, who was playing center with Eric on wing?

Rask

 

[bluedevil58*]

I only know 1 thing for certain about this season. That is that we have a good coach.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

ended up as, IIRC:

Skinner - McClement - Semin
Boychuk - Rask - E Staal
Gerbe - Nash - Lindholm
Tlusty - Dwyer - Terry

Don't like McClement there, but not like we have a choice with Jordan not coming back any time soon.

That's how the lines ended up, although I'm not sure there was a clear 1st/2nd/3rd line designation...as Gerbe, Nash, Lindholm got the most TOI of all of them. Not sure how it was broken down by period, but Peters seems to go with the hot hand and adjusts that throughout the games.

 

[BrindAmours Army]

ended up as, IIRC:

Skinner - McClement - Semin
Boychuk - Rask - E Staal
Gerbe - Nash - Lindholm
Tlusty - Dwyer - Terry

Don't like McClement there, but not like we have a choice with Jordan not coming back any time soon.

Has Dwyer played center in the past?

Can't say I'm a fan of McClement being a top two centerman either, but I could see him being great for the Skinner - Semin pairing. As was noted sometime last night, he'll win most faceoffs, play well defensively, and charge the net. If he can keep up with them skating-wise, I'm alright with it. It does give us four scoring lines, which is fairly unusual but I like it.

Once Jordan comes back something like

Skinner - Jordan - Semin
Boychuk - Rask - E Staal
Gerbe - Nash - Lindholm
Tlusty - McClement -Dwyer/Terry

Could be quite nice. Jordan doing what McClement does except Jordan is able to offense. Switching Dwyer and Terry around depending on whether we need to score or defend. Though, that relies on us playing Tlusty on the fourth line which I see as a waste. Swap him and Boychuk though, and I like it

Skinner - Jordan - Semin
Tlusty - Rask - E Staal
Gerbe - Nash - Lindholm
Boychuk - McClement -Dwyer/Terry

Three skilled scoring lines and an "effort" line that will chip in from time to time.