GDT: Game #12 - 11.04.14 - vs Los Angeles - 7:30 PM - FS Southwest - 1310 AM - 96.7 FM

[hairylikebear]

The team started 5-6-1 in their first 12 last year and made the playoffs. Just wait until this firepower heats up...

 

[RefalancheStillLose]

To be fair, even the "reported" deal to add a d-man was met with near universal outrage.

Adding Myers at the expense of Nichushkin is worth being outraged about.

 

[Dr Pepper]

To be fair, even the "reported" deal to add a d-man was met with near universal outrage.

And how.

I trust Nill enough that I'd welcome damn near any trade at this point, save for the obvious Benn or Seguin.

Sure, he missed the mark on Lindback, but I think his next move will help. Hope it's imminent.

The team started 5-6-1 in their first 12 last year and made the playoffs. Just wait until this firepower heats up...

"Heats up"?

They ripped up the entire league the first few weeks, but they've been ice cold ever since. We can't rely on a superline to do all the heavy lifting every game, and expect to waltz into the playoffs. Our defense is garbage, and Kari can't play on his head all the time.

 

[hairylikebear]

"Heats up"?

They ripped up the entire league the first few weeks, but they've been ice cold ever since. We can't rely on a superline to do all the heavy lifting every game, and expect to waltz into the playoffs. Our defense is garbage, and Kari can't play on his head all the time.

The superline was a temporary crutch and we all knew it. Separated, those players have not found any offensive spark. Nichushkin is not quite warmed up mentally. Spezza is playing with two dead weights in Cole and Hemsky. Cole is what he is. Hemsky has a lot more in him than he's showing. Seguin is back to playoff mode where everything that touches his stick goes toward the net immediately and haphazardly. Benn isn't getting near enough touches.

 

[Hull Fan]

Same old song and dance, almost as if Nieuwy never left. At least as far as the blueline is concerned. Too reliant on the new crop and an obviously ill-fated belief that they can make a solid impact as full time NHLers. It's very clearly not working, and hasn't for years. No idea why they keep trying to push a square peg through a round hole.

How can you blame the "new crop" when it's actually the older guys like Benn, Gonchar and Dillon making the mistakes and Goligoski wasn't exactly great out there tonight either? Honestly other than Daley, Oleksiak was the 2nd best defenseman out on the ice for Dallas.

Modo wants to blame Nuke on that 3rd goal but all Gonchar had to do was continue his momentum back in the zone and either skate it out if the forward pulled back to change or rim it as he circled behind or in front of the net. Instead he tried to chip it back the way it came down the board, went to an LA player and they did what they do and scored.

 

[piqued]

Yeah I thought instinctively that Gonchar made the wrong-headed play there even if Val could've salvaged it by being stronger on the puck.

 

[Hull Fan]

I had way higher expectations but Sceviour's lack of offense has become noticeable.

Jordie still isn't very good and I'm waiting for someone to tell me yet again that Dillon is more help than hindrance back there. Goligoski had some boneheaded plays including that horrible clear back up the middle. If that had gone in that would be the play everyone is talking about.

Gonchar's inability to clear resulted in the 3rd goal.

Spezza and Hemsky for whatever reason isn't working and Nuke looked rusty but I expect that to go away as he gets games under his belt.

Benn and Seguin yet again didn't get it done and honestly when it mattered Kari didn't make "that" save.

I would think that this collection of talent should be better but if it's not some big changes need to be made during the next 10 months.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

I had way higher expectations but Sceviour's lack of offense has become noticeable.

His performance has saddened me as well. Guess recovering from that surgery really set him back more than we thoought.

 

[David Castillo]

Our D core in my opinion

Goligoski wasnt terrible but wasnt very good either
Daley was solid and is easily our best Dman
Jordie was a complete mess worst Ive ever seen him
Dillon was ok was put in awkward spots by turnovers/Jordie
Gonchar/Oleksiak by far our best pairing tonight albeit playing very sheltered minutes

Our 1st line was garbage
2nd line a little less garbage
3rd line one of there better games of the season
4th line very solid had good zone time

If our best players arent our best players we cant beat top teams

Goligoski wasn't terrible but you can always rely on him for terrible habits. Anytime someone is trailing him while he retreats in his own zone, he ALWAYS gets beat. I can't stand that crap, and don't get anyone started on Jordie's "reach out with your stick in the most unsure way possible that way you end up neither taking the body, nor playing the puck" act.

The D has just experienced a perfect storm of regression. Daley and Gogo can no longer handle the top pairing minutes (I think Daley has been great offensively, but he doesn't get let off the hook defensively just because he's living up his offensive defenseman hype a full decade later for 12 games), Jordie's putrid defense seems to have infected Dillon, and our 3rd pairing is the group we're treating like the film henchman landing a punch on Steven Seagal: hey man, nice shot, but that ain't exactly foreshadowing.

It's crazy how bad it is. There's this real hive mind mentality among the group that they need to be pinching all the time, which I kind of blame on Ruff, but then I have the sneaking suspicion that Ruff isn't telling them "don't forget to pinch even if your forwards haven't substituted"

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

Paniccccc

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

Ruff:

“When I look at this sheet and see 19 giveaways, we aren’t going to win hockey games. That’s where I have to change the mentality. That’s my job to change the mentality. Enough of the pond hockey. We’re sitting at 4-4-4 and we have to get going the other direction. We will start with simple and build it back up again.”

At least he's recognized the mentality needs to change.

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

Didn't he say he had to change things like four games ago?

 

[Bkennedy*]

Tomorrow's practice better start with.

"Okay boys. This is a hockey puck."

 

[Hull Fan]

Yeah he said that then but what else can he say? He's not going to throw guys by name under the bus because he'd basically have to call out 4/6 of them. But first Ruff it should start with different pairs. We've been trying to pound these square pegs into round holes without success. Time to try something different or all we're going to see is variations on this central theme. Night after night after night.

 

[hairylikebear]

Yeah he said that then but what else can he say? He's not going to throw guys by name under the bus because he'd basically have to call out 4/6 of them. But first Ruff it should start with different pairs. We've been trying to pound these square pegs into round holes without success. Time to try something different or all we're going to see is variations on this central theme. Night after night after night.

Having all left handed defensemen means there's going to be a glaring defensive hole on one side of every pairing. Zone entries are too easy against this team because defenders can't maintain a safe gap while still applying puck pressure when they're playing on their off side. Oleksiak can feasibly do so but he's not nearly diligent enough with his gaps and he's also not a great backwards skater. Daley with his skating ability can be pretty effective on his off side.

 

[Klockis]

Everything is going according to plan.

 

[BMC]

Paniccccc

Hey we panicked big time when Chara went down.

We're 6-4 so far without him. We had visions of 0-ferwhatever.

Chill out dudes. It is a looooooooong season.

 

[Dr Pepper]

You just gave me visions of what our blueline would look like if even Trevor Daley went down, let alone a true top pairing guy like Chara. Which we don't have.

The horror.

....Needless to say, I won't be getting much sleep tonight.

 

[OttMorrow]

You just gave me visions of what our blueline would look like if even Trevor Daley went down, let alone a true top pairing guy like Chara. Which we don't have.

The horror.

....Needless to say, I won't be getting much sleep tonight.

If Daley goes down, we're potentially a top 6 pick in the upcoming draft.

 

[Dr Pepper]

If Daley goes down, we're potentially a top 6 pick in the upcoming draft.

Pretty much.

Sad state of affairs, truly.

 

[dechire]

If Daley goes down, we're potentially a top 6 pick in the upcoming draft.

It could always be worse. We could lose Daley and Kari.

 

[OttMorrow]

It could always be worse. We could lose Daley and Kari.

Yeah. Total collapse if we lose Kari as well. Lose both...wow

 

[Brand New Stars]

If the team keeps playing like this, a season long injury to Kari wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It would be a lot better than another middling pick.

 

[cizko]

I liked what Ruff said about mentality, because it's absolutely true. This team is just a mess right now, but they will be and can be better.

Although some of this mess is on him, this team doesn't know what to do, or what kind of hockey to play and it is more apparent on the powerplay. Which is complete embarrassment right know.

On to the Nashville.

 

[BMC]

You just gave me visions of what our blueline would look like if even Trevor Daley went down, let alone a true top pairing guy like Chara. Which we don't have.

The horror.

....Needless to say, I won't be getting much sleep tonight.

My apologies.

I was just trying to give Lobo a little perspective. Didn't mean the scare the crap out of you!