GDT: Game 14 • CBJ @ ANA • 9:00 EST • November 4th, 2018.

[Crede777]

You won't have a level headed argument with me regarding Fligs. You know how EDM is with Wennberg? or CR with Murray? or Bus with Bob? I have the same feelings with Fligs, offence dies on his stick, he's black hole on PP and a bottom six guy who thinks he is top 6 forward and i can't stand him and his interviews. Don't take offence with this post, i won't bring it over and over - Bus style.

I'm with you about Foligno. The first rule on the PP should be DO NOT pass it to Foligno. He can stand in front of the net if he wants and go for deflections, but otherwise the offense dies on his stick.

That said, this was obviously a tough road game swing. Both teams were fighting for their lives after an unsustainably bad string of games. The Jackets unfortunately had to be the ones to face them. I think any team would have lost both games.

When I was asked what was going on in the Kings game, I said "the Kings obviously had a come to Jesus moment prior to this game and are fighting like their lives depend on it while the Jackets just want an easy win against the worst team."

 

[major major]

I'm with you about Foligno. The first rule on the PP should be DO NOT pass it to Foligno. He can stand in front of the net if he wants and go for deflections, but otherwise the offense dies on his stick.

Not that I want Foligno on the PP, I just doubt that it dies on his stick more than the rest. What I see is that the puck frequently doesn't ever get to him. We've just been in high-umbrella mode and the down-low and cross-crease plays that Foligno used to run are rarely ever attempted.

 

[major major]

That said, this was obviously a tough road game swing. Both teams were fighting for their lives after an unsustainably bad string of games. The Jackets unfortunately had to be the ones to face them. I think any team would have lost both games.

When I was asked what was going on in the Kings game, I said "the Kings obviously had a come to Jesus moment prior to this game and are fighting like their lives depend on it while the Jackets just want an easy win against the worst team."

I think LA and Anaheim are legit bad teams right now. The Jackets played kind of poorly vs LA and very poorly vs Anaheim.

 

[Crede777]

I think LA and Anaheim are legit bad teams right now. The Jackets played kind of poorly vs LA and very poorly vs Anaheim.

I do too but it was obvious that they were skating all out and finishing their checks all game. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a turning point for both teams and they win their next few games.

Their effort level was as high as any team this season. That means they should get as much if not more credit for the outcomes.

The Jackets are particularly susceptible to losing these games because all you have to do is take away time and space and they fall apart. That has little to do with coaching though and is more about composition.

 

[major major]

I do too but it was obvious that they were skating all out and finishing their checks all game. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a turning point for both teams and they win their next few games.

Their effort level was as high as any team this season. That means they should get as much if not more credit for the outcomes.

The Jackets are particularly susceptible to losing these games because all you have to do is take away time and space and they fall apart. That has little to do with coaching though and is more about composition.

I think the feeling from the competition might have been "holy crap these guys are coughing up the puck, can't hurt us on the PP, let's play them hard, we might actually be able to win one!" So yes, they played very hard, but the Jackets had a lot to do with it.

I don't know what you mean about composition.

 

[Crede777]

I think the feeling from the competition might have been "holy crap these guys are coughing up the puck, can't hurt us on the PP, let's play them hard, we might actually be able to win one!" So yes, they played very hard, but the Jackets had a lot to do with it.

I don't know what you mean about composition.

The reason WHY the Jackets are coughing up the puck is because the other teams are playing very hard, not the other way around. Same for inability to convert on the PP. Watch the power plays, as soon as the Jackets manage to enter the zone they get swarmed by 2 or 3 PKers.

The Jackets cough the puck up and fail to convert on chances because both LA and Anaheim were really good at taking away time and space. They took away time and space by out-skating and out-muscling the Jackets.

Unless your theory is that the Jackets players have forgotten how to play hockey in which case... come on.

 

[major major]

The reason WHY the Jackets are coughing up the puck is because the other teams are playing very hard, not the other way around. Same for inability to convert on the PP. Watch the power plays, as soon as the Jackets manage to enter the zone they get swarmed by 2 or 3 PKers.

The Jackets cough the puck up and fail to convert on chances because both LA and Anaheim were really good at taking away time and space. They took away time and space by out-skating and out-muscling the Jackets.

Unless your theory is that the Jackets players have forgotten how to play hockey in which case... come on.

No, I'm saying those things are feeding off of each other. The confidence of the two teams moves inversely. LA and Anaheim are confident to challenge and take away time and space because they get the idea that the Jackets aren't going to find an open man and burn them. They take away even more space and before long the Jackets are in full hand grenade mode.

Which comes first? The chicken or the egg? Well it's not a proverbial question this time, the Jackets have been inept with the puck just about all week.

 

[Crede777]

No, I'm saying those things are feeding off of each other. The confidence of the two teams moves inversely. LA and Anaheim are confident to challenge and take away time and space because they get the idea that the Jackets aren't going to find an open man and burn them. They take away even more space and before long the Jackets are in full hand grenade mode.

Which comes first? The chicken or the egg? Well it's not a proverbial question this time, the Jackets have been inept with the puck just about all week.

The Kings and Anaheim aren't confident to challenge puck carriers, they are doing so out of necessity.

Who they were playing has nothing to do with their approach the last 2 nights. Rather, their lackluster performance and being embarrassed by their past weeks of play has.

It isn't a chicken or an egg approach, literally every team knows to play actively and apply pressure against every other team. How hard they are willing to skate and how willing they are to play physically is the determining factor. And both teams were going above and beyond because of their recent letdowns.

Again, it all comes down to unfortunate timing for the Jackets. Play them a week earlier and they get 2 easy wins. Just like how the Stars will likely be unfortunate because the Jackets will play like they have something to prove after losing the past 2 games.

 

[major major]

The Kings and Anaheim aren't confident to challenge puck carriers, they are doing so out of necessity.

Who they were playing has nothing to do with their approach the last 2 nights. Rather, their lackluster performance and being embarrassed by their past weeks of play has.

It isn't a chicken or an egg approach, literally every team knows to play actively and apply pressure against every other team. How hard they are willing to skate and how willing they are to play physically is the determining factor. And both teams were going above and beyond because of their recent letdowns.

Again, it all comes down to unfortunate timing for the Jackets. Play them a week earlier and they get 2 easy wins. Just like how the Stars will likely be unfortunate because the Jackets will play like they have something to prove after losing the past 2 games.

I don't disagree that the intensity we saw came from the embarrassment of losing games and that certainly added to the pressure they were willing to put on the Jackets. There is a cyclical nature to it.

But when you're pressuring, you are thinking about if the other team can find that open man and burn you. You can have all the will in the world and if you try and do a full press on say, the Caps number one PP unit, it's scary knowing how thin your margin is between good pressure and being way out of position. Right now the Jackets PP isn't scaring anyone, and full pressure is the obvious counter to the PP.

 

[Crede777]

I don't disagree that the intensity we saw came from the embarrassment of losing games and that certainly added to the pressure they were willing to put on the Jackets. There is a cyclical nature to it.

But when you're pressuring, you are thinking about if the other team can find that open man and burn you. You can have all the will in the world and if you try and do a full press on say, the Caps number one PP unit, it's scary knowing how thin your margin is between good pressure and being way out of position. Right now the Jackets PP isn't scaring anyone, and full pressure is the obvious counter to the PP.

The best way to counter a skilled team like the Caps is to pressure and take away time and space. The worst thing you can do is sit back and try to play zone.

The concern isn't about getting burned because there is a chance it will happen regardless of what you do. The concern is the amount of conditioning and exertion it requires to play like that on a consistent basis. Which is why most teams fluctuate in their intensity and the Jackets happened to catch both teams on nights where they decided to go all in.

 

[major major]

The best way to counter a skilled team like the Caps is to pressure and take away time and space. The worst thing you can do is sit back and try to play zone.

The concern isn't about getting burned because there is a chance it will happen regardless of what you do. The concern is the amount of conditioning and exertion it requires to play like that on a consistent basis. Which is why most teams fluctuate in their intensity and the Jackets happened to catch both teams on nights where they decided to go all in.

This runs counter to what I've heard and my own direct experience. You really can risk putting yourself out of position by being aggressive, that should be obvious. Everyone has a positional role to play and it ruins it for all 5 when one guy is overpursuing. If you haven't heard "over-pursuing" before, it's real, and not just in conservative zone defences.

Why is it so hard to believe that guys gain confidence from seeing turnovers and lose confidence from seeing guys get burned?

 

[Crede777]

This runs counter to what I've heard and my own direct experience. You really can risk putting yourself out of position by being aggressive, that should be obvious. Everyone has a positional role to play and it ruins it for all 5 when one guy is overpursuing. If you haven't heard "over-pursuing" before, it's real, and not just in conservative zone defences.

Why is it so hard to believe that guys gain confidence from seeing turnovers and lose confidence from seeing guys get burned?

Over committing and over pursuing the puck carrier are obviously still concerns but in the past two or so seasons in the NHL heavily pressuring the puck carrier seems to have become the default. This is because for some reason teams have become extremely adept at holding the blueline with only 4 players.

The scheme has gone from essentially having 3 or 4 different strategies depending on what line was on the ice and who they were facing to having 1 or 2 strategies with every line heavily forechecking and committing to blocking shots as if it were a 4th line. That is partially why Vegas had so much success last year.

You will rightfully point out that Vegas's model fell apart versus the Capitals, but where we disagree I think is that I don't think Vegas changing strategies would have been very beneficial.