GDT: Game 2 8PM ET: The Trotz’s @ The Reirden’s

[crab]

How are people blaming Holtby for that game? Game one forsure but come on.

 

[HecticGlow]

Orlov and Jensen was the teams best pairing leading into the lockdown and it still blows my mind that they broke them up.

For literally about two weeks - and it took the whole season to get there. For comparison Dillon-Carlson didn’t really seem to gel, and you don’t want Jensen or (ideally) Carlson on your shutdown pair.

I don’t think Kempny is struggling any more than Orlov or Siegenthaler. Mistakes are getting to all three of them, and while Dillon is pretty solid and Jensen is positively invisible most of the time, no one but Carlson seems to be stepping up even a little.

 

[hb12xchamps]

For literally about two weeks - and it took the whole season to get there. For comparison Dillon-Carlson didn’t really seem to gel, and you don’t want Jensen or (ideally) Carlson on your shutdown pair.

I don’t think Kempny is struggling any more than Orlov or Siegenthaler. Mistakes are getting to all three of them, and while Dillon is pretty solid and Jensen is positively invisible most of the time, no one but Carlson seems to be stepping up even a little.

Regardless, they were a very good pair. Who cares if it was only 2 weeks? They clearly developed chemistry and familiarity and it was paying off.

Dillon-Carlson didn't seem to gel because Dillon was acquired at the TDL and was unfamiliar with the team and systems. He has looked solid since he has had a training camp under his belt. Maybe Orlov is struggling because he's playing RD? Seems a lot of his turnovers are him flailing a backhanded pass blindly.

 

[HecticGlow]

Regardless, they were a very good pair. Who cares if it was only 2 weeks? They clearly developed chemistry and familiarity and it was paying off.

Dillon-Carlson didn't seem to gel because Dillon was acquired at the TDL and was unfamiliar with the team and systems. He has looked solid since he has had a training camp under his belt. Maybe Orlov is struggling because he's playing RD? Seems a lot of his turnovers are him flailing a backhanded pass blindly.

Because two weeks of them working well is a very small sample size compared to months of them not, and there’s a greater wealth of evidence suggesting Jensen is more successful in a smaller role. Jensen isn’t noticeable most nights currently, but you have to wonder if he’d be playing so well against top competition and with an extra 5-8 minutes a night.

I think it would be good to get Fehérváry in, but I’m not sure I’d be replacing someone from the current top-4 if I were Reirden.


As for Orlov’s mistakes – he does seem to make more of them when playing from the right side generally regardless of which side he’s assigned to. It’s kind of his pizza corner. But it appears to be less Orlov struggling with backhanders, and more the mental aspect of throwing the puck into the arms of an opposing player. He needs to get into the zone we know he can be in, and he seems to be struggling a bit with that?

 

[hb12xchamps]

Because two weeks of them working well is a very small sample size compared to months of them not, and there’s a greater wealth of evidence suggesting Jensen is more successful in a smaller role. Jensen isn’t noticeable most nights currently, but you have to wonder if he’d be playing so well against top competition and with an extra 5-8 minutes a night.

I think it would be good to get Fehérváry in, but I’m not sure I’d be replacing someone from the current top-4 if I were Reirden.


As for Orlov’s mistakes – he does seem to make more of them when playing from the right side generally regardless of which side he’s assigned to. It’s kind of his pizza corner. But it appears to be less Orlov struggling with backhanders, and more the mental aspect of throwing the puck into the arms of an opposing player. He needs to get into the zone we know he can be in, and he seems to be struggling a bit with that?

Or maybe Jensen was finally comfortable with the "system" that multiple players have said isn't easy to just jump in to? Maybe he was finally comfortable playing with Orlov?

You wouldn't change the top 4? The team has given up 8 goals in two games (9 if you count the ENG). There's obviously blame on the forward group as well, but a major lineup shakeup is needed.

 

[HecticGlow]

Or maybe Jensen was finally comfortable with the "system" that multiple players have said isn't easy to just jump in to? Maybe he was finally comfortable playing with Orlov?

You wouldn't change the top 4? The team has given up 8 goals in two games (9 if you count the ENG). There's obviously blame on the forward group as well, but a major lineup shakeup is needed.

I’m not saying don’t change it up, but I think if I were putting Fehérváry in I’d most likely pair him with Kempny, given they played well together in the final RR game. We’re losing at ES, and as good as Siegenthaler is on the PK he’s the guy playing the least minutes and having the least noticeable impact on 95% of the game.

I think the forward lines are most in need of changing up, however. The issue is we don’t have any spark plugs we can insert – Boyd is the closest we have this year, and he’s already in the lineup (and playing centre, when a lot of his offence seems to come from the wing).

You can move a guy like Panik, Hagelin or Kovalchuk up, but none of them are showing all that much of anything. I suppose you could go Trotz-style random lines generator:

Ovi–Eller–Oshie
Panik–Kuznetsov–Hathaway
Vrana–Boyd–Wilson
Hagelin–Dowd–Kovalchuk

Trotz will be controlling the matchups, so success-by-inducing-confusion could be a strategy. If he sees Ovi out there with a WHL player and a llama-on-skates, he won’t know who to throw on the ice. It’s better than what we have so far.

 

[SherVaughn30]

How are people blaming Holtby for that game? Game one forsure but come on.

As a goalie, when you have won a Vezina and a Cup as the #1 goalie, you are expected to make the big saves in the playoffs. Holtby has not done that at all. He has to find a way to stop Nelson on that breakaway(that is what great goaltenders do in the playoffs). Holtby has not been the same since Mitch Korn left. He needs a better goalie coach than Scott Murray and frankly he needs to start fresh with a new team. I'm watching all the other goalies in the playoffs(as I normally do every playoff year). What I'm seeing are goalies even on the losing teams are making saves that Holtby can't make because of his older playing style. He needs a coach to change some of his mechanics and remove his bad habits(puck handling situations, type of equipment(leg pads), more use of the VH/Reverse VH technique, his narrow butterfly technique and how he uses his glove hand).

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Not a lot of good that can be said. I agree with the comparisons to the TB series back in 2011, but if I remember correctly games 1 and 2 were very close and they waited until games 3 and 4 to totally lose interest.

Caps also got screwed with back to back games due to high school graduations scheduling in TB if I recall correctly. It wouldn't have changed things though. Game four of that series was one of the worst ever except for Game 7 SO losses. Game four of the series was so bad I remember Pierre blasting GMGM and why folks don't keep players like Semin. One of the few times I agree with Pierre.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Djoos was a every day player on a nhl winning team - and the defense was great during that time - and Reirden/front office basically ran him out of town.

since winning the cup - the front office decisions have not been good.

At least next year with the young D guys and CMM caps will get a lot faster.

I was hoping they would be in now. Oh wait it is pretty much next year . The speed is surely needed and can't wait for them next year or whenever.

 

[maacoshark]

For literally about two weeks - and it took the whole season to get there. For comparison Dillon-Carlson didn’t really seem to gel, and you don’t want Jensen or (ideally) Carlson on your shutdown pair.

I don’t think Kempny is struggling any more than Orlov or Siegenthaler. Mistakes are getting to all three of them, and while Dillon is pretty solid and Jensen is positively invisible most of the time, no one but Carlson seems to be stepping up even a little.

Kempny has been very noticeable in these games for all the wrong reasons. His play has been awful. His mistakes have costing us. Our worst dman at the moment.
Jensen has been fairly invisible but he isn't hurting the team. Same with Seigenthaler.