GDT: Game 24: Coyotes @ Predators - 6PM - FSAZ+

Jakey53

Registered User
Aug 27, 2011
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I am in the same boat. Reading the box and comparing the player to it isnt a really tall tale sign of how they played. However, Strome was pretty dreadful tonight. Perlini has gone missing both games playing for Chicago so far.

I could really care less about Strome since he was traded. I wish him well but I will cheer against him when he plays the Coyotes. Schmaltz is now on the Coyotes so I will cheer for him and hope he kills it here.
 
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cobra427

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May 6, 2012
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Why? That's the $64 question.
We dipped when Demers went out, there might have been an adjustment on the back end, and Chychrun needed time to get going. The key to our team is keeping the GAA low, so goal tending and D. Our team D was better last night.

Schmaltz/Archibald make us better and tougher on the puck than Perlini/Strome. We are 2-0 since the trade, Hawks are 0-2, what does that tell you? Hawks have given up 14 goals with defensive world beaters Perlini and Strome in the line up.
 
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Jakey53

Registered User
Aug 27, 2011
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We dipped when Demers went out, there might have been an adjustment on the back end, and Chychrun needed time to get going. The key to our team is keeping the GAA low, so goal tending and D. Our team D was better last night.

Schmaltz/Archibald make us better and tougher on the puck than Perlini/Strome. We are 2-0 since the trade, Hawks are 0-2, what does that tell you? Hawks have given up 14 goals with defensive world beaters Perlini and Strome in the line up.

....and Kane, Toews, Seabrook and Keith. Stop blaming Strome/Perlini as the reason both teams had bad games or stretches, it's ridiculous.

I don't think losing Demers is the reason the whole team looked like crap. There was no energy, not effort, no nothing. Then last night they were a total different team, mind you if a couple of those pucks that hit the goal post went in it could have been a different story.
 
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BUX7PHX

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Jul 7, 2011
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If Raanta gets healthy I keep him 10 out of 10 times over Stepan.

My biggest questions to ask on that:

1. Are we still going to be a budget team at that point (I don't know if anyone has an answer to that)? That $2.oM additional in Stepan's deal vs Raanta's could mean a large difference there.

2. What is the drop-off from Raanta to Hill vs Stepan to <insert center's name here>? As far as capfriendly reports, we only have 3 centers under contract through 2020-21 season - Stepan, Hayton, and Schmaltz (depending on whether or not he stays at C). Obviously, quite a bit can change between now and then, but given our propensity for not being able to find centers, based on right now, I can't see a logical reason how we could defend the idea of dumping Stepan in an expansion draft vs Raanta. Especially considering that we at least have some depth at the goalie position (Miska and Hill are RFAs after this season) and as many posters have stated over and over again - goalies can come from anywhere and there is no need for a pedigree to be involved there. Can we say the same about the C position?
 

GiveAFlyingPuck

Boring hockey aficionado
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Jun 19, 2011
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With the win, we're now 11 points ahead of last year's pace.

It took 42 games last year to reach 24 points.

That's nuts.

Our current goals against puts us on pace for a respectable 222 (last season 256). It's playoff team worthy.

Our current goals for needs some work since we're only on pace for 205 (last season 208). It's in the running for first overall draft pick.
 

cobra427

Registered User
May 6, 2012
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....and Kane, Toews, Seabrook and Keith. Stop blaming Strome/Perlini as the reason both teams had bad games or stretches, it's ridiculous.

I don't think losing Demers is the reason the whole team looked like crap. There was no energy, not effort, no nothing. Then last night they were a total different team, mind you if a couple of those pucks that hit the goal post went in it could have been a different story.
Its not a coincidence. Bad play away from the puck (Strome/Perlini) versus good play away from the puck (Archibald/Schmaltz) makes a big difference. I know you guys hate on Demers but he was our 1RHD because of his D, him being out made us worse on D. One guy not being on the puck or being late has a cascade effect on the rest of the team. It's the domino effect.

Last night game was close, we capitalized on a few chances, they didn't. Our over all play was solid even if the score would have been closer. The D pairings were better, they made some adjustments with Demers out and Chychrun is getting better.
 

BUX7PHX

Registered User
Jul 7, 2011
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You forgot Dvorak. He's a C

Thank you - I forget they put him in the LTIR column there. So replace Schmaltz's name with Dvorak's or keep Schmaltz's name in there and give us those 4 as our Cs:

Schmaltz/Stepan/Dvorak/Hayton

Hayton would also likely be in his 2nd year, at best, so probably slotting into that 4th line. Take Stepan's name out of there, and it leaves a whole lot of question marks at the 2C/3C position.

Our goalie depth chart in the 2020-21 season is shaping up like this:

Raanta (signed through that year)/Hill (RFA - '19)/Miska (RFA - '19)/Madsen (RFA - '20)

I am assuming that at least 2 of the 3 RFAs get signed through at least 20-21 season.

The following netminders are free agents in that offseason: Holtby (WAS), Markstrom (VAN), Crawford (CHI), Halak (BOS), Khudobin (DAL), Vasilevsky (TB), Murray (PIT) - plenty of options as starters if we proceed to have Hill as the backup.

The following centers are free agents in that offseason: Backstrom (WAS), Granlund (MIN), Schenn (STL), Galchenyuk, (AZ), Smith (NAS), Namestikov (NYR), Spooner (EDM), Eakin (VGS), Coyle (MIN)

We have 9 players that are in the NHL now and signed through 2020-21: 3 F, 5 D, and 1 G

We have way more to look at on the forward side with the number of RFAs that we have. That could keep things very cheap for us, so we might be trying to reach the floor again, which is why Stepan's deal can help us get closer to there, relative to Raanta's deal. With the low number of forwards signed, it just seems like we would be creating a larger hole in the lineup by giving up Stepan, as opposed to clearing out a goalie who can't seem to stay healthy, but has looked good when he is healthy. We do still have Hossa's contract buried until after the 20-21 season, so that is the glimmer of hope regarding the cap hit, but I am also expecting floor and ceiling to rise as well, and contracts could look even further out of control.

Hard to say, but we do have a lot of NMC and NTC built up in our defense, and I worry that if we don't make some moves before those hit, we are opening ourselves up to lose some really talented young players, like what could have/did happen to the Wild with Haula and Tuch. I would much rather take a shot on a goalie with an average price tag (like we got with Raanta's extension), as opposed to looking to find the C in UFA and giving a price tag equivalent to Stepan's for a player that may not even be as good as Stepan.
 
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Name Nameless

Don't go more than 10 seconds back on challenges
Apr 12, 2017
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I am spoiled on the result this time, couldn't wait checking. And such a fabolous result. So will probably not manage to not comment based on this knowlegde if I comment a bit while I watch the recording.

Anyhow, the first comment I would have posted if I watched it live I think would have been: Haha, the Preds commentators are so scared of Hills results in the NHL this year - with a 100 percent save percentage and a 100 percent win rate- they just introduce him with his AHL-numbers. Sly. :naughty:
 

Coyotedroppings

Registered User
Jul 16, 2017
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....and Kane, Toews, Seabrook and Keith. Stop blaming Strome/Perlini as the reason both teams had bad games or stretches, it's ridiculous.

I don't think losing Demers is the reason the whole team looked like crap. There was no energy, not effort, no nothing. Then last night they were a total different team, mind you if a couple of those pucks that hit the goal post went in it could have been a different story.
You're jumping from one extreme to another. If you take last night out of the equation as well as one of the real stinkers, it's pretty easy to see it goes back to Demers. You just don't want to admit it because you've been harping on vets and your imagined lack of their performance and were most likely in the group that was particularly down on Demers.
 

Jakey53

Registered User
Aug 27, 2011
29,978
9,038
Its not a coincidence. Bad play away from the puck (Strome/Perlini) versus good play away from the puck (Archibald/Schmaltz) makes a big difference. I know you guys hate on Demers but he was our 1RHD because of his D, him being out made us worse on D. One guy not being on the puck or being late has a cascade effect on the rest of the team. It's the domino effect.

Last night game was close, we capitalized on a few chances, they didn't. Our over all play was solid even if the score would have been closer. The D pairings were better, they made some adjustments with Demers out and Chychrun is getting better.

You're jumping from one extreme to another. If you take last night out of the equation as well as one of the real stinkers, it's pretty easy to see it goes back to Demers. You just don't want to admit it because you've been harping on vets and your imagined lack of their performance and were most likely in the group that was particularly down on Demers.

Yup, it's Demers being out and Strome and Perlini is why we stunk the last while. :laugh::laugh:
 

Coyotedroppings

Registered User
Jul 16, 2017
6,329
5,084
I think the performance of last night can be attributed to non other than our fourth line play from Tuesday night. They showed them how to win, particularly for this team, a team that does not have an abundance of high end talent. The question that will be answered over the remainder of the season is - Can they keep it up? I posted a while back that I though it was possible that RT deliberately had the boys playing a more passive game by trying to clog the neutral zone. Regardless of how / why we got there, it's evident that w/o an aggressive forecheck this team has little hope of going anywhere. Of course there are many other assets to the game that need to be adhered to but I believe the forecheck to be key.
So, will they suck it up and work their asses off throughout? If they do - Will they eventually run out of gas?
 

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