Half-Assed GDT: Game 3

[jura]

Schenner

lol Chief

 

[brokeu91]

Great game last night. The Blues deserved to win. We still need to cut down on the defensive lapses though they were much better.

And for the love of God, please, PLEASE do something about our special teams

 

[simon IC]

I just hope, that just because he scored A GOAL, Justin Faulk does not become our biggest minute eating defenseman.

 

[Zezel’s Pretzels]

I know, I still want DLR out of the lineup

What about seeing if Vladi got the message and slotting him on a line with Thomas, and moving Sunny to the 4th in DLR’s spot? I don’t know, just an idea because I am biased - love Vladi and am hopeful he can still be a positive force in these playoffs.

 

[Zezel’s Pretzels]

I just hope, that just because he scored A GOAL, Justin Faulk does not become our biggest minute eating defenseman.

Eh - I am hard on the guy too and he’s far from my favorite, but he had a very good game and if he keeps this level of play up Chief will use him right.

 

[simon IC]

Eh - I am hard on the guy too and he’s far from my favorite, but he had a very good game and if he keeps this level of play up Chief will use him right.

In Chief we trust!

 

[fishsandwichpatrol]

hey we won!

 

[KirkOut]

I was mean to Faulk in the pregame, but he played great. That’s what I expected him to be like when we traded for him.

Kyrou has got to stay in the lineup even if/when Vlad/Steen/Barb come back

 

[Finnflash]

I’m taking credit for this win

 

[Note Worthy]

Schenner

Lol. I love Schenner. I know he hasn't looked like himself on the offensive side since play resumed but I love the way he plays the game.

 

[Blueston]

THis series could be tied very fast with b2b. play jake and improve the PP

And pk.

 

[67Blues]

Lol. I love Schenner. I know he hasn't looked like himself on the offensive side since play resumed but I love the way he plays the game.

Schenn is most effective when he plays with a large chip on his shoulder.

 

[execwrite1]

They made a point on the radio that the PP has been disrupted trying to slot Vladdy back in.

No time for that now. Go back to the PP that worked in the regular season.

 

[BlueOil]

They made a point on the radio that the PP has been disrupted trying to slot Vladdy back in.

No time for that now. Go back to the PP that worked in the regular season.

they must have been afraid he would sneak on the ice last night

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I'm happy that Faulk had a good game last night. He was playing like a Karlsson-lite out there the way he would jump into the offensive side of the game.

I'm surprised that out of the Blais-Thomas-Sanford line, that Thomas seems to be the one who is holding that line back. Thomas just hasn't looked good when making decisions with the puck, despite the pass on the Faulk goal. There are way too many passes that go nowhere or forced passes that bounce off defending players. I guess one could argue that Sanford and Blais can find more open ice, but I haven't liked what I've seen out of Thomas this playoffs.

Also, MacEachern and Kyrou were great. I loved the speed both brought and it helped force the Vancouver defense to back off on the transition. Kyrou, especially, looked like a bonafide top-6 player with the way he played.

 

[Brian39]

I just hope, that just because he scored A GOAL, Justin Faulk does not become our biggest minute eating defenseman.

Berube wasn't double shifting Faulk just because he scored; it was because he was playing amazing (both before and after he scored). At 5 on 5 Faulk had the highest individual expected goals, the most scoring chances and the most high danger chances out of our D group last night. At 5 on 5 he had more shot attempts and rebounds created than any Blue last night. His play in the offensive zone was absolutely stellar even if you remove his goal. On top of that he was good (although not great) defensively. His expected goals against was 3rd best among our D. His possession numbers were fantastic and he had an expected GF% of 72.22% at 5 on 5. 18 scoring chances for vs 8 against and 10 high danger chances for vs 4 against while he was on the ice.

He absolutely, 100% deserved the ice time he got even if you completely ignore the goal he scored (which was a decent finish following a great decision to slide down into the slot). One game doesn't suddenly make his contract great and one game doesn't mean that he should suddenly be off the table to expose for Seattle next summer. But you should 100% keep throwing minutes his way if this is the play you get out of him.

I don't think this is a turning point where Faulk suddenly plays this well every game moving forward. However, there is reason to be optimistic that he is capable of playing like a legit top 4 D man if he is utilized like one. I absolutely loved that the coaching staff recognized his play last night and took measures to get him on the ice as much as possible. The willingness to break up Scandella/Parayko at times opened up a ton of flexibility in our defensive group.

I don't fully buy Panger's sales pitch that the goal caused Faulk to start humming. He was playing well before that. But even if the goal was a catalyst, it is not fair to say that the goal is the reason he was getting ice time. He was getting ice time because his overall play merited it.

 

[Brian39]

They made a point on the radio that the PP has been disrupted trying to slot Vladdy back in.

No time for that now. Go back to the PP that worked in the regular season.

I don't buy that take at all. Tarasenko has been on the 2nd unit and it is the top unit that has looked like garbage. We are using the PP we used all regular season. They aren't executing.

 

[Stlblue50]

I’d go Allen tomorrow. I think he can handle it after being off for so long. And when he gets hot, he gets very hot.

Keep in mind, the Canucks either have to play a more tired Markstrom again, or they get him out of the net and go with Demko. Either situation could benefit us.

Either way I would hope that Markstrom will finally show some fatigue and let in at least 1 softie. That guy has been locked in!

If they play him, this will be his 3 in 4 days and back to back ( with 2 OT games in a row).

 

[Blueston]

Berube wasn't double shifting Faulk just because he scored; it was because he was playing amazing (both before and after he scored). At 5 on 5 Faulk had the highest individual expected goals, the most scoring chances and the most high danger chances out of our D group last night. At 5 on 5 he had more shot attempts and rebounds created than any Blue last night. His play in the offensive zone was absolutely stellar even if you remove his goal. On top of that he was good (although not great) defensively. His expected goals against was 3rd best among our D. His possession numbers were fantastic and he had an expected GF% of 72.22% at 5 on 5. 18 scoring chances for vs 8 against and 10 high danger chances for vs 4 against while he was on the ice.

He absolutely, 100% deserved the ice time he got even if you completely ignore the goal he scored (which was a decent finish following a great decision to slide down into the slot). One game doesn't suddenly make his contract great and one game doesn't mean that he should suddenly be off the table to expose for Seattle next summer. But you should 100% keep throwing minutes his way if this is the play you get out of him.

I don't think this is a turning point where Faulk suddenly plays this well every game moving forward. However, there is reason to be optimistic that he is capable of playing like a legit top 4 D man if he is utilized like one. I absolutely loved that the coaching staff recognized his play last night and took measures to get him on the ice as much as possible. The willingness to break up Scandella/Parayko at times opened up a ton of flexibility in our defensive group.

I don't fully buy Panger's sales pitch that the goal caused Faulk to start humming. He was playing well before that. But even if the goal was a catalyst, it is not fair to say that the goal is the reason he was getting ice time. He was getting ice time because his overall play merited it.

Faulk really looks best when he isn't with Dunn. He doesn't seem to have as much confidence when they are together so he thinks too much, which isn't his strength.

 

[Brian39]

Faulk really looks best when he isn't with Dunn. He doesn't seem to have as much confidence when they are together so he thinks too much, which isn't his strength.

I don't know that it is confidence related. Faulk excels when he can take chances offensively. He can't do that with Dunn. Their play styles don't mesh at all, so pairing them together forces one (or both) of them to play a style that they aren't suited for. Playing with Dunn forces Faulk to play a style that he just isn't good at. I don't think it is that he lacks confidence paired with Dunn, I think it is just that he is being asked to do things that emphasize his weaknesses.

I hope we see more pairing swapping like we did last night. I don't think Scandella/Parayko is as good a shutdown pairing as Bo/Parayko was. I think the group as a whole is better off when we break them up and rely on Parayko to cover for a more offensive guy. It makes that pairing a bit worse as a shut down pairing, but removes the "this pairing is a complete liability" issue of the 3rd pair. I think the benefit to the group as a whole outweighs the negatives.

Play the Scandella/Parayko pairing in clear defensive situations and in shifts when you can match them up against top lines. I'm not saying that they should never be together. They should be on the ice together for 15 minutes or so a night. But instead of rolling them out together every shift like we did with Bo/Parayko, sprinkle in some shifts with Dunn/Parayko or Faulk/Parayko and use Scandella to shore up the 3rd pairing for 7 or 8 shifts a night.

 

[sfvega]

Kyrou being able to play the game Berube wants bodes really well for his future with the team. I always believed he would work out, but I expected him to get more playing time up until now. I was getting worried about some sort of Fabbri situation down the line, but thankfully that doesn't seem to be a possibility.

 

[TheGoldenGod]

Is it weird that I’d rather have Kyrou in the lineup than Tarasenko right now?

If he’s able to compete like that every night he’s going to be a stuuuud.

 

[Stealth JD]

Canucks fans after missing a chance to go up 3-0:

 

[mk80]

Canucks fans after missing a chance to go up 3-0:

 

[Robb_K]

Berube wasn't double shifting Faulk just because he scored; it was because he was playing amazing (both before and after he scored). At 5 on 5 Faulk had the highest individual expected goals, the most scoring chances and the most high danger chances out of our D group last night. At 5 on 5 he had more shot attempts and rebounds created than any Blue last night. His play in the offensive zone was absolutely stellar even if you remove his goal. On top of that he was good (although not great) defensively. His expected goals against was 3rd best among our D. His possession numbers were fantastic and he had an expected GF% of 72.22% at 5 on 5. 18 scoring chances for vs 8 against and 10 high danger chances for vs 4 against while he was on the ice.

He absolutely, 100% deserved the ice time he got even if you completely ignore the goal he scored (which was a decent finish following a great decision to slide down into the slot). One game doesn't suddenly make his contract great and one game doesn't mean that he should suddenly be off the table to expose for Seattle next summer. But you should 100% keep throwing minutes his way if this is the play you get out of him.

I don't think this is a turning point where Faulk suddenly plays this well every game moving forward. However, there is reason to be optimistic that he is capable of playing like a legit top 4 D man if he is utilized like one. I absolutely loved that the coaching staff recognized his play last night and took measures to get him on the ice as much as possible. The willingness to break up Scandella/Parayko at times opened up a ton of flexibility in our defensive group.

I don't fully buy Panger's sales pitch that the goal caused Faulk to start humming. He was playing well before that. But even if the goal was a catalyst, it is not fair to say that the goal is the reason he was getting ice time. He was getting ice time because his overall play merited it.

I agree. Faulk looked like a different player last night. He was skating fast (as usual), but this time with authority and sure in purpose. He was confident, and always seemed to know what he was doing, and not being shaky, hesitant, and in a panic, as he's seemed much of his time on ice since coming to The Blues. THIS is what The Blues expected from him when they acquired him.