Confirmed with Link: Gunnarsson Debut @ Dallas

[Edgar Carrow]

"Head Coach Ken Hitchcock said Gunnarsson would be in the lineup Tuesday when the Blues meet the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center at 7:30 p.m."

http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=736357

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[DangledUpinBlues]

Cool. ShatGunn cocked and loaded?

Or is he going to be paired with someone else?

 

[bleedblue1223]

I'd guess either with Petro or on the 3rd pair. Hitch will probably want to try the original plan now that he is healthy, meaning Bouwmeester and Shattenkirk would be the 2nd pairing.

 

[Thallis]

I'd guess either with Petro or on the 3rd pair. Hitch will probably want to try the original plan now that he is healthy, meaning Bouwmeester and Shattenkirk would be the 2nd pairing.

Hitch said he plans to have Petro and Bouw together for home games and split for away.

 

[KirkOut]

Hitch said he plans to have Petro and Bouw together for home games and split for away.

I'm no coach but what the **** kind of strategy is that? I get that you want to have one of them on the ice at all times and don't want to get caught with Jackopold out there against Perry/Getzlaf or Benn/Seguin etc but it can be managed.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I'm no coach but what the **** kind of strategy is that? I get that you want to have one of them on the ice at all times and don't want to get caught with Jackopold out there against Perry/Getzlaf or Benn/Seguin etc but it can be managed.

Not really. On the road, the other team has last change, so more than likely we'll have 1 of our top dmen going against the top lines. At home, we can put that pairing against whoever we want, whenever we want.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

I'm no coach but what the **** kind of strategy is that? I get that you want to have one of them on the ice at all times and don't want to get caught with Jackopold out there against Perry/Getzlaf or Benn/Seguin etc but it can be managed.

It is kind of nuanced, and if the D pairings can function well that way it gives opponents one less thing to target. Its basically a way to ensure that no one has to play giant minutes all season. I love that Backes was under 20 minutes in the Blackhawks game. Last season that would never have happened. He's going to roll the defensive lines just like he does on offense.

 

[ManyIdeas]

so...I'm making the half hipped gdt tomorrow, then?

 

[KirkOut]

Not really. On the road, the other team has last change, so more than likely we'll have 1 of our top dmen going against the top lines. At home, we can put that pairing against whoever we want, whenever we want.

Yeah, of course. But my point is when we go up against a team that has a monster line like Dallas, who do you try to match up against them? I'd rather try to match up our 2 best defenseman then always have somebody out there who is iffy defensively. It isn't that terribly hard to overcome the last change. Anyways again I'm no coach, just ranting

 

[2 Minute Minor]

Yeah, of course. But my point is when we go up against a team that has a monster line like Dallas, who do you try to match up against them. I'd rather try to match up our 2 best defenseman then always have somebody out there who is iffy defensively. It isn't that terribly hard to overcome the last change. Anyways again I'm no coach, just ranting

We'll have to see how it works, but I think you underrate the effectiveness of the pairings with Bouwmeester and Pietro separated. Shattenkirk has been strong so far this season, and we have yet to see Gunnarson's impact.

Think of it this way: opponents are having to account for the offensive threat from the Blues' defense. Who are THEY going to try and neutralize? With a partner like Bouwmeester, Shattenkirk is going to have more freedom to be aggressive and dangerous. Pietro has done OK with Cole, but I think Gunnarson is going to give him a lot more freedom, too.

Make opponents have the headaches. One thing I didn't like with Murray, and at times with Hitchcock, is the over-prioritization of match-ups. The team sometimes looks to me like it plays better on the road when they can't really spend as much effort on trying to match up.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

so...I'm making the half hipped gdt tomorrow, then?

Well you are undefeated so far.

 

[bleedblue1223]

But, when you're on the road, the home coach can avoid that matchup when ever he wants. If we are in Dallas, Ruff can make sure Benn and Seguin never going against the Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo pairing. If it's Gunnar-Petro and JBo-Shatty, then it's much harder for a coach to avoid those parings at all costs.

At home, Hitch can control the matchups, but on the road, by spreading Petro and Bouwmeester out, the opponent has a little bit less control on matchups. It's part of the reason why Pronger and MacInnis weren't paired together.

 

[KirkOut]

If you want to separate them for faceoffs, that's fine. But once you see the big line is in fact out there, I'd rather see a quick change on the fly to get them both out there, if it is safe to do so

 

[Dbrownss]

I'm just glad we have a new toy to finally play with. It was like Christmas, so close, but can't open it.

 

[bleedblue1223]

If you want to separate them for faceoffs, that's fine. But once you see the big line is in fact out there, I'd rather see a quick change on the fly to get them both out there, if it is safe to do so

That would just over-complicate things and probably lead to a bad change at times. With Shattenkirk improved, either paring of Gunnar-Petro and JBo-Shatty can face the top competition without much problem.

 

[KirkOut]

That would just over-complicate things and probably lead to a bad change at times. With Shattenkirk improved, either paring of Gunnar-Petro and JBo-Shatty can face the top competition without much problem.

Yep and hopefully Gunnarson proves to be sound defensively or at least a noticeable step up from Cole so this is not such a big deal

 

[bleedblue1223]

Yep and hopefully Gunnarson proves to be sound defensively or at least a noticeable step up from Cole so this is not such a big deal

Assuming his hip is full strength, you'll be impressed. Of the Toronto dmen, he was the only competent looking one when I watched them play.

 

[David Dennison]

Ive liked Cole with Shatty a lot more than Cole with Petro, but Gunnarsson is a much, much better player than Cole. I like the idea of Gunnarsson with Petro a lot more than with Shatty.

Ive always been curious to see Shatty, Petro, and Bouw on 3 different pairings. You could have one of those guys on the ice for practically the entire game.

 

[BlueOil]

Excited for the Gunn show (didn't have time to think of a cheesier pun).

Not sure I'd throw him on the top pairing for his first game, although Pietro is more than capable of covering him if he struggles out the block.

Really just want to see what we have in this unknown commodity. He looks good on film, but how does he fit with this team?

 

[Meatball]

I hope that hip holds up.

 

[LGB51]

Yay.

 

[DarylO]

Looking forward to seeing Gunnar back on the ice. Hopefully he has a good first game for you guys.

Polak has been stepping up his defensive game nicely the last week or so and looks comfortable making strong plays. Including last night against Chicago as the leader of the goal crease Wall of Defense(tm):

 

[Dbrownss]

Looking forward to seeing Gunnar back on the ice. Hopefully he has a good first game for you guys.

Polak has been stepping up his defensive game nicely the last week or so and looks comfortable making strong plays. Including last night against Chicago as the leader of the goal crease Wall of Defense(tm):

I'm really hoping the trade works as a win/win. From what we've seen on gunner, it is. Even if it doesn't reflect in his stats, it should allow shatty to get his offensive game going.

 

[Robb_K]

Yep and hopefully Gunnarson proves to be sound defensively or at least a noticeable step up from Cole so this is not such a big deal

We've seen enough already to know that Gunnarsson's overall play is TWO steps up from Cole's. With a Gunnarsson-Pietrangelo pairing, and Bouwmeester-Shattenkirk pairing, The Blues will have a solid NHL Top 10-12 pairing on the ice 5/6 of each game (on average). Splitting the Top 2 worked really well when The Blues had Pronger and MacInnis, and it will work similarly now. And the beauty is that a well-rested Jackman in a 3-man rotation of Jackman-Cole-Leopold, or Lindbohm-Jackman-Cole will be fine for the remaining "protected" 10-12 minutes.

I really think that considering Jackman's and Leopold's ages, it might be wiser to dress 7 defencemen, and alternate Lapierre and Pääjärvi or Jaškin from The 4th to 3rd Lines, playing only 11 forwards (as the younger bottom 6 forwards need more time-and no forward would become fatigued in that situation).

 

[2 Minute Minor]

Gunnarson is still rusty, and makes a few timing mistakes each game. I've also noticed he isn't taking chances on pinches, and sometimes lets opponents win pucks close to the offensive blue line by backing off rather than risk an odd-man rush the other way if he's wrong. I'll be curious to see what his thought process is like when he gets back to feeling on top of his game.

That said, I'm happy with his offensive instincts and see him as a dependable partner for either Shattenkirk or Pietro, depending on how the chemistry works. I'm not convinced that Bouwmeester doesn't stay as Pietro's partner when all is said and done, but either combo will be strong.

Cole's job is to make that 3rd pairing not be a liability. If he plays a solid game and can form an effective pairing with Jackman that isn't getting victimized instead of clearing the puck, the Blues will be getting what they need. If we see Leopold get reinserted in Cole's place its a horrible sign. To Cole's credit, he has shown improvement since Game 1 this season. If he's not matched against other team's top line, I think he'll look solid.