GDT: It's Way too Early to talk Pla...HEY SEVEN OUT OF EIGHT! YEAH!

[Navin R Slavin]

They were upgrading the goaltending, and I still think they did. I think Darling is an improvement over Lack...

What evidence do you have at present to support this assertion?

 

[The Stranger]

CRISPR: A game-changing genetic engineering technique - Science in the News

@HisIceness expansion on the possibilities with CRISPR

For those interested in funding/investing in gene editing, check out Editas Medicine:

EDIT

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[AD Skinner]

Who named CRISPR, Mitch Hedberg?

 

[Ole Gil]

What evidence do you have at present to support this assertion?

For whatever reason, Goalies in Carolina get treated as though they have +.15 to their save percentage just for not being Cam Ward. It expires immediately when they are shipped out.

It was surreal with Lack. He was bad for so long, and their was still a strong "If he just gets the chance to play 5 games in a row...."

 

[bleedgreen]

What evidence do you have at present to support this assertion?

I watch the hockey games. Then I open up my amazing hockey brain for all of you.

Case closed.

 

[bluedevil58]

For whatever reason, Goalies in Carolina get treated as though they have +.15 to their save percentage just for not being Cam Ward. It expires immediately when they are shipped out.

It was surreal with Lack. He was bad for so long, and their was still a strong "If he just gets the chance to play 5 games in a row...."

We should have signed Bishop. Darling blows.

 

[bleedgreen]

Why would Bishop have signed here?

 

[The Stranger]

Folks continue to solely rely on SV% to evaluate G performance...admittedly G's are hard to evaluate.

Ward has been underrated here for years because of his subpar SV% just like Darling was overrated coming in here.

From the Darling trade thread:

Darling is 28 years old and has 75 games on his resume playing for arguably the best team in the league during that time. How much of a financial commitment are folks willing to make?

Put aside Darling's SV% playing in a backup role for the Hawks...tell me about his puck-tracking, tell me about his movement in the crease, tell me about his skating, tell me about his puck-handing, tell me about his mental fortitude.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I mean, part of it is that Darling isn’t good, but at the same time, why does the team rarely show up for games when anyone but Ward is in net?

The GWG last night was a bad one, but Darling also made some great saves that allowed the team to tie it up/kept it tied at 2. A big issue was the first period, when it looked like they’d rather be doing anything else but playing this game.

It’s a trend that’s gone on for years. The team simply plays better in games when Ward is in net than when Darling/Lack/Khudobin/Peters/Leighton is minding the crease.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I mean, part of it is that Darling isn’t good, but at the same time, why does the team rarely show up for games when anyone but Ward is in net?

The GWG last night was a bad one, but Darling also made some great saves that allowed the team to tie it up/kept it tied at 2. A big issue was the first period, when it looked like they’d rather be doing anything else but playing this game.

Well, they came off an emotional, hard fought win in Raleigh, then had to travel to St. Louis. Yeah, I know STL played in Dallas the night before, but I suspect it's easier coming home, staying in your own house, etc... and they lost in Dallas so likely had a bit of extra motivation. That could have had something to do with the lackluster 1st.

It’s a trend that’s gone on for years. The team simply plays better in games when Ward is in net than when Darling/Lack/Khudobin/Peters/Leighton is minding the crease.

Speculating. Maybe when they have more comfort and confidence in the guy in net, they are able to play a more aggressive and confident game. My son was a defensemen on a travel team with two goalies. One goalie was outstanding, the other was hit or miss. He said he most definitely felt he had to play differently depending on who was in net and I could definitely see it in his game.

Secondly, the style of each can come into play. Cam may have his issues, but he has always been a calm goaltender that has decent rebound control overall. He's efficient in his movements. Darling is all over the place, has poor rebound control and poor ability to recover when he gets himself out of position. Add to it that he's given up a few super softies, and the team has to be questioning him as well. I think I recall last year a news report or tweet where the defensemen said they had to play differently depending on who was in net.

As for the rest of the guys you mention, Peters and Leighton were just bad goalies. Khudobin had 1 very good season with the Canes and 1 bad so hard to say they played poorly in front of him all the time as he was clearly good his 1st season. Lack, I'm not sure. He's struggling with Calgary and was in the AHL before getting traded so we'll see.

 

[JCLA]

Well, they came off an emotional, hard fought win in Raleigh, then had to travel to St. Louis. Yeah, I know STL played in Dallas the night before, but I suspect it's easier coming home, staying in your own house, etc... and they lost in Dallas so likely had a bit of extra motivation. That could have had something to do with the lackluster 1st. .

The problem is this isn't a 1 off situation. More often than not, they don't show up when Darling is in net.

Darling hasn't really looked great either, and maybe that has a part to do with it. But it's an entirely different team out front when Ward is in net vs Darling. And I think that was quite obvious when Darling had a lower GAA than Ward but Ward was 6-2 giving up 3 goals a game

 

[bluedevil58]

So it's a confidence thing then. Basically the team doesn't have a lot of confidence in Darling.

 

[JCLA]

Or vice versa. Or both.

But you would think not having confidence would make you play harder, as you would assume you would need to play better to cover up for what you don't have confidence in the other person for.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Darling also doesn’t play the puck nearly as well as Ward (decision making included, not just skill wise). He doesn’t colossally f*** up very much if at all, but when he plays the puck he’s just firing it out of trouble, where Ward starts the breakout a few times a game.

 

[bluedevil58]

Maybe they are trying to play a tighter defensive game when Darling is in net and not scoring/making more mistakes because of it?

 

[geehaad]

Darling also doesn’t play the puck nearly as well as Ward (decision making included, not just skill wise). He doesn’t colossally **** up very much if at all, but when he plays the puck he’s just firing it out of trouble, where Ward starts the breakout a few times a game.

I am going to go ahead and disagree with this. One is probably not better than the other, but if anything, Darling is slightly better than Ward with the puck on his stick.

 

[JCLA]

Well that's the problem isn't it? They aren't playing a tighter defensive game and they aren't scoring when he's in goal

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

The problem is this isn't a 1 off situation. More often than not, they don't show up when Darling is in net.

Darling hasn't really looked great either, and maybe that has a part to do with it. But it's an entirely different team out front when Ward is in net vs Darling. And I think that was quite obvious when Darling had a lower GAA than Ward but Ward was 6-2 giving up 3 goals a game

Like I said, guys naturally play differently when they don't trust the guy behind them. Plus, Joe's comment above can come into play as well (although it's probably they are more accustomed to Ward's play with the puck so know what to expect than Ward being better). Lastly, when a guy gives up a softie or two (like in NY), it can deflate a team quickly.

I definitely think the team is playing better in front of Ward, but I don't think they "aren't showing up" for Darling. In Darling's 10 games played, 7 of them were 1 goal games and most of those against very good teams, so hard for me to say the Canes are not showing up for him more often than not. I don't think we can just assume the Canes can impress their will on better teams. St. Louis is a damn good team and the while the Canes started slow, which is not atypical for a team traveling on a back to back, they played well the rest of the game and should have gotten a point out of that one if it wasn't for Darling's softie.

And we also should look at the competition. Cam's last 3 starts: Buffalo, Montreal, and Pittburgh. Not one of those a team currently in the playoffs and Buffalo and MTL are two of the worst teams in the NHL so much easier to "show up". Darling's last 3: Columbus, Toronto, and STL. Other than the debacle in Toronto, it's hard to say the team didn't show up for CLS and STL. Looking back, it is interesting that Ward got pulled in his only start against Toronto where the Canes were down 3-0 and 4-1 but Peters decided to leave Darling in.

I'm not defending Darling here. He clearly has been bad and lack's confidence right now and Ward is the superior goalie. Just saying there are more thing in play than "the Canes don't show up for Darling".

 

[Lempo]

It makes a poor sportswatcher of me, but my prime concern with Darling is that the rough patch doesn't push him back onto the A-market medication. I can stomach the L's if he gets through this without stomaching the contents of a bottle.

Luckily you can trust this organization to be classy.

 

[JCLA]

And we also should look at the competition. Cam's last 3 starts: Buffalo, Montreal, and Pittburgh. Not one of those a team currently in the playoffs and Buffalo and MTL are two of the worst teams in the NHL so much easier to "show up". Darling's last 3: Columbus, Toronto, and STL. Other than the debacle in Toronto, it's hard to say the team didn't show up for CLS and STL. Looking back, it is interesting that Ward got pulled in his only start against Toronto where the Canes were down 3-0 and 4-1 but Peters decided to leave Darling in.

This is something I didn't take into consideration either. And I don't want to come across as defending Darling either, although I guess I kind of am, because he has been lackluster. It just seems the team is playing better as a whole with Ward in net as opposed to Darling and maybe it is the competition.

I also don't think it helped he gave up a goal in the first minute in his first game back since the Toronto debacle.

 

[Joe McGrath]

I am going to go ahead and disagree with this. One is probably not better than the other, but if anything, Darling is slightly better than Ward with the puck on his stick.

Usually I can look something up to defend my position but it’s not like I can look up highlights of breakout passes from goalies. Agree to disagree is a good way to end this one.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

My view is somewhere in between. I think the forwards and defense are more accustomed to what Ward is going to do with the puck, so they have a familiarity and react better when he plays the puck. They seem unsure what Darling is going to do with it and are more tentative and unsure.

 

[geehaad]

I think the forwards and defense are more accustomed to what Ward is going to do with the puck, so they have a familiarity and react better when he plays the puck. They seem unsure what Darling is going to do with it and are more tentative and unsure.

That's logical, I'm just not seeing a difference in terms of successful puck movement from Darling's stick onto the skater's stick. I wouldn't think that there would be any debate that Darling is far better at hitting passes beyond his own blue line, if for no other reason than Ward never even makes the attempt. So that has to factor into the equation. Another factor is that Ward only moves the puck "east and west", never "north", and has only one response to both defensemen being covered, and that is to send it around the boards. Darling has shown on more than one occasion that he can find an outlet up-ice when his D-men aren't options. Of course, Darling had that massive blunder where he scored on himself, and that taints evaluations of him...not accusing anyone of not being able to see past that one mistake, I'm merely acknowledging it as a factor that has to be considered if we're comparing the success of either goalie in making plays with the puck on his stick.

Like Joe said, though, since it's 99% eye test, it's fine to agree to disagree. I suppose we could look at a "turnover" stat, but that would seem to be about as valuable as looking at plus/minus for defensemen and if it's being kept, I couldn't readily find it. However, I will now use confirmation bias to watch this more closely in the immediate future.

 

[RodTheBawd]

Usually I can look something up to defend my position but it’s not like I can look up highlights of breakout passes from goalies. Agree to disagree is a good way to end this one.

Usually you don't need to defend a position on something that's seemingly obvious.

 

[Joe McGrath]

That's logical, I'm just not seeing a difference in terms of successful puck movement from Darling's stick onto the skater's stick. I wouldn't think that there would be any debate that Darling is far better at hitting passes beyond his own blue line, if for no other reason than Ward never even makes the attempt. So that has to factor into the equation. Another factor is that Ward only moves the puck "east and west", never "north", and has only one response to both defensemen being covered, and that is to send it around the boards. Darling has shown on more than one occasion that he can find an outlet up-ice when his D-men aren't options. Of course, Darling had that massive blunder where he scored on himself, and that taints evaluations of him...not accusing anyone of not being able to see past that one mistake, I'm merely acknowledging it as a factor that has to be considered if we're comparing the success of either goalie in making plays with the puck on his stick.

Like Joe said, though, since it's 99% eye test, it's fine to agree to disagree. I suppose we could look at a "turnover" stat, but that would seem to be about as valuable as looking at plus/minus for defensemen and if it's being kept, I couldn't readily find it. However, I will now use confirmation bias to watch this more closely in the immediate future.

The funny thing is, I don’t even remember Darling scoring on himself, must’ve been while I was away. You do bring up an interesting point in the difference of their puck handling styles. Maybe it appears to me Ward is better because his style (East/West) is what the team is used to and that’s why it looks better to me.

Or maybe I opened a can of worms over analyzing something that didn’t really need to be looked at this closely.