Observations XXVIII

[OldFan]

I wonder what the motivation is for that. It looks like maybe there is a little Covid-19 bump-up starting to show, but you'd think just waiting another week would really help determine how real that is.

Although I guess there's not much difference in opening camps in the 3rd week of July and have a 3 week camp and instead opening August 1st and having just a 2 week camp? Either way it does not bode at all well for the 2020-21 season. I can't seem to help resenting this summer playoff scheme a little just because of the implications it reveals about next season. I have to instead just learn to let go of next season and accept that this playoff tournament might be all we get for a long while.

As usual, skeptic that I am, it’s likely the TV networks are telling the league what to do and when. It’s always about the money. Always.

 

[predfan24]

One more thought on the game- I had forgotten that Craig Smith missed that Game 6

That means we were missing Smith, Fiala, Johansen and Fisher. Almost half of our top 9 forwards out

I have said this before, but the fact that we won 4 games in WCF and SCF after losing Johansen was absolutely incredible.

And I was also thinking about this- if you just take a look at the Preds rosters on paper, I think you could make the argument that our overall roster we trotted out there for the bulk of that Cup run was the worst one we have had since 2013. ON PAPER. We have had more talent top to bottom in just about every season since 2014 than we did in that Cup run.

But as the cliche goes- you don't play games on paper. Just a magical run

I think it's a good argument for showing how important team chemistry and momentum is. Every year since 16-17 Poile has improved the roster, but the results have consistently trended in the wrong direction.

 

[drwpreds]

I think it's a good argument for showing how important team chemistry and momentum is. Every year since 16-17 Poile has improved the roster, but the results have consistently trended in the wrong direction.

Yep- and its one of those things that you can't explain or quantify, or even intentionally try to reproduce.

That whole run was just an unbelievable, magical carpet ride.

 

[BigFatCat999]

Wasn't today the day players could show up to facilities?

 

[Adz]

Wasn't today the day players could show up to facilities?

Yes. Not sure if any did, but they could.

 

[Scoresberg]

I think it's a good argument for showing how important team chemistry and momentum is. Every year since 16-17 Poile has improved the roster, but the results have consistently trended in the wrong direction.

Chemistry and the fact that every player knows their role in the team. I don't mind getting good players on the roster but a guy like Turris is a surplus right now and doesn't really help the team playing on the 4th line with other 4th liners.

It's a part of the problem I think we saw with Hynes, the unwillingness to play the top players over the rest of the group and the want to "evenly distribute" the ice-time. You can't have 4 scoring lines in an NHL team in the salary cap era. In a team, you have to accept the fact that there are players who are more talented than others and who are paid enough dollars to score goals and get points.

The top players know their role as the top players and know that they have to produce. It's their role. Whereas, the bottom half of the lineup know their role. And I think that's really important in a team and for the team's chemistry.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Chemistry and the fact that every player knows their role in the team. I don't mind getting good players on the roster but a guy like Turris is a surplus right now and doesn't really help the team playing on the 4th line with other 4th liners.

It's a part of the problem I think we saw with Hynes, the unwillingness to play the top players over the rest of the group and the want to "evenly distribute" the ice-time. You can't have 4 scoring lines in an NHL team in the salary cap era. In a team, you have to accept the fact that there are players who are more talented than others and who are paid enough dollars to score goals and get points.

The top players know their role as the top players and know that they have to produce. It's their role. Whereas, the bottom half of the lineup know their role. And I think that's really important in a team and for the team's chemistry.

I wouldn't necessarily judge any mixing and matching that Hynes did as a definite indication of his ultimate intentions. He was taking a very clean-slate approach to learning about the team, which I applaud him for. He could have just come in and listened to everybody else and gone with the same preconceived notions. But I think he wanted to see players in a variety of roles and come to his own conclusions.

And of course on top of that, there was just so much dysfunctionality when he came in that we were almost down to trying everything under the sun to see what might work. Reducing icetime for some top players at times was a legitimate approach we were calling for to try to snap them out of complacency.

And then the shut-down dropped right in the middle of his experiments so I wonder how much progress might be lost. I don't know if our team is going to move forward fresh and energized, or revert to ingrained habits. There won't be time for experimentation. I suppose he's going to have to start with a plan and stick with it in these playoffs. And then depending what happens maybe back to some experiments next season.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Not to mention that it's not really a Hynes problem if there are too many scoring lines, that's a Poile issue by picking up too many of the same kind of players. Still, it seems like we planned on having three scoring lines (1, 2, 4) and the third line was going to be the shutdown line, but then inexplicably they became the top scoring line and the top-6 wasn't getting the job done. Having Turris noodling around in obscurity on the 4th line wouldn't be an issue if the top two lines were pulling their weight, as it was, he was performing as well or better than most of the top 6, so he's hardly the redundant surplus piece this season.

 

[Armourboy]

Kind of hard to remember what was going on tbh. I know we were on a 3 game win streak with 2 of those being against Dallas and we were starting to get points again from the top 6. The break kind of sucked because it looked like things were heading in the right direction even if it wasn't perfect.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Yeah I think the difference between the Cup run and the last two seasons is a lot different than us just giving our top guys more minutes. Johansen was a completely different player over that time interval, and the JOFA line as a whole was outstanding defensively which hasn't been the case for a long time with them. We had Subban playing like a Norris caliber defenseman. Our bottom pair D were servicable for the most part instead of the hot garbage they've been most of this season. Pekka was having an all time performance up until he had to play in Pittsburgh. Watson was playing outstandingly instead of chasing the game like he seems to be now and that was a big contributor to having a very good PK. One of the big differences from then to now is a commitment to playing much stronger team defense and that seems to be one of the big things Hynes was trying to instill.

It will definitely be interesting to see how things play out coming out of the break. Does Granlund stay hot or revert back to his play for most of his time here? Is Arvidsson healthy and back to his normal self or his he still slow off of the break? Does the Grimaldi-Bonino-Smith line keep its magic or has the chemistry gone away over the long break? Do Duchene and Johansen play at the level their capable of or do they still underperform? Do guys like Blackwell and Trenin continue to push for the bottom pairing spots or are Sissons and Watson able to return to their former selves? Can we find a group of 3rd pairing D-men that can eat 10-12 minutes a night without hemorrhaging goals? How does Fabbro look after getting some time off to recuperate from the grind of an NHL season? Does Saros keep up his recent form or is Pekka able to start playing well again?

 

[sparkle twin]

I forgot to put this up for the Games 6 vs Anaheim

It's a 2-hour remix of the game with player interviews mixed in giving some behind the scenes stories. The stories from Johansen about the night he was injured are really great. Give it a listen when you can!

 

[sparkle twin]

2017 Playoffs Round 4, Game 3 vs Pittsburgh.

First ever home game in the Stanley Cup Final. It's understandable if this is hard to watch, knowing the outcome of the series.


Fox Sports TN, 8pm (Central)
Replay at 11pm, 5am (Fri), 12pm (Fri)

*Also available on the FSGo App!


* Note the time is now 8pm for the games!


Post-Game Talk: - Stanley Cup Final - Game 3 - Pittsburgh 1 at Nashville 5 - PIT Leads 2-1


Also tonight, Game 3 of the Preds Virtual Stanley Cup. The series shifts back to Smashville with the series tied 1-1.

The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports TN at 7pm (it's why the 2017 replays are pushed back an hour) AND the FSTNGo App!

 

[hockey diva]

I just can’t get excited about this return to play scenario. It’s just too many moving parts. And it’s the wrong time of year.

 

[Adz]

It was a very exciting game to attend and to watch in repeat. I don't watch too many rerun, er "classic" games, but that one was special. Watched the virtual game before that.

 

[drwpreds]

So today the MLS announced they were returning and will be playing real games on July 8.

Meanwhile MLB can't even come up with a plan and the NBA and NHL may not even start their TRAINING CAMPS until August.

Not to beat a dead horse, but makes zero sense.

 

[Armourboy]

So today the MLS announced they were returning and will be playing real games on July 8.

Meanwhile MLB can't even come up with a plan and the NBA and NHL may not even start their TRAINING CAMPS until August.

Not to beat a dead horse, but makes zero sense.

No one wants to take the gamble. MLS has pretty much everything to gain which is why they are pushing it.

 

[Scoresberg]

So today the MLS announced they were returning and will be playing real games on July 8.

Meanwhile MLB can't even come up with a plan and the NBA and NHL may not even start their TRAINING CAMPS until August.

Not to beat a dead horse, but makes zero sense.

It's mind-boggling how slow things move in the US. The situation is worse there than it is in Europe for sure, but the German football league has been on for almost a month now, and by the end of next week pretty much all the major football league in Europe are open. The lesser leagues will be open by July as well.

I think the news about the symptom-free people not spreading the disease should fasten the process of opening things up. It's essentially the same thing with seasonal flu etc. do not go anywhere if you are sick. That's why the masks they are wearing in the protests are pretty much pointless.

Also, these kinds of diseases like COVID-19 tend to go away in the summer and possibly come back in the fall. It would almost be safer to start playing right now than to drag the season long into the fall.

 

[PredsV82]

Except the "news" about symptom free people not spreading was promptly retracted.

None of the leagues are going to rush this. They dont want to expose themselves to potential liability if something goes wrong. The potential for lawsuits is staggering. The pleadings almost would write themselves if some non wealthy staff member got sick and died "just so the wealthy owners and wealthy athletes could get back to making money"

 

[jumb0]

2017 Playoffs Round 4, Game 3 vs Pittsburgh.

First ever home game in the Stanley Cup Final. It's understandable if this is hard to watch, knowing the outcome of the series.


Fox Sports TN, 8pm (Central)
Replay at 11pm, 5am (Fri), 12pm (Fri)

*Also available on the FSGo App!


* Note the time is now 8pm for the games!


Post-Game Talk: - Stanley Cup Final - Game 3 - Pittsburgh 1 at Nashville 5 - PIT Leads 2-1


Also tonight, Game 3 of the Preds Virtual Stanley Cup. The series shifts back to Smashville with the series tied 1-1.

The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports TN at 7pm (it's why the 2017 replays are pushed back an hour) AND the FSTNGo App!

That was such an amazing night. Went in as soon as the doors opened and just took it all in.
It was louder during pregame than a lot of actual games I have been to.

 

[jumb0]

Meanwhile MLB can't even come up with a plan.

I'm not a baseball guy, but from what I gather the issue there is that the owners are trying to screw the players out of a ton of money.

 

[drwpreds]

None of the leagues are going to rush this. They dont want to expose themselves to potential liability if something goes wrong. The potential for lawsuits is staggering. The pleadings almost would write themselves if some non wealthy staff member got sick and died "just so the wealthy owners and wealthy athletes could get back to making money"

So starting in August eliminates all of these concerns??? All of those "risks" will be there in August just like they are today. The lawsuit concern will just disappear in August?

If this is the true reason then they should just shut it down indefinitely, because this thing is not just going to disappear, certainly not by August. There is ALWAYS going to be some risk.

The same risk that millions of Americans are having to face daily as we try to get back to work and keep the economy and this nation from completely falling apart.

And again, all over something that for people under 60 and without other severe health complications there is very little risk.

We need to quarantine and protect those high risk groups and the rest of the nation needs to get back to work.

I guarantee you at some point, when the money starts running out for both players and owners, all of these leagues will suddenly decide that the risk is worth it and they will come running back.

But again, agree to disagree- no need to bog down this thread again, and that is my fault for even posting anything about the slow return.

 

[FossilFndr]

So starting in August eliminates all of these concerns??? All of those "risks" will be there in August just like they are today. The lawsuit concern will just disappear in August?

It's entirely possible that by August after 2 more months of opening up that the decision to resume will be reversed.

 

[drwpreds]

So breaking news- the NHL just announced (unless I misread) that training camps are now scheduled to open July 10.

Bravo NHL, finally something that makes sense!

 

[sparkle twin]

2017 Playoffs Round 4, Game 4 vs Pittsburgh.

Game 4, Preds try to the the series. It's understandable if this is hard to watch, knowing the outcome of the series.


Fox Sports TN, 8pm (Central)
Replay at 11pm, 5am (Fri), 12pm (Fri)

*Also available on the FSGo App!


* Note the time is now 8pm for the games!

This is the last of the 2017 Playoff Run Golden Classics. The virtual games will continue until the Cup is won.


Post-Game Talk: - Stanley Cup Final - Game 4 - Pittsburgh 1 at Nashville 4 - Series Tied 2-2



Also tonight, Game 4 of the Preds Virtual Stanley Cup. Preds lead 2-1 after a 3-0 Win in game 3!

The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports TN at 7pm (it's why the 2017 replays are pushed back an hour) AND the FSTNGo App! Replay at 1:30 am.

 

[sparkle twin]

That was such an amazing night. Went in as soon as the doors opened and just took it all in.
It was louder during pregame than a lot of actual games I have been to.

It was. Downtown was crazy, I was not prepared for the sheer amount of people down there before the game! It took me 20 minutes to walk from Paradise Park before the game just to the plaza!

It's always kind of full for warmups during the playoffs, but this was dang near full when the Preds came out and you're right, it was so loud!

Then the game started and it really was an amazing night!