LOL what a dogshit of a team. Even the games they've been winning lately - most of them they've been outplayed.
Seeing yet another embarrassing 1st round loss in our future (if they make the playoffs). What will that make, 6 in a row?
Sullivan's system blows - Terrible Defensive zone play, no sustained pressure in the O-zone, players stay to the outside, most of our goals only come off the rush.
so lets take your last take and try to figure out whteher that is Sully's system or our players just suck or is it both:
Defensive Zone Play: We are bad in all apects of defensive play: If they dump behind our dman our only play is with your back to the ice sending the puck around the wall, that if we are lucky that their forwards are not faster to the puck and blow our weak dman off the puck, the next thing happens every team watches tapes and has double coverage on the weak side, a forward F2 and a dman to intercept the puck and create a new opportunity. Our forwards best they can do to tip the puck into the offensive zone where there is no one and wash rinse repeat. Other than POJ we don't have anyone right now that can actually take a puck and try to skate out of zone. letang used to do this but he has drilled in his head some bulshit about simplifying his game, whcih made him just a mediocre defensman who on occasion ctaches a wind of his former "complicated" game and actually create something. So thats it. Once they are pinned down they are also awful and somehow alaways on a losing end of one on one battles. A lot of this is confidence and some weird north south shit that they have been asked to do. Also is there a defensive core that does more of those stupid Murfy dumps to no one, only to get the puck back immediately.
O Zone sustained pressure:
Its hard to sustain any pressure when you completely rely on dumping the puck behind the defense, with one of the slowest offensive cores. they are slow but they are also weak. I think in last dozen games I have seen only once attacking through the NZ with 3 guys supporting each other with crisp passes. L1 used to do that but this whole Sid is the best grinder in the world thing changed the dynamics of L1, they dump and rely on really good work by Sid and Rakell to keep the pressure. Jake has been awful, not mediocre, plain awful. L2 is stronger but they are too far appart and move puck around perimeter and hope for a rebound. It does not help that our dmans are either scared to death of pinching and holding the blue line or they are just not good at it.
We still manage to score a lot due to some of the revigorated PP and Sid's and Geno's magic but even during the winning streak goals were not coming from a smopth, sustained development. Sully has only one way of playing and he said so many ways, dump teh puck, grind, play high to low, shoot the puck and go for rebounds. He does not have a plan B, and thats the issue that is showing now when there is zero confidence and being outhustled by just about every other opponent.
Most of our wins, Jarry was the best player on the ice, and he appeared not to acknowledge that rolling the same system, relying on Sid's 25% shooting, etc...Good coach sees this, adjust. Bad coach puts Rutta, and Dumolin in offensive zone face off that we know Geno will win at 4:4 game against f***ing Red Wings less than 2 minutes to go. That is mind boggling.
