Pre-Game Talk: Sens @ Leafs Feb 1. (7 p.m. Eastern)

[starling]

people cry about the line up every single game


When we first took out Kassian it was a bad move cause he is a lucky charm. Now he is useless?

The difference between winning and losing this game won't be cause of da costa sitting who is on the 4th line

people whine about the dumbest things here these days

So you didn't notice that 3 of our 4 winning lines got shuffled because of Kassian? Okay.

 

[OttawaSenators11]

AndrePetersson, i am feeling a Kassian goal tonight! Be afraid

I am going to win this bet! : P

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

people cry about the line up every single game


When we first took out Kassian it was a bad move cause he is a lucky charm. Now he is useless?

The difference between winning and losing this game won't be cause of da costa sitting who is on the 4th line

people whine about the dumbest things here these days

We 'whine and cry' because our forwards aren't actually that good, and it is in the opinion of the majority on this board that many are being consistently misused in the positions that they are put in or the linemates they are given (see: Zibanejad, Smith), thus giving them even less chance to succeed on the ice.

Pretty simple to understand IMO.

 

[Benjamin]

Looks like we're playing the leafs game.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

You've gotta be kidding me. Poor Smith is right. So Pmac completely ruins a good shutdown line and puts Smith in the middle of two oafs who handle the puck like a grenade. This line is going to be absolutely useless on the ice for any sort of sustained pressure or defensive zone clearing. We're past the point now of playing a game vs the leafs like it is an MMA matchup. We should actually PLAY HOCKEY.

At least Zib and Smith are back at C, but it's useless with those linemates.

This essentially makes our team a 3 line team. The idiocy of this fourth line is absolutely staggering.

Why the **** didn't they just recall a ****ing winger to play with Spezza, keep GSN intact, or have Michalek go back with Zib where he was actually somewhat useful.

Whew. Deep breaths.

edit - Condra 2 point night. Book it.

On the other hand, part of the reason we've been so successful when Kassian is in is because he gets less ice-time than average. That gives us more time to play our top guys, and they've shown they can handle increased workloads.

That said, I agree. Why put in a fourth-liner who's going to get spot duty when you have a fourth-liner who can play a regular shift?

 

[PatrickEaves]

AndrePetersson, i am feeling a Kassian goal tonight! Be afraid

I am going to win this bet! : P

We need a winger. Petersson has been awesome in Bingo, and they still won't call him up.

 

[OttawaSenators11]

Looks like we're playing the leafs game.

at the very least it should be exciting seeing some guys take punches to the face.

 

[thinkwild]

Looks like we're playing the leafs game.

This is Sens hockey! Buckle up!

 

[HSF]

So you didn't notice that 3 of our 4 winning lines got shuffled because of Kassian? Okay.

what the hell is a 'winning line'? we have won games with so many different line combos and the only one that doesnt change is the turris line for good reason


Zibby is back at center isnt that what most wanted? Jeez the man can't win with this fanbase.

 

[starling]

Line brawl will make me a little bit happier.

 

[HSF]

We 'whine and cry' because our forwards aren't actually that good, and it is in the opinion of the majority on this board that many are being consistently misused in the positions that they are put in or the linemates they are given (see: Zibanejad, Smith), thus giving them even less chance to succeed on the ice.

Pretty simple to understand IMO.

Zibanejad has had PLENTY of chances to succeed. He needs to be more consistant to earn his ice . Our forwards are actually good just not all of them. We need wingers which Maclean can't do anything about thus you see changes. It happens and it is perfectly normal.


I thought people wanted Zibby at center anyways so why cry more? DaCosta not playing allows us to play our 4 strongest centers

 

[Savannah Skunk]

Lets just hope no-one pre-emptively starts a fight before one is needed, only to get his bell rung so hard he's knocked out with a concussion... followed by an ugly loss.

I hope we show up to play some intense great hockey that as fans we can be proud of.

 

[John Holmes*]

people cry about the line up every single game


When we first took out Kassian it was a bad move cause he is a lucky charm. Now he is useless?

The difference between winning and losing this game won't be cause of da costa sitting who is on the 4th line

people whine about the dumbest things here these days

Maybe it's because Kassian is freaking useless?

Maybe Da Costa would be the difference. You know...he MIGHT score a goal. Kassian is a sure bet not to, especially with his ass stapled to the bench for 57 minutes.

I can't wait for Phillips to come back so that he can blow the PP and point at opposition players right before they score.

Face it. MacLean is a moron. We win in spite of him, and surely we'd be in a more comfortable spot in the standings if he wasn't such a meathead.

 

[Micklebot]

Inserting Kassian just means for this game we will rely more on our top 9. Is that really such a bad thing?

I wouldn't want to do it all season as fatigue might start to creep up on us, but for a game here and there I've got no problems with it. Kassian, imo, has gotten to the point where while he doesn't add anything, he also is rarely costing us a lot (though it's primarily because his line is sheltered, and he plays limited minutes).

I really like the Conacher DaCosta Condra line and hope we go back to it after this game, but I'm not going to complain about getting Kassian into the line-up against the leafs. Besides, I think Zibanejad could succeed in DaCosta's place, that combo has the potential to be a possession demon (pun intended).

Tbh, I'd be more upset if Phillips was back in.

 

[Tampacuseforever]

I forget the exact number but it is something like if a player play 8 of the last 10 games before the Olympic break he can't be sent to Binghamton during the break. This maybe the reason we are going to see less of Stone and DaCosta before the break.

 

[Baby Ryan]

Maybe it's because Kassian is freaking useless?

Maybe Da Costa would be the difference. You know...he MIGHT score a goal. Kassian is a sure bet not to, especially with his ass stapled to the bench for 57 minutes.

I can't wait for Phillips to come back so that he can blow the PP and point at opposition players right before they score.

Face it. MacLean is a moron. We win in spite of him, and surely we'd be in a more comfortable spot in the standings if he wasn't such a meathead.

I don't think Kassian is a liability (most of the time). Plays a simple game, works hard on the forecheck, makes simple passes and for the most part, doesn't handle the puck like a grenade (*cough cough, #4 and #25, cough).
He isn't likely to add anything other than toughness and the occasional scoring chance, but he isn't a big liability like some other regulars in the line-up.

I think the reason some people are "crying" about the line-up is because we shouldn't be playing the leafs game and gooning it up. We tend to lose those games.
I think in any other particular match-up, most people wouldn't go that nuts about this particular line-up change.

 

[Micklebot]

I don't think Kassian is a liability (most of the time). Plays a simple game, works hard on the forecheck, makes simple passes and for the most part, doesn't handle the puck like a grenade (*cough cough, #4 and #25, cough).
He isn't likely to add anything other than toughness and the occasional scoring chance, but he isn't a big liability like some other regulars in the line-up.

I think the reason some people are "crying" about the line-up is because we shouldn't be playing the leafs game and gooning it up. We tend to lose those games.
I think in any other particular match-up, most people wouldn't go that nuts about this particular line-up change.

The one thing I don't like about this move is that we don't have home ice, so managing Kassian's ice time will be more difficult and possibly lead to mis-matches. Don't expect Kassian to see any face-offs in the Defencive end unless he ices the puck first.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I don't think Kassian is a liability (most of the time). Plays a simple game, works hard on the forecheck, makes simple passes and for the most part, doesn't handle the puck like a grenade (*cough cough, #4 and #25, cough).
He isn't likely to add anything other than toughness and the occasional scoring chance, but he isn't a big liability like some other regulars in the line-up.

I think the reason some people are "crying" about the line-up is because we shouldn't be playing the leafs game and gooning it up. We tend to lose those games.
I think in any other particular match-up, most people wouldn't go that nuts about this particular line-up change.

Exactly.

Leafs are the experts at cheap goonery play. We try to play like that against them and we'll lose every freaking time (and have).

We need to play our game and let the Laffs try to adapt to us.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Not with ya on that one.We dont need a forward out there that Kadri can push around like its his sister.He is to soft for my liking.He just hasnt prepared himself physically for playing in the NHL.When they have to keep telling him every year end to go and get stronger its a little late.Should of been doing that all along through school.I think Bobby Butler fell to the same fate,IMO

I like good hockey IQ and da costa has it. He might not have physical strength but he knows where to go on the ice at all times and read plays very well defensively, I think he makes a much bigger impact than kassian.

 

[John Holmes*]

It's hard to be a liability when you're never on the ice.

It's easy to predict what will happen. The 9 guys that actually play are going to run out of gas and we'll give up the lead and lose.

 

[Benjamin]

Why roll 4 lines when you can have Kassian ruin a line and do nothing... not even fight and even if he does fight, it makes literally no difference to the game.

We dress Kassian instead of Da Costa against the Jackets annnd we lose.

 

[Micklebot]

I like good hockey IQ and da costa has it. He might not have physical strength but he knows where to go on the ice at all times and read plays very well defensively, I think he makes a much bigger impact than kassian.

Ok, this is true, but only for the 3-4 mins of icetime Kassian gets. For the remainder of 12 mins DaCosta could have been expected to get, would he have a bigger impact than the other three center ice men (Spezza, Turris, Zibanejad) that will eat up those 7-9 mins?

I think when you examine the full impact playing Kassian has throughout the lineup, it's a relatively neutral move, though I wouldn't want to lean on the top 9 that heavily over the course of an entire season.

 

[aragorn]

Good to see SDC out of the lineup & Kassian back in, Ottawa is going to need him tonight. Hopefully, Stone will be back soon from injury & SDC will be returned to Bingo, then I can turn my attention to trading Condra & Conacher again.

 

[Micklebot]

Good to see SDC out of the lineup & Kassian back in, Ottawa is going to need him tonight. Hopefully, Stone will be back soon from injury & SDC will be returned to Bingo, then I can turn my attention to trading Condra & Conacher again.

I understand you prefer big players, but have you been disappointed with DaCosta's play? Imo, he really has been fantastic in his role this time around.

 

[Hammertyme]

Maybe it's because Kassian is freaking useless?

Maybe Da Costa would be the difference. You know...he MIGHT score a goal. Kassian is a sure bet not to, especially with his ass stapled to the bench for 57 minutes.

I can't wait for Phillips to come back so that he can blow the PP and point at opposition players right before they score.

Face it. MacLean is a moron. We win in spite of him, and surely we'd be in a more comfortable spot in the standings if he wasn't such a meathead.

Park Kassians ass in front of the net and we'll be OK.