I think ppl are underestimating couturs impact on this team and martins ability to be a foil for burns and also pushing Dillon down can't be overstated.
Hertl looks great this year, but he is not coutures equal. If he were we'd be a stacked forward group.
Let's take a deep breath and move on from this. Anaheim has one win and Vancouver just got beat by the oilers.
Perhaps. I pointed out Couture's last season stats just before this season started. It showed that his stats were much better than what some of us here gave him credit for. Or in other words, the downfall of Couture as some were alluding did not happen.
I don't believe Hertl looked that good in the past two games. Being a 1st rounder, he should be better, imo. However, reviewing the 1st round draftees in 2012 and their accomplishments to date, perhaps 2012 was not a strong draft year?
What the heck happened
To me, it was a puck possession issue, and not the puck possession form of advance stats. I am talking about possessing the puck with the blade of the stick, or fully controlling it. Sharks were not possessing the puck at all, but were fumbling and swatting it.
Since the Rangers played the day before, the Sharks needed to move to a more physical game in the 1st quarter to wear them down, then pounce on later half of the 2nd and 3rd. Instead, the Sharks rarely put any quality hits on the Rangers.
Instead, we saw the speed game ala TMac. However, without the confidence of being able to control the puck on their sticks, and make solid passes, this will not work.
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