GDT: STORM FOLK @ PREHISTORIC KITTENS

[chaz4hockey]

This team is absolutely worthless on the road without Slavin, frankly. Nashville is not good at all. We should've easily swept them after the first 2 games. Just flat out embarrassing. See you all next game, done with hockey for a few days.

i think you are selling the Preds short. They had a superb record in the back part of the season and when you combine our lagging power play it’s a big equalizer.

Btw-Their D is solid (been out playing ours) and they have gritty playoff type players that are effective this time of the year.

We don’t have a line similar to Bruins Marchand, etc that can play both types of games (free wheeling or grind ‘em) on our squad. Staal’s is only line that can play this type of game but you can’t expect that line to be your leading scorer; Aho, Trochek’s have been crap in non PP situations this series.

Finally, missing Slavin is the clearly a big issue but that doesn’t excuse the passivity and absolutely turdish play that we’re getting from Hamilton. He is not a youngster like many of the players on the team and as such should be playing like a warrior and showing the way.

This series is shaping up like ‘78 Isles-Leafs whereas Islanders were a top point team and had skilled guys but Leafs pounded them for 7 games and finally won against the Isles on the road in Game 7.

I hope I’m wrong.

btw2: I thought they would start Mrazek and then come back to Ned in games 5-6 if necessary. Reason being, Ned now is probably exhausted and putting Mrazek in cold in a must win game is worrisome.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I do think some are selling the Preds short, as well as Saros.

We knew two things could determine the series before it began: Slavin's health and Saros stealing games. Well, Slavin's played 1 game out of 4 and Saros has back-to-back 50 save performances.

So we've got a tied series.

 

[The Faulker 27]

My hope is that Slavin is back for Tuesdays game. Even if he can't be 100% and play for 20-25 min this team needs some life. Mrazek would be another consideration. Ned needs a break.

 

[DougieSmash]

Move on and win next two. I still believe in this team.

 

[Svechhammer]

I still have full faith we will win on Tuesday. I also think we should win Game 6.

That being said, we're dangerously close to having this go to a Game 7 in a best case scenario, and I'm not looking forward to the prospects of having to play Tampa right after going through the long, long gauntlet this series is going to end up being.

The last 2 games might have killed any realistic chance we had at a long playoff run, even if we win this series.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Teams win cups after 7 game first rounds all the time.

Prognosticate all you want, but it's best of 3 to get to that next round. Be tough and get it done.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I still have full faith we will win on Tuesday. I also think we should win Game 6.

That being said, we're dangerously close to having this go to a Game 7 in a best case scenario, and I'm not looking forward to the prospects of having to play Tampa right after going through the long, long gauntlet this series is going to end up being.

The last 2 games might have killed any realistic chance we had at a long playoff run, even if we win this series.

Honestly, I think our chances took a major hit once it became obvious that TB can drop six goals seemingly at will. There's no beating that.

 

[Roboturner913]

I don't know what our chances were before Slavin's injury, but I know that for me, when it became clear that it was more than just a routine muscle strain or whatever, that it was going to be a problem.

You can't lose a guy like that, he's just too big a part of the team. All those minutes he chews up against the other teams' star players can't be replaced by second-tier players, least of all when those players are having to play even more minutes to keep guys like Bean and Lajoie insulated, and on top of that playing in double overtimes.

We could probably afford to lose almost any single forward on the roster, even Aho or Staal. We could afford to lose any one goalie. We could even afford to lose any d-man aside from Slavin. But we lost Slavin, and he's the one guy on defense that allows us to play super-aggressively on the forecheck with relatively few consequences.

My eyes tell me the Canes are the better team, but we've seen the Canes beat "better" teams in the playoffs before. We may still get through this series but I don't see us beating Tampa or Florida.

Just a really bad break losing the guy that is, IMHO, our best player, at the time we did.

 

[The Faulker 27]

I don't know what our chances were before Slavin's injury, but I know that for me, when it became clear that it was more than just a routine muscle strain or whatever, that it was going to be a problem.

You can't lose a guy like that, he's just too big a part of the team. All those minutes he chews up against the other teams' star players can't be replaced by second-tier players, least of all when those players are having to play even more minutes to keep guys like Bean and Lajoie insulated, and on top of that playing in double overtimes.

We could probably afford to lose almost any single forward on the roster, even Aho or Staal. We could afford to lose any one goalie. We could even afford to lose any d-man aside from Slavin. But we lost Slavin, and he's the one guy on defense that allows us to play super-aggressively on the forecheck with relatively few consequences.

My eyes tell me the Canes are the better team, but we've seen the Canes beat "better" teams in the playoffs before. We may still get through this series but I don't see us beating Tampa or Florida.

Just a really bad break losing the guy that is, IMHO, our best player, at the time we did.

All speculation at this point but Rod saying he isn't 100% leads me to believe it's not a major injury or something he needs surgery for. He also said he didn't aggravate his injury in game 1. He looked great, albeit less mobile, but still a difference maker. I think these 2 games were a roll of the dice since they knew they had 2 games in the bag. They came close to winning both, and I believe it's over had he played, but we also need him if we move on so I'm glad he's getting time to heal.

I would expect we see him until we right the ship. That's just my opinion of course. There is no question he is our most important player, and these 2 games put a spotlight on it.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Through 4 games, Pesce is about 34 minutes shy of his ice time in that 7 game series against Washington in 2019.

 

[The Faulker 27]

Through 4 games, Pesce is about 34 minutes shy of his ice time in that 7 game series against Washington in 2019.

Pesce is a beast. Without him we didn't have a chance in hell coming close in these last 2. I don't know what we did to deserve him and Slavin but this team is nowhere without them. Skjei too. What a playoff soldier he's turned out to be.

 

[Tryamw]

 

[3CanesInTheBox]

Rest up, boys.

 

[DougieSmash]

I don't like our intensity in last two games. We have some chances, we were one play away from win but that's not our game. I can't blame Ned - he has beek OK. Not liability, has some great stops.

Not sure how dominant is Saros at all. We don't put enough good chances against him at all

 

[The S5]

Top two lines are just flat offensively. Aho can't do it on his own. Also, Trip's love affair with TT is getting a bit much. The guy has been mostly invisible.

Why are we missing the net with so many shots? It leaves no chance for a rebound and usually results in an easy exit for the Preds.

As far as the goaltending goes, Ned played well, but, there are times when you need your goalie to play flawlessly. that doesn't mean not letting in any goals. He just can't let a puck get away from him like he did on goal 2. Those kind of goals, when your team offense is struggling, can be crushing. He needs a rest anyway, so I'm guessing Petr gets next game.

Also, can our D sort out their coverage? It's pretty clear that the Preds are trying to get behind the D with stretch passes. We also look confused about backchecking responsibilities. Just not something I've seen all season.

We need Slavin back in the lineup in the worst way. It couldn't be more clear that Slavin's presence covered Dougie's defensive flaws. Dougie needs to focus on defending first, then let the offense come organically. Right now, his defending is Tony DeAngeloesque, or worse.

 

[Svechhammer]

Teams win cups after 7 game first rounds all the time.

Prognosticate all you want, but it's best of 3 to get to that next round. Be tough and get it done.

It's not the potential for a 7 game series that I'm worried about. It's having to potentially go against a rested Tampa after playing the equivalent of more than 8 games over the span of 14 days where our top defensemen have multiple games of 30-40 mins per night that worries me.

 

[GoCanes2015]

From the opening faceoff, my thoughts were "sloppy. Listless. Careless. Slow. No energy. I really thought we were going to lose 4-1 or something like that. The entire team was off, maybe they were tired from the previous 2OT, maybe they were (still) in that "play down to your opponent" mode that nagged them all season. Dougie was surely exposed with no Slavin to protect him. First period he had quite a few gaffes that just looked apathetic. He's lost in his own mind. I do think Pesce and Skjei valiantly took Slavin's ice time, the issue was who was next man up. Based on expectations, Lajoie probably had a better game than Dougie. Bean may end up being really good, but playoff hockey shows how tough it's going to be for him to play in the tight spots. He's just not that strong on the boards. Ned played well enough to win again, all goals weren't on him by a fair stretch. Their superstars showed up, ours didn't. Svech was back to undisciplined Svech. And it seemed while I believe we have a good margin of faceoff win%, it seemed we lost nearly all the ones that counted. The first 5 minutes Tuesday will show whether this team heard the wake up call, or if they're just coasting and hoping for a lucky bounce somewhere. Ned should play again, because of the way the Preds are pushing in their defensive zone. We need to spend less time in our end, and Ned is better for that than Petr. Skjei should be protected in the draft (provided we're not here in 7 months saying the same things about him we are saying today about Dougie. And please be ready to play, Jaccob (although the nature of his injury makes any 2nd playoff matchup that much tougher. He's hurt and needs surgery/extended rest to get better, throwing him out there against a TB or BOS might be short term desirable, long term detrimental.

 

[spockBokk]

If they play Slavin next game, I think you have to go 11-7. That ensures you have someone on deck if Slavin ends up not being able to finish, and that you’re hopefully also not playing Pesce/Skjei for another 40mins.

Problem with that being, who would you sit up front?

 

[the halleJOKEL]

If they play Slavin next game, I think you have to go 11-7. That ensures you have someone on deck if Slavin ends up not being able to finish, and that you’re hopefully also not playing Pesce/Skjei for another 40mins.

Problem with that being, who would you sit up front?

according to some comments, svech

 

[Svechhammer]

according to some comments, svech

I wouldn't sit Svech, but I would also seriously consider shaking up the lines to shelter his minutes going forward. Put Necas back with Aho and see if that can spark the team like it did earlier in the year. They both could use a nice kick in the pants.

 

[CanesUltimate11]

If they play Slavin next game, I think you have to go 11-7. That ensures you have someone on deck if Slavin ends up not being able to finish, and that you’re hopefully also not playing Pesce/Skjei for another 40mins.

Problem with that being, who would you sit up front?

I'd sit Fast at this point if you were going to go 11-7.

 

[Daeavorn]

I definitely think we need to put Svech back on Staals line. He seems to be fighting it some. Hopefully he can get it together.

Id like to see maybe Fast or McGinn on Ahos like. I think we need someone that will really forecheck the shit out of Nashville with Aho and Teuvo. Maybe that way we can get more pucks on net.

I think NTN is fine and should be left alone. They are still scoring so id rather not disrupt that.

 

[spockBokk]

I'd sit Fast at this point if you were going to go 11-7.

I think Fast has been fine, outside of his lack of finish. Personally, I’d sit Lorentz and dress Gardiner or LaJoie as the 7D, then double-shift Aho and/or Staal as appropriate with McGinn and Martinook.

 

[Svechhammer]

I definitely think we need to put Svech back on Staals line. He seems to be fighting it some. Hopefully he can get it together.

Id like to see maybe Fast or McGinn on Ahos like. I think we need someone that will really forecheck the shit out of Nashville with Aho and Teuvo. Maybe that way we can get more pucks on net.

I think NTN is fine and should be left alone. They are still scoring so id rather not disrupt that.

Yeah I could see that. It looks like Playoff Brock is making an appearance again, so maybe let him come on board and create some chaos on the top line. Then again, wonder how much of his success last night was that Nashville couldn't pour all their defense across our top 3 lines.

 

[CanesUltimate11]

I think Fast has been fine, outside of his lack of finish. Personally, I’d sit Lorentz and dress Gardiner or LaJoie as the 7D, then double-shift Aho and/or Staal as appropriate with McGinn and Martinook.

Oh yeah, I think he's been fine overall, no issue with his play. I'm just thinking off the forwards who would sit for an 11-7 setup it would realistically be him or Lorentz and between them I've liked what I've seen from Lorentz more. Plus that leaves us with a natural center on the 4th line and not Martinook or a double shifting Aho. Not sure it would really make a difference but I'd rather let Aho loose on the wing with less responsibility if he is double shifting.