I only go by what I see (famously ignorant words around here), but I don't think Burmi has an issue entering the zone at all.
My issue is that he often stops up on the half boards and tries to operate from there. More often then not this seems to lead to a turn over.
I don't think what he's doing is bad or wrong, I just don't think our offensive system is designed to be ran that way.
It appears to me that our forwards crash the corners for puck support and create a cycle from there. If Burmi doesn't get the puck the areas his teammates expect (or the system expects) we're in trouble.
Cormier played something like 1 minute today. Kane was on that line the majority of the game.
watch wheeler! he makes a lot of plays by hitting the blueline with speed and then holding up at the dots-then hitting ladd/little in the high-slot.
I also track how many offensive chances arise from zone entries.
Those haven't been bad either
I see Kane and Wheeler turn at the half boards many times too when they are looking for support. The problem is, that Cormier and Thorburn aren't optimal support.
Exactly what i was about to say.
I think burmis "doodling" gets overblown because A)we're looking for it and B)it happens because he doesn't have an option.
I see wheeler and kane make these plays at least once a game and its usually because
A)their linemates have gone for a change and wheels/kane didn't realise it (were waiting for support)
B)They're linemates are tied up/out of position
and the most frequent
c)they're not on the ice with their usual linemates.
Burmi gets stuck with guys who don't have the speed or ability to keep up with him, i see him look for the pass and rarely does he actually have an option.
It would be nice to get burmi on a line with someone who can skate with him and find the seams, that's the ideal person for burmi- a guy that can get to those open spots.