Post-Game Talk: We're startin' to come together

[Henkka]

Why exactly would this be surprising? He generates more SOG per minute of ice time than any other player on the team (4th in SOG total), and is 4th on the team in shooting percentage. Despite what other deficiencies he may have, scoring was what he was drafted for and remains the standout aspect of his game.

What's surprising is that he's one of the best possession players on the team; depending on metric you use top 5 or even top 3. Granted, this is with a high percentage of offensive zone starts (for understandable reasons) and somewhat sheltered minutes, however he's blowing our other 'sheltered' guys out of the water in terms of possession.

Giveaways aren't bad (7; same as Larkin) and despite his ~12-13 minutes/game of ice time leads the team in takeaways. I'd say he's forging his own good possession metrics and not just a hanger-on.

Interesting thing in Pulkkinen is, how he hasn't got any kind of favourable PP ice-time yet. This 4-on-3 at St. Louis was probably first time. Guy has been in the second unit and not been used as a primary weapon he could be. Kindl has been the quarterback and usually shoot just a point-shot and won't use Pulu enough or makes bad passes for him he is unavailable to shoot one-timers.

When Pulu will get +15minutes ice-time, and is put with Datsyuk in a Brett Hull style, he will score 40 goals. Easily.

 

[Eggberto]

Interesting thing in Pulkkinen is, how he hasn't got any kind of favourable PP ice-time yet. This 4-on-3 at St. Louis was probably first time. Guy has been in the second unit and not been used as a primary weapon he could be. Kindl has been the quarterback and usually shoot just a point-shot and won't use Pulu enough or makes bad passes for him he is unavailable to shoot one-timers.

When Pulu will get +15minutes ice-time, and is put with Datsyuk in a Brett Hull style, he will score 40 goals. Easily.

Now I'm a fan of Pulks but lets not get ahead of ourselves he hasn't even scored 20 goals in his NHL career so lets not say he's going to put up 40 in a season, easily at that. Let's just reign that in a little lol.

I do agree with your point about the powerplay though--- he needs a solid QB to get him the puck and not telegraph it for the goalie from a mile away. Unfortunately that isn't something Kindl is capable of, but with Richards and Green out there... Well we just saw what can happen last night.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

Interesting thing in Pulkkinen is, how he hasn't got any kind of favourable PP ice-time yet. This 4-on-3 at St. Louis was probably first time. Guy has been in the second unit and not been used as a primary weapon he could be. Kindl has been the quarterback and usually shoot just a point-shot and won't use Pulu enough or makes bad passes for him he is unavailable to shoot one-timers.

When Pulu will get +15minutes ice-time, and is put with Datsyuk in a Brett Hull style, he will score 40 goals. Easily.

40 easily? If anything he is only alittle bit better then nyquist or tatar. And they technically did not reach 30. (but cmon who doesnt count it as 30) and they will forever get more ice time because they can do more then just shoot.

 

[Henkka]

40 easily? If anything he is only alittle bit better then nyquist or tatar. And they technically did not reach 30. (but cmon who doesnt count it as 30) and they will forever get more ice time because they can do more then just shoot.

Pulkkinen is just better pure scorer than either of those. With other weaknesses.

When he will get his ice-time and best possible linemates, he'll hit 40. Somewhere at his career peak. He is what he is. A natural goal-scorer, like he has always been. Why think anything else?

EDIT:

Just as an estimation, Pulkkinen has already scored 5 ES goals, with his crappy ice-time and crap linemates he had in first games. 5 goals in 20 games, that makes 20 goals in 80 games. Even-strength.

And if he would be handed a 1st line PP duty in a main role, those kind of natural pure goalscorers typically double their goal amounts on PP (Ovechkin, Pavelski, Giroux, etc.). Like he did kill the AHL in primary role, with a great playmaker Miele.

So, after few seasons, when Pulkkinen grows his icetime to 3-4 min average on PP (from current 1:35 with secondary unit-mates) and 15min at ES, his shot volume will lead him to 40 goals. It's just mathematically happens, because his shot is so good and he has willingness to use it.

There's potential to go as high as 50, so 40 is the realistic estimation.

 

[14ari13]

I really don't believe people on this site have a bias against Pulks solely due to his nationality. That's absurd.

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I believe there is a bias. Pulkkinen, Franzen, Anderrson etc. Catch way more flack then the home-grown boys like Miller, Glendening, Larkin. Larkin misses a wide open net, nobody says a word. Pulkkinen misses they complain. Anderrson doesn't score, yet plays a good defensive game. Anderrson stinks.
Miller doesn't score, yet plays a good defensive game. Miller is a defensive specialist.
It's Don Cherry type thinking. They see what they what they want to see.
Do you really believe if Pulkkinen was from Michigan instead of Finland he would be getting the criticism he does?
I don't.

It is very hard/impossible to be objective, people would favour some players due to nationality. That's natural. And that's fine.

Pulkkinen has become a fine player. He is very fast, I did not know that, it might be something he has developed lately. He is righthanded, he has the hardest shot on the team, one of the hardest in the league.
Now he has to work on his game. Playing with 2 vetrans, Datsyuk and Richards should help his game.

I hope the OT goal will help his confidence and he will improve. We will see how the team plays from now on.
It seems for the fisrt time this season we have the most players ready.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Pulkkinen is just better pure scorer than either of those. With other weaknesses.

When he will get his ice-time and best possible linemates, he'll hit 40. Somewhere at his career peak. He is what he is. A natural goal-scorer, like he has always been. Why think anything else?

Overly ambitious. Barely any one scores 40 in today's NHL.

 

[Henkka]

Overly ambitious. Barely any one scores 40 in today's NHL.

Barely anyone scored 40 in AHL too.

 

[Henkka]

It is very hard/impossible to be objective, people would favour some players due to nationality. That's natural. And that's fine.

Don't bring this **** on here. It has nothing to do with nationality (me and Pulkkinen being Finnish). It has everything to do with mathematics. He shoots with a high rate as Ovechkin and Pacioretty and those kind of guys. With good shot and good Sh% those shot volumes will translate to goals, especially, when we have one of the best playmakers ever played the game to put with him.

Anything can't be easier to understand.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

Why exactly would this be surprising? He generates more SOG per minute of ice time than any other player on the team (4th in SOG total), and is 4th on the team in shooting percentage. Despite what other deficiencies he may have, scoring was what he was drafted for and remains the standout aspect of his game.

What's surprising is that he's one of the best possession players on the team; depending on metric you use top 5 or even top 3. Granted, this is with a high percentage of offensive zone starts (for understandable reasons) and somewhat sheltered minutes, however he's blowing our other 'sheltered' guys out of the water in terms of possession.

Giveaways aren't bad (7; same as Larkin) and despite his ~12-13 minutes/game of ice time leads the team in takeaways. I'd say he's forging his own good possession metrics and not just a hanger-on.

Probably because I don't think he is THAT good of a player. But I could be in the minority on that one.

 

[DanZ]

Pulkkinen might score 30-40 on a bad team that is willing to give him 1st line ice time... On Detroit though, we need more well-rounded players in the top 6 that can do things other than shoot. He's improving though, things could change. He's not getting anything close to 40 goals with the minutes he's getting now though.

 

[johnnyarmstrong]

Pulkkinen, so far, has been an elite possession player. I think he will be something special.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Pulkkinen is just better pure scorer than either of those. With other weaknesses.

When he will get his ice-time and best possible linemates, he'll hit 40. Somewhere at his career peak. He is what he is. A natural goal-scorer, like he has always been. Why think anything else?

EDIT:

Just as an estimation, Pulkkinen has already scored 5 ES goals, with his crappy ice-time and crap linemates he had in first games. 5 goals in 20 games, that makes 20 goals in 80 games. Even-strength.

And if he would be handed a 1st line PP duty in a main role, those kind of natural pure goalscorers typically double their goal amounts on PP (Ovechkin, Pavelski, Giroux, etc.). Like he did kill the AHL in primary role, with a great playmaker Miele.

So, after few seasons, when Pulkkinen grows his icetime to 3-4 min average on PP (from current 1:35 with secondary unit-mates) and 15min at ES, his shot volume will lead him to 40 goals. It's just mathematically happens, because his shot is so good and he has willingness to use it.

There's potential to go as high as 50, so 40 is the realistic estimation.

He has 2 goals in the last 12 games though. And one of those goals was a 4-on-3 PP and I believe the other was a very flukey deflected shot. I'm not convinced he will keep producing at a 20+ goal pace unless he starts playing better. So far he has looked outmatched in the top 6, it's very possible that he's one of those guys that is at his best with limited minutes on a 3rd line where he can get favorable matchups. Do you really think he will dominate possession against the superstars of the league?

 

[johnnyarmstrong]

He has 2 goals in the last 12 games though. And one of those goals was a 4-on-3 PP and I believe the other was a very flukey deflected shot. I'm not convinced he will keep producing at a 20+ goal pace unless he starts playing better. So far he has looked outmatched in the top 6, it's very possible that he's one of those guys that is at his best with limited minutes on a 3rd line where he can get favorable matchups. Do you really think he will dominate possession against the superstars of the league?

with pavel... yes

 

[14ari13]

Don't bring this **** on here. It has nothing to do with nationality (me and Pulkkinen being Finnish). It has everything to do with mathematics. He shoots with a high rate as Ovechkin and Pacioretty and those kind of guys. With good shot and good Sh% those shot volumes will translate to goals, especially, when we have one of the best playmakers ever played the game to put with him.

Anything can't be easier to understand.

I did not aim at you.
In this case, Pulkkinen, I just noticed that some Swedish posters had too critical posts of him, which I believe come from the swedish-finnish rivalry.

But in general, people can't be objective, it is just human natur, and that's fine. It would be crazy to think that canadians like better Malkin than Crosby, and it would be the same to think that Russians like better Crosby than Malkin.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Barely anyone scored 40 in AHL too.

Far easier to score 40 in the AHL than in the NHL by comparison, though. A 40 goal scorer in the AHL does not mean he will be a 40 goal scorer in the NHL.

 

[Eggberto]

Far easier to score 40 in the AHL than in the NHL by comparison, though. A 40 goal scorer in the AHL does not mean he will be a 40 goal scorer in the NHL.

I heard Maltby scored 50 in Juniors

 

[Risingwind]

-
I believe there is a bias. Pulkkinen, Franzen, Anderrson etc. Catch way more flack then the home-grown boys like Miller, Glendening, Larkin.

I've noticed a similar thing. Been checking out how the Wings are doing because I'm watching where ever Pulks plays at, and at first when viewing the DRW board I saw irrational critique towards him. Then after a while I realized that every player gets their share of it, not to mention the head coach. I stopped worrying about it and thought that it just means Pulkkinen is now more or less accepted as a regular player by everyone.

To me it seems like he's still adjusting and learning the rhythm at NHL level, Datsyuk will be a great help in making him understand when to shoot and when to mix up his pace. I'm not expecting him to pot 30 goals this season, but next season is a different matter. Of course with someone like Datsyuk feeding him things could become very interesting. That seems likely because the lines look pretty good as they are now. Anyone should be able to look good on Datsyuk's wing, but the 1st and 3rd lines look fine and switching Pulks to either of them doesn't feel like a good idea. I'd go with these lines at least until the next injury.

 

[SimplySolace]

I heard Maltby scored 50 in Juniors

CHL =/= AHL though.

 

[ricky0034]

Don't bring this **** on here. It has nothing to do with nationality (me and Pulkkinen being Finnish). It has everything to do with mathematics. He shoots with a high rate as Ovechkin and Pacioretty and those kind of guys. With good shot and good Sh% those shot volumes will translate to goals, especially, when we have one of the best playmakers ever played the game to put with him.

Anything can't be easier to understand.

that's just flat out not true

Pulkkinen has 44 shots in 20 games so far this year

Ovechkin has 96 in 18

 

[Eggberto]

CHL =/= AHL though.

The same could be said about the AHL -> NHL too.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I did not aim at you.
In this case, Pulkkinen, I just noticed that some Swedish posters had too critical posts of him, which I believe come from the swedish-finnish rivalry.

But in general, people can't be objective, it is just human natur, and that's fine. It would be crazy to think that canadians like better Malkin than Crosby, and it would be the same to think that Russians like better Crosby than Malkin.

You are so off it's not even funny.

Pulkkinen is playing such perfect flawless hockey that the only way one could criticize him is if that person is biased against Finnish players?

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Pulkkinen, so far, has been an elite possession player. I think he will be something special.

His shots just need to hit the net a lot more though, He's missed the net as much as he's hit it.

 

[14ari13]

that's just flat out not true

Pulkkinen has 44 shots in 20 games so far this year

Ovechkin has 96 in 18

Ovechkin plays 20 min, Pulkkinen 10.

You are so off it's not even funny.

Pulkkinen is playing such perfect flawless hockey that the only way one could criticize him is if that person is biased against Finnish players?

I am not always right, if I was I would have a paid hockey job. Therefore I am a regular poster discussing hockey with others posters.
But I will be here in 2 months and we both will see that I am right about Pulkkinen. He needs 10-20 games with right linemates and he will be good. The mistakes which he makes Are rookie mistakes and the coach and veteran linemates will help him out get rid off those mistakes.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I am not always right, if I was I would have a paid hockey job. Therefore I am a regular poster discussing hockey with others posters.
But I will be here in 2 months and we both will see that I am right about Pulkkinen. He needs 10-20 games with right linemates and he will be good. The mistakes which he makes Are rookie mistakes and the coach and veteran linemates will help him out get rid off those mistakes.

I was saying you are wrong about how people can't be objective or that no one can prefer a player from a different country over one of their countrymen.

As for Pulkkinen, when I criticize him I'm not saying "he sucks and will never improve". I'm saying he's not playing very good and has a long way to go. I was hoping he'd be further along, he's 23 and has plenty of pro-hockey experience so I'm not giving him a free pass or forgiving all his mistakes when he scores a goal. It's not about being "right", I'm just saying what I see. If he cleans up his game in the next 10-20 games no one will be happier than me.

And for the record I'm like 25% finnish myself so maybe just maybe I'm not some finn-hating swede.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I've noticed a similar thing. Been checking out how the Wings are doing because I'm watching where ever Pulks plays at, and at first when viewing the DRW board I saw irrational critique towards him. Then after a while I realized that every player gets their share of it, not to mention the head coach. I stopped worrying about it and thought that it just means Pulkkinen is now more or less accepted as a regular player by everyone.

To me it seems like he's still adjusting and learning the rhythm at NHL level, Datsyuk will be a great help in making him understand when to shoot and when to mix up his pace. I'm not expecting him to pot 30 goals this season, but next season is a different matter. Of course with someone like Datsyuk feeding him things could become very interesting. That seems likely because the lines look pretty good as they are now. Anyone should be able to look good on Datsyuk's wing, but the 1st and 3rd lines look fine and switching Pulks to either of them doesn't feel like a good idea. I'd go with these lines at least until the next injury.

Underrated in that equation is how well Richards passes. Like the overtime goal, he freezes the entire D and goalie because he comes down toward the slot with his head up and puts it right in Pulkkinen's wheelhouse. Richards has been a great passer for a lot of years in this league, it isn't just Datsyuk and really that is huge for Pulkkinen. If they can get that line humming he will be a huge benefactor. It is on him as the primary triggerman to make sure he keeps that opportunity coming.