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

[Mantha Poodoo]

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

I would say that my opinion in that time is that he's a very specialized player. He's a shooting, scoring winger and so far little else. Maybe he's a better possession player than I've given him past credit for, maybe he's a decent playmaer too, but that may be too small of a sample to be statistically relevant. It just seems to me that him potting goals is the least surprising thing he could do, as it is his one strength and the way in which he's being utilized by Blash.

Jury is definitely out on what he'll be to the team long term.

 

[ricky0034]

Ovechkin plays 20 min, Pulkkinen 10.

Pulkkinen plays 12 and a half

even if you look 100% purely at per minute stats alone it's still not even remotely close(Ovechkin with 96 shots in 365 minutes of ice time for 15.8 shots per 60 minutes versus Pulkkinen with 44 in 252 minutes of ice time for 10.5) that's still a MASSIVE difference

 

[Risingwind]

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.

True. If they keep that line, it'll finally be the spot that every Pulkkinen bandwagoner has been clamoring for. Not many excuses remain available if he doesn't execute now, though it's unlikely he'll put up 1+1 or more in every remaining game this season. I'm thinking he should be scoring around 0.75 PPG from now on to justify a TOP6 slot, about half and half for goals and assists. It would mean he'd have something like 25+25 at the end of the regular season. Falling under this production pace for an extended period would mean that he's not fit for 2nd line winger duties, in my opinion. Though if he wants to become the next Brett Hull this is just barely acceptable for his first NHL season.

 

[Mijatovic]

I'm thinking he should be scoring around 0.75 PPG from now on to justify a TOP6 slot

Currently only 1 player on the team make that goal you have set just for him to justify his role....

 

[14ari13]

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.

Sometimes people love players from other countries because they bring a different style.
Example:
1 Fedorov. I think people in NORTH american loved fedorov and I think he was a bit overrated. I still think he is a bit overated.
2 Ovechkin . They love him in NORTH amarica.
3 Forsberg . I think they loved his game in NA.
4. Lidstrom . He was like 10 times more appreciated in Canada than in Sweden

Being objective 100% is impossible. So we discuss with other people. Seeing the whole picture is difficult, but we read, we exchange opinions and we enjoy discussions.

But there is no secret that many posters choose their whipping player and sometimes it might be nationality and some other times something else.

Pulkkinen

He needs 10-20 games with the right linemates before he can be judged/evaluated.

Pulkkinen plays 12 and a half

even if you look 100% purely at per minute stats alone it's still not even remotely close(Ovechkin with 96 shots in 365 minutes of ice time for 15.8 shots per 60 minutes versus Pulkkinen with 44 in 252 minutes of ice time for 10.5) that's still a MASSIVE difference

We compare one of the biggest stars in the league, generational talent, to a rookie who is projected to be a 2/3 line winger.
If he becomes a fine 2 line winger, we will all be very happy.

 

[ricky0034]

We compare one of the biggest stars in the league, generational talent, to a rookie who is projected to be a 2/3 line winger.
If he becomes a fine 2 line winger, we will all be very happy.

oh I agree,I think Pulkkinen gets way too much hate around here at times especially considering so far he's both producing decently well and his advanced stats look solid as well and I also think he will at worst be a nice depth player to have around

but someone said he shoots as much as Ovechkin and that just plain isn't true

is it a knock on him that it isn't true? of course not,Ovechkin's in a league of his own when it comes to that and leads the league in shots by every year,often by a wide margin

but the claim was made nonetheless

 

[Hagged]

oh I agree,I think Pulkkinen gets way too much hate around here at times especially considering so far he's both producing decently well and his advanced stats look solid as well and I also think he will at worst be a nice depth player to have around

but someone said he shoots as much as Ovechkin and that just plain isn't true

is it a knock on him that it isn't true? of course not,Ovechkin's in a league of his own when it comes to that and leads the league in shots by every year,often by a wide margin

but the claim was made nonetheless

It still might be true that Pulkkinen opts to shoot as much as ovie. On 5on5 possession time affects the amount of chances to shoot. Centers playmaking ability affects it. Also Looking at raw numbers Pulkkinen shoots 19 shots per 60 on 5on4. Ovie 24 times. But do they get the pass for onetimer as often? Are their centers equal? Linemates? Offensive zone possession time? Pulkkinen is 50% behind on 5on5 shot rate. Again the same questions, are their QoT identical? Do they have equal playmakers and PMD's? Do they get as many passes to their wheelhouse? There's a lot of variables.

 

[Risingwind]

Currently only 1 player on the team make that goal you have set just for him to justify his role....

Then it would double the amount instantly.

If he doesn't become one of the leading scorers in the team, what else can he offer? If he gets a goal only every now and then, he could do that in a 3rd line role just as well. He did break an assist record in the Finnish league, so that's another option he could pursue (but I'd prefer if he started potting goals with some regularity first). He won't be following in Abdelkader's footsteps in any case.

 

[odin1981]

Then it would double the amount instantly.

If he doesn't become one of the leading scorers in the team, what else can he offer? If he gets a goal only every now and then, he could do that in a 3rd line role just as well. He did break an assist record in the Finnish league, so that's another option he could pursue (but I'd prefer if he started potting goals with some regularity first). He won't be following in Abdelkader's footsteps in any case.

He does have underrated passing. It is just a shame up until 2-3 games ago he had **** linemates in due to injuries. I saw him a bunch earlier in the season dish quality passes to scoring area's but he was with guys like Andersson, Helm or a such similar player with no hands what so ever and they would shoot directly into the chest or butterfly legs from 5-10 ft out.

With Dats and Richards that won't happen. They know what to do with it plus they have hands. If that line stays together it will be good for the team. We are very forward deep and that line allows Tats and Nyquist to feast on third pairing + bottom 6 matchups.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Mrazek starting tomorrow. Starting to grab that #1 job.

Same lines and D pairs it looks like.

 

[odin1981]

Mrazek starting tomorrow. Starting to grab that #1 job.

Same lines and D pairs it looks like.

Why is SMith still in instead of Kindl . Oh well that is the only complaint so its not terrible I guess.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Why is SMith still in instead of Kindl . Oh well that is the only complaint so its not terrible I guess.

I would like to see some numbers on how this team does with/without Smith and with/without Kindl. I just have this feeling that we seem to win more hockey games with Smith than we do with Kindl.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Why is SMith still in instead of Kindl . Oh well that is the only complaint so its not terrible I guess.

Because he is better at hockey than Kindl....

That explains it for me at least.

 

[Frk It]

Because he is better at hockey than Kindl....

That explains it for me at least.

Meh. They're both members of the 1 step forward, 3 steps back club.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

Why is SMith still in instead of Kindl . Oh well that is the only complaint so its not terrible I guess.

Because sometimes in management, there is no right answer, only a least worse one.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Meh. They're both members of the 1 step forward, 3 steps back club.

In a physical sport the guy at least willing to play physical hockey is a heck of a lot easier to defend. If for no other reason Smith has an edge over Kindl who is afraid to play hockey at the NHL level most nights.

They haven't been great this year, it is disappointing really believed Blashill would get through to one of them... Inconsistency remains the biggest issue and quite frankly outside of the basic requisite skill in terms of just being able to play to a certain level that is actually the most important thing in a pro athlete. Even there I think we have seen more from Smith than we have from Kindl.

Not happy with either, much like most of the back-end, have liked Smith quite a bit more outside of the rocky couple games in the first five (I think it was around games 4 and 5) than I have Kindl this year. We will see what happens, we also know he will be okay in the playoffs so he gets a bigger nod there in terms of weeding out who should play. Would be thrilled if we waived Kindl altogether.

 

[Frk It]

In a physical sport the guy at least willing to play physical hockey is a heck of a lot easier to defend. If for no other reason Smith has an edge over Kindl who is afraid to play hockey at the NHL level most nights.

They haven't been great this year, it is disappointing really believed Blashill would get through to one of them... Inconsistency remains the biggest issue and quite frankly outside of the basic requisite skill in terms of just being able to play to a certain level that is actually the most important thing in a pro athlete. Even there I think we have seen more from Smith than we have from Kindl.

Not happy with either, much like most of the back-end, have liked Smith quite a bit more outside of the rocky couple games in the first five (I think it was around games 4 and 5) than I have Kindl this year. We will see what happens, we also know he will be okay in the playoffs so he gets a bigger nod there in terms of weeding out who should play. Would be thrilled if we waived Kindl altogether.

One guy has no interest in doing what is needed physically in his own end, and one wanders around his own end like a lost child in an amusement park. I'd prefer neither to be on the ice at all at this point.

Smith had a lot of enticing elements to his game that haven't amounted to much of anything. I have cut ties with him, so I'm not really even going to engage in a Kindl vs Smith debate. Too many times these guys have put together 10-20 games where they look like a player that has turned a corner, and don't build on it at all and revert back to crap. At their age and # of games played I have no patience for it.