Having not seen last night's game I won't say much more than based on the various comment last night's OT win should not be considered a game that met expectations based on the current status of their opponent.
While it's great to see another win, current success does not ensure future success, especially when you consider how that win was accomplished.
Goaltending has been decent? Depends on how you look at things. Downey as a rookie has been solid. Medina as a vet has been the same as he was in his first year. He's a decent goaltender when he's on his game, very inconsistent and when he's off, he's way off as we've already seen him pulled twice this year. We can hope that the last two starts he had are a sign he's turning the corner but as a vet in a rookie filled league the last two games have to be the expectation from him.
For what is supposed to be an offensively gifted team their PP performance is inexcusable. The inconsistency in offensive production at even strength even moreso.
It's nice to see the wins going in the right direction but trying to spin this as anything more than a team starting to beat the teams they should beat handily is misrepresenting what's been going on. When they start beating the top teams consistently then these stats start to mean something. Until then this is just getting the points they should be getting while ignoring their struggles are still a problem against those same teams.
Cfaub
Based on some your comments re Windsor's recent wins ,a serious question do think London's 9-1 record to date is the same as they have 5 OT wins amongst the 9,5 wins over Owen Sound and 2 over Sarnia,before their loss at Flint,a team Windsor handled 6-2 a few days earlier.
Other then the special teams issues to date for the most part especially the last 7 games I dont see a scoring issue
1st 4 games of season they scored 10 goals,next 4 scored 16,last 3 scored 12,and has a record of 4-2-1 in those 7 games.Every single game they were special teams not withstanding the better team scoring chance wise,only outstanding efforts from Cajan 2 of them with Kitchener, Guzda in Owen Sound when Windsor had 50 shots prevented Windsor from going 7-0 in this stretch.
I think you are being a bit harsh overall especially when u consider Windsor is 4-2-0-1 in their last 7 and easily could be better based on their play vs Kitchener and Owen Sound.
I will stick with numbers from only the Western conference as we do not play the East to compare. Windsor is in 6th place in the conference. No surprise it happens that we are currently 6th for goals for and 6th for goals against. I realize teams have played more or less but that is a slice from today. There are 4 basic issues in my opinion to explain only 11 points out of 22 available to far. I have ranked them as I see the relevance
1. Last place in penalty killing by a fair margin
2. 8th place Power play
3. Our best D are not are best performing D
4. Goaltending inconsistencies. (has been much better the past few games)
Who is designing the schemes of our powerplay? Why does it still look the same after all these games regardless of which players on the ice? Hard to enter the zone with speed when you drop pass the puck and the player dropping the pass usually has his back turned completely away from the opposing team and the offensive zone. Why do we not get shots through in the middle with traffic in front of the net. Sure worked for Erie last game.
Why is our best offensive players killing penalties most of the time? Is that not a good time to put in the younger players eager for more ice? Why tire out our offense. Bench has been short on forwards all season already. Most opposing teams have scored early in their powerplay against us. The lines need some serious thought. I would expect some my players with the longest reach to be killing penalties to restrict passing lanes. Also need to blast the puck out of our zone with authority. We seem to just give it back to their point men too easily and they maintain zone control. Others with thoughts on the special teams? I believe we get this straightened out and the points will start to pile up.
Excellent post fully agree with everything that you have written.
Team goes 4-2-0-1 in their last 7 and people are bitching, starting goalie averages 2.70 in last 4 starts,2.00 in his last 2 games people are complaining about consistency, give me that average every day of week,Medina played 1 bad period in the 12 plus 2 OTs and a shootout and we need consistency
Team D is a mess yet this team has allowed 20 even strength goals in the last 10 games,I will take that every day of the week.
In the last 7 games only 3 players are minus all -1,Baisov,Sobolev and Peer.
For the unfairly maligned D here are their +- numbers,
Ride(+6),Sobolev (-1),Ladd(+3),Ribau(0),Renwick(+5),DeAngilis (0),Henault (+1)
The Ribau trade with Robinson was an excellent trade,rarely mentioned doesn't fit the narrative.
Robinson was a -6 in the 4 games before being dealt.
Keep up the fair posting.
I have already agreed and commented re special teams both the PP and PK have really struggled
Some people on here are never happy. They lose, you complain, they win you complain even more. This is probably the most toxic fan message board I've ever seen. No, they weren't at their best against Erie, but still had 15 more shots on goal than them and outplayed Erie for the last two periods. They also hit 3 posts.
The home loss to London, Spits outplayed them most of the game and would have won if it wasn't for the terrible giveaway by Zito to give the Knights a 2 on 0 with 2 mins remaining. The compete level is there, the scoring chances are there.
The home game against Kitchener, the Spits lost but probably deserved a better outcome considering they had almost 50 shots on goal but you guys complained. I see complaining about the offense but they have averaged 4 goals per game in the last 7 games, how can you complain about that average? Yes the PP sucks right now, you can have that. The defensive zone coverage is a weakness as well but it's been a little better recently.
I truly believe some on here prefer the team to lose so they can complain, just a toxic environment on here, comical really.
I mean, this could all be worse - there could be another cancelled season.
Once again catch phrases of "toxic message board" that hadn't been used in a few months. Is this being used to continue the circular conversation??
How many times have we said they weren't at their best?? Home opener/ even the game against Sarnia where they came back they were sleeping walking for much of it. There are a few more games you mention. How can you say the Spits deserved a better fate against Kitchener?? They still gave up 6 goals and it's never about deserving a better outcome you earn what you get. Maybe Erie thinks they deserved a better fate because for much of the game they were the better team but they didn't because they gave up 2 goals in 12 seconds.
People have these discussions because to date they are the definition of an average team at best. Poor special teams, middling goaltending at this point, not scoring a lot of goals and have given up more goals than they have scored. Save your toxic message board BS for when the team is achieving something until then give it a rest.
People get all excited when the team beats the teams they should yet when they can't beat the teams they need to anyone critical is toxic.
They were the better team against Erie for two of three periods and needed OT to beat them. They got the W, great but a team expected to be a contender versus a team currently last in the conference and might battle for the last playoff spot and there's nothing in that result to critique?
Windsor, based on how people see them should have been dominant for 3 periods and beat them by at least a couple even if their goalie stood on his head.
Did that happen? Was that even close to happening?
Every hits a couple of posts every game, it's not horse shoes and it's not a moral victory when a team hits the post or crossbar. I know Legend likes to point that if not for them hitting the post or crossbar they could have had a few more, but they did hit the post and it counted for as much as them putting the puck 20 feet wide. It may be exciting during the play that they came close but it still doesn't count for anything.
People who predicted this team was going to lead the conference, the rookies were going to have an immediate impact, the PP was going to be amazing, the D was going to be the best in the league, the iffence top 3 in the league are now the ones celebrating should win games as the team doing something special while ignoring how they almost lost those should win games. Then using woulda, coulda, shoulda excuses to justify losses or say they would have this record had they only won in OT.
It's not about criticizing wins or losses, it's about giving an honest opinion based on how they played. If they played well in a loss then give them credit if they played poorly in a win then be critical.
Taking stats, particularly out of context they can be made to show whatever you want while ignoring anything you want to hide. There's more to the game then that and maybe I give too many people too much credit on for believing they know and understand that.
Ok by your logic, London must be garbage bc they lost to Flint???
Why not use more than a 2 game sample size to show how consistent Medina has been or to show his average? If I take the first six games he started he consistently gave up 5 goals in half the games?
Is it an honest and fair picture of how he's performed over time? No, of course not but neither is ignoring half the games he's played to show how amazing he's been.
You've been using the last 7, 8, 9 or 10 games when they had played 8, 9, 10 or 11 games, why? Does using the 2nd number change the stats to a less flattering result than you wish to portray?
How about thoughts on the overall play including versus the quality of opponent? Erie a team they should have dominated but by most thoughts on the game they didn't.
We can all wave pom poms then act surprised while we make excuses year after year for poor results or we can give honest thoughts on the games when they're played, point out the good and bad trends as they develop and understand why the results have been consistently, not always poor for years now.
We'd all take a goaltender with a 2.00 average every day of the week but most realize that it's very rare for any goaltender to maintain that average longer than 2 games let alone one that gave up 5 goals and was pulled twice in half of his first six starts or so.
Reality is a poor team is likely to be dominated by a decent team more often than get an upset. When a decent team scrapes out an OT win that's not a lot to celebrate, especially when they struggle to beat or even compete against the teams they're supposed to be on par with.
It could be better too.
If everyone dealt with the reality of things instead manipulating stats to support a false representation of what's going on then calling those who call them out negative over an honest representation of what's actually happening.
LOL, I remember in 2019 when the Spits were ranked #5 in the CHL you didn't give the team any credit. Fact is many on here find a way to criticize the team no matter what. The loss to Kitchener they gave up 2 empty-net goals. They had more scoring chances than Kitchener. You can't have it both ways, the team wins you criticize because they didn't play well enough for your liking. But if the team plays well and loses you, would never give them credit for playing well
I know you disagree, I just think 1 bad period in Medina's last 4 starts, where he allowed 3 goals,is unfair,the body of work in the other 11 periods, plus 2 OTs and an extra shooter shootout is more reflective what he has been doing.
What he did game 1 vs Sarnia isn't relevant to what he has done lately.
His average has dropped more then half a goal since game 2,I just like his game during this last 7 game stretch where Windsor is 4-2-0-1.
I also think through the 1st 11 games
of this season they have been snakebit both on the PP and even strength, they have been the better team overall in the majority of the scoring chance wise and it hasn't shown completely in the points total
For example did u know that after 11 games this year the opposing goalie has named 1st star of the game 4 times
In fact it's 4 times in the 1st 9 games,
and it easily could be 6 in 9,because Brochu in game 1 in Windsor for London in the 8 shooter shootout easily could have gotten the 1st star, and in game 1 vs Sarnia Gaudreau could have got star when Windsor was outshooting them 28-11 after 2 when Medina allowed 3.
Windsor btw has 1 goalie named in the 1st 11, Downey in his 6-3 win over Guelph.
In 19/20 when we last played only 1 goalie was named 1st star in the 1st 11 from the opposition and that was Ingram from Kitchener
Windsor had 1 as well in the 1st 11 then it was Medina.
However for curiosity I took a look at the next 11 games from that year
Not 1 opposing goalie was named
Interesting both Medina and Piironen were named 1st stars in the games 12-22
So 4 goalies in 1st 9 games compared to 1 in 22 for the opposition
Big difference it's affected the PP and overall scoring.
Which is why when I see D maligned when only 20 goals scored against at even strength in last 10 after 6 in the 1st game due mostly to goaltending
It's unfair.