yotes come to town and hes playing 1st line lw with gabby
and the guy he was traded for may not even dress.
wow, have things ever changed since he left the desert
lgr
You know...i've been reviewing some footage of lisins shifts thanks to the magic of DVR, and I think ive been a little bit hard on him...with that said, i think if the kid could get his shot on net a little harder, make quicker decisions with the puck on his stick...he could be a legit 25+ goal scorer...
You know...i've been reviewing some footage of lisins shifts thanks to the magic of DVR, and I think ive been a little bit hard on him...with that said, i think if the kid could get his shot on net a little harder, make quicker decisions with the puck on his stick...he could be a legit 25+ goal scorer...
agree.
2 points.
first, i like what bobbop has been saying and i happen to have said the same thing as well, the kid is learning a new game. hes learning hockey is played on both ends of the ice. in doing so, and i give him credit for doing it, hes focusing on his "away from the puck" play alot more and concentrating on executing what torts is teaching him. torts has told him, "you need to do this in order to play for me", and the kid is doing it, hes really doing it even as it is effecting his offensive production. and i think torts recognizes this and is rewarding him for his actual on ice accomplishements doing the litte things that dont show up on the score sheet and having faith in him that his offensive contributions will come back once he starts doing those little things hes being taught without having to think about it.
second, this is a kid who comes here from russia at 19, doesnt speak the language, is homesick and ends up going back to russia then returns and seems to give his all at learning the language and fitting in. he never was a 2 way player ever. offensive players in russia are taught to play offense while ignoring the other aspects of a solid 2 way game. to me, he fits that mold of the young russian who is all offense and no defense and thats not at all unusual.
given his misuse in phoenix and his lack of proper coaching- thats obvious if you believe torts when he says "he doesnt have a clue away from the puck", the kid really is being coached for the first time in his life to play 2 way hockey. and you know what, hes doing it.
i find it ironic he was traded for a finnish player who comes from a junior national program know for producing 2 way, defensively responsible players and that same finn is a healthy scratch and pointless for the season while lisin is playing on the top line.
lets not forget, hes 6'2 197 lbs. thats a pretty solid frame. hes just got to put it all together and hell be just fine. i couldnt think of a better spot or better coach than torts for this kid right now.
i'll bet you that 4 out of every 5 pregame skates where the lines look strange, never see that same lineup during the actual games. usually its just torts trying to see people in other positions while he gets the chance.
Our boys need to turn it around tonight and though Phoenix have been pretty impressive thus far i think our guys are hungry for a win. I say we take it 4-1 tonight.
This game is my personal turning point. Should we win, good. Should we lose, its time to start getting a little worried. Just a little. Not a full blown board overhaul involving trading Lundqvist, Del Zotto, and Rozsival as is likely to happen.
I am not trying to downplay the Yotes here, but if we dont win this we are in some trouble.
If you should end up losing to the Coyotes, at least you'll be in good company. The Coyotes already have wins over Pittsburgh, San Jose, Boston, and Detroit this season. With St. Louis also on the list, five of Phoenix's six victories have come over playoff teams from last season. Also, our goals against average is currently the best in the NHL. Obviously it's early, and Phoenix is going to have their ups and downs, but they've at least started off pretty well, so I wouldn't be overly hard on the Rangers should the Coyotes end up stealing a point or two. They've shown they're capable of doing so. There is nothing even remotely similar about a Dave Tippett team and a Wayne Gretzky team. It's honestly night and day.
That said, I can't see the Rangers losing a fourth game in a row. Especially not at home.
Plus, I wouldn't be suprised to see LaBarbera get the start. The Coyotes made it clear that they don't want to over work Bryzgalov as badly as they did last year. Well, he's started eight or our first nine games. He could really use the rest. If we go with LaBarbera, it's obviously going to be less difficult to knock a few goals in.
