Agreed with everyone who is saying this isn't something that can be focused on just a few individuals. We have way too many guys in the top 6 who are not strong at ES. Guys like Tavares, Bailey and Comeau largely just due to inexperience, and Bailey is probably the best 2 way player in the top 6 followed by Comeau, but they aren't exactly great defensively. Then the rest of the top 6 is filled out with guys like Moulson, PAP and Schremp, all of whom are quite deficient defensively, not to mention not very fast. Your top 6 should play approximately a third of the game, and if that's what your top 6 looks like, you're not going to win a lot of games. Having Okposo back would help in this regard, but him alone is not the answer. I think a trade for a guy like Kunitz or Cleary, a veteran forward who is very responsible defensively and doesn't look totally out of place in the top 6 along with getting Okposo back would help a lot here.
The defensive deficiencies up front only get magnified when you stop and look at our defense on top of that. Martinek and Eaton have been solid, but neither are true top shutdown players. Wiz is good offensively and on the PP, and I like his physical game, but he has lapses defensively. Mottau has been all right, but he's anything but a shutdown guy either. Having MacDonald and Streit back would help a lot, I think, but it would be nice to get a true top 4 shutdown guy in there somewhere as well.
Dipietro's certainly been an issue, and is definitely not excluded from all this, but we've gotten solid goaltending from Roloson and his record isn't looking all that better (Rolo is at 2-3-0 vs DP's 2-3-2). The truth is, even with good goaltending, the team as a whole isn't playing well enough to win.
Don't get me wrong, the bottom pairings and bottom line guys aren't helping the fact at all, but they're not the ones losing the games.
This right here is the biggest reason we're losing and losing badly:
Rob Schremp -4
Jack Hillen -4
Zenon Konopka -4
Blake Comeau -5
Jon Sim -7
PA Parenteau -7
Matt Moulson -7
John Tavares -9
Mike Mottau -10
James Wisniewski -10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Height
mm, I think me and you are the only 2 people on this board who like Hunter.
I like Hunter too. He is less effective than he used to be, but he's still one of the better defensive forwards on this team. For all the talk about him and Weight being liabilities, they've still managed to be tied with Bailey for 3rd on the team in +/- at -1. Nielsen to no one's surprise is first with +2 and Grabner's quietly got himself a +1.
I like Hunter a lot. He's not the problem. If asked to what he can be expected to, he's effective.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seph
I like Hunter too. He is less effective than he used to be, but he's still one of the better defensive forwards on this team. For all the talk about him and Weight being liabilities, they've still managed to be tied with Bailey for 3rd on the team in +/- at -1. Nielsen to no one's surprise is first with +2 and Grabner's quietly got himself a +1.
Nice. Looks like we can add 2 more to the fanclub.
DP- umm...yeah don't have to explain this nomination
Weght-Not because he's playing exceptionally terrible, just because I'd rather see any other young kid up here playing instead of Weight trying to RECAPTURE the days when he was washed up.
Wang-I would blame Snow and yes he can share in the roster decisions however Wang has handcuffed him with the salary restraints...just like any other team, your not gonna be competitive when you use half the resources everyone else used.
DP- umm...yeah don't have to explain this nomination
Weght-Not because he's playing exceptionally terrible, just because I'd rather see any other young kid up here playing instead of Weight trying to RECAPTURE the days when he was washed up.
Wang-I would blame Snow and yes he can share in the roster decisions however Wang has handcuffed him with the salary restraints...just like any other team, your not gonna be competitive when you use half the resources everyone else used.
on the bolded -
on the TSN broadcast BMack suggested this is the type of play that gets a coach fired.
I consider these players to be one person: Blake Comeau, Rob Schremp, PA Parenteau
The sum is worse than its parts (and the parts are pretty bad.) You have to limit the amount of players like this you have on your club. It's impossible to juggle that many sub-par hockey brainers. Comeau has all of the physical tools Parenteau has all of the effort. Schremp has all of the energy, but no way of channeling it constructively.
Can I call 4 (or 5) of our 6 d-men one person? Our defense is a huge problem. We're not tough, we blow coverage far too easily, and we don't have enough skill.
DiPietro. Whether we like it or not, it's a problem until it solves itself. The soft goals and giveaways have got to stop. Rusty, or not, there's only so long that this is going to last. If I'm the coach, I platoon the goalies. 50/50. Zero questions asked. Do that, until you can figure out what the real answer is on DiPi. It'd help the team to know that every other game they'll have Roloson. It'll give consistency to DiPietro's starts.
Honorable mention to Gordon and the Gillies situation/lack of consistent lines/double centers in the offensive zone.
This team needs a grownup Hamonic. This team needs Kyle Okposo. This team needs Mark Streit. This team needs a foundation in goal. We've got some answers coming, but I'm hoping the team can tread water until then.
But the big thing is the defense has been the night and day difference between the hot start and the free fall... Everyone who looked great early on has looked complete opposite the last few games..
And also the one thing I think we all have noticed is the complete lack of being able to score 5v5...
I won't put it on a player at all just my three gripes with the TEAM as of right now.
The better question is what three things are holding the Isle down.
The better question is what three things, really four, are holding the Isle down.
1 - Streit/MacDonald being hurt. Really two things, but had the effect of removing talent from the top end and filling in with low end talent. This forces everyone else on the defense to be in a position above their capability/comfort level.
2 - Okposo being hurt. Less talent used to fill the spot and gives our opponents one less thing to worry about allowing them to focus on our few remaining offensive talents.
3 - Gordon desire to let Ricky work out his problems at the NHL level. At the level Ricky is playing, he could work out most of his rust at Bridgeport.
i dont think number 3 is gordon. a coach in the last year of his contract starting a rusty goalie and being ok if he's not playing well. i just dont buy that. snow said he wanted the team to make the playoffs this year. if/when they dont do you think snow is going to blame the team he signed or the coach? my guess is the coach.
Im totally confused how you could blame any goalie in there. Are you watching the games? Too slow to keep pace with opponents leads to wide open gaps and spaces on the ice. There is literally no defense in front of whatever goalie is in there.
When its 5 on 5 it seems the opponent is on a power play.
When the isles are on PP it looks like even strength.
Oddly enough when the Isles are short it seems fairly even. The PK is maybe the best unit we have.
Top 3 things holding us down is
1) Speed
2) Basic skills talent (passing, checking)
3) Lack of proven players that have talent
Im totally confused how you could blame any goalie in there. Are you watching the games? Too slow to keep pace with opponents leads to wide open gaps and spaces on the ice. There is literally no defense in front of whatever goalie is in there.
When its 5 on 5 it seems the opponent is on a power play.
When the isles are on PP it looks like even strength.
Oddly enough when the Isles are short it seems fairly even. The PK is maybe the best unit we have.
Top 3 things holding us down is
1) Speed
2) Basic skills talent (passing, checking)
3) Lack of proven players that have talent
Rick DiPietro - 4.21GAA 854SV%
Dead last in both stats. But yeah he deserves no blame.
OK Lets use a little logic. Say you have a goalie with a 1.50 GAA and a 97% SV%.
Now put him against an NHL team.....alone.
Still think he will have a 1.50 GAA and a 97% SV% after three periods?
Dwayne Roloson - 2.51GAA 913SV%
Playing behind the same team.
DP has been good for a few terrible goals a game this year, and you don't have to just look at the stats, he has been horrible. I don't see how anyone can defend his play so far this year.
Sure some goals are the defense's fault, but Rollie is playing behind the same defense.
Im totally confused how you could blame any goalie in there....
Not sure if you were addressing my post specifically, but if you were, I did not blame the goalie. I blamed Gordon using Ricky in a manner that hurts the team's chance of winning.
This thread comes down to what has been discussed in other threads:
Does the team play differently in front of DP (as opposed to just about any other goalie who might be in net?)
It seems like it. Seems being the key word.
This is something that can probably never be proven. And if it is true, can the team get past that mental block?
Not sure if you were addressing my post specifically, but if you were, I did not blame the goalie. I blamed Gordon using Ricky in a manner that hurts the team's chance of winning.
OK Lets use a little logic. Say you have a goalie with a 1.50 GAA and a 97% SV%.
Now put him against an NHL team.....alone.
Still think he will have a 1.50 GAA and a 97% SV% after three periods?
Lets just forget about stats and talk about HOW DIPIETRO HAS LET THE GOALS IN.
Half of the time its his positioning, which without his old athletic ability is incredibly important. He also has trouble covering/gloving, the puck a lot. These are problems that juniors goalies deal with, not NHL level backups/starters.
He needs to be dropped soon, before we get the next first round draft pick again.
Lets just forget about stats and talk about HOW DIPIETRO HAS LET THE GOALS IN.
Half of the time its his positioning, which without his old athletic ability is incredibly important. He also has trouble covering/gloving, the puck a lot. These are problems that juniors goalies deal with, not NHL level backups/starters.
He needs to be dropped soon, before we get the next first round draft pick again.
Im not saying DP isnt bad. Im saying he is as bad as everyone else on the ice lol
I really would like someone who is a fan of trent hunter to explain what they think his role is on this team? Cause i always felt he was supposed to be a good offensive power forward who plays smart on both ends of the ice. If im wrong explain?
Look, the defense is terrible, and that's exposing all of the shortcomings of the forwards. We knew the forward corps was hopelessly weak defensively.
Some people labored under the delusion that the defense was improved. Clearly Wisniewski suffers from no longer playing with a top-3 partner, and the rest of the crew are non-physical and mediocre skaters. Mottau and Eaton are different players when asked to play roles too large for them.
There's no mystery here about what's going on. We've got two of our four best D-men (and three of our top six - Jurcina is better than both Gervais and Hillen) down to injuries in a crew without any quality depth to begin with.
And, yeah, DP sucks right now, no doubt. Truth is, I don't expect it to get much better until MacDonald comes back.
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