im giving Zuccarello-Aasen an incomplete on his game. I really didnt see him do all that much with the puck to be honest.
Here's the problem too..
MDZ is a passer.
MZA is a passer.
Brad Richards is a passer.
Stepan is a passer.
those are 4 of our main PP guys. (if youre including MZA)
the only "shooters" we have are Gabby and Cally. That doesn't make it too hard to defend our PP since we all know who's going to be shooting the puck.
While I essentially agree with your post I would have to disagree about who is going to be shooting the puck. We don't necessarily have the luxury of having a bunch of shooters on our team, which is why some of these players are going to have to step up and take some shots when they are there. When you load your powerplay with a bunch of passers, I think the belief is that eventually a play will be made where a player is open to fire the puck. I fully expect Richards/Stepan or DZ to start taking shots.
Edit: As well, I am hoping that Zuccs can stick with the club and play some PP minutes like last night. He adds an element to our lineup that we need (more offense and creativity), while the bottom 6 just have not been helping out enough on the scoreboard.
Nice too see Zuccarelo doing great. Even tho he played in Modo he was a joy to watch. Fantastic vision who will make many great plays if he gets the chance
And this is why people love flair players. In all sports, artists are loved/hated depending on how the team does. Just wish people could remember this when things starts going tough and good for that matter.
Must say, I just think I favour players that are capable of getting that pace on the puck with very aggressive passes, it will always create momentum in the attacking play. I've always been soft for it, but I guess it isn't something everone will agree with me on.
the only reason im up for keeping MZA in the lineup right now, even when Cally comes back, is because of how close this race has gotten. Shootouts may be huge for us. Most ROW in the conference and yet we have to worry about shootouts. blech.
the only reason im up for keeping MZA in the lineup right now, even when Cally comes back, is because of how close this race has gotten. Shootouts may be huge for us. Most ROW in the conference and yet we have to worry about shootouts. blech.
This is a good post. Look at how badly we've done this season in the SO compared to the previous couple.
I didn't get to see the game last night but I followed on my phone, wasn't able to see how good MZA did, but it seems he wasn't too shabby.
After being someone who was ready to throw MDZ under the bus last season, I am more open to giving MZA another shot. Let's see some action from the little guy!
im giving Zuccarello-Aasen an incomplete on his game. I really didnt see him do all that much with the puck to be honest.
Here's the problem too..
MDZ is a passer.
MZA is a passer.
Brad Richards is a passer.
Stepan is a passer.
those are 4 of our main PP guys. (if youre including MZA)
the only "shooters" we have are Gabby and Cally. That doesn't make it too hard to defend our PP since we all know who's going to be shooting the puck.
BR can shoot the puck too, and he's been taking it upon himself to do that recently. I think when MZA was getting PP ice time he looked great with the puck. He made decisive passes, which is something a lot of guys on the team don't do. They hesitate and think about if they want to pass or shoot. When MZA was on the ice he was getting somebody in a good position the puck.
What I want to see on the 1st unit is Cally (parked in front of the net), Gabby, MZA, MDZ and Richie. Second unit can be Steps, Hagelin, Dubi, maybe Boyle in front of the net, and McDonagh.
What I want to see on the 1st unit is Cally (parked in front of the net), Gabby, MZA, MDZ and Richie. Second unit can be Steps, Hagelin, Dubi, maybe Boyle in front of the net, and McDonagh.
so, what, you'd have richie taking the facebook with gabby on the point and then rotating?
I think BR is shooting it now..but hes at his best when hes passing it. Still though, what you need is a PP POint that is willing to shoot it consistently, this makes the D stretch out to defend the point.
I like the guy a lot. He has talent that some of our players don't have. His vision is pretty good. Torts has to keep the guy in favor of Feds, Mithell or Scott. We desperately need more talent and he will provide that.
The broadcaster the female journalist is working for picked up on Torts' remarks last night, and angling it as a funny. I wish, for one times sake, someone from my country while abroad could try to not make me ashamed of being Norwegian.
One question about Zucca now and then is ok, but when Torts recognizes her and says what he says, it might be alright to take the hint. Time to pull our heads out of our ***** and understand that the world does not revolve around (Norway in general or) Mats, especially when Richards delivered like he did last night. By all means, I'm happy Mats did well, but so did quite a few others.
I think BR is shooting it now..but hes at his best when hes passing it. Still though, what you need is a PP POint that is willing to shoot it consistently, this makes the D stretch out to defend the point.
Well yeah, but what makes BR so dynamic is that he can pass AND shoot it. When you have a guy with an underrated shot like that, who is also a brilliant passer, it opens up a lot of options on the PP. I agree we need a guy who can just bomb away from the point, but having BR and his unique skill set is what would make that role so effective. And since we don't really have the thundering point shot, we have to role with what we have.
The broadcaster the female journalist is working for picked up on Torts' remarks last night, and angling it as a funny. I wish, for one times sake, someone from my country while abroad could try to not make me ashamed of being Norwegian.
One question about Zucca now and then is ok, but when Torts recognizes her and says what he says, it might be alright to take the hint. Time to pull our heads out of our ***** and understand that the world does not revolve around (Norway in general or) Mats, especially when Richards delivered like he did last night. By all means, I'm happy Mats did well, but so did quite a few others.
Yeah, I kinda don't understand that Zuc is having an assigned reporter for him. Its kinda silly.
Well said. Never understood why Torts makes a fuzz about this. This reporter lives in the US and her job is to pick up news related to Norway and espcially US politics. A correspondent.
Yeah, I kinda don't understand that Zuc is having an assigned reporter for him. Its kinda silly.
That is far from the truth. She covers USA in general (Politics, Economics, Hurricanes, what ever) and knows zip about sports in general and probably even less about hockey.
She lives in New York and the TV-channel (1 of 2 nationwide broadcasters in Norway) she works for are pretty sports oriented. How hard is it for a reporter mostly covering US politics to ask "what do you think about Mats" in 15 different ways?
Wild guess, but I think she never ever have covered Mats in an away game (maybe @Washington by accident for obvious reasons), not counting Hartford wich is like 1 hour car trip away from Manhattan.
That is far from the truth. She covers USA in general (Politics, Economics, Hurricanes, what ever) and knows zip about sports in general and probably even less about hockey.
She lives in New York and the TV-channel (1 of 2 nationwide broadcasters in Norway) she works for are pretty sports oriented. How hard is it for a reporter mostly covering US politics to ask "what do you think about Mats" in 15 different ways?
Wild guess, but I think she never ever have covered Mats in an away game (maybe @Washington by accident for obvious reasons), not counting Hartford wich is like 1 hour car trip away from Manhattan.
The broadcaster the female journalist is working for picked up on Torts' remarks last night, and angling it as a funny. I wish, for one times sake, someone from my country while abroad could try to not make me ashamed of being Norwegian.
One question about Zucca now and then is ok, but when Torts recognizes her and says what he says, it might be alright to take the hint. Time to pull our heads out of our ***** and understand that the world does not revolve around (Norway in general or) Mats, especially when Richards delivered like he did last night. By all means, I'm happy Mats did well, but so did quite a few others.
im giving Zuccarello-Aasen an incomplete on his game. I really didnt see him do all that much with the puck to be honest.
Here's the problem too..
MDZ is a passer.
MZA is a passer.
Brad Richards is a passer.
Stepan is a passer.
those are 4 of our main PP guys. (if youre including MZA)
the only "shooters" we have are Gabby and Cally. That doesn't make it too hard to defend our PP since we all know who's going to be shooting the puck.
IDK if I would categorize any of these players as "passers and shooters". What I mean is, these guys are in the NHL, they all have the ability to shoot the puck and beat a goalie. What about that shootout goal Stepan had this season where he just rung it top shelf (I forgot who we were playing). I think what you're saying is that these guys all "opt to pass" rather than shoot, but that's more a matter of mentality than personnel. I think Stepan, Richards and Del Zotto CAN all shoot the puck, they just have to make the decision to do so. Now the problem with Del Zotto is that when he shoots he usually misses the damn net, especially from the point. He needs to stop going for the snipe and just get the puck on net for a rebound or a lucky goal.
About Zucc, I don't really know if he has a good shot or not I haven't really seen him play enough.
