OK what do we do? Wingels and Desi have been solid. Winnik and Mitchell have been okay. Moore and Galiardi sucked.
Do we just bump the third line down and make the forth line our third? Do we suit up Handzus/Ferriero? Change line combos?
Also, Marleau?
completely agree with all points. Moore and Galiardi really struggled. Moore and Mitchell really need to hit the weight room in the offseason. Hopefully stubborn TMac makes some changes before the next game
Yeah, we need speed and tenacity more than anything else down there. Mitchell, Moore, Wingels, Galiardi and Desi have speed. Winnik is fine - protects the puck well and has great hockey sense. Plus we need his PK ability. I'd stick with this set and like others have said, put Patty down there if need be. Bring Mitchell or Galiardi or Winnik up to hunt pucks down.
The fact that they got into the position to say they sucked says they were better than you think. The bounces will come. keep it the same. Maybe put in Ferriero because he'll play great for a game or two.
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History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.
I don't know, we always blast McLellan for mixing lines up but I honestly think no one completely stunk up the joint tonight.
It's difficult playing the Blues, you have to make absolute accurate passes and have proper support to get it through the neutral zone. Give credit where it is due to the Blues, they are always hustling and put mad pressure on the players at all times. Very good positional team and opportunistic (2nd goal).
Keep things the same for now, if there's an injury or something just isn't working then change it.
Keep the bottom 6. If there was one thing I'd change, I'd take out Murray. Sure he had a few shoves, but overall, he was extremely bad tonight. Can't read the play in the defensive zone, can't make a 3 foot pass, and no offensive capabilities whatsoever. I wouldn't even mind seeing White in there considering he was pretty solid in his recent games.
Keep the bottom 6. If there was one thing I'd change, I'd take out Murray. Sure he had a few shoves, but overall, he was extremely bad tonight. Can't read the play in the defensive zone, can't make a 3 foot pass, and no offensive capabilities whatsoever. I wouldn't even mind seeing White in there considering he was pretty solid in his recent games.
Something seems physically wrong with Murray. If I knew for sure I wouldn't mind White in for him. He didn't look good tonight.
yea, I like Murray but he did seem a little off, was having trouble keeping up with the direction changes of players along the boards...hopefully was just an abnormality and he isn't injured...Really don't want to see White or Vandy
yea, I like Murray but he did seem a little off, was having trouble keeping up with the direction changes of players along the boards...hopefully was just an abnormality and he isn't injured...Really don't want to see White or Vandy
The problem is, every team knows what to do against Murray when he's on the ice. If you want to get in the zone, chip it behind him. He is just so slow. And if he has the puck at the point, just cover the d-to-d pass. He'll either shoot it into someone's shins, or just rim it around the boards again. Tonight it seemed like whenever Murray was on the ice, they were hemmed in the defensive zone. Burns ends up having to watch both sides while Murray just covers air in the slot.
He's probably still very injured, but he really wasn't good this entire season. I'd say put Vandermeer in (since he's faster and is still pretty physical), but he hasn't played in forever.
Changing things on the road after a win probably doesn't help much. I'd wait until they're back in SJ and have last change + shorten bench as an insurance policy before replacing guys currently in the lineup. Plus, TMac will have more evidence to make a bold move by then.
But giving Marleau some shifts next game with Winnik and Mitchell might help wake him up, especially if they're down by 1 goal again. Slot Wingels in with Thornton and Pavelski for some energy.
And I don't think White or Vandy, as much as I like Vandy, will bring more than Murray can.
The problem is, every team knows what to do against Murray when he's on the ice. If you want to get in the zone, chip it behind him. He is just so slow. And if he has the puck at the point, just cover the d-to-d pass. He'll either shoot it into someone's shins, or just rim it around the boards again. Tonight it seemed like whenever Murray was on the ice, they were hemmed in the defensive zone. Burns ends up having to watch both sides while Murray just covers air in the slot.
yea, he is definitely slow and doesn't contribute much to the offence, but I have always felt he has managed to be quite effective at shutting down players along the boards which is very important when playing a team that cycles (I still have nightmares about Forsberg behind the net and Hannan trying to control him)...but as I said, he just looked even slower than normal, not on open ice but in terms of keeping up with players along the boards, could well be he isn't a 100%
Every team lately has been utilizing the left side dump whenever Murray is out. It really is a win-win for the chasing team because they will either retrieve it before Murray can get back, or they can force a turnover because the puck won't get moved fast enough. It's a glaring weakness and definitely needs to be addressed.
Changing things on the road after a win probably doesn't help much. I'd wait until they're back in SJ and have last change + shorten bench as an insurance policy before replacing guys currently in the lineup. Plus, TMac will have more evidence to make a bold move by then.
But giving Marleau some shifts next game with Winnik and Mitchell might help wake him up, especially if they're down by 1 goal again. Slot Wingels in with Thornton and Pavelski for some energy.
And I don't think White or Vandy, as much as I like Vandy, will bring more than Murray can.
Is definitely something to be said for "if it isn't broke yet, don't fix it", however the flip side is that it sort of implies that after losing game 2 there will be something to fix...
St Louis will come out really hard on saturday, and the sharks will need a lot more jump to keep up, someone like Ferriero could be just the tiny added spark during the first 10 minutes of the game to keep things from going south...
The 4th line was awful in the 1st OT, but so was just about everyone else. Overall I thought they played well. They created a ton of chances, mainly due to their speed, they just couldn't finish. Breaking them up and/or benching any of them would be a mistake IMO.
