I really want to string together a few wins before the road trip
Also nice to see prbv get promoted to 2nd line I know done of you don't like yak on the 3rd line but prv deserves a chance IMO to play with good players
I actually don't mind Yakupov playing with 94 and 20. Firstly it lets him play RW and I think he's more comfortable there. Belanger wins his fair share of faceoffs so it lets his line start with the puck more often than not, he'll be facing more bottom pairs and bottom 6 match ups, and like somebody else said it shelters him a little bit.
The only thing that bugs me about that line is that Belanger won't celebrate goals with Yaks.
This team is so bi-polar that you are most likely right, not to the extent vs the Avs but iirc our top line cycled the puck against the humongous Sharks line and held their own pretty fine, we just couldn't score. I just don't know what to expect from this team right now but the last 2 games they seem to be simplifying everything... Which resulted in us outplaying out opposition.
Can we stop sticking Yakupov with two offensive anchors?
Also I swear Krueger is making the 4th line look like that on purpose. 54,55,56.
If Yakupov is the go to guy on that line its not to bad Imo, the teams needs more scoring out of 3rd 4th line, also MPS has been really playing well and deserves a look in top 6 right now also gives 2nd line good speed for Gagner.
Belanger doesn't have to worry about the un-classiness of goal celebrations. He's pretty much insured he'll be in them as little as possible because he sucks so badly offensively.
Gagner was brutal defensively last game. Smart move by Kruger to put a superior defensive player like Paajarvi on his line. And still leaves Hemsky on the line to be the offensive catalyst.
I don't mind Yak on the 3rd. It develops him in his proper position, instead of forcing him to develop on his off side. Tbh he seems better on his natural side. Maybe it'll allow him to get that necessary improved defensive play.
I don't mind Yak on the 3rd. It develops him in his proper position, instead of forcing him to develop on his off side. Tbh he seems better on his natural side. Maybe it'll allow him to get that necessary improved defensive play.
Ralph can wait until something ruptures but he will be forced to follow the NHS handbook of intuative analysis and put MPS-Gagner-Yakupov together and at the same time reunite the vets on the 3rd line by dropping Hemmer in there, Krueger doesnt have enough understanding of Hemskys skillset to know he will provide the team the same level of goal scoring from the 3rd line. Fear of DOOM.
This game should be a massive correction even if we open up like last game as I hope we do for demonstration purposes postgame , maybe 2-1, low scoring close game won on an individual effort not catalysed by either teams system. This is two adjusted hybrids facing off one-on-one.This game will be what is know in the NHS as a System Check-mate, it will be a game with lots of possesion changes and chances and shots but few goals , and there will be no great goal differential no matter how much both sides open up their offense, this is a coaches nightmare. Could be 2-1 or could be 6-5 IF both coaches open up the offense but if one chooses to play it safer then it will be very close and neither system will be able to get a definitive advantage offensivly and it will be a shorthanded goal{hint hint} or a breakaway or a takeaway that decides the game, an "outside the system" type of goal. This game will look exactly like last years playoff games. Stoll will have a big game, and LA will score off a sympathetic rebound from a low post shot at least once. schultz should like this type of game and will likely score and Hemmer also likes to wear the red cape. Look for super-man type goals that catalyse spontaneously out of broken plays.
Ryan Smyth was really good on the PP for Eberle's goal. varlamov had no idea where the puck was
I agree, I think Ryan showed us all something important by targeting the wraparound, he stretched the goalie out by doing that a lot and made it easier for his mates to pick him apart. He got in the tenders head and forced him to focus on his feet more than he wanted to, he broke him open with the wrap-around. The wraparound is like the backhand it is extremely valuable but underrated. Both shots make it extra hard for the tender to stay in the zone because of the odd unpredictable rebounds that they generate.
Hope Smitty keeps the pressure on and the pedal down, we need the scoring depth he can generate badly right now.
I actually don't mind Yakupov playing with 94 and 20. Firstly it lets him play RW and I think he's more comfortable there. Belanger wins his fair share of faceoffs so it lets his line start with the puck more often than not, he'll be facing more bottom pairs and bottom 6 match ups, and like somebody else said it shelters him a little bit.
The only thing that bugs me about that line is that Belanger won't celebrate goals with Yaks.
I think Belanger was only telling a half truth when he said he wasn't going to chase Yakupov around the ice. The REAL problem is that with only 4 goals in his last 100 games(give or take)...he's forgotten how to celebrate goals(or at best is very rusty) and is embarrassed about it. He's just trying to deflect the attention onto Yakupov because he's so ashamed of himself. It's understandable...
I think Belanger was only telling a half truth when he said he wasn't going to chase Yakupov around the ice. The REAL problem is that with only 4 goals in his last 100 games(give or take)...he's forgotten how to celebrate goals(or at best is very rusty) and is embarrassed about it. He's just trying to deflect the attention onto Yakupov because he's so ashamed of himself. It's understandable...
Ha, I made that comment tongue in cheek...
Belanger isn't completely incapable of offense, maybe playing with Yaks will spark him a bit.
