I like Brouwer with Backstrom/Ovie and Knuble with Semin/MoJo, for now at least.
The Knuble/MoJo chemistry is the obvious first point, but also (as I've said before) I think Knuble will be better at adjusting to Semin's game than Brouwer, given that he's more familiar with it. Yes, it creates a bit of a physicality mismatch between lines one and two, but I'm ok with that at least against most opponents.
looks can be deceiving particularly when it comes to knuble particularly if the reason you think he doesnt look good because he is slow.
knuble has obvious effective chemistry with johansson who faster than either backstrom or ovechkin.
People don't flock to mojo/semin in transition like they do to ovy. So "speed", while important for the 1rw, isn't as important as 2rw/lw... Comparinsons of mojo's vs ovi's speed are irrelevant to my view. Mojo and semin are actually better than their top line counterparts at getting through trash. Particularly because the trash isn't game planning on stacking against them. Now that could change.
But if all things are equal, I'd rather have the faster player on 1rw as I'd feel ovi and nick are a lot more dangerous in close if Brouwer beats the guy shadowing that half of the ice.
Indeed I think Brouwer with Ovie and nick will put a lot of pressure on top D pairs opening up stuff for the 2nd and 3rd lines. The caps have a player on each of their top 3 lines with exceptional speed additionally the 1st and 3rd lines each have 2 effective hitters.
Anyone else dissapointed with ovi these past two years? I wonder if he is an early peaker in terms of performance? At least he hits and plays hard but his game has not improved to the next level like some other players in NHL.
Also Vokoun has been underwhelming and has anyone seen how Varloymov is doing on the Av's?
Not really disappointed in Ovie. Last year every major offensive player on the caps had a bad year with the exceptions of knuble(who had a bad first half) and semin who was injured as usual for a significant amount of time. As for vokunn he always starts slow and varly is playing great for Col but he'll get injured soon enough with his knee and groin issues. Holtby is the caps future and he'll be here in 2 years with some great seasoning in Hershey.
the idea of having a faster 1rw has been here since knuble got off to a slow start last season. it was almost like the fact that he was the team's #2 goal scorer in the 2nd half blew completely over everyone's head and all anyone could see was that he was slow. he is slow and old, so he must be over the hill. lets move him down the depth chart.
i understand liking brouwer. i like him too. i just think almost everyone is mistaken if they think brouwer is going to outscore knuble and outperform him around the crease.
i'd wager that by the end of teh season knuble has as many as 10 more goals than brouwer whereever he gets to play.
disappointed in ov? no. two seasons? you mean last season and three games? are you serious about making any judgements about a player after 3 games?
steven stamkos: 4 games 1g 2a 3pts. ovechkin 3 games 1g 1a 2pts.
I can see that view. But mine is more about freeing up ovi. Scoring more ES, drawing more penalties, having less turnovers, and maintaining possession. I've almost given up hope that ovi is going to learn how to play against stacked defense in a smart way.
Knubes is going to do what he does... 1rw or 2nd line.
I can see that view. But mine is more about freeing up ovi. Scoring more ES, drawing more penalties, having less turnovers, and maintaining possession. I've almost given up hope that ovi is going to learn how to play against stacked defense in a smart way.
Knubes is going to do what he does... 1rw or 2nd line.
sorry, hs. i hate to disagree with a mod.......but knuble draws a lot of penalties. knuble doesnt turn the puck over. knuble might be the team's best cycle player. knuble scores more goals and at even strenth. so...i dont see how knuble makes the ovechkin line lesser in any of those catagories.
No it doesnt. If ovi has more space because a player witjmore speed opens the ice... All of those things will happen in spades. The fact that knubes may be good once the puck gets in the zone is inconsequential to the number of failed attempts to get it in the zone
sorry, hs. i hate to disagree with a mod.......but knuble draws a lot of penalties. knuble doesnt turn the puck over. knuble might be the team's best cycle player. knuble scores more goals and at even strenth. so...i dont see how knuble makes the ovechkin line lesser in any of those catagories.
Brouwer drew almost three times as many penalties last season (19 to 7). (Just for *****, Ward drew 16.) Knuble isn't a very dynamic possession player at this stage, though he makes up for it with his defensive game and veteran instincts away from the puck generally. He's solid along the wall but what does he make of it? Not much and there too his skating is a drawback.
They know what Knuble can provide on the top line and it's alright but not great and unlikely to develop into anything more than that at this point. Might as well try to develop something more...though I'm not real confident that Boudreau really knows how to develop chemistry aside from going with whatever is working and changing up what isn't.
8/19 draw prime match-ups and any experiments to make their line better is worthwhile.
I can remember maybe one time that knubes was able to carry the puck across the blue line and get to "home plate" before a defender could switch off the ovi stack. The right side of the ice is a DMZ with knuble out there cause they don't respect his transition. Brouwer starts gaining the zone with frequency, then the opponents won't be able to ignore that side as they stack on ovi..... Which allows for easier entries into zone with possession, less ovi moron passes/turnovers, more zone time, more scoring chances for, less against.
Ovi's worst quality is his nature to either try to force his way through the stack or pulling up and giving an errand pass. He just won't dump the puck even with. 2-1 lead late in 3rd. This team, and ovi in particular, will be infinitely better if he makes better decisions against the stack.... And since I don't trust his decision making or the coaches ability to adjust after 2 years of this defense... I'd prefer to have a speeder player on his wing that will naturally fullfil the objective of creating space that we're too dumb to figure out otherwise.
well, bud, we will see. brouwer does not seem like a transition player to me. just from what ive seen so far.
In one game he beat more men and cause a defensive breakdown than I've seen from knubes in years. As I've said I have no issue with knubes there... Except that our decision making sucks.
IMO Ovechkin needs to be playing with whoever is going to provide him with the most room to do his thing and I feel those two are Johansson, because his speed forces guys to back off, and Brouwer, because his physical play makes others pay attention. Those guys would give Ovechkin the little bit more room and split second more time he needs these days to get his shots off.
That leaves 3 pretty darn good players to make up the other line, a line that would be a darn good 1st line.
And as far as Ovechkin goes I'm not concerned because of his numbers I am concerned because he still can't make the bread and butter play, the simple one timer, that he used to to be so darn great for so long and then forgot how to do last year. For 5 years he was Kurriesque on those shots and then he started simply missing or shanking half of them and missing the net on a significantly higher percentage of the ones he goes actually catch decently. I'd have his eyes checked the first chance I could...
Sure Knoobs can pot 20 as a 1RW. Sorry, Tex, but it didnt = cup. I like someone else on that like that takes Ovi out of the role as the only hitter on that line. Instead of being the only guy (almost on the team) that can get in and pound Dmen, l like the idea of change, and Brouwer is bringing it wherever he is. Line changes start at the top. We moved a first for a RW that can play on the top line. Its time to play him.
I'm thinking Ovi may have peaked like Yashin. I'm waiting for him to take his game to the next level but I'm afraid his game will actually take a step back.
I would like to see Chris Bourque get a five game trial on one of the top two lines. I think his speed and puck skills would help the offense a lot. I guess we will have to wait until there is an injury.
I would like to see Chris Bourque get a five game trial on one of the top two lines. I think his speed and puck skills would help the offense a lot. I guess we will have to wait until there is an injury.
You'll be waiting longer than that my friend.
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mrwarden is in ur threads, deleting ur posts
I would like to see Chris Bourque get a five game trial on one of the top two lines. I think his speed and puck skills would help the offense a lot. I guess we will have to wait until there is an injury.
If Brouwer/Knuble, Chimera, Ward, Laich, and Eakin all go down, sure.
idk, ovi will probably get it going but he hasnt looked like his old, truly dominant self for a while. im not sure if its teams playing him different/better. my speculative opinion is that d-men are stepping up and being more aggressive as opposed to sitting back, giving ovi space to work which was doubly lethal as they provide a screen. his wrister is being somewhat neutralized, and perhaps worse hes simply not getting around the d-men. thats fine, i wouldnt really expect anyone in the league to beat a d-man off the rush in 1-on-1 situations, however other players make the right play most of the time (slowing down, looking for the drop, chipping it forward, whatever), while ovi continually does the same thing--and fails. sooner or later hes gonna pull off a sick deke and probably forehand-backhand a nice goal, but thats not worth the constant failures imo and lack of zone time they consequently establish with his line on the ice.
just saying. i realize many think/say "ovi is the least of our problems," i get that. but hes held to by far the highest standard, so i feel it more relevant and important to wonder if and when he can return to the manbeast he once was, at least scoring-wise.
....but knuble draws a lot of penalties. knuble doesnt turn the puck over. knuble might be the team's best cycle player. knuble scores more goals and at even strenth. so...i dont see how knuble makes the ovechkin line lesser in any of those catagories.
