GDT: #57 ⋅ ANA @ BUF ⋅ 4:00 PM PST

[Smirnov2Chistov]

Yup. 5 on 5 ducks didn't do shit..

love the avatar..

face it, these clowns got beat by themselves and a hungry Sabres team. This team isn't ready for anything 'prime time' for a long while.

It sucks. I haven't been excited to watch a Ducks game in some time. The 4 Nations tournament reignited that passion and excitement that I used to have watching this team. But watching them be clueless and not be able to consistently close out games is a major issue that they continue to have. Doesn't help when you have a coach who has had no track record of success anywhere he has gone.

Until they get rid of Cronin and maybe Verbeek, we will toil with mediocrity for a long while.

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

Srsly + to Boot our top end players aren’t true top end players either. Terry is a fine 2nd line player, nothing more. Leo/mac/zegra none have taken a step to becoming top Line guys.

I feel like if they added some depth the top guys wouldn't feel as much pressure to perform. Terry, Zegras, Mct and terry are all solid top 6 guys (or will be) but they aren't going to carry a team to win on most nights.

 

[KelVarnsen]

Stat Card for the game has our top pairing in the top-5 of production, but the 2nd and 3rd pairings populate the bottom rungs. Everyone save Gudas had negative 'team defensive' ratings. Ouch!

View attachment 983140

Here is the reason why everyone on the team, except Gudas, had negative defensive ratings... High Dangers chances was Ducks 1: Sabres 16. The team left Dostal out to dry, but Dostal still posted over 0.900 Sv%!

View attachment 983141

Giving up so many High Danger chances is a pretty regular occurrence isn't it? I'm guessing the Ducks are way in the negative for high danger chances for the entire season. My eyes tell me the slot is constantly open. It's almost as if the coaching staff plans to have the slot open while everyone is busy chasing their man. The goalies have been so awesome this year and are the major reason the team isn't sniffing the number one overall pick.

 

[Frosted Tips]

Giving up so many High Danger chances is a pretty regular occurrence isn't it? I'm guessing the Ducks are way in the negative for high danger chances for the entire season. My eyes tell me the slot is constantly open. It's almost as if the coaching staff plans to have the slot open while everyone is busy chasing their man. The goalies have been so awesome this year and are the major reason the team isn't sniffing the number one overall pick.

You would be right. There's even no competition at which team does the worst job in the whole league at preventing high danger scoring chances. But luckily we have a defensive mined coaching staff.

 

[TheGoodShepard1]

Cronin not calling a timeout after the tying goal or the trailing goal still irks me from last night.

 

[Leonardo87]

I want them to score more goals, I'm tired of hearing about the Celebrini's, Fantilli's, Bedard's and Michkov's breaking out, and our kids are pacing for like 35-40 points, it's just sad. At least under Eakins had Zegras with 60 point seasons, and Terry also broke out as well. Good for LaCombe this year but our forwards are struggling to produce right now.

The defense has not been good enough for the amount of offense that has been sacrificed. Goaltending can only bail them out so much. I thought Dostal had a decent game but should have saved that Buffalo GW goal, actually agree with Hazy that goal would have stayed out if he didn't push the net back a little. It's a game of inches. If they scored a 3rd goal early, instead of turtling. It's a different game and outcome.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

I want them to score more goals, I'm tired of hearing about the Celebrini's, Fantilli's, Bedard's and Michkov's breaking out, and our kids are pacing for like 35-40 points, it's just sad. At least under Eakins had Zegras with 60 point seasons, and Terry also broke out as well. Good for LaCombe this year but our forwards are struggling to produce right now.

The defense has not been good enough for the amount of offense that has been sacrificed. Goaltending can only bail them out so much. I thought Dostal had a decent game but should have saved that Buffalo GW goal, actually agree with Hazy that goal would have stayed out if he didn't push the net back a little. It's a game of inches. If they scored a 3rd goal early, instead of turtling. It's a different game and outcome.

Don't forget 19-year old RD Drysdale notched 32 points in his rookie season too under Eakins.

This game identifies why Cronin's game plan is stifling if individual effort cannot step up offensively at Even Strength (ES). Like in the previous game against the Wings, we score two goals on 6v5 situations at the end of the game to steal a point in a game we weren't in most of the game.

Vs Sabres, 3-2 loss
Coach responsible for unit within parenthesis in the listing below against the Sabres.

• PP (Clune): 2/4 (50%)
• PK (Thompson): 3/3 (100%)
• Goalie (Budaj): 0.914 Sv%
• ES defense (Cronin): 3 goals allowed
• ES offense (Cronin): 0 goals for

---

Living on Extremes

Anaheim is an all or nothing team with respect to scoring three goals or fewer. The three goals scored threshold is a mystery as to why the Ducks have not lost a game in regulation. If they cannot score three goals, then it is as if we are unable to break through the kryptonite to being more successful. Therein lies the crux. The Ducks boasts a great goalie duo to hold leads with three or more goals scored, but not enough times when fewer than three goals are scored.

A detrimental factor in the inability to score goals is the quantity of games we cannot score them in. Over half of the game games played the Ducks cannot score three or more goals.

Anaheim's offense is wildly Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with a 2.56 difference between games where we score '3 or more' goals and not. That is a far greater difference than GA/GP average! The league average for GF and GA is 3.00 at the moment, as per Hockey-Reference. The GA/GP for both sets are around the league average of 3.00, which most of the heavy load is carried by goalies Dostal and Gibson. We can count on our goalies to reproduce that play game after game.

What we can't reproduce repeatedly game after game is our scoring. We are more or less a counter offensive scheme. Sometimes we get lucky and more times we do not.

---

Consistency Between the Two Seasons

What has been reproduceable in our offense is the lack of offense.

Last year Goals For = 204 (30th in league)
This year Goals For = 146 (32nd in league, or last in league)

With so many youths in other organizations popping off, I am with @Leonardo87 about the lack of offense from our own offensive youths is staggeringly depressing. Almost two seasons of being consistent at not scoring well is on the books. That is a large enough sample that the Ducks should move on from our coaching staff from HC to PP to PK coaches. It is not working.

 

[ZegrassyKnoll]

Somebody should probably tell Pat that if he wants to be playing meaningful games it would help to have somebody who knows how to coach meaningful hockey behind the bench.

Our offense most nights is 60% meh to bad, 35% embarrassing, 5% good.

 

[HanSolo]

Don't forget 19-year old RD Drysdale notched 32 points in his rookie season too under Eakins.

This game identifies why Cronin's game plan is stifling if individual effort cannot step up offensively at Even Strength (ES). Like in the previous game against the Wings, we score two goals on 6v5 situations at the end of the game to steal a point in a game we weren't in most of the game.

Vs Sabres, 3-2 loss
Coach responsible for unit within parenthesis in the listing below against the Sabres.

• PP (Clune): 2/4 (50%)
• PK (Thompson): 3/3 (100%)
• Goalie (Budaj): 0.914 Sv%
• ES defense (Cronin): 3 goals allowed
• ES offense (Cronin): 0 goals for

---

Living on Extremes

Anaheim is an all or nothing team with respect to scoring three goals or fewer. The three goals scored threshold is a mystery as to why the Ducks have not lost a game in regulation. If they cannot score three goals, then it is as if we are unable to break through the kryptonite to being more successful. Therein lies the crux. The Ducks boasts a great goalie duo to hold leads with three or more goals scored, but not enough times when fewer than three goals are scored.

A detrimental factor in the inability to score goals is the quantity of games we cannot score them in. Over half of the game games played the Ducks cannot score three or more goals.

View attachment 983264

Anaheim's offense is wildly Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with a 2.56 difference between games where we score '3 or more' goals and not. That is a far greater difference than GA/GP average! The league average for GF and GA is 3.00 at the moment, as per Hockey-Reference. The GA/GP for both sets are around the league average of 3.00, which most of the heavy load is carried by goalies Dostal and Gibson. We can count on our goalies to reproduce that play game after game.

What we can't reproduce repeatedly game after game is our scoring. We are more or less a counter offensive scheme. Sometimes we get lucky and more times we do not.

View attachment 983278

---

Consistency Between the Two Seasons

What has been reproduceable in our offense is the lack of offense.

Last year Goals For = 204 (30th in league)
This year Goals For = 146 (32nd in league, or last in league)

With so many youths in other organizations popping off, I am with @Leonardo87 about the lack of offense from our own offensive youths is staggeringly depressing. Almost two seasons of being consistent at not scoring well is on the books. That is a large enough sample that the Ducks should move on from our coaching staff from HC to PP to PK coaches. It is not working.

Yeah this why I'm not moved any time this team goes on a stretch of good play. Our kids aren't being developed the right way with this all in focus on defense. I keep saying, it but the offensive tendencies need to come first. Ideally you'd have a development coach that can balance both sides of the scale in what is being taught and implemented with youth development but if you have to choose one, teaching young players how to navigate through today's defenses and produce in today's high scoring NHL is so important. Defense can be taught and improved even into a player's late 20s. Banking on all of the kids' natural talent teaching them what to do through experience is not a good strategy. You have Lacombe as a good example of natural gifts breaking through, and Zegras as a good example of too much emphasis on defense suffocating natural offensive ability.

Development time is finite, and spending so much of it disregarding the opportunity to foster these kids' innate offensive potential on the premise that it will just develop on its own, to me, strikes me as development time wasted and we're nearing the last quarter of the season with regression and stagnation mostly continuing.

No "thank you Mr. Cronin"s from me. Dude has to go. The development for a lot of these kids can still be salvaged but there needs to be a change in staffing and a change in mentality, really, as soon as possible. I fear that someone like Zegras has already reached an age where some of his potential can be salvaged through a late spike in development and physical training, but for the most part he's been "defense firsted" out of reaching his peak potential (I see a 70-80 point guy at best. I don't think we get 90+ points from him barring some miracle)

 

[Hey234]

Yeah this why I'm not moved any time this team goes on a stretch of good play. Our kids aren't being developed the right way with this all in focus on defense. I keep saying, it but the offensive tendencies need to come first. Ideally you'd have a development coach that can balance both sides of the scale in what is being taught and implemented with youth development but if you have to choose one, teaching young players how to navigate through today's defenses and produce in today's high scoring NHL is so important. Defense can be taught and improved even into a player's late 20s. Banking on all of the kids' natural talent teaching them what to do through experience is not a good strategy. You have Lacombe as a good example of natural gifts breaking through, and Zegras as a good example of too much emphasis on defense suffocating natural offensive ability.

Development time is finite, and spending so much of it disregarding the opportunity to foster these kids' innate offensive potential on the premise that it will just develop on its own, to me, strikes me as development time wasted and we're nearing the last quarter of the season with regression and stagnation mostly continuing.

No "thank you Mr. Cronin"s from me. Dude has to go. The development for a lot of these kids can still be salvaged but there needs to be a change in staffing and a change in mentality, really, as soon as possible. I fear that someone like Zegras has already reached an age where some of his potential can be salvaged through a late spike in development and physical training, but for the most part he's been "defense firsted" out of reaching his peak potential (I see a 70-80 point guy at best. I don't think we get 90+ points from him barring some miracle)

The eye test and data back up this conclusion. Outside teams, agents, players, media, and fans seem to understand this problem. The fans of this team are very united on these issues. So how can this continue? How can Verbeek allow this to continue?

I just keep coming back to the fact that the reason their offense is neutered is to focus on defense, and they are one of the worst defensive teams in the league. So what are they doing then? It's really frustrating, and it's going to be difficult to purchase my season tickets next season if they don't do something soon

 

[ohcomeonref]

Yeah this why I'm not moved any time this team goes on a stretch of good play. Our kids aren't being developed the right way with this all in focus on defense. I keep saying, it but the offensive tendencies need to come first. Ideally you'd have a development coach that can balance both sides of the scale in what is being taught and implemented with youth development but if you have to choose one, teaching young players how to navigate through today's defenses and produce in today's high scoring NHL is so important. Defense can be taught and improved even into a player's late 20s. Banking on all of the kids' natural talent teaching them what to do through experience is not a good strategy. You have Lacombe as a good example of natural gifts breaking through, and Zegras as a good example of too much emphasis on defense suffocating natural offensive ability.

Development time is finite, and spending so much of it disregarding the opportunity to foster these kids' innate offensive potential on the premise that it will just develop on its own, to me, strikes me as development time wasted and we're nearing the last quarter of the season with regression and stagnation mostly continuing.

No "thank you Mr. Cronin"s from me. Dude has to go. The development for a lot of these kids can still be salvaged but there needs to be a change in staffing and a change in mentality, really, as soon as possible. I fear that someone like Zegras has already reached an age where some of his potential can be salvaged through a late spike in development and physical training, but for the most part he's been "defense firsted" out of reaching his peak potential (I see a 70-80 point guy at best. I don't think we get 90+ points from him barring some miracle)

Cro could have bitten a huge chunk out of Zegras' potential and then brags about how he's molding him into a decent 3c. We are getting shafted by Cronin in the worst way, and so are the players.

 

[Leonardo87]

Cro could have bitten a huge chunk out of Zegras' potential and then brags about how he's molding him into a decent 3c. We are getting shafted by Cronin in the worst way, and so are the players.

If Success is turning Leo, Mac, and Z into two way, 3rd line, 40 point forwards. He has succeeded.

 

[Daz28]

Cronin not calling a timeout after the tying goal or the trailing goal still irks me from last night.

If he didn't have an absolute clown drawing the 6 skater's play up, and one of those chances goes in, I'd be a lot less miffed about him saving it.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

If Success is turning Leo, Mac, and Z into two way, 3rd line, 40 point forwards. He has succeeded.

I've been saying that for a while too. That's why he's so proud of Mac being a "third liner" now. H thinks it's an accomplishment.

 

[Hockey Duckie]

Yeah this why I'm not moved any time this team goes on a stretch of good play. Our kids aren't being developed the right way with this all in focus on defense. I keep saying, it but the offensive tendencies need to come first. Ideally you'd have a development coach that can balance both sides of the scale in what is being taught and implemented with youth development but if you have to choose one, teaching young players how to navigate through today's defenses and produce in today's high scoring NHL is so important. Defense can be taught and improved even into a player's late 20s. Banking on all of the kids' natural talent teaching them what to do through experience is not a good strategy. You have Lacombe as a good example of natural gifts breaking through, and Zegras as a good example of too much emphasis on defense suffocating natural offensive ability.

The difference between LaCombe and the rest of our youths, including youth d-men, is that LaCombe spent four seasons in the NCAA developing his defense as well as his body. Before going to the NCAA, LaCombe was a scoring phenom in high school for his draft year. He scored 89 points (22g + 67a) in 54 games for a scoring rate of 1.65 ppg. LaCombe's offense didn't start to pop in the NCAA until his sophomore season, after the WJC-20 with a 0.90 ppg rate. His final year in college was his highest scoring rate of 0.95 ppg. All throughout his college career, LaCombe has always been in the top-3 in shot blocking for the team and showed how much effort he put into improving his defense at a higher level of competition.

LaCombe's defense was at high level before coming to the NHL. He just needed time to adjust to the NHL speed and gameplay, but forced into playing a top pairing role six games into his rookie season.

At the NHL level, LaCombe was our best defensive youth blueliner last year between Minty, Zell, Luneau, and Vaak. The only problem was many didn't understand the context that LaCombe was sheltering the rest of the team when thrusted into a top pairing role. And he was doing this while playing RD as a left shooting defenseman.

After All-Star break was when LaCombe got his bearings adjusted, that is when his offense and defense began to surface.

Because LaCombe was able to adjust so quickly last year, Cronin decided to amp the defensive learning curve for Minty this season. Cronin has been shoving playing defense into Minty's throat as his DZ Start% is at 61.4%. Minty's scoring rate this season thus far is at 0.27 ppg, a huge drop from his 0.39 ppg to close out last season. Zell went from 0.35 ppg and dropped to 0.33 ppg this season.

This is what is happening to all of our forwards who are taught to embrace playing defense first. Our young forwards simply cannot turn on that high level offense if their primary goal is to play defense. This primary goal to play defense affecting the offense isn't exclusive to the youth forwards as RW Silf had commented upon this practice of playing a defensive role for the Ducks and couldn't turn on that offensive juice at the World Championships.

Silf played that defensive role under Eakins, but it enabled Terry and Zegras to play the offensive roles for the team. Terry broke out with a 37 goal and 67 point campaign while Zegras busted out a 23-goal and 61 point rookie season. Under Cronin, every forward is playing a defensive role and that is why we are last in generating goals.

 

[mightyquack]

That was a f***ing woeful performance. Really don't understand how anyone can watch this team week in week out and be happy about the performances just because we get some extra wins due to elite goaltending. Insanity.

Big fan of the 4th line consistently going out there to 'change the momentum', and proceed to get hemmed in their own zone shift after shift after shift.

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

Cronin not calling a timeout after the tying goal or the trailing goal still irks me from last night.

As someone in attendance, It was completely baffling. The crowd was going wild after the first goal. Even if it was to shut the crowd up for 30 seconds but no he did absolutely nothing and the Sabres continued to absolutely dominate the Ducks for the rest of the game.

 

[Leonardo87]

Hey Folks,

Today‘s GDT is up and ready…

GDT: - #58 ⋅ VAN @ ANA ⋅ 7:00 PM PST