By player do you mean forward? Because i'd have a hard time saying a guy who finished 15th in NHL scoring as a offense first guy is better then the best D or the best Goalie.
PGT: 9/19 - Russia vs North America - Russia 4 North America 3 F
- Thread starter Fenway
- Start date
By player do you mean forward? Because i'd have a hard time saying a guy who finished 15th in NHL scoring as a offense first guy is better then the best D or the best Goalie.
TLeafsFan
A True BeLeafer
I hope this is sarcasm. Couturier was invisible. Is his defense really that stellar that it makes up for his lack of offense?
McFlyingV
Registered User
Royal Thunder
Frolunda Mode
- Feb 21, 2012
- 4,411
- 3,440
All this criticism of these young players but not a peep about the relatively quiet nights that some huge NHL stars had (Malkin, OV). This is a best on best, these kids are playing some damn stiff competition and for some of them it is hard to adjust to a lesser role than they are used to, or to play with players even more skilled than themselves. It throws off their game. This goes for Larkin, Eichel, and Drouin tonight, it might be a couple of other guys next game. Stop over analyzing everything without looking at context
They lost the game because they allowed 4 goals in 6 minutes guys. Even Gretzky and co. in the 80s would lose a few if/when they did that.
It's no single player's fault, just a sloppy stretch of play that the Russians pounced on mixed in with some unfortunate bounces.
It's no single player's fault, just a sloppy stretch of play that the Russians pounced on mixed in with some unfortunate bounces.
Iceman
Registered User
- Jun 9, 2014
- 10,640
- 2,024
I'm not sure why people get pissed that people critize the ice time allotment that is being based on pedigree rather than who is actually hot right now. Can anyone deny that Johnny Hockey has been team NA's best player? Hasn't McD and Matthews been good too? For sure, but so has MacKinnon and a couple of others. It's not like everyone's two snowflake prodigies have been carrying the load alone either.
The only thing that has been so-so is the defense but that's no surprise either. They need more time.
The only thing that has been so-so is the defense but that's no surprise either. They need more time.
Uh, no. "Depended upon" - Murray-Jones are getting the highest proportion of d-zone starts, both games. And as for reliability, Rielly is not nearly as reliable without the puck as Murray and Jones.
Rielly's added value is skating the puck and threatening offensively - which is something that Jones has all the tools for but I don't think he has enough of a killer mindset for offense, which is no small shortcoming. I've never seen Rielly do something that Jones can't do, he's a better puckhandler and probably even faster (if you believe his teammates). But you won't see him threatening shift after shift like Rielly.
Gaudreau was not TNA's best player tonight, not by a long shot. He's been very good this tournament, but that was probably 5-on-5 his worst game of the tournament. That said, I will agree he should be promoted to the 1st unit PP and Eichel moved to the 2nd unit.
Not a slight to Eich either, I just think he is thinking too much when he's playing with McDavid or Gaudreau or Matthews, it would be better for him to be on a less talented unit where it runs more through him.
There's no reason not to play McDavid a lot. NAT is all about speed, and he is the most explosive player on the team, the puck can be in NAT's own zone and 10 seconds later it's in the other team's net thanks to McDavid. 63% on the face off dot and drawing a penalty late too, he's played well overall.
JarvisFunk
Registered User
Gaudreau was junk today, he floated, hogged the puck and turned it over and is always hanging out in the neutral zone when the team is trying to defend. Theres a reason he sat.
Iceman
Registered User
- Jun 9, 2014
- 10,640
- 2,024
You sure that is what is happening here? Think you need to read some posts again.
People just don't like the icetime distribution and that some players get more icetime based on the name on their jerseys.
McFlyingV
Registered User
In the earlier games maybe, but he certainly wasn't tonight, wasn't even top 5. No one's getting pissed, I just don't understand the criticism of riding the Matthews-McDavid-Scheif line when they were far and away the best line all game and were the only line doing anything for almost 2/3 of the game. Sure, I would have probably just rode the McDavid and Nuge line (once Gaudreau joined it) exclusively for the last 10 minutes, and maybe given the 2nd line a couple extra shifts than they got, but if anything the complaint should have been that the bottom 2 lines weren't shut down all together in the 3rd at even strength and on the PP because they were creating absolutely nothing offensively.
McFlyingV
Registered User
You keep saying this, but the Matthews McDavid Scheif line were the best line in this game, so I think they more than earned their ice-time.
Iceman
Registered User
- Jun 9, 2014
- 10,640
- 2,024
johnny hockey has not been their best player when the games are counting. Who cares who was the best in pre tournament play. mcdavid has easily been the teams most dangerous player creating the most chances.
But yes the complaining and whining about these young players is laughable or the bashing of players. This is a young exciting team and all players are contributing at some point or another.
Iceman
Registered User
- Jun 9, 2014
- 10,640
- 2,024
I don't so don't put me in the same group, please. THANK YOU.
I just point out what people are saying in this thread.
I think Eich and Drouin were just out of sorts today and that kinda threw off the entire 2nd and 3rd lines. McDavid-Matthews were flying from puck drop.
They got more minutes in the end. The only decision I didn't like was no Gaudreau on the 5-on-3. I think one of Schiefle/Matthews/Eichel can move to the 2nd unit, Gaudreau is too good at running a PP to be on the 2nd unit.
That said Canada had like 5 chances to score on that 5-on-3 if they bothered to hit the damn net. Shooting low might not be as pretty as getting it bar down, but your chances of a rebound goal are like 50x higher.
They got more minutes in the end. The only decision I didn't like was no Gaudreau on the 5-on-3. I think one of Schiefle/Matthews/Eichel can move to the 2nd unit, Gaudreau is too good at running a PP to be on the 2nd unit.
That said Canada had like 5 chances to score on that 5-on-3 if they bothered to hit the damn net. Shooting low might not be as pretty as getting it bar down, but your chances of a rebound goal are like 50x higher.
Iceman
Registered User
- Jun 9, 2014
- 10,640
- 2,024
McFlyingV
Registered User
Maybe I misread the intention of your post, but it sounded like you were saying that the players received ice-time because of their name rather than their play, but perhaps you were describing what other posters are saying.
Either way, they got the ice-time tonight because they were the best line on the team, they earned it.
TLeafsFan
A True BeLeafer
Because the name (player) warrants more ice time because of the player they are.
Not everyone is going to like that, but that's hockey.
McFlyingV
Registered User
I'd agree, Gaudreau should have taken Eichel's spot on the first PP. For the people that keep talking about players getting ice-time because of their name though. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Nuge added to the 2nd PP unit in the 3rd which he wasn't originally even a part of because he was having an excellent game? If I'm mistaken then disregard, but if I'm not then doesn't that prove that McLellan was using the players based on their performance in that game?
MacKinnon, McDavid, Nugent Hopkins, and Matthews I thought were creating something basically all night long aside from that lull in the 2nd period where all of Team North America looked like crap.
Gaudreau kinda woke up out of his funk after getting off Eichel's line but by then 2/3 of the game was over.
I'd run
Gaudreau-McDavid-Matthews-Reilly-Ghost on PP unit 1
Eichel-RNH-MacKinnon-Drouin-Parayko on PP unit 2
Though I think Saad maybe should be on one of the two units.
Gaudreau kinda woke up out of his funk after getting off Eichel's line but by then 2/3 of the game was over.
I'd run
Gaudreau-McDavid-Matthews-Reilly-Ghost on PP unit 1
Eichel-RNH-MacKinnon-Drouin-Parayko on PP unit 2
Though I think Saad maybe should be on one of the two units.
Dbrownss
Registered User
- Jan 5, 2014
- 31,359
- 8,734
By my count, he missed the net twice..... put at 2 or 3 on net in a short period of time and one ended up in the back of the net.
Maybe his misses are more magnified because he shoots hard enough to make the puck do a complete lap?
