Lot's of debate here about those hits and takeaways.
You know what, thanks to one manager game I'm making ratings, after over decade of experience We've noticed that what's called a "hit" at some NHL arena, is count as "takeaway" on other arenas.
NHL stat department is a mess, there's a lot of variation on the play. Only way to find a solution for this, was to merge hits and takeaways to have a "puck retrieval" value, which the game calls as "forecheking".
That started to put some weird stats right.
All are talking about thse puck retrievals, it's just stealing the puck with a stick or stealing the puck after a body contact. That later one is the "hit".
This old time hockey "hitting a guy out of the game", that's another story, and it has totally different value called as "hard hitting" on this game.
Think if I get same stats about this "forecheking" values out at some point, let's look how Wings current player material compares to Vegas etc.
DeBrincat will use his body for hit, to make a puck retrieval. He will use also his stick for a takeaway. Both are same thing. He is stealing the puck from the opposite team --> for his team. With one way or another.
Interesting insight. Didn't know they had different ways to count it like that. I do agree with you that some arenas in the league have the stat counters that say one thing is a hit and another says they just bumped into each other so no hit. It's absurd that these people are not managed by one actual department.
For instance, I works for my university's sports media relations department when going to school. Part of my job at games (volleyball for example) was to run the stat sheets to the announcers, fill in to say what happened in the play to put into the stats, etc. I wasn't regulated by the NCAA at all or trained by them. So I can only imagine these people are in the somewhat same situation where they "work" for the NHL but aren't managed by them.
They should probably have league officials doing the actual stat counting and inputs because one teams hit is another teams takeaway? Honestly, I would add both stats...if Debrincat makes a hit on a player to take the puck away, then it should be a +1 in the stat column for both hit and takeaway, not to choose whichever one because of the outcome. That's just ridiculous.
Fair enough, but 3 things:
1) You gotta get into the playoffs first, and this team is closer in scoring talent to Vegas (272 GF) than Florida (290 GF).
2) Florida barely made it to the playoffs. They were coasting a bit too much in the regular season, their fan base will tell you that.
3) Both team have a lot of playoff experience, they know when to turn it up. If this team can't turn it up enough to win regular season games, then they aren't gonna win in the playoffs.
I'm getting ahead of myself anyways, they have to make the playoff first to worry about it. Plus I think they'll get traded once Danielson and Kasper are on the roster, and at that point nobody will care about Burger anyways. He's the shiny new toy until the next one shows up.
I mean...I agree with you but that wasn't the argument...at least I didn't think it was?
Regardless. I am in the camp that even if we squeak into a playoff spot this year, I would be much happier we did so then to just not make the playoffs at all. I want Seider/larkin/ray/berg/kasper to see what the playoffs are actually about. IDC if we lose 4-0 in the first round, I honestly don't. Would I prefer for us to win a round or two or just a couple games, of course, I'm not an idiot. But, I want our players, especially the younger ones, to feel the atmosphere of a playoff game. I want them to feel that difference and get that experience to understand what it is going to take in order to get there and stay there again.
Seider is the perfect player to play in the playoffs. His style of play is literally what most teams wished they had in some of their players. But Seider has no idea what the playoffs are all about. I want them to feel that pain, fuc* the draft position. We aren't going to get top 10 anymore barring major injuries to major players. So, now is the time to make the push and start to feel it.
I hate deploying a checking line and chasing that matchup. If we don't have faith in our top line going out against their top line then we're probably screwed.
The whole point of the "grind line" was to disrupt the lines of the other team. They could hang with Sakic/forsberg or other top lines out there...that doesn't mean yzerman and shanahan couldn't handle them...
No, you don't want to chase the matchup but there are teams that think "oh the 4th line is out there because they iced the puck, lets put our 1st line out there to try to capitalize". But if your 4th line can handle 1st line opponents or at least give them pause to do this scenario, then the 4th line did it's job.
Again, I'll reiterate, Yzerman could handle Sakic. Doesn't mean Bowman can't deploy Draper to subdue Sakic while Yzerman can go out there against a lower tiered opposition to create chances. Most teams don't have a 4th line that could do anything to opposing teams 3rd lines. But if we can get a 4th line reincarnated grind line to go up and give frustration to mackinnon or rantenan then we should be all for it, no? Doesn't mean Larkin can't handle mackinnon.
There's a belief that small lines, no matter how talented, will inevitably be physically overmatched to the point of them needing to be broken up, or avoided altogether.
I contend that you have to at least try it, because the payoff is huge if it works. I also contend that they can work, if they have enough quickness and can maintain a high enough level of puck possession. You can't be physically overmatched if the defenders can't catch you and never have the puck.
The very first line that should be attempted (in camp, preseason, whatever) is DeBrincat - Larkin - Raymond. Go with the line of pure talent and see how they do. That has to be plan A.
I mean, a lot of debrincat haters on these boards bring up that he's too small and only was good because of patrick kane.
Kane played like a fragile speed skater that could make plays and he was always on the first line. Then you add debrincat to his line and they are even smaller but people will only bring up that debrincat was good because of kane. Kane is 5'10'' and plays like he is 5'7''. Smaller players can play big minutes against big players if they play with speed, agility, and quickness.
Not to mention that debrincat has played in this league for the past what 5 years and played top line minutes most of the time. So he has done it before...probably will do it again.
