GDT: Game 11: Kings @ Sharks 7pm ESPN / SN1

[karltonian]

You've churlishly blocked me, but anyway...this is fair that Smith has had to deal with some adversity. But so has every Sharks's prospect ever! Eklund in his first year had to deal with it. Hertl, Couture, Pavelski, Goodrow, etc. all had to deal with being yanked around, stapled to the bench, given subpar linemates, etc.

Hertl absolutely did NOT have to deal with that, nor did Couture. Pavelski perhaps but those were still good, deep teams with close to elite defenses. Eklund's first 9 game stints he got to play with the likes of Hertl, Karlsson, Couture and Burns 5v5 and on the PP. Smith is not playing with a single player anywhere near that caliber, even on the PP. His linemates are so bad he's drawing doubleteams, it's the opposite of helping him succeed.

The top 10 skaters Eklund played with during his 1st two NHL seasons, in order:

Tomas Hertl	C
Erik Karlsson	D
James Reimer	G
Logan Couture	C
Kaapo Kahkonen	G
Mario Ferraro	D
Adin Hill	G
Fabian Zetterlund	L
Rudolfs Balcers	L
Alexander Barabanov	L
Brent Burns	D
Marc-Edouard Vlasic	D
Kevin Labanc	R

This is what Smith has been dealing with, which oddly I didn't realize he played so much with Zetterlund. But this is absolutely abysmal:

Vitek Vanecek	G
Fabian Zetterlund	L
Luke Kunin	C
Barclay Goodrow	C
Mackenzie Blackwood	G
Henry Thrun	D
Cody Ceci	D
Jake Walman	D
Mario Ferraro	D
Jan Rutta	D
Matthew Benning	D
Klim Kostin	C

 

[TheBeard]

As a fellow short Italian, I agree

Mario?

 

[LadyStanley]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1851496833018970320

Really?

 

[DG93]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1851496833018970320

Really?

F*** off, Curtis

 

[coooldude]

F*** off, Curtis

the worst "well akshually" one could imagine, and I can hear it in his voice too

 

[LadyStanley]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1851492206970093739

 

[Star Platinum]

I hate everything about these intermissions

I love everything about watching hockey on delay and skipping those intermissions.

 

[Shark Finn]

We got Jake Walman as a cap dump, lol

Granlund too.

 

[Lebanezer]

the worst "well akshually" one could imagine, and I can hear it in his voice too

It’s an interesting choice. Especially given the situation after last year and the start of this season.

 

[TheBeard]

For the sharks lately, not being outscored in 2 straight periods should count as a winning streak.

 

[Requin]

You know what tonight means:

@Requin isn't allowed to leave as long as the streak continues.

Well, we're hosting a Halloween party on Friday so no promises... but hopefully I can pull up the game on the TV in the background, and I promise to post at least once on the GDT to respect the juju.

 

[LadyStanley]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1851502183742914604

 

[Jargon]

Rewatching Toffoli’s goal… Walman’s pass was really terrible, I mean just an awful, right on the tape pass, no wonder it took a 2nd to trade him.

Also, my phone keeps correcting his name to Walkman, which makes me think of Handguns.

 

[Star Platinum]

Remember when Hodge told us Walman was terrible

I remember when the whole HFB Detroit board told me Walman was terrible

 

[Star Platinum]

What happens first; Hodge admits he may be wrong or the sharks win the cup?

All I know is that if the former happens, the universe implodes.

I don't know who this female color announcer is on the ESPN feed but I'm enjoying her.

I don't feel like she adds anything to the game, but I also wonder if I have some subconscious misogynist attitude towards female broadcasters that I just can't get past.

 

[TheBigDrunkPanda]

Vanacek to me looked pretty rough tonight. He had some saves of course, and I'm not usually one to blame the goalie, but the rebounds are a little out of hand and he totally froze on the breakaway where he could have poked or been more aggressive to freeze puck -- still traumatized from his ESPN Bottom 10 highlight vs. Vegas.

He looks like late stage Martin Jones , every save was a battle constantly flopping around in the net, constantly behind the play. He was so bad Granlund had to make a save in net. But a lot of players were doing that for him. I’d rather see Askarov get his next start at this point it’s clear the team doesn’t trust him in net