GDT: Game 81: Coyotes @ Predators - 5PM - Almost

[ClassLessCoyote]

Just a reminder of who won what in the NBA Lottery in the past decade.

2015: 1st, 4th, 3rd, 2nd
2014: 9th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd
2013: 3rd, 1st, 8th, 2nd
2012: 4th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd
2011: 8th, 1st, 6th, 2nd, 3rd
2010: 5th, 6th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd
2009: 3rd, 6th, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd
2008: 9th, 1st, 3rd, 2nd
2007: 7th, 5th, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd
2006: 5th, 2nd, 3rd, 1st

Only 1 time the 7th seed won something. Ouch!

 

[ClassLessCoyote]

I look forward to the comments made by management and ownership when we fail to win any of the Top 3 picks.

It'll be along the lines of "We would have love to win the lottery but luck wasn't on our .

 

[Summer Rose]

K new plan, Domingue plays 75% of the games from October to February. Smith plays 100% after that. Coyotes will finish with 105 points.

I like your thinking.

 

[awfulwaffle]

I don't care about the lottery. Would it have been nice? Sure. It could still happen. Down the stretch here would it have been nice to lose a few more games? Sure. But in the end, this season was more exciting to watch. I don't want to watch another season like last year. We've drafted well, and expect the same this year. Team GMDM am I!

 

[MIGs Dog]

I don't care about the lottery. Would it have been nice? Sure. It could still happen. Down the stretch here would it have been nice to lose a few more games? Sure. But in the end, this season was more exciting to watch. I don't want to watch another season like last year. We've drafted well, and expect the same this year. Team GMDM am I!

Word. Winning the lottery is not the key ingredient to winning the Cup.

 

[Jakey53]

Word. Winning the lottery is not the key ingredient to winning the Cup.

Like money can't buy happiness.......but it sure helps.

 

[BUX7PHX]

This hasn't been mentioned yet - should just add more fuel to the fire in the supporters vs detractors of Tippett:

Tippett's starting 3 in OT was OEL, Richardson, and Domi. Guess which of those players the Predators took the puck to?

Again, this isn't meant to be a knock on Domi, his skills, or his future. Nor is it meant to be a knock on any rookie or veteran, for that matter.

Tippett puts players out there to give the best possible chance to win. Just b/c someone is offensively proficient doesn't mean that defensive lapses can't happen as well. Trust me, I think that we all would love it if every new player (whether via draft or FA) winds up cementing a place on the team. But these things take time. If we were fighting for a playoff spot, even the detractors would ask why we had a rookie out there at such a critical time of the game/season. Some of these players are less than 100 games in their NHL career. Let's sit back, take a deep breath and realize that these players have a lot of time to work with in their respective careers. Tippett's plan is to make winning possible. It is going to happen, just be patient.

 

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

Are we the Oilers? Hope we haven't lost OEL.

 

[Ebb]

Tippett's plan is to make winning possible.

Yes, Domi blew his defensive coverage, but it is 3-on-3 so defense isn't really important. It's more about speed and shot accuracy.

Domi and OEL have speed and accuracy, Richardson has neither. I can't remember who Nashville had on the ice (OT was over rather quickly), but they apparently were faster and more accurate than we were

I can also attribute this to not having many 3-on-3 bouts this season (or at least none for quite a while). In addition, I could make an argument that Tippett's strategy works against transitioning to a 3-on-3. We like to lull opposing teams into acquiescence, but playoff-focused teams will not fall for such a ploy.

The Predators simply ratcheted up their game in the last two minutes to counter the "slow suffocation" strategy that Tippett was attempting (and is so known for) at the end of the game. Probably not a "fireable" offense, but he pretty much got out-strategized at the end of the game due to his predictability.

 

[GiveAFlyingPuck]

The Predators simply ratcheted up their game in the last two minutes to counter the "slow suffocation" strategy that Tippett was attempting (and is so known for) at the end of the game. Probably not a "fireable" offense, but he pretty much got out-strategized at the end of the game due to his predictability.

 

[Jakey53]

This hasn't been mentioned yet - should just add more fuel to the fire in the supporters vs detractors of Tippett:

Tippett's starting 3 in OT was OEL, Richardson, and Domi. Guess which of those players the Predators took the puck to?

Again, this isn't meant to be a knock on Domi, his skills, or his future. Nor is it meant to be a knock on any rookie or veteran, for that matter.

Tippett puts players out there to give the best possible chance to win. Just b/c someone is offensively proficient doesn't mean that defensive lapses can't happen as well. Trust me, I think that we all would love it if every new player (whether via draft or FA) winds up cementing a place on the team. But these things take time. If we were fighting for a playoff spot, even the detractors would ask why we had a rookie out there at such a critical time of the game/season. Some of these players are less than 100 games in their NHL career. Let's sit back, take a deep breath and realize that these players have a lot of time to work with in their respective careers. Tippett's plan is to make winning possible. It is going to happen, just be patient.

Good post. Most of the young pup posters want the kids to play, I get that, and I want to see them play also. But...it takes times. Your correct, take a deep breath and be patient. It will happen, and like hbk has said, everything is going as planned.

 

[Jakey53]

Yes, Domi blew his defensive coverage, but it is 3-on-3 so defense isn't really important. It's more about speed and shot accuracy.

Domi and OEL have speed and accuracy, Richardson has neither. I can't remember who Nashville had on the ice (OT was over rather quickly), but they apparently were faster and more accurate than we were

I can also attribute this to not having many 3-on-3 bouts this season (or at least none for quite a while). In addition, I could make an argument that Tippett's strategy works against transitioning to a 3-on-3. We like to lull opposing teams into acquiescence, but playoff-focused teams will not fall for such a ploy.

The Predators simply ratcheted up their game in the last two minutes to counter the "slow suffocation" strategy that Tippett was attempting (and is so known for) at the end of the game. Probably not a "fireable" offense, but he pretty much got out-strategized at the end of the game due to his predictability.

Not sure how much of the game you watched, but the way the team was playing a tie was the best outcome we could have asked for. If not for Smith the game would have been long over. On the tying goal, I believe it was Gordon who lost the draw and Nashville scored. We didn't even touch the puck.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Yes, Domi blew his defensive coverage, but it is 3-on-3 so defense isn't really important. It's more about speed and shot accuracy.

Domi and OEL have speed and accuracy, Richardson has neither. I can't remember who Nashville had on the ice (OT was over rather quickly), but they apparently were faster and more accurate than we were

I can also attribute this to not having many 3-on-3 bouts this season (or at least none for quite a while). In addition, I could make an argument that Tippett's strategy works against transitioning to a 3-on-3. We like to lull opposing teams into acquiescence, but playoff-focused teams will not fall for such a ploy.

The Predators simply ratcheted up their game in the last two minutes to counter the "slow suffocation" strategy that Tippett was attempting (and is so known for) at the end of the game. Probably not a "fireable" offense, but he pretty much got out-strategized at the end of the game due to his predictability.

I get what you are trying to say, but I would theorize that the ability to play defense is even more important in that case. Less players = more ice to work with. More ice to work with = greater opportunity to hold on to the puck.

So, by saying that defense is less important, you are implying that you are okay with the other team holding on to the puck and dictating the play. If you have better defenders out there, you should be able to neutralize an attack and/or align yourself better to take away the ice.

Again, this isn't meant as a knock on Domi, but the Predators had a controlled entry into the zone with a drop pass taken by Josi. Yes, Josi had speed, but Domi was caught 100% flat-footed out there. It was a very deer in the headlights moment for him, but he will learn from that. If that were, I don't know, any other veteran player out there instead of Domi and the same result happened, at least 4 comments would be along the lines of, "Of course we lost we had <insert player name> out there."

I am certain that if we were within a point or two of the #8 playoff spot, there would be a different take on how important defense is in 3-on-3. Fortunately, the only thing that it hurt was our case for the #7 vs #8 or #9 pick. (Or unfortunately, depending on the way you want to look at it)

 

[_Del_]

Not sure how much of the game you watched, but the way the team was playing a tie was the best outcome we could have asked for. If not for Smith the game would have been long over. On the tying goal, I believe it was Gordon who lost the draw and Nashville scored. We didn't even touch the puck.

You're right. Without excellent goaltending, this team was nowhere close to being competitive. You could say that about most of our wins. What does it say about all our "progress" and "system play" when everyone still looks lost in our zone and when we don't look coherent most nights? We look good about one game in five. And it's not just young players blowing assignments, so I'm having trouble ascribing accolades to our coaching staff.

 

[_Del_]

Also, if we're criticizing posters for wanting to see fast skill players in 3v3 as some kind of "I told you so", shouldn't we be criticizing Tippett for actually putting Domi out there?

You guys have no consistency. There is no coherent defense of this team's decision making.

 

[BUX7PHX]

You're right. Without excellent goaltending, this team was nowhere close to being competitive. You could say that about most of our wins. What does it say about all our "progress" and "system play" when everyone still looks lost in our zone and when we don't look coherent most nights? We look good about one game in five. And it's not just young players blowing assignments, so I'm having trouble ascribing accolades to our coaching staff.

I totally get what you are saying here. There were examples within the last 5 minutes where it didn't appear that players are simply on the same page. One of these instances was when I believe that Duclair and either Connauton or Grant got tangled up in our defensive end. The puck was dropped off and moved to the corners, yet both players tried to follow where the puck went. They got tangled, and if the Predators had the puck on the player's stick, it would essentially be a 5-on-3 while our other players got untangled.

Is that the players being a little overzealous? Sure, they are all in their early to mid 20s and may be at less than 100 NHL level games played. But this is why I think that Playfair does not make things clear and simplified on the defensive end, and a reason why we need to step away from him.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Also, if we're criticizing posters for wanting to see fast skill players in 3v3 as some kind of "I told you so", shouldn't we be criticizing Tippett for actually putting Domi out there?

You guys have no consistency. There is no coherent defense of this team's decision making.

I already addressed that in another post - imagine if this was how things went early on in the season, where the young fast skill players are out there in OT. We probably lose a lot of those games. Keep in mind that 50 games in, we were still in some sort of position to potentially be a playoff squad (even though the odds were diminishing).

Now that we are truly eliminated, it does make sense for Tippett to put him out there to see what can be done. But the truth of the matter is that just b/c they are talented, young, and have offensive capability does not necessarily mean that it is the right thing to put them out there. So, I applaud Tippett for not throwing them to the proverbial wolves early in the season. Much like even the detractors have mentioned Domi on the PK - not something you do early in the season, but now that we are a little later on and are out of the race, you see where else these players can make an impact.

 

[Ebb]

Not sure how much of the game you watched, but the way the team was playing a tie was the best outcome we could have asked for. If not for Smith the game would have been long over. On the tying goal, I believe it was Gordon who lost the draw and Nashville scored. We didn't even touch the puck.

I watched the entirety of the game, but may have nodded off several times. I'd attribute it to my location, but it was an "early" game, so there must be some other reason for that. Of course, I may have also been distracted by a new book I had purchased since I kept going to it throughout the game.

From what I eventually saw of the game, it was pretty bad on the most part (except for some dumb luck), but Smitty was rock-solid. The overall problem I had with the game is that similar to other times that we get an early lead, Tippett just slows the game to a crawl and hopes to eke out the win. This is by no means unique to his coaching style, the Red Wings, Kings, Preds, Sharks, and a few other teams use a similar approach. Of course, those teams have the players to effectively utilize that strategy (we do not). In the end, most teams have found a way to counter that approach, especially against a defensively-vulnerable team like our current roster.

 

[Jakey53]

You're right. Without excellent goaltending, this team was nowhere close to being competitive. You could say that about most of our wins. What does it say about all our "progress" and "system play" when everyone still looks lost in our zone and when we don't look coherent most nights? We look good about one game in five. And it's not just young players blowing assignments, so I'm having trouble ascribing accolades to our coaching staff.

I know you don't like DT, but open your eyes and ears and understand,I know that is hard for you, but again, this is our first year of a rebuild....nevermind, you wouldn't get it anyway.

 

[Jakey53]

I totally get what you are saying here. There were examples within the last 5 minutes where it didn't appear that players are simply on the same page. One of these instances was when I believe that Duclair and either Connauton or Grant got tangled up in our defensive end. The puck was dropped off and moved to the corners, yet both players tried to follow where the puck went. They got tangled, and if the Predators had the puck on the player's stick, it would essentially be a 5-on-3 while our other players got untangled.

Is that the players being a little overzealous? Sure, they are all in their early to mid 20s and may be at less than 100 NHL level games played. But this is why I think that Playfair does not make things clear and simplified on the defensive end, and a reason why we need to step away from him.

I'n not a fan of Playfair either. IF there was one coach I would replaced it would be him.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Also, if we're criticizing posters for wanting to see fast skill players in 3v3 as some kind of "I told you so", shouldn't we be criticizing Tippett for actually putting Domi out there?

You guys have no consistency. There is no coherent defense of this team's decision making.

You are turning this into a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. If memory serves correct, you are more in the Tippett detractor crowd, correct?

The pro-Tippett crowd has always maintained that we don't need to put the youth out there in every possible scenario - there are scenarios where veteran presence is more helpful. The anti-Tippett crowd has stated that we need to involve the youth as much as humanly possible.

This is the perfect example of what effective decision making does. We are out of the playoff scenario, so we can play the rookies in expanded roles with less worry about what this does for this season. At the point where we were 24-19-5, we don't need a rookie losing confidence or any sort of psychological edge b/c they blew an assignment when we needed to stay afloat.

That's the issue with the detractors, you state there is not a single defense of Tippett's decision making, yet the reasons that would be cited by the detractors would be just as faulty than any defense that could be given by the apologists. "Play the rookies!!" you say. Well, here was one example of how that didn't work out as well as the thoughts intended behind it. That's not to say that the veterans have been exceedingly better. But the veterans are around for a reason - they have dealt with the highs and lows over their careers. The rookies haven't. If Domi was in there for our very 1st OT game and he loses confidence, he ain't coming close to breaking Mueller's rookie record. Conversely - look at Mueller - he was given all sorts of ice time and accolades to start off. Things became "easy" for him and it came down to a need to work harder to prepare for his second and third years. He didn't do that and his play bottomed out. That's not what we want either.

There is some level just between minimal ice time and maximum ice time that needs to be balanced out. That is the coherent decision making that has been done. Give them some tastes of the dessert, but don't give them the whole ice cream sundae. Don't give them none of the dessert either. It will make them hungry to work to get the whole sundae, but not so discouraged that they begin to think that they will never get a taste of the dessert.

 

[kihekah19*]

I already addressed that in another post - imagine if this was how things went early on in the season, where the young fast skill players are out there in OT. We probably lose a lot of those games. Keep in mind that 50 games in, we were still in some sort of position to potentially be a playoff squad (even though the odds were diminishing).

Now that we are truly eliminated, it does make sense for Tippett to put him out there to see what can be done. But the truth of the matter is that just b/c they are talented, young, and have offensive capability does not necessarily mean that it is the right thing to put them out there. So, I applaud Tippett for not throwing them to the proverbial wolves early in the season. Much like even the detractors have mentioned Domi on the PK - not something you do early in the season, but now that we are a little later on and are out of the race, you see where else these players can make an impact.

It's not even so much as to where we are in the standings (although it factors), it's that they've got more experience and this is a progression of exposure.

 

[ClassLessCoyote]

This Anti-Tippett crowd doesn't exist but rather what exists are people who liked Tippett in the beginning and changed their tune about him overtime. I'm sure these "Anti-Tippett people" are willing to like him again and say all is forgiven if he manages to win a cup with the Coyotes sometime in the next few seasons.

 

[_Del_]

I think coaches have a shelf life. Tippett is a good coach, but I don't see much in the way of development to be honest. Even the veteran rosters of the past few years have suffered from abysmal consistency and poor on ice results. Now we have a lot of skilled youth incoming, and I'd prefer to see a coach without Tippett's history at the helm. He has obvious warts (as most coaches do). He's perversely proud of them. He was very vocal about not wanting to rebuild and said the NHL isn't for development. He's done nothing to make me question those statements.

I don't consider myself a "Tippett hater". I'd be happy to have him as a coaching hire if I were a fan of a team icing a veteran roster. But we aren't. We're at loggerheads internally. We should have had a no-fault divorce after the tantrum last season. It doesn't make me "anti-Tippett" to think both parties are trying to go separate directions and might be happier finding a different dance partner.

 

[cobra427]

I think coaches have a shelf life. Tippett is a good coach, but I don't see much in the way of development to be honest. Even the veteran rosters of the past few years have suffered from abysmal consistency and poor on ice results. Now we have a lot of skilled youth incoming, and I'd prefer to see a coach without Tippett's history at the helm. He has obvious warts (as most coaches do). He's perversely proud of them. He was very vocal about not wanting to rebuild and said the NHL isn't for development. He's done nothing to make me question those statements.

I don't consider myself a "Tippett hater". I'd be happy to have him as a coaching hire if I were a fan of a team icing a veteran roster. But we aren't. We're at loggerheads internally. We should have had a no-fault divorce after the tantrum last season. It doesn't make me "anti-Tippett" to think both parties are trying to go separate directions and might be happier finding a different dance partner.

Teams that have a 20ish point improvement do not fire their coach. So this year, I doubt the Capitals/Coyotes/Sabres make a change, it would be insane to do so.