Healthy D pairs

[Talain]

Isles' record this season without Carkner in the lineup: 3-1-1.
Isles' record this season with Carkner in the lineup: 1-3-1.

In the playoffs last season, in the four games that Carkner didn't play, we were 2-2 with the two losses coming in overtime. In the two games he did play, we were 0-2, with both games being blowouts.

 

[duster19]

Matt Greene and willy Mitchell are both ufas...maybe LA will be merciful

 

[duster19]

you mean playing against a team's top players isn't putting a rookie dman(an offensive one at that) isn't a position to succeed?

donovan plays an up-tempo style game. carkner tries to slow it down. they aren't a good pairing and all they really do together is magnify each other's weaknesses. i think carkner is a fine 7th dman, when put with the right partner.



you mean young cheap top 4 defensemen aren't readily available at any moment? man you're crazy!

liles isn't an answer, gardiner is intriguing but probably unavailable for the same reasons donovan shouldn't be sent down.

as i said in another thread:

MacDonald - Hamonic
Martinek - Carkner/Strait
Donovan - Hickey

when lubo comes back:

MacDonald - Hamonic
Visnovsky - Hickey
Donovan - Strait/Martinek

this defense is at least in the same stratosphere as tampa bay's and colorado's. the difference is the coaching.

And goaltending...

 

[The Underboss]

I recognize that the title of this thread is healthy d pairs, but do we know when Visnovsky is getting back?

He's out till late this week minimum due to IR, if I am not mistaken.

 

[It Was 4 to 1*]

And goaltending...

the only goaltender out of all 3 teams that is on a different level is varlamov

 

[It Was 4 to 1*]

Isles' record this season without Carkner in the lineup: 3-1-1.
Isles' record this season with Carkner in the lineup: 1-3-1.

In the playoffs last season, in the four games that Carkner didn't play, we were 2-2 with the two losses coming in overtime. In the two games he did play, we were 0-2, with both games being blowouts.

carkner played in every game but the two blowouts, though. there was a big uproar in playing hickey over him when hickey got schooled by crosby

 

[kasper11]

Carkner is god awful, no doubt. He has no business in the NHL.

BUT, that doesn't mean that Donovan's play has been acceptable. He is making way too many mistakes. Regardless of who his D partner is, you can't constantly leave them with a 2-1 down low, or a breakaway because you shanked your shot (three times).

When healthy, we have three top-4 dmen (Hamonic, Visnovsky, McDonald), two bottom-pairing dmen (Hickey and Martinek) and two players who should see limited ice time (Strait because he isn't that good and Donovan becuase he isn't that good yet).

With Vis out, this D is just flat out bad.

 

[Talain]

carkner played in every game but the two blowouts, though. there was a big uproar in playing hickey over him when hickey got schooled by crosby

Oops - that was Hickey who was in the two blowouts. (I actually remembered that the two games Hickey played in were the blowouts but seem to have forgotten that Hickey and Carkner played in exactly the games that the other was scratched).

Now I remember it - Hickey was too small and was easily exploited by Crosby, etc., so he was scratched in favor of Carkner for games 2 through 4. Then AMac got injured and apparently the coaching staff decided that they couldn't afford to play Carkner with their defense depleted like that, and so went with Hickey for game 5, which of course led to disaster.

But Carkner is still pretty awful.

 

[duster19]

the only goaltender out of all 3 teams that is on a different level is varlamov

disagree...i think Bishop is a very good goalie. Missed opportunity on him last year. Also jiggy can have streaks where he is almost unbeatable