The deficiencies of this team are starting to look blatantly obvious now. Coach can't/won't make adjustments. If I'm an opposing team, I flood the neutral zone and essentially play the trap. Nobody in the lineup seems to know how to make a dangerous zone entry except Ehlers, who of course sits on the bench. Everyone else tries to dance at the Blueline, or make a stupid cross ice pass to nowhere.
Substitute for Morrissey is potato? Not that I think Niku is any better defensively (and what kind of excuse from mo is "he didn't skate this morning") at least he can make a breakout pass to the tape and create some offense. On top of that you put him with poolman? Ok. Are we trying to tank? Poolman has been the worst d-man on this roster since returning to the lineup. Every shift he makes a mistake and fails to use his size to any kind of advantage. Maybe another couple hits like the one against Ottawa late in the game. He can do it, just doesn't.
Wheeler hasn't looked good in a long while....he looks tired all the time. Great he scored on a tap in because of an incredible pass from an original AHL call up. So glad we extended wheeler. Better find a place for him with less ice time or we going to continue to go backwards. Can't watch him stand on the wall waiting for a seam to open up anymore and then hook the guy for being better than him. Everyone in the rink knows what your looking for!!!! And then, because teams flood the neutral zone, we dump and chase with a roster of "skilled" offensive players with no grit or tenacity. I don't care that Connor puts the puck in the net if he can't at least make body contact on a dump in. And it's not just Connor, it's all of them. the d man sense no pressure and make easy decisions all game long. You wanna play dump and chase Maurice, then get your guys on the old school program and stop rewarding crap hockey. Can't watch another waving stick big c-cut fly by. Don't need Dustin Byfuglien hits. Just body contact. It's playoff style hockey. Simple.
Don't even get me started on the man to man coverage in our own zone. Couple guys move around a bit and everyone in our defensive zone is lost and confused. Can't ask hellebyuck to win the cup for us. He's trying though.