Post-Game Talk: kong

[mas0764]

I disagree as I would think many here would. The development of Fox is a bad example as he is the reigning Norris Trophy winner. And you can say the same for Shesty. He's been excellent since his arrival. These two certainly didn't need any breaking in period.

Reaves and Goodrow have been excellent additions to this team and have made all the difference between this year and last season.

Reaves sets the tone with his forecheck and aggressive play. And everyone is following his lead. With Troub's laying out opponents like never before,.. to Julien Gauthier getting more ice-time with his physical play.

Goodrow brings all the intangibles that make a good hockey player. His overall game of a complete two-way player shows on a nightly basis. And is being rewarded with major ice-time. He's been averaging 19 minutes in the month of January. Winning face-offs, blocking passing lanes on the PK, occasional goals scored, winning board battles, forechecks, cycles well protecting the puck, this guy does it all.

It's fairly easy to see,... they were what was missing last year. These are two warriors who lead by example.

I never said Goodrow wasn't a good addition, I said Hunt, Reaves, AND McKegg, insinuating that the trio of them compose too much nothingness besides gritty play, which we are currently overvaluing.

That being said, I still disagree that they were what was missing. You can measure that this team is actually performing worse at 5 on 5 across the board. What is better this year versus last year is

1) Special teams, which are being driven by our horses like Fox, Panarin, Zibanejad, and yes, Kreider scoring on every power play opportunity, and
2) goaltending, where Shesterkin is playing like a flat out Vezina winner this season.

The team absolutely has swung the pendulum too far towards grit that does not make meaningful additions at 5 on 5, and lacks skill.

Some of that is due to unfortunate circumstance (injury, Kravtsov deciding to act out), but some of it is due to team decision (trading Buch for grit, not making a small exception for Kravtsov that wouldn't have fractured the locker room, it chose to bring on Goodrow, Reaves, and Hunt, as well as bringing back McKegg, etc).

Reaves has had his moments but it's simply not born out by any measurement on the ice that he's having a net positive impact. He's not, and neither is Hunt or McKegg. There is too much on-ice dead weight.

If you can't live without Reaves' locker room leadership, so be it, but then the other dead weight has to be replaced by skill.

 

[mas0764]

These guys are calming influences on the ice and in the room for a team that is still top 5 youngest in the NHL. Last year when things broke down it was a disaster, this one does much better job of keeping cool when things arent going well.

Right, but of course this is attributable to Hunt and McKegg and not the maturation of young players like Fox and Lindgren.

 

[Blais to Win]

The problem is not that they added grit it's that these guys have not made the leaps that it looks like the org expected, yet: Chytil, Gauthier, Lafreniere, Kakko, and Blais. There's your skill. It's still developing, unfortunately, but that's life.

Fortunately there is so much skill at the top of the lineup we've not suffered from a win-loss perspective.

 

[will1066]

Columbus gave up 62 shots on goal in their last game. We'll be lucky to manage 30.

 

[Idlerlee]

Henrik Lundqvist choosing the 28th of January is the ultimate bro moment in sports, making sure that Zucc would be there for one of the proudest days in his life. I look forward to some joyful tears in celebration of the King tomorrow.