Observations XXI

[GoldOnGold]

Predators Power-Play Update:

Now tied for 28th in the league at 14.2%

Tied for 5th most shorthanded goals given up

We're on pace to have the franchise's worst PP since the 2002-03 season.

This is all especially sad because we've gotten the 2nd most PP opportunities in the league.

 

[adsfan]

IMO Fiala is pretty close to top 10 picks in the first round that year.

If we got a redo I'd rather swap out Justin Kirkland for Brayden Point

Kirkland has 5 G and 9 A in 39 games and is shown in 9th place for Admirals scoring, right behind Tyler Gaudet, who has the same stats in 30 games played. Kirkland is also 2 for 4 in shoot outs.

Tolvanen is shown as not being on the team. He is 11th in scoring with 4 G and 8 A in 24 games and 0 for 2 in the shoot out.

 

[bdub24]

Kirkland has 5 G and 9 A in 39 games and is shown in 9th place for Admirals scoring, right behind Tyler Gaudet, who has the same stats in 30 games played. Kirkland is also 2 for 4 in shoot outs.

Tolvanen is shown as not being on the team. He is 11th in scoring with 4 G and 8 A in 24 games and 0 for 2 in the shoot out.

Well where in the wide, wide world of sports is Eeli?

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Well where in the wide, wide world of sports is Eeli?

I thought I saw he missed last game due to sickness, but not sure why he isn't listed on the roster.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I thought I saw he missed last game due to sickness, but not sure why he isn't listed on the roster.

Gold medal hangover... usually does not last more than 1 week and they were in Vancouver so it's not quite as distant as it could have been...

I don't know, but I guess the question in the back of everyone's mind is whether he might be thinking about going back to Jokerit for their playoff run? ET calls home. I don't think that'd be any big deal either way TBH... their season ends early and he could go there and still come back to finish as a Black Ace here. It's no biggie either way. But some sort of official announcement of his status is probably overdue... no idea if he's physically in Milwaukee or what. Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[drwpreds]

Arvidsson has 17 goals in 24 games.

That is a full season pace of 58 goals

Forsberg has 18 in 30 games

Full season pace of 49 goals

Why oh why did they have to get injured???
Would have shattered franchise records- both of them may have had 40+ goals

Such a shame

And just to follow up on the above- Arvy is now SECOND in the entire league in goals per game. Just 0.1 behind Ovechkin for the league lead.

 

[King Weber]

I thought I saw he missed last game due to sickness, but not sure why he isn't listed on the roster.

Injured according to the Admirals radio commentator.

 

[Pred303]

just a week or two ago we were talking about re-pairing our defensemen, and here we tried last night. the return of weber on the right side, and the improvement of ekholm as an offensive player has allowed us to at least try josi-subban, ekholm-ellis, hamhuis-weber. really hope it works. josi's speed might help cover for subban's speed anbd subban's physical play should help josi in deep defensively, and maybe ekholm and ellis will compliment each other. offensively, the puck handling ability of that second pair remains the biggest question still, but ekholm has shown more and more ability to handle the puck and bring it up ice, so maybe it will work out. on the defensive side, i think it improves (or at least could improve) both pairings. ekholn should help ellis and subban should help josi.

 

[predfan98]

Predators Power-Play Update:

Now tied for 28th in the league at 14.2%

Tied for 5th most shorthanded goals given up

We're on pace to have the franchise's worst PP since the 2002-03 season.

This is all especially sad because we've gotten the 2nd most PP opportunities in the league.

Well whose failure is this? I blame poile and laviolette, both for different reasons...........it's inexcusable, will cost us a cup.

They both have blinders on.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Well whose failure is this? I blame poile and laviolette, both for different reasons...........it's inexcusable, will cost us a cup.

They both have blinders on.

While that sounds hyperbolic...it is hard to disagree with and feels inevitable from my perspective.

 

[LCPreds]

While that sounds hyperbolic....

Yes...

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Yes...

I have reached a new level of frustration with the power play. It's not healthy.

 

[LCPreds]

I have reached a new level of frustration with the power play. It's not healthy.

And I think that is where the hyperbole comes into play. We get emotional and say things like "Lavi has blinders on!" because, since the powerplay has sucked so badly for so long, we simply assume Lavi must be ignoring it. I would imagine he is more frustrated by it than any of us could ever be.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

And I think that is where the hyperbole comes into play. We get emotional and say things like "Lavi has blinders on!" because, since the powerplay has sucked so badly for so long, we simply assume Lavi must be ignoring it. I would imagine he is more frustrated by it than any of us could ever be.

No doubt, and Poile more than anyone has to see how this could cost him a chance at the cup before he retires.

 

[GoldOnGold]

Considering the whole Fiala/Arvy practice thing, I found these quotations from Friedman's January 9th 31 Thoughts interesting:

23. The Predators are a great team because they have great players, but it doesn’t hurt that they practice very hard.
“I can’t remember if it was last year or the year before,” defenceman Ryan Ellis said this week, “But we had a practice during the playoffs where three guys went down. The coaches stopped it and said, ‘Hey, we have bigger goals we want to accomplish here.” Ellis laughed. “It’s not unusual for guys to say to each other, ‘I’m going to get you at practice.’”
24. It would not surprise anyone to hear that one of the most competitive players is Viktor Arvidsson, but another who got a few votes was Craig Smith. He smiled, but added, “There are a lot of guys you could say that about here.”
For his part, Smith said the most competitive guy he’s ever seen is San Jose’s Joe Pavelski. They skate together during the off-season. “He’ll be on the winning teams in most of our three-on-three games. When we golf, he’s usually the best. Fishing? He’ll have the best catch. Don’t you just hate guys like that? “Actually, I kind of admire it,” Smith said.

 

[Scoresberg]

Considering the whole Fiala/Arvy practice thing, I found these quotations from Friedman's January 9th 31 Thoughts interesting:

23. The Predators are a great team because they have great players, but it doesn’t hurt that they practice very hard.
“I can’t remember if it was last year or the year before,” defenceman Ryan Ellis said this week, “But we had a practice during the playoffs where three guys went down. The coaches stopped it and said, ‘Hey, we have bigger goals we want to accomplish here.” Ellis laughed. “It’s not unusual for guys to say to each other, ‘I’m going to get you at practice.’”
24. It would not surprise anyone to hear that one of the most competitive players is Viktor Arvidsson, but another who got a few votes was Craig Smith. He smiled, but added, “There are a lot of guys you could say that about here.”
For his part, Smith said the most competitive guy he’s ever seen is San Jose’s Joe Pavelski. They skate together during the off-season. “He’ll be on the winning teams in most of our three-on-three games. When we golf, he’s usually the best. Fishing? He’ll have the best catch. Don’t you just hate guys like that? “Actually, I kind of admire it,” Smith said.

Why can't we see this battle level in the games more often?

 

[triggrman]

Why can't we see this battle level in the games more often?

Seriously. The one comment over the years that we hear about the Preds is "Hard working team"

 

[triggrman]

Many of us have been calling for a Josi-Subban and Ellis-Ekholm pairing.

It just makes more sense to me.

Josi is fast enough to compliment Subban's speed which maximizes both players strengths too. Subban's (brain-farts aside) defensive awareness compliment's Josi's run and gun defensive style too. Subban is also strong enough to carry that line physically, Josi needs someone a bit stronger for net front battles, that's the weakest part of Ellis' game.

Ekholm, can cover for Ellis when he stands up at the blueline for his famous poke check, Ellis helps on the more controlled offensive play which plays more to Ekholm's strength offensively.

I doubt I'm explaining this the way I want, but in my mind, it all makes complete sense.

 

[drwpreds]

It is always interesting to me in sports how one team can inexplicably have another team’s number even over multiple seasons with different players, etc.
Was thinking about how we dominate teams like the Caps but then can’t beat the Hurricanes to save our life.

Did some research and over the past 5 years (since Laviolette arrived):

The Preds are a combined 16-4 against Tampa/Washington
The Preds are a combined 4-14 against Detroit/Carolina

I don’t know which one of those numbers is more mind-boggling. 16-4 is absolutely incredible against those two teams. But 4-14 is maybe even more incredible (in a negative way) considering the opponent.

Crazy stuff.

 

[predfan98]

And I think that is where the hyperbole comes into play. We get emotional and say things like "Lavi has blinders on!" because, since the powerplay has sucked so badly for so long, we simply assume Lavi must be ignoring it. I would imagine he is more frustrated by it than any of us could ever be.

You think frustration with the power play is exaggerated?

It's extremely broken, stats show how low its rated...... it's the coaches job to fix. If it hasn't been fixed, he needs to do something different. And then more.....
And more again....until it is fixed.
If he can coach 5 on 5 and have success, where is the conundrum on thePP? Are we to believe it's a fluke that players can play 5 on 5 and run plays, but not do it on PP?

And so to poile...etc.

It's hard to look at stats and not see that a PP so low is a roadblock to victory.

We're not comparing a PP in the middle of the pack, it's basically at the bottom.

It's not good enough anymore simply to make the playoffs anymore. Time to step up with all the talent we have.....

 

[PredsV82]

What do you expect Poile to do about the PP??

 

[Preds Partisan]

I can't tell you how much I want the Preds to destroy the Jets tomorrow. Well I could, but the filter would render it unreadable.

 

[predfan98]

What do you expect Poile to do about the PP??

Only to the extent that in any organization, the person at the top is in charge... I don't know the txtent to which different people play different roles in this particular organization.. but if laviolette needs a nudge to get different support staff, I would think it's poile place.
all we can do is look at stats and lack of results.
But the buck stops at his desk. That's all.

 

[triggrman]

When is the last time a team near the top of the conference fired an assistant coach during the season

 

[Adz]

I can't tell you how much I want the Preds to destroy the Jets tomorrow. Well I could, but the filter would render it unreadable.

That's what grawlixes are for.

I also have concerns about whichever coach runs the PP --is it McCarthy? The power play is nonexistent. I'd put it on him but Poile and Lavy haven't fixed the problem, either with new plays or a new asst. coach. Craig Smith was talking about it today and he seemed to think they were doing good things but just not scoring. That's not really good enough. You can buzz around all you want but a team this good should not be 28th in the league in goals scored--ultimately the only element that matters for that particular stat.