Observations XXII

[predfan24]

hockey is such a strange game. you can play well and lose but play poorly and win. some amazingly good counter attack opportunistic goals. well in fact all of them. rinne should be credited 2 wins for this one.

The NHL feels random to me at times. Sure, the best teams always float towards the top of the standings over a 82 game sample size but on a game to game basis it sometimes feels as if there is no rhyme or reason.

 

[predfan24]

I really wish we would move Forsberg to the other side of the ice on the PP. His one timer is incredible but we are wasting it on having him on his off-wing playing for the curl snap shot when no one is screening the goalie.

He was a beast on that side when he played for Milwaukee right? Still, I feel like he is pretty good doing the Datsyuk move of catching the puck up high on his strong side and quickly cutting towards the net and releasing a shot as well.

 

[Pred303]

The NHL feels random to me at times. Sure, the best teams always float towards the top of the standings over a 82 game sample size but on a game to game basis it sometimes feels as if there is no rhyme or reason.

that's because there truly is a lot of randomness in the game.in a league where the best teams lose 35 games and the worst win 35, and in a league where the average scoring difference is half a goal per game, there truly is a lot of randomness. just looking at the scoring first/not scoring first records which reinforces the idea of randomnes to a large degree.

 

[Drake744]

The NHL feels random to me at times. Sure, the best teams always float towards the top of the standings over a 82 game sample size but on a game to game basis it sometimes feels as if there is no rhyme or reason.

A video has been made to more or less address this thought

 

[Scoresberg]

Yeah, the biggest problem I have with the PP is that nobody is screening their goalie. The Forsberg shot or even a point shot would go in from time to time if there was somebody in front of the goalie. We got guys like Arvy, Watty, Sissy but the coaches seem negligent to put somebody there. Maybe if they got Simmonds they would plant him there but at this point I doubt it.

 

[Scoresberg]

Hartman's TOI's from the last 5:

8:52
8:12
11:03
9:53
8:37

What happened to him? Started off well.

 

[drwpreds]

Preds vs current playoff teams:
16-8-1
+22 goal differential
GF/G 3.40
GA/G 2.52

Preds vs non-playoff teams:
13-10-3
+ 3 goal differential
GF/G 2.81
GA/G 2.69

 

[LCPreds]

Preds vs current playoff teams:
16-8-1
+22 goal differential
GF/G 3.40
GA/G 2.52

Preds vs non-playoff teams:
13-10-3
+ 3 goal differential
GF/G 2.81
GA/G 2.69

So basically, get to the playoffs. Win 4 games in each of the 4 rounds and lose 2 per round. Sounds a lot like 2 years ago (other than the last round) and I'll take it!

 

[101st_fan]

Hartman's TOI's from the last 5:

8:52
8:12
11:03
9:53
8:37

What happened to him? Started off well.

Almost no PP time since Christmas (33 total seconds in that span), minimal top six time with Arvy and Forsberg back in the lineup. 14-15 shifts per game since early January compared to mid 20s per game in December.

 

[Scoresberg]

Almost no PP time since Christmas (33 total seconds in that span), minimal top six time with Arvy and Forsberg back in the lineup. 14-15 shifts per game since early January compared to mid 20s per game in December.

He’ll come in cheap next summer but I’d like to see us giving him more chances to prove his offensive skills. Put him with Turris when he comes back and go from there. Right now we aren’t finding use/role for him.

He has proven he can be 15-15 guy in the middle-6.

 

[Gh24]

He’ll come in cheap next summer but I’d like to see us giving him more chances to prove his offensive skills. Put him with Turris when he comes back and go from there. Right now we aren’t finding use/role for him.

He has proven he can be 15-15 guy in the middle-6.

Yeah

Fiala - Sissons - Smith
Jarnkrok - Turris - Hartman

and should we make a move for top6 forward, rotate depending who's playing well.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

Yeah

Fiala - Sissons - Smith
Jarnkrok - Turris - Hartman

and should we make a move for top6 forward, rotate depending who's playing well.

this is the problem with this team. outside of JOFA, our team sucks ass honestly. that middle 6 sucks. especially considering fiala's play actually regressing. smith is streaky as ever. turris has been good on the PP but even strength? jarnkrok gets pushed around in the playoffs and hartman has lost his cool multiple times in every playoff he has appeared in. i like sissons as an all around guy on the 3rd line. our "middle six" is the reason this team in underperforming and the reason we have very minimal chance at a cup run when you combine the borderline average play from our top 4 almighty defensive unit and average goaltending. we rode an unusual high save percentages from our goalies on the cup run and last years presidents trophy. pekka did win the vezina.

poile will make a move to upgrade the middle six but I think ultimately we need to move a defenseman for offensive help. and hope fiala rounds his game up and tolvanen continues to develop.

 

[LCPreds]

I don’t get the thought that the team has a minimal chance for a cup run. How is it any different than the team from two years ago? Or even last year? Sure they lost in game 7 of the 2nd round last year but could have easily been playing for the WCF again.

Expectations have certainly changed. We would have killed for a team like this 10 years ago.

Definitely not saying Poile shouldn’t try to keep improving by the way.

 

[FossilFndr]

I wonder of the players ever get together for PP practice without the coaches present and mix it up. During games they have to follow McCarthy play structure even if it hasn't been successful. I would like to think that at some point they get together and play different PP combinations etc in a mini competition and just have fun with that. Something to break the funk.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

I don’t get the thought that the team has a minimal chance for a cup run. How is it any different than the team from two years ago? Or even last year? Sure they lost in game 7 of the 2nd round last year but could have easily been playing for the WCF again.

Expectations have certainly changed. We would have killed for a team like this 10 years ago.

Definitely not saying Poile shouldn’t try to keep improving by the way.

to that, I would first say I could be completely wrong. I felt the same of last years team even with winning the presidents cup. Now I didn't feel we could make a run the year we made the finals until we won the first 2 games against Chicago on the road. although, all signs pointed to us being much better than last seed wild card.

I'm enjoying this team, don't get me wrong. but we've got a lot of issues. expectations have certainly changed.. its cup or bust. but outside of JOFA, we don't have the forwards nor the make up to make a run imo. the top 4 or pekka are gonna have to play at an all star level. and I could pick a bone with every single of those guys and then some.

 

[Montross]

I don’t get the thought that the team has a minimal chance for a cup run. How is it any different than the team from two years ago? Or even last year? Sure they lost in game 7 of the 2nd round last year but could have easily been playing for the WCF again.

Expectations have certainly changed. We would have killed for a team like this 10 years ago.

Definitely not saying Poile shouldn’t try to keep improving by the way.

There are still games left to play and once you get in the playoffs anything can happen. This team certainly has the ability to win it all. But right now I am more pessimistic about a deep run. They have already lost as many games this season as they did ALL of last season. The power play last season was a not-to-shabby 21%, while so far this season...well everyone knows how garbage it has been. Injuries have taken a large toll...it feels like we have never seen the completely healthy full-strength team.

So while I am a bit down on what I think their chances are, I would love to see this team after the break get Turris back and get a run in with everyone back in the lineup.

 

[Scoresberg]

I kinda get where NoNeck is coming from. If Fiala continues like this and Jarny & Smitty disappear in the playoffs like they tend to there’s nothing much left. Hartman isn’t getting the chances although I think he might be better in the playoffs when healthy.

But offense isn’t our strong suit. It wasn’t two years ago and it isn’t now. We have to rely heavily on our top-4 to be the best in the league and provide a bunch of offense and we need Rinne to be Vezina-like. Last spring, when he was on we looked unbeatable but he was just too inconsistent. A part of that is of course that he didn’t get a lot of goal support but the leash on him should be shorter this year.

 

[Pred303]

statistically, and probably realistically we have about a 6% chance of winning the cup if we make the playoffs. we all know or should know that with our average offense our chance comes down to rinne maintaining a save percentage of around .930 or better for 20 plus playoff games. always possible, but also unlikely. of course, that's what it comes down to to all 16 playoffs teams, hoping their goalie gets red hot and stays hot for 20 something games. (which is one reason i keep harping on adding additiional firepower to our forwards so we aren't as reliant on rinne having to be superhuman to have a chance to win it all)

this is why honestly it's so dangerous as a fan to only look forward to the playoffs as your all or nothing measurement of whether you win the cup or not as to whether it was a 'good season' or a 'complete failure'. that's why i try to focus more on the day to day grind of the regular season. enjoying the highs and cursing the lows. personally i find it's more rewarding, and any success in the playoffs i simply try to treat as icing on the cake.

 

[LCPreds]

303 - I agree with you on the regular season. This is why I enjoy having that Presidents Trophy banner in the rafters.

 

[drwpreds]

. but outside of JOFA, we don't have the forwards nor the make up to make a run imo. the top 4 or pekka are gonna have to play at an all star level. and I could pick a bone with every single of those guys and then some.

Do you think our team two years ago was better than this one??? Did that team have better forwards?

 

[Pred303]

303 - I agree with you on the regular season. This is why I enjoy having that Presidents Trophy banner in the rafters.

me too LC. it's something that will always be there. and why it's always a worthy goal.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

Do you think our team two years ago was better than this one??? Did that team have better forwards?

i don't think so. but there also isn't some huge gap imo. we got outstanding play from our top 4 and pekka.

we still had JOFA. fisher was our #2 center. 18 goals 24 assists in regular season not too bad. had playoff Colin wilson. james Neal.

we still had jarnkrok. not a fan of him in the playoffs. fiala really emerged at the start of the playoffs. shame he got hurt.

point being yes our current forwards are better but if we are winning a cup it's on the backend and from goalie play. still a fan of trading one of our defenseman for offense.

 

[Adz]

My benchmark is "was I entertained?" That's what I pay all this money for. Sure, I'd like to see them win a Cup before I die* but I put a lot more stock in whether I walked away from games feeling like I'd wasted my money or whether I had fun. Usually I have fun so so far so good. The 2013 season was pretty iffy, though. I came this close to dropping my tickets.

*so I can stop having to buy playoff tickets just in case this is the year. Ha! They jacked up the prices too much.

 

[triggrman]

statistically, and probably realistically we have about a 6% chance of winning the cup if we make the playoffs. we all know or should know that with our average offense our chance comes down to rinne maintaining a save percentage of around .930 or better for 20 plus playoff games. always possible, but also unlikely. of course, that's what it comes down to to all 16 playoffs teams, hoping their goalie gets red hot and stays hot for 20 something games. (which is one reason i keep harping on adding additiional firepower to our forwards so we aren't as reliant on rinne having to be superhuman to have a chance to win it all)

this is why honestly it's so dangerous as a fan to only look forward to the playoffs as your all or nothing measurement of whether you win the cup or not as to whether it was a 'good season' or a 'complete failure'. that's why i try to focus more on the day to day grind of the regular season. enjoying the highs and cursing the lows. personally i find it's more rewarding, and any success in the playoffs i simply try to treat as icing on the cake.

Though I heard and interview with Lavy where he talked about he used regular season games almost as situational practices. He puts players in different situations out of their comfort zone during regular season games to make sure he knows what they're capable of during the playoffs. He still rolls his lines more than most coaches, hell, Johansen is our top forward and he's 39th, which is 2nd line center numbers for a lot of teams, Arvidsson is next and he's ranked 50th. That's per game too, not total toi. Forsberg is 66th, ftr.

So while I agree with you, I also have to keep in mind that what you see now, isn't Lavy's finished product by seasons end.

 

[Pred303]

don't disagree at all trig. lavy certainly plays more for the playoffs than me who simply tries to watch nightly for entertainment. the regular strength icetime certainly shows that.