GDT: TankTown Express, Home Port vs the Jets

[AjaxManifesto]

I can describe this team's identity in three words:

Useless drop pass

 

[Xerloris]

I can describe this team's identity in three words:

Useless drop pass

I seriously cannot stand the drop pass. We use it far to often and I think it's only worked twice this season so far.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

The main differential between us is you seem to think the differential between last years team and this years team isn't mainly luck. There are certainly differences (Our special teams, specifically our Penalty Killing, sucks which does come down to coaching, as we had an elite special teams coach this year who is carrying his success over to Boston, and also the difference between Husso and Greiss in net), but the over arching thing still remains the same: This is a team who hasn't had a positive shot differential in 3 years after that being one of our defining main characteristics in our cup year. We've, in fact, been falling on shot differential each year since our cup victory (+259 in 18-19, +79 in 19-20, -48 in 20-21, -99 in 21-22, and -87 not even half way through this year), and that is usually the easiest way to follow if a team is actually, you know, good. We went from a 5 on 5 powerhouse in our heyday to a team that was just kept alive by our special teams last year, and now that it's gone there is no hiding that THIS, what we are watching now, is reality. Opposing Goalies aren't allowing a goal on every 8 shots like they did last year. That was never going to happen again. The question was could we keep our shooting percentage near the top of the league (It's middle of the pack right now at a flat 90% last I checked), while hopefully improving our possession numbers (Which has proven to be a big fat no). Add in a massive downgrade in net, and here we are.

Also, you know the difference between other "Recent Top Teams" and us? High End Talent. Basically, Tampa can stay on top because they let depth players walk and kept there top end players like Kucherov, Stamkos, Point, and Hedman. Boston can still be a top team because they still have Pastarnak, Bergeron, and Marchand. Toronto can stay near the top because of Matthews, Marner, Tavares, and Nylander. Pittsburgh can stay relevant because they still have Crosby and Malkin. Vegas positioned themselves by being super active and now are built around Eichel, Stone, Theadore, and Pietrangelo. Edmonton has been consistent because they have McDavid and Leo. We don't have players like that. The closest things we've had in the last 5 years are Petro who walked so we can save some money for Krug, O'Reilly who was always a slow skater and game is really getting hit hard now that it feels like he's slowing down even more, and Tarasenko. We paid Kyrou and Thomas because we had them hand picked as the guys to carry the torch, but there are both still flawed players whose weaknesses can at times take away from there strengths. Outside of those 2 (and Buch), the rest of our core is just old and getting worse. Almost all of them are either in there 30's or about to hit it, and none of our prospects have looked like they are taking spots outside of 4th line or bottom pair.

Last years team may have shot at unsustainable pace, but if you actually watch games it is clear that last years team played with much more speed and cohesion on offense than this year and had some semblance of defensive structure- especially on pk- that this years club lacks. We got great looks last year that we aren’t getting now. Like teams studied what we did and adjusted and we haven’t made adjustments ourselves.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I can describe this team's identity in three words:

Useless drop pass

Chronic mental lapses

 

[Celtic Note]

Hello ladies and gentlemen, this is your TankTown Express conductor here once again. After a derailment to the TankTown Express in Long Island, we return home for repairs only to have Winnipeg 1st Place Engines in Port. Please keep your Hopes and Dreams inside the Train at all times.

Forwards

Schenn - O'Reilly - Leivo
Kyrou - Thomas - Tarasenko
Saad - Barbashev - Bitten
Walker - Acciari - Pitlick

Defense

Leddy - Parayko
Rosen - Faulk
Mikkola - Bortuzzo

Goalie

Greiss

The longer this goes on, the longer the train should get.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

The longer this goes on, the longer the train should get.

I was gonna make it grow shorter. Lol

 

[542365]

Playing at a 73 point pace currently. Last year that would’ve tied us with Ottawa for 26th. 3-7 in the last ten with basically no signs of improvement. Blues should absolutely tank.

 

[PocketNines]

Blaming Armstrong for the mess of this season is beyond stupid.

Yep this year the roster assembled itself.

 

[Brian39]

He's the one difference from last year and might have been a major driving force in ways we have no idea about.

Husso finished 7th in Vezina voting after taking the #1 job from a struggling Binnington. He won us plenty of games that should have been losses.

Scandella was our #1 PK D man and (at worst) our 3rd most important defensive D man last season (I'd argue he was the 2nd most important behind Parayko). He has plenty of warts to his game, but eliminating the back door pass and clearing rebounds was almost his entire job. Both have been major issues for our defensive group this season.

Bozak was a very publicly well liked teammate and a locker room leader.

Jim Montgomery was a no-doubt NHL head coach performing assistant coach duties because his substance abuse cost him his job. He had to demonstrate to the league that he had accepted the help that he needed by taking a job he was clearly overqualified for. He earned another head coaching job and is making a case to win the Jack Adams this year.

It is just completely and totally false to claim that Perron's absence is the one difference from last year.

 

[Brian39]

Last years team may have shot at unsustainable pace, but if you actually watch games it is clear that last years team played with much more speed and cohesion on offense than this year and had some semblance of defensive structure- especially on pk- that this years club lacks. We got great looks last year that we aren’t getting now. Like teams studied what we did and adjusted and we haven’t made adjustments ourselves.

Totally agreed.

We played a style that was unique in the NHL last season and actively passed up good looks for great looks. Our entire rush strategy was to attack through the neutral zone with speed to push back the first wave of defenders withour first 2 attackers and then find the 3rd attacker as he skated into the vacated space. Pretty much every team does this, but that 3rd attacker almost always takes the shot when they get that open look in the slot. Instead, we would have that player hold the puck, draw those first defenders toward him and then hit one of the original 2 players at the back door for a tap in. It worked ludicrously well and the entire offense bought into it.

Teams have adjusted and are actively taking away our back door and cross ice passes. We haven't adjusted in response and aren't getting nearly the number of A+++ chances we got last year.

The shooting percentage last year was part luck, but a big part a result of our own pre-shot decisions. It wouldn't have been due for the type of regression we've seen so far this year if we kept generating the same types of chances. but we aren't generating those types of chances this year.

 

[BlueSeal]

Husso finished 7th in Vezina voting after taking the #1 job from a struggling Binnington. He won us plenty of games that should have been losses.

Scandella was our #1 PK D man and (at worst) our 3rd most important defensive D man last season (I'd argue he was the 2nd most important behind Parayko). He has plenty of warts to his game, but eliminating the back door pass and clearing rebounds was almost his entire job. Both have been major issues for our defensive group this season.

Bozak was a very publicly well liked teammate and a locker room leader.

Jim Montgomery was a no-doubt NHL head coach performing assistant coach duties because his substance abuse cost him his job. He had to demonstrate to the league that he had accepted the help that he needed by taking a job he was clearly overqualified for. He earned another head coaching job and is making a case to win the Jack Adams this year.

It is just completely and totally false to claim that Perron's absence is the one difference from last year.

Fair but would you argue that Perron's missing presence isn't an important one? People talk about Maroon being a lackluster player (and I think that's fair) but his presence in a locker room is huge. Perron might have been the same way and the team found cohesion with it. It's very possible that DP had the room.

If I had to pick a single guy whose been through hell (he almost got his career ended by Jumbo), been on and off the team through no fault of his own and ended up on top and kind of a symbol of the Note, someone the other players could be inspired from, it'd be DP57.

Chuckie Sideburns, who I'm not going to say is a great player, did bring the team together and did have them playing together in a way that we are rarely seeing. Some things can not be found on a stats page. On paper we should rule but the truth is, the team is somehow badly bitten.

Awards aren't everything ~ with the skills we have, I don't feel like we have that kind of person in the room anymore. I keep reading about folks being irritated or admitting to doing poorly and such and that just shows how bad the morale is in the room. Everyone's saying how bad things are and no one is really stepping up to lead. Some of the players might have one foot out the door, which I feel is the case with Vladi, who is being a professional about it but you can feel that kind of energy and it just adds to despair.

I could be wrong but after watching this team, I seriously doubt it.

It's probably a combination of things but we can't be blaming netminders when the team keeps forgetting how to play hockey. Mind that Chief didn't do alot when he became coach, he let the team play and find itself and we won a Cup. It's possible coaching is trying to make square pegs fit in round holes instead of utilizing the talents the team has.

 

[Oberyn]

I always like Jim Montgomery dating back to when he coached the Stars and was super excited when the Blues took him on as an assistant. I was hoping he'd stick around for another year or two and then take the reigns from Berube.

 

[Celtic Note]

I was gonna make it grow shorter. Lol

I can’t wait to see the 1/16th train!

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I can’t wait to see the 1/16th train!

The very last one of the year