Thats the hall-mark of a team unable to control the flow of the game. For all the talk we have about guys like Schultz/Hall being able to "control" the pace of the game our team gets dominated by teams led by 3rd/4th-line like players.
As good as our kids are, they aren't tenacious enough without the puck. With the puck they're amazing, but they don't want the puck enough when it's gone to make plays necessary to control the game.
Players like Datsyuk/Richards/Kesler, or even Peverley/Hansen, when their team doesn't have the puck, they are working 120% to make sure they get it back and prevent any high-percentage opportunities for the opposition. That's why teams like Detroit/Boston/Vancouver frequently out-shoot their opponents and control pace of play.
Some of that comes from the defense, as having Dmen who know what to do with the puck when they retrieve it is key to starting a breakout and consolidating possession (J.Schultz/Whitney/Petry). Additionally, having defenseman that can effectively separate their man from the puck is key (Smid, N.Schultz). I think we're okay in that facet.
The problem for me is at forward, we don't have forwards that WANT the puck enough. The only ones off the top of my head are Belanger/Horcoff/Paajarvi (slightly above average) and Smyth/Jones/Petrell (average). Our top-6 features no one that will work hard to retrieve the puck, and it's why once we lose possession, that puck is prone to turn into an opposition shot.
RNH sure as hell does. Of our forwards he is the guy hat fits your description if what we are missing the best.
Yeah I saw it, excellent post. Just wondering if you did the splits manually or if you got it from somewhere. I'd like to run some stats on how the club has done against teams ahead of them in the standings. My suspicion is not too well just going off memory.
As far as Houston they had to play the checkers the last couple nights which are much more of a test than the futile rampage. So if any team had a right to be tired its the Aeros.
I did them manually by looking at the box scores that I have in my original post. And yes the Checkers are a far superior team to the Rampage, the Rampage have better goaltending and are tougher, that's about it.
The D has looked bad this year, no question, but some of these guys looked OK last year didn't they?
I see a lot of problems with odd man situations, being outnumbered in areas, and lack of puck support. Precisely the kind of things you spot when a team not playing a system is up against a club playing its game all over the ice. You can have all the talent in the world (as we're seeing) and still find ways to lose against a better team game. Lets be clear here the Aeros tilted the ice at some point in this game and we didn't have an answer. I'm amazed it went to shootout.
Thing is this team isn't playing any kind of a game that would actually help out the D. When you have normal D you run a Mactavish like break out. Simple, easy, set routine stuff that any normal guy can execute. Jason Smith and Steve Staios had their best ever years by a country mile playing under Mactavish. They never looked anything like it anywhere else.
Is this D really this bad or is it that theres just no focus with this club on D?
I know what my answer is.
Teubert really struggles with the puck IMO, I love his tenacity in the corners but he still has a a ways to go when it comes to moving the puck to even be a decent #6 NHL d-man. Plante is beyond brutal and with all of his HS's lately the coaching staff obviously agrees. Marincin for all of his talent makes a lot of boneheaded plays, but to be fair he is a rookie. Fedun really isn't anything special right now likely at least in part due to his injury/missed developmental time. Deck hasn't looked too bad actually and Henry has had his ups and downs even as a vet. IMO we're not working with a whole lot, but I am also sick and tired of seeing 2 RHD together. Fedun and Teubert aren't a good pairing either IMO, Teubert needs a guy that can move the puck, a guy who he can make a quick chip or pass to to start the breakout after he wins a puck battle. Marincin IMO would be the natural partner for him at this level.
Yeah, sing it, we're seeing the same things. I didn't get to watch the Eberle 5pt game but it reminds me that Omark had 5pts in an AHL game last year so not sure how much to read into it. The Rampage as mentioned are a **** opponent. Just on hilites:
First goal Eberle scores high, wouldn't beat many NHL goalies from that range. Second goal a complete joke as Eberle skates right by his check, who gives him a slight tap, before potting the cross ice feed(beauty pass by Arcobello) Then the tip in is nice, and thats a goal that could be scored at NHL level. Then theres the empty net.
What I haven't liked in Eberles game particularly is in close checking games he spends an awful lot of the time without the puck and without being able to get the puck. As much as we all love RNH and Eberle in the real tight checking affairs playing good teams they do a lot of chasing after the puck. Its consistently Hall in my mind that rises to that next level in the tough games we need him to. Of any of out players he's consistently ready for the next challenge. Eberle is much more meteoric. Just brilliant on some nights and where is he on others. There was a couple games last week where you could barely tell Eberle was out on the ice. You NEVER get that with Hall.
Hall's elite speed makes him noticeable every time that he touches the ice, I'm not knocking him, but Eberle and RNH play different kinds of games and have different kinds of tools. Personally I think that we have a good mix of skills and abilities up front with the big 4. When Hall continues to play more of a power forward game in terms of hitting guys more it will add another dynamic to our top forwards abilities.
There's a reason you hear coaches and GMs often name-dropping two-way forwards as underrated--They aren't as explosive and dynamic as offensive forwards but they can be just as valuable if not moreso over the course of a season. Both the Barons and the Aeros lack anything resembling proper defense so it falls on the forwards to do a lot of that work and the Oilers' picks aren't as suited for that. I don't know how you keep a hold of all these guys while you wait for defensive help, though, so the team(s) either have to play a different system or shuffle the deck a little and get a Johan Larsson or two. Barons and Oilers are frightening on the rush but away from the puck there just isn't a whole lot to fear. And you saw the Aeros' flaw last night too...That many shots on goal and look at the score. That was as much a demonstration of lack of snipers as it was solid goaltending.
At any rate, Oilers/Wild games should be interesting in the future--I think though that re-alignment is going to follow the CBA fairly quickly and just as things are starting to look fun we'll end up in different divisions.
IMO both RNH and Granlund show a lot of defensive ability, guys like Hall and Eberle have a lot of work to do in that area and I'm sure that they will, it's just part of their maturation as hockey players. Like the old saying goes, you can teach defense, but you can't teach offense.
The sentiment that the "Oilers' kids" are somehow the problem causing the Barons to lose is absurd bordering on delusional. However you view their "two way play" I am reasonably sure that if you could magically give all six players unlimited amounts of stamina a line of Hall-RNH-Eberle would outscore a line of Zucker-Granlund-Coyle 9 times out of ten, even with the Barons gaffe prone defense. The Barons' problems start every time one of the kids steps off the ice.
Eberle and Schultz are +13 (RNH and Hall would likely be around that number if they played as many games). According to Staples
compiling of scoring chances they are creating a lot more offense than they give up.
The Barons have the same problem that the Oilers do: the supporting cast can't score and the defensemen are prone to gaffes.
That's not the point that he is getting at, the bottom line is that our players will have to be committed to defense as well if we are to take that next step. Had we not left Granlund alone in the slot yesterday we probably win the game 3-1 or 3-2. He is also acknowledging that his team has the same issues so you shouldn't be so defensive about his post IMO.