Team looks slow hesitant and lacking confidence

[Disturbed]

They are a mess right now and mistakes are ending up in the back of their net.

Its a good thing they got a lot of points early. Hopefully they can find their game

 

[Ranger71]

McDonagh is just being a complete idiot lately. Yandle not much better.

 

[cagedlion]

17 f'kin seconds.......poof, thar
goes the lead!

 

[Ranger71]

Stuck with 4 more years of this. Knew it was dumb re-signing both. The 'sundial' twins.

 

[Disturbed]

Defensively this reminds me of the western road trip a couple years ago when they got lit up in multiple games and Hertl sent Marty Biron to the broadcasting booth.

We have seen this before from this core and they were fine but they are playing awful

 

[Ranger71]

I don't what's more shocking, coming back from 3 down or not blowing it in the last minute.

 

[Stepupstepan]

but of course the chewing cow puts dmoore and the worst player of the game Mcshmuck on the ice in overtime while benching lindberg who has been one of the best players this year. This coach is a buffoon.

 

[Ranger71]

Boyle gives the guy 20 feet to shoot. Hey they got one point out of the trip!

 

[Stepupstepan]

What a disaster this team is. Like I said before. Stepan cant come back soon enough. This team blows without him.

 

[kreidertime]

Basically, this team f'n sucks. If not for the goaltending playing out of their mind, this team would be below .500. Anybody who thinks they don't need to make major changes soon has their head up their ass.

 

[chuckd3534]

AV should start benching some of these guys. It's sloppy, no discipline, and no structure. That's what's happening here.

Yandle lazy pass on the 1st goal.
Girardi lazy pass on the 2nd goal.
Girardi out of position let's up the break on the 3rd goal.
Hayes soft in coverage on the 4th goal.

I refuse to believe the team got dumb and lazy over the summer and all these guys suck now. I agree with what Dis is writing. These are all correctable mistakes and I am hopeful once they get out of this funk, and the games become bigger as the season moves on, they improve.

We have seen this happen to the Kings. Finished 8th in the West one season and missed the playoffs another. We have seen it happen to the Hawks. They have had regular seasons where they finished 3rd in their division and were far from dominant in the regular season. Now it is happening to us.

Now I'm not in anyway saying we are the Kings and Hawks, but we have played a TON of playoff hockey the past 4 seasons, and that wears on you. We haven't won a cup, but we have played the most rounds in the NHL over that timeframe. As much as you'd like to tell yourself every game matters we need to bust our butts, that isn't reality. Playing with structure and discipline is hard work, and we aren't putting in the work right now...that is clear to me.

Did I think we'd be this off, and lazy, and slow, and undisciplined, and all over the place with no structure...no...but I also knew this is why we'd struggle in the regular season this year. You could see it coming a mile away. The start masked some of that, but the reality is this is how the regular season was most likely going to go, so I'm not shocked.

We may need a move here and there to really get the team focused again, but I stand by my comments that I don't care where we finish in the regular season...as long as we get it I am fine.

 

[chuckd3534]

Maybe they got something together coming back last night and at least getting a point. That was good to see, at 4-1 who thought they'd battle back to tie. And the OT goal is a gimmick 3 on 3 goal where they got the last chance, so I don't get crazy there.

Hopefully they got something going in their head by coming back last night.

Tough week upcoming. Have to beat the Oilers at home, but then go to Minny and Peg...won't be easy in those places...before coming home and playing the Caps a week from today. This will be a very interesting week I believe. Let me see what they do in these 4 games. Cannot lose 3 of 4 or all 4. This week will tell me something.

 

[chuckd3534]

I agree with AV 100% here:

"we showed the same resilience in Edmonton where we came back twice and I will repeat myself, our mistakes are very easily correctable and we are going to work at it."

I think they are easily correctable as well and said it yesterday. Sloppy unstructured BS is what it is. Guys have to get their focus and attention to detail going. At some point I am hopeful they will as they have in every other season the past 4 years. And if not...then you have to start benching players and making moves.

 

[Ranger71]

What scares me is that i honestly don't see the defensive zone coverage issues improving a ton, whereas the offense could pick up, though they need an upgrade or two there. G and Staal are not suddenly going to turn back the clock and become crisp and stingy(were they ever?)

 

[chuckd3534]

Why though 71...because you hate the D and have for years?

Really asking because I go the exact opposite way.

You, I guess, choose to believe that over the summer those guys aged 7 years and stink now and will be sloppy and cannot do what they have done their whole careers.

Me, and I guess AV also, think they can and will get back to what they have done every other season and play to their usual level on D.

Now it is no lock it happens, we agree there for sure, but to me the odds favor AV and I that over a 3 month summer these guys didn't get lazy, stupid, and forget how to play the right way with discipline and structure.

And for the record I am living in the real reality...not the reality of 71 where these guys and the D have sucked for years anyway.

 

[kreidertime]

Of course you agree with AV. You're f'n clueless. This the same dumbass coach who refused to play McIlrath until he had no choice when Klein got hurt and he's now the teams best defensive defenseman. The same dumbass coach who has gone back to playing worthless Glass. The dumbass coach who refuses to sit assclowns like Staal, Yandle and Girardi in the stands when they suck ass all season but benches McIlrath the first mistake he makes. When did McDonagh become immune from having his head up his ass? Or Kreider for that matter who should have been benched at least a month ago.

This is exactly why they should trade Yandle for some picks and a couple of good role players. So they can start sitting players who are lazy fuks making too much money until they decide they want to play hockey again.

 

[kreidertime]

What continues to be hilarious is how everything on the team is fine, they are just going through a bad stretch. Yet, every time you offer up a player or two on this team in a trade, they suck, have no value and are worth nothing.....

 

[chuckd3534]

Must be December...dump is whining and crying and saying we suck as he does every year in the first 30-40 games.

FACTS DUMP...they are never your friend...LOL.

And I choose not to make up 9806978597850859578496486875 fantasy trades that will never happen...I leave that to you dumpy....

 

[Ranger71]

Chuck i don't think the D has sucked for years, that's certainly not true as they've had some good years(clears throat) I just think this year is showing real signs of wearing down, and combined with mental breakdowns makes it look 5x worse. I'm just not sure it's going to get much better simply because AV now gets on them too. We'll see but it's been this way all season really, not just the past 2 weeks.

 

[chuckd3534]

Okay 71 you don't think the D has sucked for years, but you took every single chance to knock Girardi and Staal for years. Either you post way differently than you feel, or you have thought our D has stunk for years...LOL.

As for this year, until I see guys like Staal and Girardi struggle for more than 30-40 games, like they do early in almost every season, I will believe they'll improve. But hey maybe this will be the year they jumped the shark and actually are bad dmen now, and over the 3 month summer break aged 7 years and don't have it anymore.

It certainly is possible.

 

[Ranger71]

Anything's possible with those two as we've seen!

 

[chuckd3534]

.

 

[mrmel29]

I agree with AV 100% here:

"we showed the same resilience in Edmonton where we came back twice and I will repeat myself, our mistakes are very easily correctable and we are going to work at it."

I think they are easily correctable as well and said it yesterday. Sloppy unstructured BS is what it is. Guys have to get their focus and attention to detail going. At some point I am hopeful they will as they have in every other season the past 4 years. And if not...then you have to start benching players and making moves.

Chuck, I think AV is kidding himself with the correctable mistakes. The mistakes as I see them are the painful lack of footspeead between girardi and staal which isn't changing, the fact that every time I look up boyle is near the opposing goalline instead of the one he's supposed to be protecting resulting in numerous oddman rushes. And every time McD pinches lately he misses and its 2 on 1 on girardi which hank wants to see as much as custer wanted to see more indians at the little bighorn. On a positive note AV is finally using dylan a little more especially on the PK (finally) and even yesterday on a 4 on 4. The kid right now is hands down our best RD and will be very tough with all the positives the kid is bringing right now: strong defense, nice outlet passes, crease clearing and even some good offensive moves(that first goal will be coming shortly) to put him back on the bench when klein returns. If he does I will then realize that AV's gum is laced with cocaine.

 

[chuckd3534]

I guess he was kidding himself last year and the season prior to that also when the same exact thing happened and we turned it around.

AGAIN...you doubters need to realize we have seen this exact same script the past two seasons under AV. You have all doubted things the past two seasons as well.

Now as I have said MANY times that does NOT mean we will turn it around for sure this season...not at all...but you guys love to act like this is different, this is unprecedented, but it isn't. Same exact script as the past two seasons.

Maybe that doesn't mean sh*t and we stink all season...possible for sure...but PLEASE stop acting as if this is some new thing we haven't beaten to death each of the past two seasons as well. This is not new and not some never seen thing for us during our run the past few seasons.

 

[mrmel29]

Chuck, I don't remember the lack of footspeed the last 2 years as noticeable as this year with girardi and staal. I'm not a doubter so don't label me as one. You can be a fan and point out obvious weaknesses at the same time. I expect us to play better once step comes back and it sounds like he started skating the last couple of days which will be a big help. Unless they finally sit boyle when klein comes back I don't see an upgrade at all if the swap is simply klein for Big Mac.

 

[Rangers94]

Chuck, I don't remember the lack of footspeed the last 2 years as noticeable as this year with girardi and staal. I'm not a doubter so don't label me as one. You can be a fan and point out obvious weaknesses at the same time. I expect us to play better once step comes back and it sounds like he started skating the last couple of days which will be a big help. Unless they finally sit boyle when klein comes back I don't see an upgrade at all if the swap is simply klein for Big Mac.

If they swap out Dylan for Klein for any length of time more than a game or two then you've got to just give up on AV knowing what the hell he is doing anymore. Dylan has been our best dman period. When Klein comes back, I'd like to see AV rotate ALL the dmen and give everyone rest and time to work and refocus.

 

[chuckd3534]

Here is what I know. This thread is the exact same thread that has been started each of the past two Decembers. That simple really. I know it is "so different" but the reality is it isn't mel...whether you were posting about this the last two seasons or not, this thread is the exact same as the prior two seasons.

And I know you will focus on Kreider and McIlrath, but AV isn't stupid enough to bench Mac when Klein returns. My guess is we start to see some sort of a rotation where all the guys get rested here and there. I very seriously doubt Mac goes back to the bench 95% of the time and our 6 are our 6 when Klein is back. If I am wrong and AV does that, I will be leading the charge against him.

 

[chuckd3534]

If they swap out Dylan for Klein for any length of time more than a game or two then you've got to just give up on AV knowing what the hell he is doing anymore. Dylan has been our best dman period. When Klein comes back, I'd like to see AV rotate ALL the dmen and give everyone rest and time to work and refocus.

Agreed 100%. Just said the same thing. Great minds....

 

[mrmel29]

I rest me case. LOL

 

[Stepupstepan]

chuck, go and enjoy the rest of the weekend. You spend way too much time on this website defending AV and this team.