alfstonker Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 We got off to a very decent start and have struggled with adversity over the past 2-3 months due to injuries yet we still managed to maintain our playoff position. However it seems to me we are now going through a period where we will be at our most fragile and vulnerable. The worst thing that could have happened to us after all the injuries to key players was the added disaster of our No1 goalie being injured. Some of us were not too concerned, those imo who did not appreciate how important Miller has been for us thought "Oh well we have Markstrom playing lights out in Utica and Eddy is just as good as Miller anyway" However we now know that this may be a big overstatement. My opinion is that Markstrom was really unlucky but never the less, goalies thrive on confidence and it remains to be seen whether Marky has the temperament needed for the NHL. I only say this because of some poor games for Vancouver last season, when thankfully (or not) we were already realistically out of the playoff picture. Eddy is young and must get an occasional rest day to function at his best, we can't afford to exhaust him before Miller returns. Now we come to the rookies who have stepped in along the way. Bo, Vey and Kenins were like a breath of fresh air and gradually they were given more and more responsibility and thrived on it, papering over some of the form dips by Bonino, Burr and Matthias (after the latter 2 came back from injury) giving them time to catch up. In defence we had solid and in Biega's case maybe a bit surprising, efforts from our rookie defenders. Clendening settled in relatively quickly and although not rookies, Weber, Sbisa and Stanton were given big minutes and particularly in Weber and Sbisa's case a lot of additional responsibility which on the whole they handled well. However as I see it with games becoming more important and more physical as we edge towards the "crunch" the strain has begun to tell on these young guys who have been carrying the load. It's only natural that players like Clendening, Vey, Bo and Kenins who probably felt they had done well are now feeling the strain of the extra pace and the extra physicality causing them to make some mistakes. They have done well but they are now experiencing level 2 of this game with level 3 (playoffs) still to come. Even teams with no chance in the playoffs are upping their physical game for contracts and their coaches are playing for their jobs. We saw that with Buffalo and Arizona. Lastly we are at last getting our injured players back but even that gives us a problem. As Benning said these guys will all take time to get back their form and the team is creaking already with what I have said above. We saw it with Matthias and Burr (the first time) and we are seeing it with Burr, Bonino and Edler now. When we get Tanev and Bieksa back it will be no different. We should also remember the toll this campaign has already taken on the ever present Twins who are not getting any younger. So here is our dilemma. Will we be able to weather the transition period and still be able to give our rookies some much needed rest breaks enough to remain in the race and be fresh enough to make an impact in the playoffs? As I say this is our most fragile time so let's not be too critical of our team and the coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRedYellow Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Good analysis... it will be some tough weeks for us! I hope it's not too late when Miller returns... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dura_mater Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 The worst thing that could have happened to us after all the injuries to key players was the added disaster of our No1 goalie being injured. Some of us were not too concerned, those imo who did not appreciate how important Miller has been for us thought "Oh well we have Markstrom playing lights out in Utica and Eddy is just as good as Miller anyway" However we now know that this may be a big overstatement. Eddy is young and must get an occasional rest day to function at his best, we can't afford to exhaust him before Miller returns. Lastly we are at last getting our injured players back... and Edler now. When we get Tanev and Bieksa back it will be no different. This is not an overstatement at all. Eddie Lack GAA 2.55 SV% .916 Ryan Miller GAA 2.47 SV% .914 They're identical. Add to that all our injuries on the blue line, most of which Lack has had to play through, and it just makes the whole "Miller is way better than Lack" argument look weak. They may bring different things to the table, the team may be able to, somehow, win more often in front of one than the other; however, their performing nearly identically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOgRook Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 This is not an overstatement at all. Eddie Lack GAA 2.55 SV% .916 Ryan Miller GAA 2.47 SV% .914 They're identical. Add to that all our injuries on the blue line, most of which Lack has had to play through, and it just makes the whole "Miller is way better than Lack" argument look weak. They may bring different things to the table, the team may be able to, somehow, win more often in front of one than the other; however, their performing nearly identically. Just so you know.. Playing goalie isn't solely a numbers game... Well I guess it is, but the only number that counts is the number of wins. One of a goalies most important jobs is stopping the puck when it truly matters, when the game is on the line. This is something miller excels at. Not taking anything away from Eddie, I love the guy... But he is by no means an equal to miller. What you have to think about is how many games miller has been blown out in. This skews his save percentage and his GA. If you look at chunks this season, you will see the stretches where we were on winning streaks is when miller is putting up 95 save percentages and 1.something goals against. By the way.... Miller played through the whole Hamus injury as well as a lot of the others lol Eddie has inky been the starter for a couple weeks and our defensive injuries have plagued us for months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Am.Ironman Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Just so you know.. Playing goalie isn't solely a numbers game... Well I guess it is, but the only number that counts is the number of wins. One of a goalies most important jobs is stopping the puck when it truly matters, when the game is on the line. This is something miller excels at. Not taking anything away from Eddie, I love the guy... But he is by no means an equal to miller. What you have to think about is how many games miller has been blown out in. This skews his save percentage and his GA. If you look at chunks this season, you will see the stretches where we were on winning streaks is when miller is putting up 95 save percentages and 1.something goals against. By the way.... Miller played through the whole Hamus injury as well as a lot of the others lol Eddie has inky been the starter for a couple weeks and our defensive injuries have plagued us for months. I would argue if you are assessing a goaltenders performance alone it would be save %. GAA and Wins are both team stats. That being said the team seems to play better in front of Miller so I guess we have our answer there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRedYellow Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I would argue if you are assessing a goaltenders performance alone it would be save %. GAA and Wins are both team stats. That being said the team seems to play better in front of Miller so I guess we have our answer there. The fact that we (as a team) win 65% when Miller's in the goal, and only 40% when Lack's in goal says it all to me! SV and GAA aren't really that important when comparing two goalies on the same team. A goalie can make the team play more relaxed or not, and it's quite obvious that when Miller's playing, we're winning, and when not, we're losing. I prefer to win, so would much rather have Miller in goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Not as fragile as CDC's psyche. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhippy Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Nowhere near as fragile as Labamba or LoLClarkson every time Kassian hits the ice in a nucks uniform Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfstonker Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 On the goalie figures though surely you have to accept the no of games played as being a factor and although I'm not sure it applies in Eddys case the coach usually plays the back up against the "easier" teams (although that is a trick one in our case Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babych Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 So here is our dilemma. Will we be able to weather the transition period and still be able to give our rookies some much needed rest breaks enough to remain in the race and be fresh enough to make an impact in the playoffs? As I say this is our most fragile time so let's not be too critical of our team and the coach. I'm in total agreement with you, Alf. For me, the three biggest games that Vancouver will be playing to close out the season are SJ and LA (x2). Imo, the only way that Vancouver gets into the playoffs is by finishing in the top 3 in their division, which means they can't let Calgary, SJ and LA all pass them in the standings. As a side note - damn is Calgary ever playing some good hockey lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiboynux4lifee******* Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Weber handled minutes well I can't agree with that at all because it seems, many of you are giving Weber a free pass. Bottom line, either play your role well or let someone else do it. However, at this point of the season it seems Willie D fails to give others a chance that can actually play a top 7 in the league. Enjoy your Weber guys, I love the support for him even though he is playing below average. How many give-aways does he make per game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Cherry Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 IMO Lack needs to step up tonight and make those key saves. Too many times these past few games he's let in some stinker goals and the momentum shifts. When you come to the game, keep yer eye on the puck! We've all seen Eddie Lack's brilliance, but his mental game needs to improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred65 Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 The fact that we (as a team) win 65% when Miller's in the goal, and only 40% when Lack's in goal says it all to me! SV and GAA aren't really that important when comparing two goalies on the same team. A goalie can make the team play more relaxed or not, and it's quite obvious that when Miller's playing, we're winning, and when not, we're losing. I prefer to win, so would much rather have Miller in goal. IMO way to simplistic. Maybe who the opposition they face might mean some thing, maybe the games Lack played with a patched up defense might have an impact. Maybe the offensive out put when Lack is playing have an impact( if you're bombarded with shots and only let one goal in and the team failed to score any thing ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Not as fragile as CDC's psyche. Such a long OP only to get soundly trumped by 6 words. The only thing that matters if we want to make a splash in the playoffs is that we hit stride at the right time. Of course, actually qualifying for the playoffs help, but if Markstrom can find any kind of form to help out Lack and our players returning from injury can get back in it without too long an adjustment period, then we will likely be just fine. Of course, that doesn't mean we're Stanley Cup bound or anything, but a good playoff series (or maybe even two) would go a long way for the younger players to get ready for future years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronalds.Kenins41 Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Quote me on it; we won't make the playoffs this year and if we somehow manage to slip in we won't go past the first round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Quote me on it; we won't make the playoffs this year and if we somehow manage to slip in we won't go past the first round. Says the poster who always says the Canucks will lose every game? Shocking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminister Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Such a long OP only to get soundly trumped by 6 words. The only thing that matters if we want to make a splash in the playoffs is that we hit stride at the right time. Of course, actually qualifying for the playoffs help, but if Markstrom can find any kind of form to help out Lack and our players returning from injury can get back in it without too long an adjustment period, then we will likely be just fine. Of course, that doesn't mean we're Stanley Cup bound or anything, but a good playoff series (or maybe even two) would go a long way for the younger players to get ready for future years. A hard fought loss in the playoffs would be extremely valuable for our younger players if the lessons sink in. For the vets, though, it would disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Karlsson Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Quote me on it; we won't make the playoffs this year and if we somehow manage to slip in we won't go past the first round. Your posts are so annoying. What a bold prediction, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattrek Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 How many threads do we need about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUPERTKBD Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Weber handled minutes well I can't agree with that at all because it seems, many of you are giving Weber a free pass. Bottom line, either play your role well or let someone else do it. However, at this point of the season it seems Willie D fails to give others a chance that can actually play a top 7 in the league. Enjoy your Weber guys, I love the support for him even though he is playing below average. How many give-aways does he make per game? Weber is a #7/8 defender who's been pressed into playing top four minutes. That being considered, I think he's done a fantastic job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.