[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

I'm not sure how anyone can watch this team and come to the conclusion, yeah, GG is a great coach, lets just keep doing what were doing. Instead, lets blame the complete melt downs and inconsistent play on; the entire team, on bad luck, on goaltending, on the assistants, on the GM, on the fourth line, on the first line, on the third line, on the refs... at some point you have to stop and ask yourself, why is this team consistently inconsistent and why are they subject to so much bad luck? Bad luck, bad calls, bad play, inconsistent performance, is all a manifestation of bad preparation, unclear assignments, slow, lazy practice.

So you can watch the game and ask yourself, how do you blame GG for last nights debacle of major proportions, but you have to look deeper and ask yourself why so many professionals, who have been successful on so many levels are suddenly, all making the same stupid, bad, undisciplined plays? It's all about the direction they've been given, the preparation of the team, and the habits they've developed in practice. Which is well documented as being slow and casual, just like what we see in the games. Who's fault is that?

For me it isn't so much finding a direct correlation between systems practice and habits to the fragile on ice performances but what gets me up in arms more than anything is the passive acceptance and absence of adjustments coming from the bench when these things have happened or are in the process of happening. Being as fresh faced in this league as gulutzan still is, you think he'd be more open to revising his methods and his approach, especially in-game. It makes no sense to be this set in his ways when he isn't a vet coach with the track record of success in implementing his approach. Would be nice to see him learn on the fly and show an openness to new avenues of doing things when the old things aren't working. E.g. icing the same line after they surrender a back breaking goal, over icing certain players that are liabilities at key times, not shortening the bench, not calling time outs, leaving a goalie in until after the game is out of reach and so on. Systems are a whole other thing. If the team is fragile then step in and offer that pep talk, call that time out and pump them up.

Just want to see GG be more of a student to the profession and improve upon what isn't working rather than continue to beat the same drum as if there's nothing wrong with it and that the desired results arent coming solely due to a lack of fortune.