Practice Notes Mar 10

[chedder]

Originally Posted by EVERLAST

Thanks Bingo

I love when people talk smack like this and then stats are used to identify they really aren't the issue.

I used to go to allot of games sitting in the same seat and couldn't ever figure out why the guy in front of me hated Gelinas.

When the playoffs in 04 happened I asked midway ....hey buddy....now that Marty has eliminated 2 teams are you gonna stfu ? I mean seriously man.

Backs getting dragged down by his team mates sure doesn't help.

If anyone can get his attention its Darryl....the very man who brought him here I the first place.

So when the stats look good but the player doesn't it's his teammates' fault?

And if there's no problem with his play why does Darryl need to get his attention?

Can't have it both ways.

Finally, didn't realize criticizing a player's poor play is now smack talking. I'm far from the only one on here thinking he hasn't looked good this year.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Not super optimistic on Bennett but this is definitely his last kick at the can here, hopefully he does something with it

I will happily eat crow if he proves that he is anything more than a bottom 6 role player.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

I will happily eat crow if he proves that he is anything more than a bottom 6 role player.

I don't think too many people outside a loud minority think he's going to be more than that.

It would just be fantastic if he could be a great bottom 6 role player. A guy who can play top-six temporarily when they need a specific kind of compliment/energy on a line, but a guy who you love in the bottom six.

That's what success for Bennett looks like in my eyes at least.

[EVERLAST]

Originally Posted by chedder

So when the stats look good but the player doesn't it's his teammates' fault?

And if there's no problem with his play why does Darryl need to get his attention?

Can't have it both ways.

Finally, didn't realize criticizing a player's poor play is now smack talking. I'm far from the only one on here thinking he hasn't looked good this year.

Hey....one thing to remember ....with Darryl he hates the regular season and yeah we need to qualify and all but he wants to see results in the playoffs.

He wants to see an obvious difference between regular season and playoffs and counts on guys reaching that extra gear in the playoffs.

Anyone wondering where Iginla came up with his locker room motivational speech of "who'll be the hero tonite"? ....needs to look no further than Darryl .

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Huh?

First for forwards in CF% and xGF% (almost 70%).

Literally bad things don't happen when he's on the ice. Looking at his on ice shooting and save percentage he's just not getting bounces to be under water.

Given how Sutter was talking about shot attempt quantities and suppression I'm guessing he'll tell Backlund to keep doing what he's doing.

Forget the fancy stats.

You can't possibly suggest, based on observation, that Backlund has been anything other than terrible for the last 3 weeks can you?

I would say the worst of the bunch of the regular top 9 guys.

This is where these advanced stats lose all effectiveness in discussion about how a guy is actually playing.

I really didn't think there would be a single poster who has been watching regularly that would have a decidedly different opinion. Certainly not someone with your acumen for the game.

That being said, as long as all is well at home with him (fingers crossed) i expect him to thrive under Darryl and expect to see a 180 in his game really quick.

[red sky]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Not super optimistic on Bennett but this is definitely his last kick at the can here, hopefully he does something with it

Said something similar (I believe) when Ward took over. Not sure there is any reason to be optimistic with Bennett at this point.

[blender]

Originally Posted by chedder

So when the stats look good but the player doesn't it's his teammates' fault?

And if there's no problem with his play why does Darryl need to get his attention?

Can't have it both ways.

Finally, didn't realize criticizing a player's poor play is now smack talking. I'm far from the only one on here thinking he hasn't looked good this year.

I think it's is in between.
You said Backlund has been one of the worst players this season. That is patently false, by eye test or otherwise.

On the other hand, those advanced numbers are flattering to say the least. I've certainly seen a number of plays by him that leave me wanting for sure.

But, as others have mentioned, Backlund is known for uneven performance especially in the early part of the season, and he usually elevates his game later.

I would add that Backlund's highest level of play is so high that if he isn't achieving that standard he looks particularly bad by comparison.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by EVERLAST

Hey....one thing to remember ....with Darryl he hates the regular season and yeah we need to qualify and all but he wants to see results in the playoffs.



He wants to see an obvious difference between regular season and playoffs and counts on guys reaching that extra gear in the playoffs.



Anyone wondering where Iginla came up with his locker room motivational speech of "who'll be the hero tonite"? ....needs to look no further than Darryl .

Agree. And if Backlund has a better second half of this regular season it will help in that respect. Even better if he can be one who steps up in the playoffs. He has shown in the past that he can up his game when it matters.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I don't think too many people outside a loud minority think he's going to be more than that.

It would just be fantastic if he could be a great bottom 6 role player. A guy who can play top-six temporarily when they need a specific kind of compliment/energy on a line, but a guy who you love in the bottom six.

That's what success for Bennett looks like in my eyes at least.

Personally, I don't subscrube to "bottom six" as a thing.

You're either top nine or you're not. You're either on the PP or you're not. And the gap between PP1 and PP2 and no PP is far greater than the gap between so-called second liner and third liner.

I am interested to see if Bennett will find a spot on a powerplay unit. I firmly believe his career fell off the map when Gulutzan took him off PP2, and then started to show signs in the playoffs when Gulutzan reintroduced him to the PP. He had sporatic PP usage under Peters, showing the most during the playoffs when he was producing on PP2, and then again none under Ward until the playoffs when an injury to Tkachuk bumped him from no PP to PP1.

[Cobra]

Backlund has been awful. Had maybe 4 good games all year.
I always thought the NHL was a contact league...hopefully Darryl reminds him.
It is like we are seeing Playoff Backund in the regular season and that is not good.

[AustinL_NHL]

Yea, I would agree that Backlund has looked a lot worse than his analytics would suggest, but at the very least, it's clearly a positive sign that good things are still happening much more often than not with him on the ice despite him visibly not being his usual self.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by chedder

So when the stats look good but the player doesn't it's his teammates' fault?

And if there's no problem with his play why does Darryl need to get his attention?

Can't have it both ways.

Finally, didn't realize criticizing a player's poor play is now smack talking. I'm far from the only one on here thinking he hasn't looked good this year.

The big difference here though is subjectivity.

His stats are objective. Your definitive view that the eye test says he's no good is subjective.

[activeStick]

Hmmm when I first heard Sutter reference one of our players from the Bruins in his press conference, Ritchie jumped to mind first for some reason but then after reading through CP I agreed it was probably related to Nordstrom, but now with Ritchie on the top line in practice, maybe it was Ritchie...

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Forget the fancy stats.

You can't possibly suggest, based on observation, that Backlund has been anything other than terrible for the last 3 weeks can you?

I would say the worst of the bunch of the regular top 9 guys.

This is where these advanced stats lose all effectiveness in discussion about how a guy is actually playing.

I really didn't think there would be a single poster who has been watching regularly that would have a decidedly different opinion. Certainly not someone with your acumen for the game.

That being said, as long as all is well at home with him (fingers crossed) i expect him to thrive under Darryl and expect to see a 180 in his game really quick.

I haven't liked anyone in the last three weeks, Backlund included. Some spurts from Mangiapane but the rest of the team has seemed off.

Something happened to this team in Vancouver.

For interest sake using your three weeks to close in on the same stats shows he's down a few rungs for sure.

Still not bad compared to his teammates, but nowhere near where he was to start the season.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

Yea, I would agree that Backlund has looked a lot worse than his analytics would suggest, but at the very least, it's clearly a positive sign that good things are still happening much more often than not with him on the ice despite him visibly not being his usual self.

He's more mistake prone of late, but still one of the best support (probably the best) players on the team, so the damage gets minimized to some degree.

Sutter is going to love Mikael Backlund.

[dustygoon]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Derek Wills @Fan960Wills
#Flames lines and pairings at practice:

Tkachuk-Lindholm-Dube
Gaudreau-Monahan-Ritchie
Lucic-Backlund-Mangiapane
Bennett-Ryan-Leivo
Rinaldo-Simon

Giordano-Andersson
Hanifin-Tanev
Valimaki-Nesterov
Kylington-Stone

Markstrom
Rittich

Gaudrea and Monahan on 4th line. Interesting.

[AustinL_NHL]

Originally Posted by Bingo

He's more mistake prone of late, but still one of the best support (probably the best) players on the team, so the damage gets minimized to some degree.

Sutter is going to love Mikael Backlund.

My favorite thing about Sutter is that while many people think he's a "dinosaur", Sutter was waaaay ahead of the curve when it came to analytics and putting extreme emphasis on being a possession-dominant team.

The immediate effect he had on Los Angeles was insane analytically speaking, and it obviously led to incredible success.

It's why I think he was inclined to put Ritchie with Johnny and Mony. While Ritchie has very poor results historically, he's been weirdly great in his limited games this season so I'm thinking Sutter is just trying to ride out his wave while he keeps it up and then will quickly bring him down or out of the lineup once his effectiveness inevitably wears off.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Pat Steinberg @Fan960Steinberg
Sam Bennett says Darryl Sutter coming in feels like a “fresh start” for him.

Says it feels like a reset and he “can start to find a role again”. #Flames

Wes Gilbertson @WesGilbertson
#Flames C/LW Sam Bennett says he has had some good conversations with incoming coach Darryl Sutter: "It's really like a reset."

Wes Gilbertson @WesGilbertson
More from #Flames forward Sam Bennett on Sutter: "We've had some really good conversations just about what he wants from me and what he expects. I'm definitely looking forward to starting fresh here and proving my worth again."

Yaaasss..

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

My favorite thing about Sutter is that while many people think he's a "dinosaur", Sutter was waaaay ahead of the curve when it came to analytics and putting extreme emphasis on being a possession-dominant team.

The immediate effect he had on Los Angeles was insane analytically speaking, and it obviously led to incredible success.

It's why I think he was inclined to put Ritchie with Johnny and Mony. While Ritchie has very poor results historically, he's been weirdly great in his limited games this season so I'm thinking Sutter is just trying to ride out his wave while he keeps it up and then will quickly bring him down or out of the lineup once his effectiveness inevitably wears off.

And create what could be the best fourth line we've seen this season, supporting his comment about wanting to roll four lines.

I've said before ... Monahan and Gaudreau don't really need a perfect compliment in a right wing, but a player that would help them get out of their own end more often and let them go to work.

Tiny sample size but Ritchie has the team's best CA60 for forwards this season.

[djsFlames]

Ritchie has been solid. I've had no problems with him, so I'm not upset about that decision.

Darryl probably saw exactly what I saw from Ritchie over the last week. Plays simple game, gets the puck north, puts pucks on target when he gets the chance, unafraid to use his body. He scored a nice one too.