Mike Smith looked gassed after last game. The guy just got back from an injury and then he had to participate in what could only be called the firefight at the OK Corral, that was wild and he saved our asses a couple of times.
Tre may consider him 'low mileage' but we're spinning the odometer at the moment.
The thing is, goalies need time to play themselves into a groove. Give Lack some games.
For what it's worth, Smith was asked about looking exhausted last game and laughed saying it wasn't anything unusual.
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Hopefully Brodie-Hamonic don't play like the 3rd pairing today. Since Hamonic has come back from injury they've both been very poor. If it's another mess from them today I don't see how you can keep them together. Soft/weak plays from Brodie is becoming far too regular
Hopefully Brodie-Hamonic don't play like the 3rd pairing today. Since Hamonic has come back from injury they've both been very poor. If it's another mess from them today I don't see how you can keep them together. Soft/weak plays from Brodie is becoming far too regular
Brodie has looked worse in that pairing, but he still looks decent with Stone. I'd be fine giving Brodie/Stone a go as the 2nd pairing and dropping Hamonic to the 3rd pairing.
I know that looks bad value-wise on the Hamonic trade, but if it leads to better on-ice results, I don't care. Brodie-Hamonic just doesn't seem to click for whatever reason.
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Brodie has looked worse in that pairing, but he still looks decent with Stone. I'd be fine giving Brodie/Stone a go as the 2nd pairing and dropping Hamonic to the 3rd pairing.
I know that looks bad value-wise on the Hamonic trade, but if it leads to better on-ice results, I don't care. Brodie-Hamonic just doesn't seem to click for whatever reason.
Who cares about the optics as long as it results in wins. Gio-Hamilton = 22 minutes. Brodie-Stone = 20 minutes. Hamonic-Kulak = 18 minutes. You could also double shift pretty much any of the top 4 if that’s too many minutes for Kulak. Really need to find a way to get Stone and his cannon on the PP.
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What I'm getting from that Caps write up is that their power play is hot.
Message to the Flames...do NOT take any penalties today. Zero, nada, zilch. Our PK is so terrible lately that the Caps PP will have automatic goals if they get the chance.
5 on 5, the Flames can skate with them, as they showed earlier in the year.
Don't. Take. Penalties.
So I'll try to break down their PP a wee bit, from the footage that I can find. Here's a setup that was executed picture perfect, and is very, VERY dangerous if PKers don't know how to defend it.
The Caps line up in a near-side 1-3-1 formation, much like the Flames do. However, rather than have the half boards guy (where we usually put Johnny) Backstrom be the most dangerous setup guy, that role is mostly with Kuznetsov. Backstrom sees the PKer take away the direct pass to Oshie, so he simply dishes it to Kuznetsov who has the option of firing it across to Oshie or Ovechkin (off screen) for one-timers. Oshie was the one who buried it this play.
However, if the Wild clue in and cover Oshie more closely, it opens up the possibility of a one timer pass to Ovechkin from either Backstrom or Kuznetsov.
What makes this play so dangerous is the "tic-tac-toe" factor - in this play Kuznetsov one-time delivered the pass to Oshie without the puck even settling on his stick. I don't think the Wild PK knew what the hell they were doing, as all 4 of them seem out of position in that frame. Mike Reilly (#4) in particular seems to be panic-scrambling.
Another two that has me thinking that the Wild PK just isn't that great - the PK forwards just can't seem to take away the passing lanes or they hang the D out to dry. Kuznetsov managed to rip the same shot twice on the same powerplay, but Dubnyk was up to the challenge.
Spoiler!
But their setup isn't all that makes that PP so dangerous. They can even score off the rush on it because of how deceptive their breakout is.
Rather than use the Brodie Bump Back (as I've started calling it, they elect instead to threaten with 4 rushers up the ice - the puck carrier with speed and the other 3 almost in line as if threatening "Hey, he's totally going to lateral it to one of us!"
The Avalanche seem to be in agreement as they fan out to cover the lateral lanes, but Kuznetsov doesn't even get rid of the puck until after he crosses the blue line and draws both Comeau and Bibiero to him. From then on there it's a simple give-and-go tap in.
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Rather than use the Brodie Bump Back (as I've started calling it, they elect instead to threaten with 4 rushers up the ice - the puck carrier with speed and the other 3 almost in line as if threatening "Hey, he's totally going to lateral it to one of us!"
I absolutely HATE the Brodie Bump back. Why even have Brodie play it at all if the PK knows that he will inevitably try to pass it to Gaudreau no matter what? And if he doesn't pass it to Gaudreau he passes it to the 3 pylons sitting at the blue line with no speed. And when he does pass it to Gaudreau , only Gaudreau out of the 4 PPers are ever moving their feet. Not hard to defend pylons.
I hate hate hate the Flames PP break in system. Brodie could easily just go right in the zone himself without Gaudreau's help, but that would break away from a 5 man non-moving unit that is so easily defendable.
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Don't have a good feeling about this game, Caps will feast on the Flames if their defensive play is the same as it's been for the past couple of weeks, and the Flames won't be able to score themselves out of trouble against Holtby. If they can keep the goals against to 3 or lower I'll be impressed
I absolutely HATE the Brodie Bump back. Why even have Brodie play it at all if the PK knows that he will inevitably try to pass it to Gaudreau no matter what? And if he doesn't pass it to Gaudreau he passes it to the 3 pylons sitting at the blue line with no speed. And when he does pass it to Gaudreau , only Gaudreau out of the 4 PPers are ever moving their feet. Not hard to defend pylons.
I hate hate hate the Flames PP break in system. Brodie could easily just go right in the zone himself without Gaudreau's help, but that would break away from a 5 man non-moving unit that is so easily defendable.
The bump back is almost univerally used. It's not to catch everyone flat footed, like solme people think. It allows the trailer to see where the defenders have positioned themselves. It's sort of like when CFL receivers approach the line of scrimmage but then back off again - it's to determine what coverage is there.
Like it or not, Johnny almost always gains entry from the trailing position.
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So I'll try to break down their PP a wee bit, from the footage that I can find. Here's a setup that was executed picture perfect, and is very, VERY dangerous if PKers don't know how to defend it.
The Caps line up in a near-side 1-3-1 formation, much like the Flames do. However, rather than have the half boards guy (where we usually put Johnny) Backstrom be the most dangerous setup guy, that role is mostly with Kuznetsov. Backstrom sees the PKer take away the direct pass to Oshie, so he simply dishes it to Kuznetsov who has the option of firing it across to Oshie or Ovechkin (off screen) for one-timers. Oshie was the one who buried it this play.
However, if the Wild clue in and cover Oshie more closely, it opens up the possibility of a one timer pass to Ovechkin from either Backstrom or Kuznetsov.
What makes this play so dangerous is the "tic-tac-toe" factor - in this play Kuznetsov one-time delivered the pass to Oshie without the puck even settling on his stick. I don't think the Wild PK knew what the hell they were doing, as all 4 of them seem out of position in that frame. Mike Reilly (#4) in particular seems to be panic-scrambling.
Another two that has me thinking that the Wild PK just isn't that great - the PK forwards just can't seem to take away the passing lanes or they hang the D out to dry. Kuznetsov managed to rip the same shot twice on the same powerplay, but Dubnyk was up to the challenge.
Spoiler!
But their setup isn't all that makes that PP so dangerous. They can even score off the rush on it because of how deceptive their breakout is.
Rather than use the Brodie Bump Back (as I've started calling it, they elect instead to threaten with 4 rushers up the ice - the puck carrier with speed and the other 3 almost in line as if threatening "Hey, he's totally going to lateral it to one of us!"
The Avalanche seem to be in agreement as they fan out to cover the lateral lanes, but Kuznetsov doesn't even get rid of the puck until after he crosses the blue line and draws both Comeau and Bibiero to him. From then on there it's a simple give-and-go tap in.
