Page 3 of 3

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 1:34 pm
by King Colby
I don't like Crosby quarterbacking either, though i've never seen it. Paul Martin is good at QBing. Problem is he doesn't have a great shot.

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 1:34 pm
by King Colby
Second problem is you need Martin for other minutes

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 1:38 pm
by thehockeyguru
RHS d-man with excellent offensive skills...that's why he's on the PP. Whether he's utilized correctly is not a matter of player skill...
Letang has 2 goals and 22 assists on the PP. Niklas Kronwall and 3 goals and 19 assists. Would you consider Kronwall even close to having the offensive skills that Letang has? They have nearly identical PP production.

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 1:55 pm
by mikey
Right, that's a utilization question more than a skills question. The highest skill level doesn't win the power play, right? Or else we would still have a 40% power play, right? Kronwall is pretty talented (more so offensively, than defensively, that's for sure) in his own right and I get your point...but it's misplaced...

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 2:15 pm
by meow
I've never thought Letang's power play problems have been from player utilization or skill. It's about about his decision-making. His hands and legs are great for a pp unit. His head is not.

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 2:17 pm
by thehockeyguru
Right, that's a utilization question more than a skills question. The highest skill level doesn't win the power play, right? Or else we would still have a 40% power play, right? Kronwall is pretty talented (more so offensively, than defensively, that's for sure) in his own right and I get your point...but it's misplaced...
How would you utilize Letang so that he maximizes his potential? If its a question of utilization then you have to move him from the point to the boards opposite Crosby.

For me this team needs a point man who can shoot the puck and Letang really doesnt offer that. The way the players are positioned in the current setup doesnt maximize everyones potential, I can agree with you on that.

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 2:28 pm
by mikey
Crosby should roam below the top of the circles on each side and quarterback the power play from low to high, instead of high to low. Let Letang use his shot and his vision to dictate things on the left, if you want to use Ehrhoff or Pouliot on the right, Hornqvist in the low slot and then maybe Malkin out-high on the point or in the high-slot and he'll rotate down when the second unit comes out if necessary...

The idea is to work pucks back into the middle and get quick shots from high quality areas...

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 2:56 pm
by thehockeyguru
Crosby should roam below the top of the circles on each side and quarterback the power play from low to high, instead of high to low. Let Letang use his shot and his vision to dictate things on the left, if you want to use Ehrhoff or Pouliot on the right, Hornqvist in the low slot and then maybe Malkin out-high on the point or in the high-slot and he'll rotate down when the second unit comes out if necessary...

The idea is to work pucks back into the middle and get quick shots from high quality areas...
I agree. You have Malkin control the point to the circle, Crosby circle to circle and behind the net. Have Letang on the left boards / Hornqvist in the slot and down low. Use Ehrhoff / Pouliot on the Point.

But the team interest in doing that so we will continue to underachieve.

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 3:01 pm
by mikey
Well, that's the thing about power plays...they're one of the easiest things to video scout and shut off...so while some teams make it harder on themselves than others, there's no perfect formula...you always have to be adapting...in that adaptation process, things will not work along the way...things will not be executed correctly along the way...things will be unlucky...whatever, whatever...

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 3:13 pm
by thehockeyguru
Well, that's the thing about power plays...they're one of the easiest things to video scout and shut off...so while some teams make it harder on themselves than others, there's no perfect formula...you always have to be adapting...in that adaptation process, things will not work along the way...things will not be executed correctly along the way...things will be unlucky...whatever, whatever...
I hear you, but I get the sense right now that we are hindering ourselves more than the opponent is. We dont have a shooter, we pass the puck around the box. We try a wild pass through the box or try to find Kunitz inside their box but with it being so tight you just can't get a shot off. This PP wont shoot and has no imagination / ability to adapt to what the other team is doing.

I dont know if you pin this on the players or coaching because I'm not at practice or in the room. But someone is certainly to blame for the lack of consistency.

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 2:34 pm
by shmenguin
In all honesty, besides the absurd anti-Letang bias, Letang shouldn't be the quarterback of the power play...Crosby should...
crosby is. and it's not a good thing.

...at least not with him stationed on the right wall. it's a horrid setup.

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 2:47 pm
by mikey
Yeah, the setup is not ideal, I agree.

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 3:12 pm
by darkstar57
i always thought geno should be the QB on the PP, he is a dual threat to shoot to shoot or pass. Crosby is way to often pass first

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 3:15 pm
by mikey
i always thought geno should be the QB on the PP, he is a dual threat to shoot to shoot or pass. Crosby is way to often pass first
That's fair, but Crosby is also the best deflector and close-in/quick-rebound finisher maybe in the whole NHL...so him hanging out near the net and distributing also provides that shooting (not cannon firing like Ehrhoff or Malkin) prowess and goals. Malkin out high provides a distributor and scoring threat from distance.

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 11:01 pm
by slappybrown
I was definitely impressed with the cajones they showed during that pk. I'm concerned about their long term prospects if Letang misses significant time, but I do like the fight they are showing.
I really hope that the current D plays well and shows management how expendable Letang really is.
I don't think that is very likely, since Letang isn't expendable.
From a defensive zone coverage standpoint I think he is very replaceable. Given his lack of production on the PP too. I think with him out our team will have no choice but to simplify a bit. IMO that isnt a bad thing.
I don't what is this

Meow's Morning Meeting - 3-29-15 vs. SJ

Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 11:14 pm
by Robot B9
i always thought geno should be the QB on the PP, he is a dual threat to shoot to shoot or pass. Crosby is way to often pass first
That's fair, but Crosby is also the best deflector and close-in/quick-rebound finisher maybe in the whole NHL...so him hanging out near the net and distributing also provides that shooting (not cannon firing like Ehrhoff or Malkin) prowess and goals. Malkin out high provides a distributor and scoring threat from distance.

Soooooo true of Sid on the PP. When he's on the half or up high, I really don't see much added value of his distribution. The Sid-to-Whitney-backdoor-twss-lol days are gone and his 50-foot cross-ice backhanders to the opposite point yield nothing special. Any one of 6 others can fill that roll; perimeter maintenance isn't that difficult.

In short, his skills are miscast on the PP.

I like Sid blasting from 10 feet away to finish off a chaotic situation where the d and goalie aren't nearly as set as they are when he's scoping out moves like a billiard player like now.