OT Stars Hockey

[Bmurph]

Stars scuffling, need to get it together. Offense, defense and goaltending are all poor right now

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Stars were lucky to get 1 point this weekend. Severely outplayed both games.

 

[terpsfball09]

I'm shocked Lindy hasn't shuffled the lines by now. He keeps just using the same "lack of energy excuse" (which, he's absolutely right) but change the damn lines and quit expecting different results with the same group of players. Hemsky is so talented but has an awful group around him. Put him with a line that can play. Even it out. This is miserable hockey right now.

The good thing is, we're two points out of 1st place. The bad thing is, we're only a couple points out of last place. We need a change. Val should be back on tuesday, so then he can break up the superline. We're WAY too top heavy right now. Also, our pitbulls arent playing with nearly the same energy as last year. Are Eakin and Garbutt even playing? You got your contract garbutt, but you got it with the expectation that you'd continue your relentless forecheck/hustle/finishing checks/pest etc, not with the expectation that you'd dial it down. Its almost like he's playing too reserved right now to avoid getting penalties. I understand, he needed to limit the penalties. But if it costs him playing defense, then hell no. The cost of aggression in hockey is a penalty. But I'd rather him have that then to have it make his defensive side of the game worse. We're giving up way too many 2-1's. That's not on the defense, its on the forwards. Make a change LR.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

I think Ruff will break the lines when Val comes back. Yes this thing may be top heavy but they've been producing gloriously. It was just a temporary solution to begin with. Garbutt needs to find that medium. I don't think the issue is taking penalties but it's all about the situation. Too many times last year Garbs and Roussell would take unnecessary penalties in times when it just bit them in the ass. I think Garbutt and Eakin will ultimately be fine.

 

[Justinkm83]

This team has been a major disappointment.

 

[WilltheThrill]

This team has been a major disappointment.

As Razor said over a week ago and it's still true today, they haven't yet put together a 100% effort in all facets and by all players in a single game. One game Spezza, Seguin, and Benn will shine but others will stink it up and they'll lose 6-5. The next game, the scorers are invisible but the goaltending is strong and they lose 2-1. Some nights it's even strength clicking but the power play struggling, and on other nights it's vice versa.

They've played a few complete and dominant periods here and there, but not a full game that way yet. It's inconsistency everywhere you look and you don't know from night to night who will shine and who will stink.

 

[Bmurph]

http://i.imgur.com/26uFYXA.gif

This sums it up for tonight

 

[terpsfball09]

Pitbulls showed up yesterday for the first time all year. I think these need to be the lines

14-91-83
21-90-43
72-20-16
(extra man)-38-10

Roussel deserves it. He's played his ass off. In fact, of all the forwards, I'd go out on a limb and say he's been the most consistent guy we have. We know what he's going to bring every day. On his bad days, he's still gonna get under people's skin and forecheck.
But the D needs to be switched up extensively. The only D man that has played well is connauton. That's honestly it. and for some godforsaken reason we keep on scratching him. He's also our only d man who has a from the blue line.

4-6
33-23
55 (2 every once in awhile)-5

Jordie should be scratched at this point. He is awful. Straight awful. He's agonizing to watch. I wish we would've gone out and gotten a right handed D man with a good shot. We lose all the board battles and go only outlet up one side of the ice cuz everyones left handed. Its killing us. I love Tyler Myers for Buffalo. Great PP man, netfront presence (6'8'' I believe), young, and a booming shot. Buffalo is just asking for the world right now. LR needs to change up the lines, otherwise nothings gonna change. We have yet to play a full 60 minutes this season. We have so much damn potential. That game against Chicago was so energetic. We're so flat now though it's abysmal.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Another game, another Stars loss. Even when they play well they can't catch a break. Several game-saving saves by Rinne, several narrow misses on goals for Dallas, and one unlucky goal against from a scrum in front and the Stars lose another 1-goal game.

 

[terpsfball09]

Another game, another Stars loss. Even when they play well they can't catch a break. Several game-saving saves by Rinne, several narrow misses on goals for Dallas, and one unlucky goal against from a scrum in front and the Stars lose another 1-goal game.

they played better than they have in awhile today. but still not good enough. not playing well enough to make the playoffs REGARDLESS of the division. kari didnt play well for sure, but im confused as to why/how jordie is still on the ice. Like him or not, Connauton has been our best defensmen this year (better than Daley. Goals dont make a good defensemen) but LR refuses to play him for some god forsaken reason.

goligoski played abysmal today as well. He's shown flashes where hes been fine. But Jordie seriously hasnt played well one shift this whole year. He's awful.

 

[WilltheThrill]

they played better than they have in awhile today. but still not good enough. not playing well enough to make the playoffs REGARDLESS of the division. kari didnt play well for sure, but im confused as to why/how jordie is still on the ice. Like him or not, Connauton has been our best defensmen this year (better than Daley. Goals dont make a good defensemen) but LR refuses to play him for some god forsaken reason.

goligoski played abysmal today as well. He's shown flashes where hes been fine. But Jordie seriously hasnt played well one shift this whole year. He's awful.

The only reason Connauton has looked halfway decent is because he's played sparingly and Ruff has really shielded him from the tough competition when he has played. He's played bottom pair minutes against mostly 3rd and 4th liners. I'm no Jordie Benn fan, but he's played a lot against top line and 2nd line players and so his lack of skill gets exposed and easily noticed. If Connauton were to play heavy minutes against the big boys like Daley, Goligoski, and Benn do, I guarantee you he wouldn't look as good to you (especially in his own zone). Daley has been the team's best defenseman by a wide margin, but that's not saying a whole lot considering how poorly most of them have played. Goligoski, mistakes and all, is still their 2nd best defenseman. Dillon has looked slow and uninspired a lot, Benn has been a mess, and Oleksiak is still not totally NHL ready. Nemeth might have been their best defenseman, but he's gone for at least 1 season if not more.

Kari wasn't really to blame for tonight's loss. Lazy defensemen and a hot Pekka Rinne were the causes of defeat tonight.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Another loss and it sucks but they did play pretty well so that's the positive. Rinne was the reason Nashville won...he was absolutely stellar. And Kari was ok but I thought him giving up that 3rd goal was something that should have been stopped. He should have closed the gap between himself and the post. I like Jordie and his never give up attitude but he hasn't been great at all...in fact he's been pretty awful.

Somethings really gotta give for the Spezza/Hemsky line....Hemsky's played well but that dude's been so damn unlucky in getting the puck in the net. At some point I gotta think that line will erupt.

Kari needs to start stealing games...I love Kari and value what he means and has meant to the franchise after Turco left but we need Kari to be stellar every night and he's gotta start stealing games.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Another loss and it sucks but they did play pretty well so that's the positive. Rinne was the reason Nashville won...he was absolutely stellar. And Kari was ok but I thought him giving up that 3rd goal was something that should have been stopped. He should have closed the gap between himself and the post. I like Jordie and his never give up attitude but he hasn't been great at all...in fact he's been pretty awful.

Somethings really gotta give for the Spezza/Hemsky line....Hemsky's played well but that dude's been so damn unlucky in getting the puck in the net. At some point I gotta think that line will erupt.

Kari needs to start stealing games...I love Kari and value what he means and has meant to the franchise after Turco left but we need Kari to be stellar every night and he's gotta start stealing games.

You're right about Kari for sure. Even when he plays ok, it's just that- ok. He hasn't resembled a top-10 goalie yet this season. Some nights he's above average and some nights he's just plain bad. He does have a young defense in front of him that makes a lot of mistakes, so asking him to post a bunch of shutouts is probably a bit much. But he definitely needs to make a lot more of those saves which seem impossible to make. The top goalies do that routinely and steal games. I'd be fine with a "bend-not-break" Kari Lehtonen, but too often he breaks when they need him most. Last night was a perfect example. He let in a fairly soft goal at 2-2 in the 3rd period and it cost them the game. Yes he was screened a bit and yes his defensemen let him down some on that play. But, fair or not, that's a save he's got to make. Those saves add up over the course of a full season to an extra 8 to 10 points in the standings. That's the difference between playoffs and sitting home. If he makes that save last night, that's an extra 1 point.

As I said in my last post, poor defense and Pekka Rinne beat the Stars last night. But Kari could have helped the team overcome those factors and at least earn them a point and he didn't.

 

[terpsfball09]

Rejoice. We're finally splitting up Daley and Goligoski. The lines need to be

6-4
23-33
55-5

Simple as that. Sugarcoat and bread it anyway you want. Our D is the worst in the division and 5th worst (at best) in the nhl. This is hockey, and I've seen several times where these streaks end up being the turn around for teams. I think Philly went through a longer one a few years ago. But you just cant fall too far behind in this division.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Rejoice. We're finally splitting up Daley and Goligoski. The lines need to be

6-4
23-33
55-5

Simple as that. Sugarcoat and bread it anyway you want. Our D is the worst in the division and 5th worst (at best) in the nhl. This is hockey, and I've seen several times where these streaks end up being the turn around for teams. I think Philly went through a longer one a few years ago. But you just cant fall too far behind in this division.

I don't think anyone here is trying to sugar coat anything. The Stars D has been quite bad. But putting Connauton on a pairing with Goligoski is a recipe for disaster. Those 2 are the weakest in their own zone out of the entire D corps. Pairing each one with a better defensive d-man helps mask their deficiencies. But you've essentially got two Sandis Ozolinsh clones there playing together and it would present all sorts of problems on the defensive end. The reason Vancouver gave up on Connauton and the reason he's been in the minors or a scratch for Dallas is because he's weak in his own zone. He's got skill, decent speed, nice hands, and a good shot, so he can be an asset if used correctly. But he frequently gets caught chasing the game and commits turnovers when put up against top line forwards. Sound familiar to another Stars defenseman?

I'd scratch Oleksiak and go with these pairings:

33-4
55-6
23-24

Put Jordie down on the bottom pairing with Connauton, limit their exposure to top forwards, and I think they could be serviceable as a 3rd pairing. Goligoski could be free to play a more offensive game with Dillon as his stay-at-home partner, and Daley and Gonchar would form a decent 2nd pair of veterans. It's still a weak group nonetheless, but at least it would accomplish your goal of breaking up the pairs and it would match Jordie up against weaker forwards. He's not a bad player, he's just badly overmatched against the likes of Perry, Kane, Parise, etc.

 

[terpsfball09]

The only reason Connauton has looked halfway decent is because he's played sparingly and Ruff has really shielded him from the tough competition when he has played. He's played bottom pair minutes against mostly 3rd and 4th liners. I'm no Jordie Benn fan, but he's played a lot against top line and 2nd line players and so his lack of skill gets exposed and easily noticed. If Connauton were to play heavy minutes against the big boys like Daley, Goligoski, and Benn do, I guarantee you he wouldn't look as good to you (especially in his own zone). Daley has been the team's best defenseman by a wide margin, but that's not saying a whole lot considering how poorly most of them have played. Goligoski, mistakes and all, is still their 2nd best defenseman. Dillon has looked slow and uninspired a lot, Benn has been a mess, and Oleksiak is still not totally NHL ready. Nemeth might have been their best defenseman, but he's gone for at least 1 season if not more.

Kari wasn't really to blame for tonight's loss. Lazy defensemen and a hot Pekka Rinne were the causes of defeat tonight.

There is absolutely no way of knowing this because he doesn't play. KC can, in no way, be worse than the dumpster fire that is Jobenn right now. From what I saw yesterday (and the past 5 games or so) it isnt overwhelming talent that is scoring for other teams (forsberg and Tarasenko for sure, but others absolutely not). We are playing pitiful in our own zone. Yes, Goose and Daley play the most minutes against the best competition, so the odds are against them through a losing skid like this, statistics wise. But they've been awful. Last time we played Nashville, a 4th liner had a hattrick against us. We gave up 6 goals to Philadelphia.

The point is, there is not one D man you can look at and say "wow he's played well for us." KC has played the best. He needs to be playing everyday. Regardless of what anyone thinks about the quality of talent he plays against or his ice time. Facts are facts. He's played well, and doesn't deserve to sit out just because Ruff puts him in against the other teams 2nd or 3rd line.

 

[WilltheThrill]

There is absolutely no way of knowing this because he doesn't play. KC can, in no way, be worse than the dumpster fire that is Jobenn right now. From what I saw yesterday (and the past 5 games or so) it isnt overwhelming talent that is scoring for other teams (forsberg and Tarasenko for sure, but others absolutely not). We are playing pitiful in our own zone. Yes, Goose and Daley play the most minutes against the best competition, so the odds are against them through a losing skid like this, statistics wise. But they've been awful. Last time we played Nashville, a 4th liner had a hattrick against us. We gave up 6 goals to Philadelphia.

The point is, there is not one D man you can look at and say "wow he's played well for us." KC has played the best. He needs to be playing everyday. Regardless of what anyone thinks about the quality of talent he plays against or his ice time. Facts are facts. He's played well, and doesn't deserve to sit out just because Ruff puts him in against the other teams 2nd or 3rd line.

Yes, you can know. Just because he hasn't played much doesn't mean you don't know how he would do against better competition. That's like saying "well, I've never played a shift for the Stars, so there's no way to know how I would fare". You know by how talented a player is how he would fare. You know by watching how he performs in the minors compared to others. Connauton struggled down in Cedar Park for stretches against the top forwards. It 100% absolutely matters in the NHL who you are matched up against. That's why coaches play the matchups, to exploit the opposing team's weakest players and to shelter their own. That's why there are advanced statistics to measure how often defensemen play against top forwards, how often they play in their own zone, how often the coach puts them in for offensive zone draws, etc.

I'm not sure why you have this thing for Kevin Connauton. As you said, Ruff hasn't played him much, so to come out and say he's been the Stars' best defenseman when all he's seen is limited minutes against the other team's 4th liners makes no sense. Comparing that limited sample to how Jordie Benn has looked against top-6 forwards in extended ice time is a fallacy. I'll give you a baseball analogy to illustrate this point. Let's say Prince Fielder has faced Scherzer, Lester, Tanaka, and Price. He's struggled a bit, hitting only .250 with 1 HR. Daniel Robertson has had 2 pinch hit appearances against mop-up duty relievers who are barely major league quality. In those 2 AB, Robertson has 1 HR and a .500 avg. His stats are better than Fielder's and his 2 at-bats looked better. Does that mean he's a better hitter than Fielder? Hell no it doesn't. The same is true for hockey. Just because Kevin Connauton has looked solid in limited playing time against 4th liners doesn't mean he's been the Stars' best defenseman nor does it mean he could handle logging big minutes against top forwards. I'm all for Lindy Ruff giving him more opportunity, but tap the brakes on the "Connauton is our best defenseman" talk.

 

[RobToxin]

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Oh dear not again...

 

[Bmurph]

Oh dear not again...

Guess it was a fucking bad 3rd period, I had turned it off and was watching LSU/Bama. This team is playing like shit