Post by Penguins23® on Apr 12, 2015 23:18:56 GMT -4
I'll start off by saying this, there's been a heck of a lot wrong with the Cats in the first 2 games but the most frustrating thing is the power play. Feel free to start a topic on the million other things. For this topic, it's the power play.
Going 0/5 then 0/4 is bad but what's worse is Halifax seems to gain momentum from the kills and take advantage of it.
Halifax has been playing a very tight box and taking away the low plays and the slot play the Cats love to make with Sweeney. They've tried several play to get the puck to Johnson in tight in the crease when he has his back turned to the net but he is way too small to pull off the power moves required to score like that and he ends up just shooting it into Brassard.
The current unit is 12-22-4-8-13 and they play 99% of the PP time so let's not bother talking about PP2, 27 got a shift or two but for now we'll assume this is our unit. Credit to Rumble though, he even tried going with 3 D on the power play which is a pretty rare thing that only a few teams ever try but it's not unprecedented.(Bruins have done it with Chara in front of the net)
Remember that hunch I had about Dubeau being a "healthy scratch" for that important last home game? Well I also have a feeling that Rumble's hand will be forced due to circumstances beyond his control and we will see personnel changes on the top 2 lines and the top PP in game 3. So if you were the coach, let's assume your only rule is that you have to change one person on the PP unit, what would you change?
My thoughts are well documented:
As for the top line, I've been unimpressed by Johnson with the top line and top power play. No offense to him but Askew has more skill and seemed like a better fit. I think Rumble's logic in putting Johnson on that line is to provide some defensive responsibility which is fine but at least let Askew on the number one power play. What do I know though? He's a coach of the year candidate and I'm a mediocre keyboard pusher so I'll trust him on it.
As I mentioned above(twice) I would put a bigger body in Johnson's spot. They have tried Burke and he has had some success there but he has also missed some good opportunities. Askew played on PP1 for a bit through the season but since we've had a full lineup his PP time has been scarce, especially on the first unit. I found he did a good job when given the opportunity and there's no arguing he's bigger, stronger and has better hands than Johnson.
There are still a few more options but I like Tassi's mobility at the point and Sweeney seems to have a knack for the net from the slot and he's a big body.
Sorry for the long post, the long story short version is that changes are coming to the power play, what would you do?
Going 0/5 then 0/4 is bad but what's worse is Halifax seems to gain momentum from the kills and take advantage of it.
Halifax has been playing a very tight box and taking away the low plays and the slot play the Cats love to make with Sweeney. They've tried several play to get the puck to Johnson in tight in the crease when he has his back turned to the net but he is way too small to pull off the power moves required to score like that and he ends up just shooting it into Brassard.
The current unit is 12-22-4-8-13 and they play 99% of the PP time so let's not bother talking about PP2, 27 got a shift or two but for now we'll assume this is our unit. Credit to Rumble though, he even tried going with 3 D on the power play which is a pretty rare thing that only a few teams ever try but it's not unprecedented.(Bruins have done it with Chara in front of the net)
Remember that hunch I had about Dubeau being a "healthy scratch" for that important last home game? Well I also have a feeling that Rumble's hand will be forced due to circumstances beyond his control and we will see personnel changes on the top 2 lines and the top PP in game 3. So if you were the coach, let's assume your only rule is that you have to change one person on the PP unit, what would you change?
My thoughts are well documented:
As for the top line, I've been unimpressed by Johnson with the top line and top power play. No offense to him but Askew has more skill and seemed like a better fit. I think Rumble's logic in putting Johnson on that line is to provide some defensive responsibility which is fine but at least let Askew on the number one power play. What do I know though? He's a coach of the year candidate and I'm a mediocre keyboard pusher so I'll trust him on it.
As I mentioned above(twice) I would put a bigger body in Johnson's spot. They have tried Burke and he has had some success there but he has also missed some good opportunities. Askew played on PP1 for a bit through the season but since we've had a full lineup his PP time has been scarce, especially on the first unit. I found he did a good job when given the opportunity and there's no arguing he's bigger, stronger and has better hands than Johnson.
There are still a few more options but I like Tassi's mobility at the point and Sweeney seems to have a knack for the net from the slot and he's a big body.
Sorry for the long post, the long story short version is that changes are coming to the power play, what would you do?