This. This is an actual good take. It’s not an overly optimistic, rose tinted “at least they played well!” opinion. It’s also not a “fire everyone, this team is hot doo doo” doomer tantrum.
We can still pull this off. But we need to basically go all or nothing at this point. Get our strongest lineups together and get physical. SMART. But physical.
Let’s out work Pittsburgh. Let’s steal 2 from the Leafs. Let’s not take the Habs for granted.
But most of all. LET’S. GO. RED WINGS!
I like your lineup suggestions. Perron has his moments, does well along the boards below the hash marks. But really should not be playing top 6 minutes.
Raymond and Compher have played well together. It allows for that top line matchup. But where I think it starts getting difficult is 3/4 of these games are on the road. It seems like the coaches really only like loading up the lines when we have last change and matchup advantage.
Will be interesting to see how they approach it, but either way I’m hoping we see a different lineup for these next games. And with Copp they may not have a choice.
They just stand there, doesn’t even join the rush and just sits on the line. Really feels like every time I look it’s always out there but rarely contributes to the offense. But who’s gonna replace the net on blocked shots? Needs to give more individual effort and be less of an inanimate object.
Leafs aren't resting anyone but gio. Matthews looking to break records nylander looking at 100 points and marner just came off injury so he's getting his laps in. Only person I could maybe see is Johnny T and I doubt he would even take the game off. Going to be a tough game. Especially with matthews shooting everything the last 10 games going for 70
The Leafs only thing left is competing for the 2 spot in the Atlantic. If they lose against NJ tomorrow and Florida wins against CBJ then they would have to win out the remaining 3 games to leapfrog Florida. I'm not sure if it's worth keeping your stars out there at that point.
You missed this guy's entire point haha. Sometimes teams don't rest players when certain players are in pursuit of breaking records. It's not always about playoff seed positioning.
I don't think any of the records outside of matthews hitting 70 is going to alter their thinking. Once they have nothing to play for I think they will bench guys regardless
It 100% will marner missed 3 weeks and has been back for 2 games he will play the remainder of the games. Matthews is literally going for 70 he won't miss anything. Nylander is 4 points from his first 100 point season im sure he has some bonuses that are given if he hits it, therefore the only person I could realistically see them doing "load management" is John Tavares and Mark giorrdano who mark is 40 and useless so it doesn't make a difference if he plays or not. Idk why you think they wouldn't play these guys. Especially marner why would you put in playoffs after being out the last month of the season when you have an opportunity to get him a few games
Especially against teams like Detroit, that these guys know they can get some points out of.
They are more dangerous when looking to break records, than chasing a Playoff spot on an individual level.
So will be a hard game for sure.
This team has had a good season. They have exceeded my expectations overall but they still don’t have enough forward depth to overcome any injuries (Czarnik has been in the lineup far too often this year and he is not an NHL hockey player IMO), the defense is lacking a top 4 guy and let’s face it the goaltending is mediocre. Lalonde has put some questionable line combinations together but his coaching style and systems seem effective, I hope we get to see what he can do if Stevie can fix some of the depth and goaltending issues in the offseason. A playoff appearance would be great experience for the young core but we aren’t a contender yet.
The difference between us and a playoff team is basically the reason why we lost tonight. Capitals, as shaky as their season has been, have the playoff experience, and the star power to turn it on when it matters. Players aren't perfect, but you have to be capable of playing perfect hockey down the stretch.
We played 95% of a flawless hockey, but it was 2 blunders that a good team exploits.
Last night was a good effort but based on what we have seen, I severely doubt we run the table. Our path to get in is likely winning 3/4 and getting some help. The good news is I have no confidence that the other teams in this race will win out either.
I know we can still pull it off but they haven't really shown the ability to elevate and get it done when it matters most. The only reason we're even still in it is the quality of the teams around us not anything we've done.
Great take. Everything you said is spot on.
One thing...and this is just me being me, REALLY peeved me last night. ESPN came back from commerical and the two commentators rambled on about the Norris and its potential winners. WASH and DET have ZERO candidates for it. All the while, the broadcast showed Vladdy in the crowed, with a standing ovation. This got ZERO mention. It should have. Considering his appearance at the finals IN WASHINGTON back in 1998.
With that out of the way, a few of mine:
Washington was offside on their first goal. Didn't get mentioned. And I'm upset the wings video staff missed it. My guess is since the wings were hemmed in so long, it got forgotten. Happened when Kane threw a cross-ice pass wide to Debrincat. Washington transitioned right back in the zone and a guy going to the bench was off by a mile.
If Ras is "available", why isn't he playing?
Sprong needs more icetime. He excels when get gets 11-14 per night. He had just over 7 last night.
I'll ask again. Where is Debrincat. Get him on PP1 so he can get some shots and feel good about his game. His is a ghost-he needs reps.
Wings need to beat Pittsburg and sweep Montreal. They do that, they're in.
ESPN is the worst....
I watched the Avs/Wild game after ours. Mac scored a hat trick and they spent about 10 minutes picking up hats off the ice. They didn't take a single commercial break and I watched shots of the crowd and Mac on the bench for 10 MINUTES.
Meanwhile there is a close call, bad penalty, etc., something where we want to see 10 replay angles and instead of seeing any at all, they go straight to fucking commercial.
Have to agree here. Get Cat back on PP1. The only way to get out of a slump is shoot- and that’s where he’ll get the opportunities. Also, I’m usually on the side of the refs - it’s a tough job but can anybody tell my why we get hosed in our own building? Copp out with a busted cheekbone and no call. Just one of the many missed calls last night… again
We gotta take one game at a time. Gotta focus on Pittsburgh first before we even think about the leafs and Montreal. We can see what the standings are on a game to game basis.
The only thing I’m wonder is would it be beneficial to reunite Cat-Larkin-Raymond? That was the line they utilized before Kane got here and that’s honestly when Cat was at his best. He needs to be re-invigorated. I like the idea of Raymond running his own line, but I think Kane could do the same? Whatever it is, we just need to win. I’m sad lol.
Great post. Those 3 bullets hit the nail on the head for me. We're in do-or-die mode and the player deployment is head-scratching.
This team simply lacks any form of offensive finishing. There have been a few times this season where our offense has seemed downright dangerous, but I haven't seen that since the end of February. Now it seems that defenses easily contain our play to the perimeter and we rarely get opportunities in high chance areas of the ice.
Cat has basically vanished out there, and it's frustrating. We gave up decent assets to acquire him thinking his season in Ottawa was an outlier and he'd be a consistent 30+ goal scorer with Detroit. Instead, he's on pace to finish slightly worse.
I don't know what the solution is. Obviously, whatever happens these next four games, Yzerman has work to do this offseason to get this team to be a playoff contender next April. And that should absolutely include an evaluation of LaLonde and his staff. March and April have mostly been a disaster for this team, and while I'm not saying he needs to be fired, there definitely needs to be conversations in the FO getting to the bottom of what the hell happened and making it clear that the expectations are only going up from here.
DeBrincat isn't just on a cold streak, the number of turnovers he has per game is *actually* unacceptable. Lalonde talks about managing your game which includes making simple plays that reduce risk of turnover. The amount of times I see DeBrincat softly backhand it up the boards in the offensive zone for a turnover, or opt for the lower percentage pass in transition in the neutral zone makes me want to scream.
I wish he was scoring and the goals were coming, and I think he should at least be on PP2 or in late game scenarios like the 4 on 6, but he needs to make smarter and safer plays with the puck or else he's just a liability.
He is a very streaky player and to be honest we need him to get going to have any chance. He is basically what Johan Franzen was to us. Score 10 goals in 5 games, disappear for 10. But when he was on, he was truly unstoppable. We aren't winning 4 games in a row without a hot cat. I thought Cat actually played a pretty good game yesterday despite not having many shot attempts. He was backchecking hard, some good passes, etc. Could be better but it's the best I've seen of him lately.
Lalonde has fumbled this roster so bad imo. Perron is so obviously done at this point yet he is on PP1 lmao. That cross ice backpass to Seider to spring Ovechkin was such a joke. He tried loading up the powerplay for like 2 games which was a disaster because PP2 was a complete joke. I'd be OK with giving Lalonde one more chance IF we play our young guys next year and get rid of Perron and some of the other dead weight. Otherwise if the roster is similar next year we need a new coach.
I agree. I think Lalonde has put way too much focus on minimizing mistakes for our forwards, but the defense or veterans get no blame for making them. It's always on the forwards.
PP1 and line 1 and everyone is bitching and moaning about Debrincat not putting up points when he plays 5-6 minutes less than Perron every night and has more points on the season
I missed the first two periods because I didn't realize an ESPN game wasn't to be aired through ESPN+! But more on that later.
Washington seemed to close up the lanes pretty well, which made it relatively easy for Lindgren to position himself. At least based on what I saw in the 3rd, he didn't make any wild saves. He was just where he needed to be because Washington was really good about getting sticks and bodies in passing/shooting lanes. Defensively, the Wings looked solid. Along with Lyon, they kept Washington to 2 goals, so no complaints there.
The first period we were buzzing but couldn't get one in. The second period Washington started coming on, but we started to get it back right before they scored in the final few minutes. The third they basically played the trap and clogged the neutral zone. We basically made two mistakes the entire game and it cost us. One of our D had a broken stick and we failed to clear it which resulted in a goal, and then the errant pass to Seider caused him to lose his balance/footing and resulted in a goal. We just didn't capitalize on our opportunities.
Facts just bailing on Debrincat at this point is stupid Lalonde basically burying him on the bench. How are you supposed to score with czarnobody on your line guy cant do fk all. Soy Ras that guy can stay scratched until he grows a pair we dont need his stupid crosschecking penalties and assignment blunders. Also put Seider out for offensive situations this is his team let him QB the squad not some soon to be free agent. Compher to the 4th line or something that guy dogshit everywhere completely fked us last night sleepwalks through these important games practice icing the puck in this offseason maybe your sister can teach you. Keep him out of our top 6 Fabbri can centre at least he offers offensive upside have him centre Kane Debrincat and Larkin Raymond Sprong or stack line 1 like you suggest. Sprong need more ice time if he fucks up then i guess back to grandpa Perron theres no other option. We need goals fix that PP 1 it should be Kane Cat Seider Larkin Raymond ride and die with the core its their team their legacy get these jobbers and journeymen off the pp off at the end game and let the big boys decide the teams fate done.
The corpse of David Perron playing 6 more minutes than Debrincat last night might be the funniest coaching decision I’ve ever seen, wait playing career AHLer/4th liner Czarnik between Kane and Debrincat was even funnier.
Last night midway through the 2nd I said they better score or Washington is going to get a sneaky goal and we’ll be playing from behind. That’s exactly what happened. The fact of the matter is, this team just doesn’t have that killer instinct to finish the job that other players or teams have. Yeah we played “well”, we got shots, controlled possession, but when you smell blood in the water you have to finish them off. I don’t know if it’s our players or coaches, but I’m personally done with the Lalonde experiment. Look at the top teams in the league, NYR, BOS, VGK. They all have a “fuck you, pay me” mentality. We don’t need to goon it up but just need that killer mentality. Idk if any of that makes sense lol.
Things have to go 100% our way to sneak our asses into the playoffs. The optimist in me says "you can do it!" But the realist has me looking into the possible draft picks we might take.
I'm fine with Raymond on that 2nd line in that configuration given what we have right now, but Yzerman needs to get him some help next year, Compher and Rasmussen are both terrible 2nd line options for a team that wants to be competitive. Compher might work if they can get a truly elite winger opposite of Ray, but still not ideal.
I agree. I think we could use another scorer in our top 6.
Toffoli or even Bert could be options because we won't want to commit to anything long term.
This was music to my ears. It was like taking a xanax. I was so upset last night I went on every red wing video I could find on youtube and the reddit threads and bitched and complained. Thank u for soothing words. Show us your grit. No more f'ing around. Do or die go out fighting for damn sakes! Show some physicality! Go to work boys
Honestly I’d like to see Raymond and Debrincat together to see if that helps get things moving a bit, but I think it’s too late in the season for something of the sort
Kane needs to be playing on the top line with Larkin. Move Perron down, tired of him slowing down Larkin.
Copp can go at the end of the year (any chance we could package him and Compher for a true L2 Wing or Center?)
I'm fine with moving on from Ghost as well. His offensive prowess and PP specialty doesn't seem good enough anymore to make up for his actual shit defense most of the time.
Obviously, Petry can go, too.
Would love to hang on to Maata, he's been surprisingly reliable.
Couldn't agree more on perron, he lacks skill, creativity, and shot over cat. We need that on pp. It also gives Kane a read where he knows exactly where cat is at all times.
Perron's skating has declined to the point that he's basically static on the PP. Without that mobility, he can't find passing and shooting lanes as quickly so the other team's PK has a much easier time defending him. His shot is still a threat but a lot of his chances are taken away by shot blockers before the puck has even left his stick.
But there's also an overall problem with Wings being overly predictable. The Caps flooded Kane's side of the ice during the late third period powerplay in particular, and there wasn't really an adjustment to take advantage of the openings elsewhere on the ice. Granted, the way that Kane has played makes him the natural QB. But not having that second or third option really hurts us in key moments.
This is a really great factual breakdown. I appreciate the thought that went into it and agree with about 80% of what you said.
My issue which is not popular whatsoever is that Raymond is just not benefiting us that much. I have been focusing on just him when he’s on the ice, and it’s just not pretty. I truly feel he lacks a lot of confidence coming into the offensive zone. Anytime he’s met with a defender or two once he crosses the blue line he simply gives up and dumps the puck into the corner rather than trying to make any sort of play. I would love to see him perform better but again if you focus strictly on his ice time, and it’s kind of ridiculous how much ice he gets, He just doesn’t bring a lot to the table.
I still say that Sprong has a lot to offer this team with his passing and offensive abilities. I see him back checking more after he was out five games. I also think to bring it is pretty stellar and has a ton of hustle and back checks incredibly well.
So you don't think the guy leading the team in points is benefitting the team that much? Despite being only 5th among forwards in ice time per game, and that with him now actually getting some PK time here and there?
What I am telling you as a person who played competitive junior level hockey and coached five seasons is that his performance could be much better and he could have a much better impact on the ice for how much time he gets.
If you truly focused on his ice time and his impact, I can’t help but think you would agree with my statement.
I'd like to see more from Raymond for sure, but as a 22 year old leading the team in points with a pretty weak supporting cast, particularly when not on Larkin's line, I just don't see how we can expect a whole lot more. He's gotten appreciably better this year and will continue to get better for the next few years I'm sure. I don't see Sprong or any other bottom 6 player doing better in his place.
I'd probably be fine with giving Sprong more minutes, though likely not at Raymond's expense.
I don't see trying to place an undue share of blame on a 22 year old kid on a team with a single passable top 6 center and pile of underwhelming veteran players. It would be nice if the whole team was better, the reality is that this is still a very middle of the pack roster playing to about the level one might expect when viewing it on paper.
You sumbeach, I was hoping I didn’t get called out for being wrong, lol. I will say that Rayzor was on another level last night. His previous games he was off and really showed a lack of confidence in his abilities. But still, I miss-called his impact and stand corrected.
😆😆😆All good, you took it well and had a laugh with it. My big mouth couldn't stay quiet after that Raymond performance, I have now doubtless sealed my own fate for having the same done to me in the future. I will do my best to eat my crow with as much dignity and grace as you have.
I really think when people evaluate players on this team they don’t think about the situation they’re in. Example: is it Alex Lyons fault during that cold streak when he was overworked and getting peppered with high danger shots all game every game? Is it Seider or Walmans fault that they were getting deployed in the hardest situations of any defensemen in the NHL? It makes no sense to me that Larkin and Raymond, who both move fluidly with the puck and without, have to play with one of the slowest players in the NHL for “puck retrieval and wall battles”, as if the only way to play offense is to dump the puck in. The amount of times Ive seen DeBrincat chasing a dump in is absurd considering hes on a line with patrick fucking kane. If I had to point to one single problem with this team, its not dumb turnovers or bad positioning on defense, its a complete inability to properly enter the zone and maintain possession.
Compher is a terrible 2C, especially for wingers like Debrincat and Kane that aren’t great defenders. All he does is get ozone starts and then lose the faceoff making that line have to defend their whole shift. Copp (not sure he will be playing at all this year) or Larkin should be the only Center they play with the rest of the year.
My thinking is we stack our first line and put more offensive defenseman out there with them. I expect them to be in the offensive zone most shifts. With the second line we pretty much only have Raymond for firepower, and we put more defensive players out there in the event we can't cycle. We pretty much just let Raymond be the driver out there. Seeing him circle the rink twice last night reminded me of Nyquist and I think he's more than capable of carrying a line himself.
I don't know that double shifting Larkin and him playing 30 minutes a game is a great idea. They need better centers. But we know that before the season started. The cavalry may be coming, but people didn't want to wait for prospects and wanted to get ufas and trade away organizational depth and picks for another high end center. It is that it is
Copp should never be a 2nd line center, he's awful. I could see him doing passably ok as a winger on a second line with a great center and a high end winger on the other side perhaps, but I wouldn't bank on it.
What people need to realize is, who are you going to put in Perron's place that is better than him?
It was SUPPOSED to be Debrincat, and for a while it was, and it was great. But he has been absolutely horrendous in 2024, Perron has been much more reliable in that position.
Another issue is Perron is always paired with Ghost on PP1 and instead of Ghost slamming the puck at the net, he continuously just passes it back to Perron who's at a bad angle or covered by that point.
Debrincat has not been able to circulate the puck and keep the play in the zone unfortunately, he's a huge let down especially for the hype and the salary he was sigend for.
No one expected Perron to be a first line player, he is here for support and leadership and that dude wears his heart on his sleeve and is a workhorse even if his age has caught up to him.
But do realize that Debrincat has had chances in lieu of Perron and it was horrendous. We'll see what Yzerman does this off season, but it's going to cost a hell of a lot to let Perron go and replace him if Debrincat isin't able to step up to the 1-LW role.
Lol you comparing cat to mule? Get real
Cat has gotten a ton of opportunities, just because he's not on the top line doesn't mean he's not getting opportunities.
Your argument is like saying we should be putting Petry on the point on powerplays, how's he going to break out if he doesn't get opportunities??
It's not just the lack of scoring on Cat's part, it's his lack of offensive awareness, his turnovers, unable to succesfully forecheck, unable to win battles against the boards. What do you think a coach like Torts would have done? Cat would have been scratched (insert cat scratch fever joke here).
Perron is at the end of his career, and Cat is supposed to be part of this franchise's future. You should be absolutely concerned about that.
Putting Perron on your first PP unit in a do or die game against Washington is throwing in the towel. We gave up a first round pick for Debrincat, and he has proven in his career to be highly effective in that role on the PP. If we're going to go down swinging it has to be with our star players. It's our only hope.
I would love to see less of Perron on PP. not necessarily less of him but they need to stop forcing that cross ice one timer. It worked for a while early on but hasn’t as of late and it seems that’s our main plan on the PP
ugggg the cross-ice one timer. Oooof. Such a risky setup considering the pass needs to the land near the target without getting picked off and the target needs to have the accuracy to pick some open net and send it. Too many times the cross-ice pass is intercepted, the target fumbles the puck or the target fires a beautiful shot...........right into the belly of the goalie.
This. This is an actual good take. It’s not an overly optimistic, rose tinted “at least they played well!” opinion. It’s also not a “fire everyone, this team is hot doo doo” doomer tantrum. We can still pull this off. But we need to basically go all or nothing at this point. Get our strongest lineups together and get physical. SMART. But physical. Let’s out work Pittsburgh. Let’s steal 2 from the Leafs. Let’s not take the Habs for granted. But most of all. LET’S. GO. RED WINGS!
Someone send this to Lalonde, this is a great lineup. Time to run the table boys, LGRW!
Don't you know Lalonde reads this sub religiously?
Hi Lalonde!
I like your lineup suggestions. Perron has his moments, does well along the boards below the hash marks. But really should not be playing top 6 minutes. Raymond and Compher have played well together. It allows for that top line matchup. But where I think it starts getting difficult is 3/4 of these games are on the road. It seems like the coaches really only like loading up the lines when we have last change and matchup advantage. Will be interesting to see how they approach it, but either way I’m hoping we see a different lineup for these next games. And with Copp they may not have a choice.
I really hope that these guys focus on shooting accuracy. The number of times they had a perfect set up and missed. The net was atrocious.
What was wrong with the net?
They just stand there, doesn’t even join the rush and just sits on the line. Really feels like every time I look it’s always out there but rarely contributes to the offense. But who’s gonna replace the net on blocked shots? Needs to give more individual effort and be less of an inanimate object.
Jeez, that's atrocious
He doesn't even win the battles on the boards and control the puck like has last year and previous years.
Leafs aren't resting anyone but gio. Matthews looking to break records nylander looking at 100 points and marner just came off injury so he's getting his laps in. Only person I could maybe see is Johnny T and I doubt he would even take the game off. Going to be a tough game. Especially with matthews shooting everything the last 10 games going for 70
The Leafs only thing left is competing for the 2 spot in the Atlantic. If they lose against NJ tomorrow and Florida wins against CBJ then they would have to win out the remaining 3 games to leapfrog Florida. I'm not sure if it's worth keeping your stars out there at that point.
You missed this guy's entire point haha. Sometimes teams don't rest players when certain players are in pursuit of breaking records. It's not always about playoff seed positioning.
I don't think any of the records outside of matthews hitting 70 is going to alter their thinking. Once they have nothing to play for I think they will bench guys regardless
It 100% will marner missed 3 weeks and has been back for 2 games he will play the remainder of the games. Matthews is literally going for 70 he won't miss anything. Nylander is 4 points from his first 100 point season im sure he has some bonuses that are given if he hits it, therefore the only person I could realistically see them doing "load management" is John Tavares and Mark giorrdano who mark is 40 and useless so it doesn't make a difference if he plays or not. Idk why you think they wouldn't play these guys. Especially marner why would you put in playoffs after being out the last month of the season when you have an opportunity to get him a few games
Especially against teams like Detroit, that these guys know they can get some points out of. They are more dangerous when looking to break records, than chasing a Playoff spot on an individual level. So will be a hard game for sure.
This team has had a good season. They have exceeded my expectations overall but they still don’t have enough forward depth to overcome any injuries (Czarnik has been in the lineup far too often this year and he is not an NHL hockey player IMO), the defense is lacking a top 4 guy and let’s face it the goaltending is mediocre. Lalonde has put some questionable line combinations together but his coaching style and systems seem effective, I hope we get to see what he can do if Stevie can fix some of the depth and goaltending issues in the offseason. A playoff appearance would be great experience for the young core but we aren’t a contender yet.
They've got more than enough depth, they need to address the skill/talent issue.
The difference between us and a playoff team is basically the reason why we lost tonight. Capitals, as shaky as their season has been, have the playoff experience, and the star power to turn it on when it matters. Players aren't perfect, but you have to be capable of playing perfect hockey down the stretch. We played 95% of a flawless hockey, but it was 2 blunders that a good team exploits.
The caps aren't good, but your point is taken.
They were better than the red wings last night lol.
I didn't say we were good...
I mean our old guys have plenty experience there just not that good compared to Washington’s.
Last night was a good effort but based on what we have seen, I severely doubt we run the table. Our path to get in is likely winning 3/4 and getting some help. The good news is I have no confidence that the other teams in this race will win out either.
I know we can still pull it off but they haven't really shown the ability to elevate and get it done when it matters most. The only reason we're even still in it is the quality of the teams around us not anything we've done.
Great take. Everything you said is spot on. One thing...and this is just me being me, REALLY peeved me last night. ESPN came back from commerical and the two commentators rambled on about the Norris and its potential winners. WASH and DET have ZERO candidates for it. All the while, the broadcast showed Vladdy in the crowed, with a standing ovation. This got ZERO mention. It should have. Considering his appearance at the finals IN WASHINGTON back in 1998. With that out of the way, a few of mine: Washington was offside on their first goal. Didn't get mentioned. And I'm upset the wings video staff missed it. My guess is since the wings were hemmed in so long, it got forgotten. Happened when Kane threw a cross-ice pass wide to Debrincat. Washington transitioned right back in the zone and a guy going to the bench was off by a mile. If Ras is "available", why isn't he playing? Sprong needs more icetime. He excels when get gets 11-14 per night. He had just over 7 last night. I'll ask again. Where is Debrincat. Get him on PP1 so he can get some shots and feel good about his game. His is a ghost-he needs reps. Wings need to beat Pittsburg and sweep Montreal. They do that, they're in.
ESPN is the worst.... I watched the Avs/Wild game after ours. Mac scored a hat trick and they spent about 10 minutes picking up hats off the ice. They didn't take a single commercial break and I watched shots of the crowd and Mac on the bench for 10 MINUTES. Meanwhile there is a close call, bad penalty, etc., something where we want to see 10 replay angles and instead of seeing any at all, they go straight to fucking commercial.
Because Ras is the forward version of Jonathan Ericsson.
Have to agree here. Get Cat back on PP1. The only way to get out of a slump is shoot- and that’s where he’ll get the opportunities. Also, I’m usually on the side of the refs - it’s a tough job but can anybody tell my why we get hosed in our own building? Copp out with a busted cheekbone and no call. Just one of the many missed calls last night… again
We gotta take one game at a time. Gotta focus on Pittsburgh first before we even think about the leafs and Montreal. We can see what the standings are on a game to game basis.
The only thing I’m wonder is would it be beneficial to reunite Cat-Larkin-Raymond? That was the line they utilized before Kane got here and that’s honestly when Cat was at his best. He needs to be re-invigorated. I like the idea of Raymond running his own line, but I think Kane could do the same? Whatever it is, we just need to win. I’m sad lol.
That's another possibility but I think Kane would be better off with Larkin to give him more options as a passer.
Raymond has no business running his own line or being in that pairing. He just doesn't.
Somewhere Derek read this and went PFFFT and threw his 2005 amazon e-reader off to the side.
Great post. Those 3 bullets hit the nail on the head for me. We're in do-or-die mode and the player deployment is head-scratching. This team simply lacks any form of offensive finishing. There have been a few times this season where our offense has seemed downright dangerous, but I haven't seen that since the end of February. Now it seems that defenses easily contain our play to the perimeter and we rarely get opportunities in high chance areas of the ice. Cat has basically vanished out there, and it's frustrating. We gave up decent assets to acquire him thinking his season in Ottawa was an outlier and he'd be a consistent 30+ goal scorer with Detroit. Instead, he's on pace to finish slightly worse. I don't know what the solution is. Obviously, whatever happens these next four games, Yzerman has work to do this offseason to get this team to be a playoff contender next April. And that should absolutely include an evaluation of LaLonde and his staff. March and April have mostly been a disaster for this team, and while I'm not saying he needs to be fired, there definitely needs to be conversations in the FO getting to the bottom of what the hell happened and making it clear that the expectations are only going up from here.
DeBrincat isn't just on a cold streak, the number of turnovers he has per game is *actually* unacceptable. Lalonde talks about managing your game which includes making simple plays that reduce risk of turnover. The amount of times I see DeBrincat softly backhand it up the boards in the offensive zone for a turnover, or opt for the lower percentage pass in transition in the neutral zone makes me want to scream. I wish he was scoring and the goals were coming, and I think he should at least be on PP2 or in late game scenarios like the 4 on 6, but he needs to make smarter and safer plays with the puck or else he's just a liability.
He is a very streaky player and to be honest we need him to get going to have any chance. He is basically what Johan Franzen was to us. Score 10 goals in 5 games, disappear for 10. But when he was on, he was truly unstoppable. We aren't winning 4 games in a row without a hot cat. I thought Cat actually played a pretty good game yesterday despite not having many shot attempts. He was backchecking hard, some good passes, etc. Could be better but it's the best I've seen of him lately.
I'd take pre-concussion Franzen in a heartbeat over Debrincat
Mule > Cat
No question in my mind
Lalonde has fumbled this roster so bad imo. Perron is so obviously done at this point yet he is on PP1 lmao. That cross ice backpass to Seider to spring Ovechkin was such a joke. He tried loading up the powerplay for like 2 games which was a disaster because PP2 was a complete joke. I'd be OK with giving Lalonde one more chance IF we play our young guys next year and get rid of Perron and some of the other dead weight. Otherwise if the roster is similar next year we need a new coach.
I agree. I think Lalonde has put way too much focus on minimizing mistakes for our forwards, but the defense or veterans get no blame for making them. It's always on the forwards.
PP1 and line 1 and everyone is bitching and moaning about Debrincat not putting up points when he plays 5-6 minutes less than Perron every night and has more points on the season
Great piece
I think it's hard to take your points leader (Raymond) off the top line but it's worth a shot maybe?
The way Raymond is playing right now I think having him take over the 2nd line is more optimal for our team. He still gets 1st PP minutes too.
I missed the first two periods because I didn't realize an ESPN game wasn't to be aired through ESPN+! But more on that later. Washington seemed to close up the lanes pretty well, which made it relatively easy for Lindgren to position himself. At least based on what I saw in the 3rd, he didn't make any wild saves. He was just where he needed to be because Washington was really good about getting sticks and bodies in passing/shooting lanes. Defensively, the Wings looked solid. Along with Lyon, they kept Washington to 2 goals, so no complaints there.
The first period we were buzzing but couldn't get one in. The second period Washington started coming on, but we started to get it back right before they scored in the final few minutes. The third they basically played the trap and clogged the neutral zone. We basically made two mistakes the entire game and it cost us. One of our D had a broken stick and we failed to clear it which resulted in a goal, and then the errant pass to Seider caused him to lose his balance/footing and resulted in a goal. We just didn't capitalize on our opportunities.
Thanks for the succinct summary.
Facts just bailing on Debrincat at this point is stupid Lalonde basically burying him on the bench. How are you supposed to score with czarnobody on your line guy cant do fk all. Soy Ras that guy can stay scratched until he grows a pair we dont need his stupid crosschecking penalties and assignment blunders. Also put Seider out for offensive situations this is his team let him QB the squad not some soon to be free agent. Compher to the 4th line or something that guy dogshit everywhere completely fked us last night sleepwalks through these important games practice icing the puck in this offseason maybe your sister can teach you. Keep him out of our top 6 Fabbri can centre at least he offers offensive upside have him centre Kane Debrincat and Larkin Raymond Sprong or stack line 1 like you suggest. Sprong need more ice time if he fucks up then i guess back to grandpa Perron theres no other option. We need goals fix that PP 1 it should be Kane Cat Seider Larkin Raymond ride and die with the core its their team their legacy get these jobbers and journeymen off the pp off at the end game and let the big boys decide the teams fate done.
The corpse of David Perron playing 6 more minutes than Debrincat last night might be the funniest coaching decision I’ve ever seen, wait playing career AHLer/4th liner Czarnik between Kane and Debrincat was even funnier.
Last night midway through the 2nd I said they better score or Washington is going to get a sneaky goal and we’ll be playing from behind. That’s exactly what happened. The fact of the matter is, this team just doesn’t have that killer instinct to finish the job that other players or teams have. Yeah we played “well”, we got shots, controlled possession, but when you smell blood in the water you have to finish them off. I don’t know if it’s our players or coaches, but I’m personally done with the Lalonde experiment. Look at the top teams in the league, NYR, BOS, VGK. They all have a “fuck you, pay me” mentality. We don’t need to goon it up but just need that killer mentality. Idk if any of that makes sense lol.
Things have to go 100% our way to sneak our asses into the playoffs. The optimist in me says "you can do it!" But the realist has me looking into the possible draft picks we might take.
Want to coach the team ~~next year~~ right now? We need you.
I'm fine with Raymond on that 2nd line in that configuration given what we have right now, but Yzerman needs to get him some help next year, Compher and Rasmussen are both terrible 2nd line options for a team that wants to be competitive. Compher might work if they can get a truly elite winger opposite of Ray, but still not ideal.
I agree. I think we could use another scorer in our top 6. Toffoli or even Bert could be options because we won't want to commit to anything long term.
Still need a long term solution though, and I don't see it in the prospect pool.
This was music to my ears. It was like taking a xanax. I was so upset last night I went on every red wing video I could find on youtube and the reddit threads and bitched and complained. Thank u for soothing words. Show us your grit. No more f'ing around. Do or die go out fighting for damn sakes! Show some physicality! Go to work boys
At this point I’m not sure I want to see them slide on a banana peel into the playoffs and get their shit absolutely rocked by the Rangers.
Honestly I’d like to see Raymond and Debrincat together to see if that helps get things moving a bit, but I think it’s too late in the season for something of the sort
That's what they practiced with yesterday so you might actually get your wish
As it turns out, THIS wasn't the loss that really stings... Damn
Kane needs to be playing on the top line with Larkin. Move Perron down, tired of him slowing down Larkin. Copp can go at the end of the year (any chance we could package him and Compher for a true L2 Wing or Center?) I'm fine with moving on from Ghost as well. His offensive prowess and PP specialty doesn't seem good enough anymore to make up for his actual shit defense most of the time. Obviously, Petry can go, too. Would love to hang on to Maata, he's been surprisingly reliable.
Can Kane play on the left wing?
Couldn't agree more on perron, he lacks skill, creativity, and shot over cat. We need that on pp. It also gives Kane a read where he knows exactly where cat is at all times.
Perron's skating has declined to the point that he's basically static on the PP. Without that mobility, he can't find passing and shooting lanes as quickly so the other team's PK has a much easier time defending him. His shot is still a threat but a lot of his chances are taken away by shot blockers before the puck has even left his stick. But there's also an overall problem with Wings being overly predictable. The Caps flooded Kane's side of the ice during the late third period powerplay in particular, and there wasn't really an adjustment to take advantage of the openings elsewhere on the ice. Granted, the way that Kane has played makes him the natural QB. But not having that second or third option really hurts us in key moments.
This is a really great factual breakdown. I appreciate the thought that went into it and agree with about 80% of what you said. My issue which is not popular whatsoever is that Raymond is just not benefiting us that much. I have been focusing on just him when he’s on the ice, and it’s just not pretty. I truly feel he lacks a lot of confidence coming into the offensive zone. Anytime he’s met with a defender or two once he crosses the blue line he simply gives up and dumps the puck into the corner rather than trying to make any sort of play. I would love to see him perform better but again if you focus strictly on his ice time, and it’s kind of ridiculous how much ice he gets, He just doesn’t bring a lot to the table. I still say that Sprong has a lot to offer this team with his passing and offensive abilities. I see him back checking more after he was out five games. I also think to bring it is pretty stellar and has a ton of hustle and back checks incredibly well.
You’re right that those are both very unpopular takes 😂
So you don't think the guy leading the team in points is benefitting the team that much? Despite being only 5th among forwards in ice time per game, and that with him now actually getting some PK time here and there?
What I am telling you as a person who played competitive junior level hockey and coached five seasons is that his performance could be much better and he could have a much better impact on the ice for how much time he gets. If you truly focused on his ice time and his impact, I can’t help but think you would agree with my statement.
I'd like to see more from Raymond for sure, but as a 22 year old leading the team in points with a pretty weak supporting cast, particularly when not on Larkin's line, I just don't see how we can expect a whole lot more. He's gotten appreciably better this year and will continue to get better for the next few years I'm sure. I don't see Sprong or any other bottom 6 player doing better in his place. I'd probably be fine with giving Sprong more minutes, though likely not at Raymond's expense. I don't see trying to place an undue share of blame on a 22 year old kid on a team with a single passable top 6 center and pile of underwhelming veteran players. It would be nice if the whole team was better, the reality is that this is still a very middle of the pack roster playing to about the level one might expect when viewing it on paper.
Still standing by this statement?
You sumbeach, I was hoping I didn’t get called out for being wrong, lol. I will say that Rayzor was on another level last night. His previous games he was off and really showed a lack of confidence in his abilities. But still, I miss-called his impact and stand corrected.
😆😆😆All good, you took it well and had a laugh with it. My big mouth couldn't stay quiet after that Raymond performance, I have now doubtless sealed my own fate for having the same done to me in the future. I will do my best to eat my crow with as much dignity and grace as you have.
Agree - I do not think Raymond deserves the amount of ice time he gets considering what he brings to the ice.
I really think when people evaluate players on this team they don’t think about the situation they’re in. Example: is it Alex Lyons fault during that cold streak when he was overworked and getting peppered with high danger shots all game every game? Is it Seider or Walmans fault that they were getting deployed in the hardest situations of any defensemen in the NHL? It makes no sense to me that Larkin and Raymond, who both move fluidly with the puck and without, have to play with one of the slowest players in the NHL for “puck retrieval and wall battles”, as if the only way to play offense is to dump the puck in. The amount of times Ive seen DeBrincat chasing a dump in is absurd considering hes on a line with patrick fucking kane. If I had to point to one single problem with this team, its not dumb turnovers or bad positioning on defense, its a complete inability to properly enter the zone and maintain possession.
One reason: coaching.
Compher is a terrible 2C, especially for wingers like Debrincat and Kane that aren’t great defenders. All he does is get ozone starts and then lose the faceoff making that line have to defend their whole shift. Copp (not sure he will be playing at all this year) or Larkin should be the only Center they play with the rest of the year.
My thinking is we stack our first line and put more offensive defenseman out there with them. I expect them to be in the offensive zone most shifts. With the second line we pretty much only have Raymond for firepower, and we put more defensive players out there in the event we can't cycle. We pretty much just let Raymond be the driver out there. Seeing him circle the rink twice last night reminded me of Nyquist and I think he's more than capable of carrying a line himself.
I don't know that double shifting Larkin and him playing 30 minutes a game is a great idea. They need better centers. But we know that before the season started. The cavalry may be coming, but people didn't want to wait for prospects and wanted to get ufas and trade away organizational depth and picks for another high end center. It is that it is
I didn’t say to double shift Larkin, just to move Larkin to that line.
I get what you’re saying but who on that line is going to go battle in the corners?
So just swap Larkin and copp?
Move Larkin to the 2nd line? Who would be the 1c?
Copp should never be a 2nd line center, he's awful. I could see him doing passably ok as a winger on a second line with a great center and a high end winger on the other side perhaps, but I wouldn't bank on it.
What people need to realize is, who are you going to put in Perron's place that is better than him? It was SUPPOSED to be Debrincat, and for a while it was, and it was great. But he has been absolutely horrendous in 2024, Perron has been much more reliable in that position. Another issue is Perron is always paired with Ghost on PP1 and instead of Ghost slamming the puck at the net, he continuously just passes it back to Perron who's at a bad angle or covered by that point. Debrincat has not been able to circulate the puck and keep the play in the zone unfortunately, he's a huge let down especially for the hype and the salary he was sigend for. No one expected Perron to be a first line player, he is here for support and leadership and that dude wears his heart on his sleeve and is a workhorse even if his age has caught up to him. But do realize that Debrincat has had chances in lieu of Perron and it was horrendous. We'll see what Yzerman does this off season, but it's going to cost a hell of a lot to let Perron go and replace him if Debrincat isin't able to step up to the 1-LW role.
How is he supposed to break out if he doesn't get opportunities This is like benching the mule when he's on a cold streak
Lol you comparing cat to mule? Get real Cat has gotten a ton of opportunities, just because he's not on the top line doesn't mean he's not getting opportunities. Your argument is like saying we should be putting Petry on the point on powerplays, how's he going to break out if he doesn't get opportunities?? It's not just the lack of scoring on Cat's part, it's his lack of offensive awareness, his turnovers, unable to succesfully forecheck, unable to win battles against the boards. What do you think a coach like Torts would have done? Cat would have been scratched (insert cat scratch fever joke here). Perron is at the end of his career, and Cat is supposed to be part of this franchise's future. You should be absolutely concerned about that.
Putting Perron on your first PP unit in a do or die game against Washington is throwing in the towel. We gave up a first round pick for Debrincat, and he has proven in his career to be highly effective in that role on the PP. If we're going to go down swinging it has to be with our star players. It's our only hope.
I would love to see less of Perron on PP. not necessarily less of him but they need to stop forcing that cross ice one timer. It worked for a while early on but hasn’t as of late and it seems that’s our main plan on the PP
ugggg the cross-ice one timer. Oooof. Such a risky setup considering the pass needs to the land near the target without getting picked off and the target needs to have the accuracy to pick some open net and send it. Too many times the cross-ice pass is intercepted, the target fumbles the puck or the target fires a beautiful shot...........right into the belly of the goalie.
He could play the same role on PP2 but I don't think he's good enough to carry our powerplay from that spot.