Giroux

[FD19372]

2 hours ago, RJ8812 said:

So then Filppula matches up against Crosby?

 

yay......

Patrick. Crosby will get his points. The way to win is stopping his teammates.

[OccamsRazor]

1 hour ago, FD19372 said:

Patrick. Crosby will get his points. The way to win is stopping his teammates.

 

 

Yes Hak will shorten the bench as much as possible.

 

Since the first game they get last line change the top two lines with get some big minutes and then wehn fit Hak will try to get the other two out on the fly.

 

Just like the bottom pair wil be used sparingly if he is smart.

 

I hope Ivan and Ghost rest up they will be pushing 28-30 minutes in these games.

[elmatus]

1 hour ago, OccamsRazor said:

Yes Hak will shorten the bench as much as possible.

 

Will he? He certainly should, but doing so hasn't exactly been his strong suit this season.

 

I'll be honest, I fully expect Hak to put Fil out vs Crosby. I also expect he'll keep setting that match up for far too long before realizing exactly what we've been saying in this thread for days now.

[FD19372]

20 minutes ago, elmatus said:

 

Will he? He certainly should, but doing so hasn't exactly been his strong suit this season.

 

I'll be honest, I fully expect Hak to put Fil out vs Crosby. I also expect he'll keep setting that match up for far too long before realizing exactly what we've been saying in this thread for days now.

The problem is I don't think Fil can stay with Crosby for long enough stretches. I'd put my money more on Patrick, even though he's a rookie. That's what I hope Hak does from the start of Game 1.

[elmatus]

5 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

The problem is I don't think Fil can stay with Crosby for long enough stretches. I'd put my money more on Patrick, even though he's a rookie. That's what I hope Hak does from the start of Game 1.

 

I agree with you fully. I also hope Patrick get the shot. I hope he gets it right from the start and is given enough chances to try and learn, even when he gets burned (he will). Not only would he stand a better chance imo; He would also likely learn a lot from trying to shut down a guy of Crosby's ability. It could prove very valuable for him and for the team going forward.

 

That said, Hak isn't taking my calls, and he has an awful tendency to rely on Fil for stuff like this. With Couts likely to be sitting in Malkin's pants all series, I have a feeling Fil will get the call vs Crosby. I don't want him to, but it would be more in line with Haks line up decisions this season.

[brelic]

5 hours ago, elmatus said:

Fil is a known quantity, and that quantity cannot shut down Crosby. There's no guarantee Patrick can either, but at least he has a chance. He's a fairly strong guy with very good hockey vision. In many ways, this could serve as a test of sorts for the kid, which may be exactly what he needs to take the next step.

 

With the Patrick line, the hope is that they shut down Crosby through spending time in the offensive zone rather than playing constant defense. I don't think Filppula's line can do that. In fact, they can't. It will be constant defense.

 

 

[ruxpin]

On 4/8/2018 at 11:57 AM, elmatus said:

Hall is essentially on an island in NJ with virtually no scoring support.

 

Until I looked, I didn't fully realize how true this is.   15 more goals than the second player, 15 more assists than 2nd place, and 41 (FORTY-ONE!) more points.    That's just insane.    

 

I don't know that he wins the Hart (betting odds), but those stats are insane.

[ruxpin]

2 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

Yes Hak will shorten the bench as much as possible.

 

Yes.  Giroux will be limited to 13 minutes/game.   When does douche...er...Dave shorten his bench?   Does he even know how?   I swear if you told him to shorten his bench he'd literally go get a saw to cut the legs.

 

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if he is smart.

 

Yeah, and Lehtera will be the difference maker in this series...if he's fast.

[ruxpin]

37 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

The problem is I don't think Fil can stay with Crosby for long enough stretches. I'd put my money more on Patrick, even though he's a rookie. That's what I hope Hak does from the start of Game 1.

 

Definitely.  That's the way he should go.  I'm assuming the Coots line goes against Malkin.

 

But I bet that adjustment doesn't occur to Hakstol until the 3rd game when it may be too late.

[brelic]

3 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

Yes.  Giroux will be limited to 13 minutes/game. 

 

Yup. The past 3-4 games, Filppula has had more ice time than G.

 

 

[ruxpin]

My only problem with the Patrick line against Crosby is do you really want Dumb Dumb (Voracek) out there at the same time as Crosby?   I know you can't argue with his production,  but Voracek may be the dumbest sober player on the roster.   

[ruxpin]

1 minute ago, brelic said:

 

Yup. The past 3-4 games, Filppula has had more ice time than G.

 

 

 

Do you think I'm being too hard?   Asking seriously.   Is there some effort to keep Giroux fresher thinking he'll be more impactful as the game progresses?   I'm grasping at straws to inject some sanity into that.

[vis]

10 minutes ago, brelic said:

 

With the Patrick line, the hope is that they shut down Crosby through spending time in the offensive zone rather than playing constant defense. I don't think Filppula's line can do that. In fact, they can't. It will be constant defense.

 

 

I just don't like how the Flyers forwards match up against the Penguins.  

 

For me, I look at it as follows:

• Giroux/Couturier/Konecny vs. Crosby under the theory that a good offense is a good defense.  
• Raffl/Patrick/Voracek vs. Malkin.  My thinking is that Raffl should be moved to whatever line matches against Malkin.  Since I'd prefer to try Patrick vs. Malkin, this is where he lands, imo.
• Lindblom/Filpulla/Simmonds vs. Brassard.  I'd be tempted to swap Laughton for Filpulla. 

I know there's a little bit of line juggling in there, but I think that's the way I'd play it.

[brelic]

1 minute ago, ruxpin said:

 

Do you think I'm being too hard?   Asking seriously.   Is there some effort to keep Giroux fresher thinking he'll be more impactful as the game progresses?   I'm grasping at straws to inject some sanity into that.

 

I don't think you are. I mean, even the entire broadcast crew took it for a given that a rested G would be out there in the final minute with a defensive zone faceoff (THIRD best in the NHL).... but let's go with Coots, Filp, and Read instead. Oh, and Gudas for good measure.

 

It's those strange decisions from time to time that have me worried about this coach. I think he's done a lot of great things, and he's done some things that need some work (i.e. recognizing when to call a timeout). 

 

But there's also a small percentage of stuff he does that's just like... whaaa? Okie dokie.

 

[vis]

Really amazed at Giroux's season.  I was very negative on him coming into the season, but he turned in a fabulous performance.

 

I think the Hart is between him and Hall, but I think Hall wins it.

[ruxpin]

4 minutes ago, vis said:

I just don't like how the Flyers forwards match up against the Penguins.  

 

For me, I look at it as follows:

• Giroux/Couturier/Konecny vs. Crosby under the theory that a good offense is a good defense.  
• Raffl/Patrick/Voracek vs. Malkin.  My thinking is that Raffl should be moved to whatever line matches against Malkin.  Since I'd prefer to try Patrick vs. Malkin, this is where he lands, imo.
• Lindblom/Filpulla/Simmonds vs. Brassard.  I'd be tempted to swap Laughton for Filpulla. 

I know there's a little bit of line juggling in there, but I think that's the way I'd play it.

 

Honestly, the bolded was my initial thought.    But I'm guessing they have Coots against Malkin since he magically shuts him down and all that rot.   And maybe under the theory that Crosby will get his points so try to shut down everyone else.

 

If you want that top line to be even better defensively, I guess put Raffl there.   I'm not sold on that.

 

So pretend it's the Coots line vs. Malkin.

 

I may actually keep Lindblom on the line with Patrick if they're going against Crosby.     At this point, that line is going to give up some points so might as well try to get some points out of it.

 

I guess TK/Raffl with Filpulla & Simmonds against Brassard.   I hate either grouping against Kessel.

 

Ultimately, we're going to live or die on special teams, though.  Likely die.

[RJ8812]

Hak hasn't done anything to prove to us that he knows how to use players properly. He's terrible at matching lines and doesn't make adjustments 

[B21]

21 hours ago, Pucked in the head said:

Thanks for contaminating our board,  now we gotta burn it down!!! Kinda like we're gonna do to your arena,well you guys will do it for us, after we bounce your azz outta the playoffs in the first round...... LET'S GO FLYERS!!!!!!!

 

42:10:1:5. And counting.... 

 

Should be entertaining. You know the NHL is loving this,

[B21]

4 hours ago, FD19372 said:

Patrick. Crosby will get his points. The way to win is stopping his teammates.

 

Mmmmm maybe. Crosby was 3rd on the Pens this year behind Malkin and Kessel. 

[murraycraven]

1 hour ago, ruxpin said:

but Voracek may be the dumbest sober player on the roster. 

 

who said he was sober?   I often think he looks like a full-on drunk!

 

[ruxpin]

1 minute ago, murraycraven said:

 

who said he was sober?   I often think he looks like a full-on drunk!

 

 

LOL  I was just trying to eliminate Mrazek from the discussion.

[Pucked in the head]

Is that the morning skate??? Lol

[vis]

3 hours ago, ruxpin said:

But I'm guessing they have Coots against Malkin since he magically shuts him down and all that rot.

Yeah, I could see that matchup going either way.  They had Couturier on Crosby during the regular season, iirc.  Maybe they switch it up for the post-season.  Still, I would like to see captain v. captain.

 

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If you want that top line to be even better defensively, I guess put Raffl there.   I'm not sold on that.

Nor am I.  As above, I'd rather the top line be an offensive line.  I also worry about the likes of Konency matching up against Malkin/Crosby, depending on how they deploy the first line.  Would like Raffl to add some defense to matchup vs. whoever Couturier isn't matched against.

 

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I may actually keep Lindblom on the line with Patrick if they're going against Crosby.     At this point, that line is going to give up some points so might as well try to get some points out of it.

Maybe, but see thoughts on Raffl above.  Though maybe it does make sense to play him against the Brassard line as you suggest below.

 

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I guess TK/Raffl with Filpulla & Simmonds against Brassard.   I hate either grouping against Kessel.

Agree.

 

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Ultimately, we're going to live or die on special teams, though.  Likely die.

Flyers' crappy PK against the Pens' top ranked PP?  What could go wrong?

[OccamsRazor]

I can't see Hak messing with the lines too much since the last win and game 1 of the playoffs is not the place to start.

 

However i can see him juggling stuff during the game if they struggle....hell that is a given him tinkering with lines.

 

I am worried more about two things because well they go hand in hand.

 

Special teams and goaltending.

[Pucked in the head]

Don't know how to quote just a portion of the post but I would LOVE TO SEE CAPTAIN VS CAPTAIN AND A REPEAT OF THE SHOT G GIVES CINDY!!!! AND THEN WATCH HER WHINE AND CRY TO THE REFS "THEY'RE PLAYING TOO ROUGH" "how about some penalties?"