Post by Warren on Feb 2, 2016 17:57:55 GMT
O.k. I'm gooing to try and break this down into where I see the issues. More for my own sanity than anything else. Thinking this over is driving mad.
4 or 5 seasons ago I was just a cage observer, never really posting. The thing that I always remember was that everboddies biggest issue was a lack of plan B from Corey. We then went on to win the GS and everybody kind of gave Corey some credit and cut him some and desrvedly so. However it now appears we have come full circle.
I'm not interested in a debate on the mnagement of the club at this time & most admit we have hugely missed a trick not getting in the extra Dman,so I am gonna leave those issues aside.
The obvious lack of plan B was no more obvious than last night.
Teams have worked out that all you have to do against Panthers is colapse around the goal and keep us to the outside. As you saw last night all that happens is that the D block the pucks from getting to goal, stock forwards getting in close and any shots that do get through are generally easy saves. If there is a rebound the D mops up. Thus Panthers look good in possesion for long periods without really threatening. Of course against lesser teams class sometimes tells and we get a few through.
The one thing we don't try, which to me is 1 of the obvious alternatives is to sit back and invite them on, then attempt to hit them on the break. No change for Ds to get set up. Now of course nobody wants us to play defensively all the time, but i'd take 2 points over fancy hockey any day.
So what do we chose to do to get up the other end? Take it slow and reset the play from behind our own net allowing the opposition to clog the neutral zone then colapse around the goal when we gain the zone.
Very clear to me that there is no plan B and that is squarely at 1 mans door.
On to lines. Now I have slaughtered Corey as much as anybody for pix and mix lines but it does appear he is settling them somewhat over the last 4/5 games(post special teams aside). There is still the odd change game to game.
All he has now done is make it obvious that he doesn't know what players to put together. We beat Belfast with set lines but we havn't seen that set up since.
Last night it was primerally.
Kolnik, Moran, Clarke
Bohmbach, Schultz, Lacho
Farmer, Lawrence, Janssen
McMillan, Myers, Ling.
Im quite happy with 1 and 2 on my list but the other 2 is where I really have a problem. We are struggling to score goals. Our top scorer from last season whom many are now saying is much improved because of increased work rate is playing on a line with Farmer & Janssen. Who exactly is supposed to be setting up the goal scorer??? Perhaps he could do with a top passer who can put the puck on anyboddies tape from anywhere on the ice?? Like the guy playing on thr 4th line with no natural goal scorer(Ling if you aren't sure).
Drop Cam down and allow that to be an out and out energy line.
Again above down to coaching.
Then there is the use of Janssen. Last night pretty much proved what Isaid at the Fife game. The game where we saw Cam allowed to play his role for the first time in a long time. It has become quite clear that Neilson doesn't value him on the team and just sees him as a fans player. In the lesser games such as Fife he lets him play his game. In the big games like last night he is ALMOST annouymous. Not once last night was there even close to Cam ruffling a few feathers. This can't be Cams choice as thats essentially his job.
The coach again must be making that decission. Also could have been plan B or C to try and mix things up.
Powerplay. Now long winded explanation needed. COACH.
Steve Lee ice time(aside the lack of D which he may be the decision maker for). Could be using Oakford more. COACH!
Finally the real proof lies in the fact thag its hard to pick any imports you can catagorically say you do not want back. The effort is by enlarge there, the talent is there. De ission making and stup isn't.