We've attended over 500 games. Probably more counting playoff games I failed to include in the count. This is the worst loss I've ever seen. Gut check time for the players and the coaching staff.
The Stars seem determined to play Colorado in the first round without Miro Heiskanen, which almost certainly won't end well. How on earth do you give up three 6-5 goals in a minute? How is this even possible? And I love Matt Duchene, but it would have been great had he decided not to go for a skate on the OT goal.
The Stars had been winning with great hockey, then winning with mediocre to bad hockey, and mean reversion is setting in as they are now losing with mediocre to bad hockey. But really, they're spending too much time in their own end in large part because too many third pair defensemen are eating up too many minutes that Miro usually plays. They can't fix this with their current roster.
Agree with most of your assessment. I disagree with blaming everything on 3rd pair DMen. EVERYONE has looked well below their normal level of play for sustained periods of time. I'd swear this was the 2018-2019 team that could never get out of their own zone for long stretches of time.
Brent Severyn mentioned it on the post game.....champions are always composed. This team has lost ALL composure ever since Miro got injured. Which says a lot about the alleged "leaders" of this team.
But so much for the problem is them getting hemmed in in their own end without the puck because too many of their defensemen are either getting beat in puck battles or just not getting the puck quickly and effectively out of the defensive zone. You can exhaust teams this way, especially a team playing their third game in four nights. But this is happening in every game these days. Okay, part of it is also a lack of strong forechecking by the forwards, but this also takes a lot of energy.
This is what I was coming here to say. A few days ago I mentioned how the Stars lack of physicality/effort has really hurt them the past couple of years in the playoffs getting to and clearing pucks from the defensive zone. They will have a few strides on their opponent going for a puck and I think this will be an easy clear. The next thing is a puck battle and a long offensive possession for the opponent when it should have been an easy clear. Unfortunately it's happening all the time now. And a couple of months ago I spoke to my ticket rep at a game and told her that the Stars team defense (forwards) needed to improve. It hasn't. This is gonna be trouble in the playoffs.
Have to disagree with this assessment: "the Stars did outplay the Canucks pretty thoroughly for 59 minutes, particularly at 5-on-5."
I guess the 5-on-5 qualifier is notable bc so much of the 3rd period was played short-handed. But most of that period the Canucks thoroughly dominated, controlled play and basically kicked the Stars ass. The 4th goal came only seconds after Razer commented "the Canucks have had the puck the entire period" and THAT to me is the real issue. Not only these last 3 games but for the last 3 weeks.
How many times do we have to watch a DMan have an unchallenged opportunity to exit the D-zone only to flub it (Codi Ceci leading to the 2nd goal tonight). How many times will the team end up getting pinned in their own zone for so long that simply throwing the puck wildly into the neutral zone becomes a "win"?
I just do not understand what is happening. The compete level in those final 60 seconds and throughout most of the 3rd period would get an F. When you can't win any 1-on-1 puck battles; can't link passes together, when your best DMan stumbles and bumbles into his own teammate when there's no opponents around to surrender a last minute goal....I mean WTF is happening?
I hate using extreme language but the effort for long stretches of play for the last 3 weeks has been pathetic. "Pathetic" is not a word often associated with winners.
I haven't seen this discussed much, but do we think the big Rantanen superstar trade broke something in the locker room? Obviously last night was rock bottom on this recent weird slide (which included all those improbable wins during the win streak). But the vibe check seems off for a lot longer. Big time injuries make it worse. Constant pucks to the face make it worse. But did bringing him in at the expense of boosting the blue line and shipping out a beloved rookie break something?
We've attended over 500 games. Probably more counting playoff games I failed to include in the count. This is the worst loss I've ever seen. Gut check time for the players and the coaching staff.
2023 Rangers rope a dope?
Just a brutal way to lose a hockey game.
The Stars seem determined to play Colorado in the first round without Miro Heiskanen, which almost certainly won't end well. How on earth do you give up three 6-5 goals in a minute? How is this even possible? And I love Matt Duchene, but it would have been great had he decided not to go for a skate on the OT goal.
The Stars had been winning with great hockey, then winning with mediocre to bad hockey, and mean reversion is setting in as they are now losing with mediocre to bad hockey. But really, they're spending too much time in their own end in large part because too many third pair defensemen are eating up too many minutes that Miro usually plays. They can't fix this with their current roster.
Agree with most of your assessment. I disagree with blaming everything on 3rd pair DMen. EVERYONE has looked well below their normal level of play for sustained periods of time. I'd swear this was the 2018-2019 team that could never get out of their own zone for long stretches of time.
Brent Severyn mentioned it on the post game.....champions are always composed. This team has lost ALL composure ever since Miro got injured. Which says a lot about the alleged "leaders" of this team.
But so much for the problem is them getting hemmed in in their own end without the puck because too many of their defensemen are either getting beat in puck battles or just not getting the puck quickly and effectively out of the defensive zone. You can exhaust teams this way, especially a team playing their third game in four nights. But this is happening in every game these days. Okay, part of it is also a lack of strong forechecking by the forwards, but this also takes a lot of energy.
This is what I was coming here to say. A few days ago I mentioned how the Stars lack of physicality/effort has really hurt them the past couple of years in the playoffs getting to and clearing pucks from the defensive zone. They will have a few strides on their opponent going for a puck and I think this will be an easy clear. The next thing is a puck battle and a long offensive possession for the opponent when it should have been an easy clear. Unfortunately it's happening all the time now. And a couple of months ago I spoke to my ticket rep at a game and told her that the Stars team defense (forwards) needed to improve. It hasn't. This is gonna be trouble in the playoffs.
Have to disagree with this assessment: "the Stars did outplay the Canucks pretty thoroughly for 59 minutes, particularly at 5-on-5."
I guess the 5-on-5 qualifier is notable bc so much of the 3rd period was played short-handed. But most of that period the Canucks thoroughly dominated, controlled play and basically kicked the Stars ass. The 4th goal came only seconds after Razer commented "the Canucks have had the puck the entire period" and THAT to me is the real issue. Not only these last 3 games but for the last 3 weeks.
How many times do we have to watch a DMan have an unchallenged opportunity to exit the D-zone only to flub it (Codi Ceci leading to the 2nd goal tonight). How many times will the team end up getting pinned in their own zone for so long that simply throwing the puck wildly into the neutral zone becomes a "win"?
I just do not understand what is happening. The compete level in those final 60 seconds and throughout most of the 3rd period would get an F. When you can't win any 1-on-1 puck battles; can't link passes together, when your best DMan stumbles and bumbles into his own teammate when there's no opponents around to surrender a last minute goal....I mean WTF is happening?
I hate using extreme language but the effort for long stretches of play for the last 3 weeks has been pathetic. "Pathetic" is not a word often associated with winners.
I really would like the team to stop taking a Syndrome like approach. "If all alarm bells are going off, no alarm bells are going off"
I haven't seen this discussed much, but do we think the big Rantanen superstar trade broke something in the locker room? Obviously last night was rock bottom on this recent weird slide (which included all those improbable wins during the win streak). But the vibe check seems off for a lot longer. Big time injuries make it worse. Constant pucks to the face make it worse. But did bringing him in at the expense of boosting the blue line and shipping out a beloved rookie break something?