This isn't the first time this season that the Komets got stifled. This type of result is just plain embarrassing.
This third game of the series was a "big" game. All season long they never can seem to win a "big" game.
Now on to Cincinnati for a showdown game on Tuesday. Lose that game and making the playoffs may be a fairy tale. Interesting because the playoff money from season ticket holders is due on Friday.
I hope the players are not injured as this team needs to, somehow, put it in gear. I'm sure the hockey sticks came out of this OK. I mean, they really didn't use them last night, did they?
Just one thing more. The Komets were interested in a forward from Europe that they couldn't get signed. I know someone reported that it wasn't Vaskivuo, Hodgman, or Aquino. I am curious to know who it was, however.
whole_n_one
Sun, 02/10/2013 - 2:24pm
Colorado is a big, physical team that finishes their checks. I made a comment to a couple of friends prior to this series that I was nervous about how big Colorado was and that with 3 games in 4 nights, we could get worn down. I think that is exactly what happened. They hit us a lot Wednesday, we came back on Friday and played physical with them, and then they took it to us on Saturday. We can be physical in spurts but don't have the size to sustain it like a lot of teams in this league. We emptied our gas tanks on Friday and had nothing left for Saturday. We are a very small team up front. If you team is small, then they better be faster and more skilled than other teams. The problem is that these other teams that are big and physical are just as fast and skilled as we are.
We are going to be facing this same situation if we make the playoffs. Lot's of games in a short time span against the same team. If I were coaching against us, I would hit, hit, hit until our small forwards and d-men wore down. That's what these teams are doing against us now.
I like that we have shown some spark in a few games lately but we just don't have the size to bang with these teams night in and night out. I remember at the end of last season, that they scouted the ECHL playoffs and they kept commenting about how big and physical the playoff teams were.
One last comment about Henley. He has taken a lot of heat on both blogs lately and as much as I am a fan of his when he plays physical, I don't have an explanation for his play this year. I don't think I have ever seen someone of his size just not throw checks and clear the front of the net. I can't understand what is going on with him. His +/-, points, etc are not stellar this season and having someone that is not playing up to their potential taking a veteran spot is not good in my opinion.
Lastly, kudos to Smith, Klotz, Maggio, Marino, and Shrock for never taking a shift off during the past couple of weeks. Smith has really stepped up his role as a leader; doing whatever it takes including hitting and dropping the gloves when necessary. It's a shame that he has to be the one to take on the 6'5" guys from the other teams in order to get this done. Klotz has definately played with more of an edge lately. He knows his role on the team and has been playing it well. Marino is just tenacious and fearless to go into the corners with the big boys. Shrock is not having a good year point-wise but lately has stepped up and done the little things to try to get the team going. Maggio is our only defenseman that consistently hits and takes guys out from in front of the net.
I truly believe that we will not last long in the playoffs, or even make the playoffs, unless 2 things happen: 1. We get bigger up front. 2. We find some kind of power play. Hopefully we learned somethings from Colorado. There PP looked awesome all series long.
Shawn
Sun, 02/10/2013 - 8:07pm
Whole is right about the gas tank getting emptied Friday night. The problem comes down to the physical make up of this team and the system Al continues to run. It's not sustainable especially against a much bigger team. Sims is playing the only system he knows, power hockey. Dump it in and knock someone off the puck to get it back. No puck control into the offensive zone at all. Instead of looking for a pass to spring a man forward they keep getting pushed to the outside against the boards where they dump it in.
The real embarrassment is the power play. With a team full of little guys that are supposed to be fast (only fast when they are not being asked to hit guys 6 inches and 80 pounds heavier than themselves) you would think that they would be able to carry the puck into the zone with a 5-4 advantage. Any other coach with a PP percentage that low would be a little nervous about their job security.
JR1
Sun, 02/10/2013 - 8:23pm
Is the bag of excuses empty yet???
JR1
Sun, 02/10/2013 - 8:24pm
^general question...not necessarily directed towards any other comment given in this thread...
Comments
Only fourteen shots on goal?
This isn't the first time this season that the Komets got stifled. This type of result is just plain embarrassing.
This third game of the series was a "big" game. All season long they never can seem to win a "big" game.
Now on to Cincinnati for a showdown game on Tuesday. Lose that game and making the playoffs may be a fairy tale. Interesting because the playoff money from season ticket holders is due on Friday.
I hope the players are not injured as this team needs to, somehow, put it in gear. I'm sure the hockey sticks came out of this OK. I mean, they really didn't use them last night, did they?
Just one thing more. The Komets were interested in a forward from Europe that they couldn't get signed. I know someone reported that it wasn't Vaskivuo, Hodgman, or Aquino. I am curious to know who it was, however.
Colorado is a big, physical team that finishes their checks. I made a comment to a couple of friends prior to this series that I was nervous about how big Colorado was and that with 3 games in 4 nights, we could get worn down. I think that is exactly what happened. They hit us a lot Wednesday, we came back on Friday and played physical with them, and then they took it to us on Saturday. We can be physical in spurts but don't have the size to sustain it like a lot of teams in this league. We emptied our gas tanks on Friday and had nothing left for Saturday. We are a very small team up front. If you team is small, then they better be faster and more skilled than other teams. The problem is that these other teams that are big and physical are just as fast and skilled as we are.
We are going to be facing this same situation if we make the playoffs. Lot's of games in a short time span against the same team. If I were coaching against us, I would hit, hit, hit until our small forwards and d-men wore down. That's what these teams are doing against us now.
I like that we have shown some spark in a few games lately but we just don't have the size to bang with these teams night in and night out. I remember at the end of last season, that they scouted the ECHL playoffs and they kept commenting about how big and physical the playoff teams were.
One last comment about Henley. He has taken a lot of heat on both blogs lately and as much as I am a fan of his when he plays physical, I don't have an explanation for his play this year. I don't think I have ever seen someone of his size just not throw checks and clear the front of the net. I can't understand what is going on with him. His +/-, points, etc are not stellar this season and having someone that is not playing up to their potential taking a veteran spot is not good in my opinion.
Lastly, kudos to Smith, Klotz, Maggio, Marino, and Shrock for never taking a shift off during the past couple of weeks. Smith has really stepped up his role as a leader; doing whatever it takes including hitting and dropping the gloves when necessary. It's a shame that he has to be the one to take on the 6'5" guys from the other teams in order to get this done. Klotz has definately played with more of an edge lately. He knows his role on the team and has been playing it well. Marino is just tenacious and fearless to go into the corners with the big boys. Shrock is not having a good year point-wise but lately has stepped up and done the little things to try to get the team going. Maggio is our only defenseman that consistently hits and takes guys out from in front of the net.
I truly believe that we will not last long in the playoffs, or even make the playoffs, unless 2 things happen: 1. We get bigger up front. 2. We find some kind of power play. Hopefully we learned somethings from Colorado. There PP looked awesome all series long.
Whole is right about the gas tank getting emptied Friday night. The problem comes down to the physical make up of this team and the system Al continues to run. It's not sustainable especially against a much bigger team. Sims is playing the only system he knows, power hockey. Dump it in and knock someone off the puck to get it back. No puck control into the offensive zone at all. Instead of looking for a pass to spring a man forward they keep getting pushed to the outside against the boards where they dump it in.
The real embarrassment is the power play. With a team full of little guys that are supposed to be fast (only fast when they are not being asked to hit guys 6 inches and 80 pounds heavier than themselves) you would think that they would be able to carry the puck into the zone with a 5-4 advantage. Any other coach with a PP percentage that low would be a little nervous about their job security.
Is the bag of excuses empty yet???
^general question...not necessarily directed towards any other comment given in this thread...