GAME DAY:Ottawa Senators @ NY Islanders - 7:00pm ET - SAT. Feb. 5 2011

strachattack wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:He has to learn when and where to do that, but otherwise Lehner was amazing tonight. He should have started, everyone knew it.

That wouldn't have been good for Tank Nation though. As for the mid-period push. I think he's safe to pull that Dung anytime he wants this season without it causing too big of a problem. A good season to learn and take advantage of it without it causing any problems.

Yeah and to be honest I can't see Elliott starting for a couple of games, so he'll have a chance for sure. Against the Canucks though?

I'm all for letting Elliot start and let him inevitably lose the game in the first period. For the remainder of the game send Lehner in with little to no pressure to take some shots from the big boys. If he wants to stiff arm a Canuck or two i'm cool with that too.

strachattack wrote:I'm all for letting Elliot start and let him inevitably lose the game in the first period. For the remainder of the game send Lehner in with little to no pressure to take some shots from the big boys. If he wants to stiff arm a Canuck or two i'm cool with that too.

Co-sign.

Lehner!!!

yeah he's gotta pick his spots and tone down the emotion....but that was freakin' great to watch.

oh and karlsson sucked in the first period.....glad clouston finally started benching ppl. Kovalev with extra jump in his game...hot stove speculating that pittsburgh could targer him since malkin is out for ht eseason.

Safe to say, lehner's coming on the western canada road trip now where best case scenario is a victory against edmonton (flames, nucks will smoke us)

hope tank nation is happy that NYI is 1 point behind us with a game in hand

Video of Lehner pushing Poulin...

http://video.thescore.com/watch/lehner-pushes-poulin

Heh heh. Now, keep in mind, I think we are all ok with this considering our situation and the "goal" of finishing bottom-3.

Had we been in a serious playoff race etc... this would have been a very ill advised move by Lehner as it cost us a penalty and put us down 2-men, with the Isles scoring on that PP.

shabbs wrote:Video of Lehner pushing Poulin...

http://video.thescore.com/watch/lehner-pushes-poulin

Heh heh. Now, keep in mind, I think we are all ok with this considering our situation and the "goal" of finishing bottom-3.

Had we been in a serious playoff race etc... this would have been a very ill advised move by Lehner as it cost us a penalty and put us down 2-men, with the Isles scoring on that PP.

They would most likely have scored on the PP anyway, the way our team kills penalties.

SpezDispenser wrote:

strachattack wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:He has to learn when and where to do that, but otherwise Lehner was amazing tonight. He should have started, everyone knew it.

That wouldn't have been good for Tank Nation though. As for the mid-period push. I think he's safe to pull that Dung anytime he wants this season without it causing too big of a problem. A good season to learn and take advantage of it without it causing any problems.

Yeah and to be honest I can't see Elliott starting for a couple of games, so he'll have a chance for sure. Against the Canucks though?

If we are going to get shelled anyway, just leave Elliott in. Who cares if he gets lit up, let's be honest here.

I'd let Elliott handle the blowout on Monday for sure. He's used to them.

Enjoyed Lehner tonight also, was hoping to see another Islanders goalie KO.

Has Lehner been in any fights before?

shabbs wrote:Has Lehner been in any fights before?

Yes.

CockRoche wrote:

shabbs wrote:Has Lehner been in any fights before?

Yes.

Sweet.

Big Ev wrote:Does Clouston do anything right? Let Karlsson only play 1:28 in the first.

Well, he made a brutally soft play on the Moulson goal.

You guys do realize that Karlsson has been a -20 or so in the last 35 days or so, right?

rooneypoo wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Does Clouston do anything right? Let Karlsson only play 1:28 in the first.

Well, he made a brutally soft play on the Moulson goal.

You guys do realize that Karlsson has been a -20 or so in the last 35 days or so, right?

When when your team sucks, you're going to have a bad +/-. Plus Karlsson plays with Phillips a lot, thus the reason why he gets a lot of minuses.

Big Ev wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Does Clouston do anything right? Let Karlsson only play 1:28 in the first.

Well, he made a brutally soft play on the Moulson goal.

You guys do realize that Karlsson has been a -20 or so in the last 35 days or so, right?

When when your team sucks, you're going to have a bad +/-. Plus Karlsson plays with Phillips a lot, thus the reason why he gets a lot of minuses.

Haha, yes Evan.

Big Ev wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Does Clouston do anything right? Let Karlsson only play 1:28 in the first.

Well, he made a brutally soft play on the Moulson goal.

You guys do realize that Karlsson has been a -20 or so in the last 35 days or so, right?

When when your team sucks, you're going to have a bad +/-. Plus Karlsson plays with Phillips a lot, thus the reason why he gets a lot of minuses.

I think that's a chicken & egg question at this point. If that.

Chris Phillips is a career +82 player, with only 2 minus seasons on the books -- a -5 in 1998-1999, and -14 in 2008-09 (i.e., our worst season in over a decade, excluding this one we're in the middle of).

Phillips is a better player than he's showing right now. I'm surprised how many people don't see that. Aaron Ward was on TSN the other day, & there was no question in his mind that he's still largely the same player, but playing in an awful spot right now.

Anyway, the point is: it's pretty common to bench a young D when he's -20 in his last 15 games or so, esp. when he makes a play like he did on Moulson. CC was 100% justified in that benching, just like he was right to put him right back out there in the 2nd.

rooneypoo wrote:

Big Ev wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Does Clouston do anything right? Let Karlsson only play 1:28 in the first.

Well, he made a brutally soft play on the Moulson goal.

You guys do realize that Karlsson has been a -20 or so in the last 35 days or so, right?

When when your team sucks, you're going to have a bad +/-. Plus Karlsson plays with Phillips a lot, thus the reason why he gets a lot of minuses.

I think that's a chicken & egg question at this point. If that.

Chris Phillips is a career +82 player, with only 2 minus seasons on the books -- a -5 in 1998-1999, and -14 in 2008-09 (i.e., our worst season in over a decade, excluding this one we're in the middle of).

Phillips is a better player than he's showing right now. I'm surprised how many people don't see that. Aaron Ward was on TSN the other day, & there was no question in his mind that he's still largely the same player, but playing in an awful spot right now.

Anyway, the point is: it's pretty common to bench a young D when he's -20 in his last 15 games or so, esp. when he makes a play like he did on Moulson. CC was 100% justified in that benching, just like he was right to put him right back out there in the 2nd.

There were rumblings about Phillips dealing with personal issues at the beginning of the season, if memory serves. We never really heard anything about it afterwards, but that, coupled with the deplorable play of the entire team, could certainly be a major factor in his inability to find his groove this season.

spader wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

Big Ev wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Does Clouston do anything right? Let Karlsson only play 1:28 in the first.

Well, he made a brutally soft play on the Moulson goal.

You guys do realize that Karlsson has been a -20 or so in the last 35 days or so, right?

When when your team sucks, you're going to have a bad +/-. Plus Karlsson plays with Phillips a lot, thus the reason why he gets a lot of minuses.

I think that's a chicken & egg question at this point. If that.

Chris Phillips is a career +82 player, with only 2 minus seasons on the books -- a -5 in 1998-1999, and -14 in 2008-09 (i.e., our worst season in over a decade, excluding this one we're in the middle of).

Phillips is a better player than he's showing right now. I'm surprised how many people don't see that. Aaron Ward was on TSN the other day, & there was no question in his mind that he's still largely the same player, but playing in an awful spot right now.

Anyway, the point is: it's pretty common to bench a young D when he's -20 in his last 15 games or so, esp. when he makes a play like he did on Moulson. CC was 100% justified in that benching, just like he was right to put him right back out there in the 2nd.

There were rumblings about Phillips dealing with personal issues at the beginning of the season, if memory serves. We never really heard anything about it afterwards, but that, coupled with the deplorable play of the entire team, could certainly be a major factor in his inability to find his groove this season.

I just hope how people see how ridiculous it is to assert

a) that Karlsson's suckiness lately is due entirely to his team & partner, & in no way detracts from him as a player, even though he's been in the league for less than 2 years;

and

b) that Phillip's suckiness lately is entirely innate & is all on him & has nothing to do with his team or partner, & it defines him as a player, even though he has a long history to the contrary.

I mean, come on. That's 1984 territory in terms of logic.

What if personal issues were concerns per no long term extension in Ottawa? Hmmmmm.....