Kevin Francis: Which player has exceeded expectations so far this season?!

Claude Giroux. Thought he'd be good but he's definitely been better than I expected.

For me the easy answer would be Sanderson.

The more complicated answer is Hamonic.

Most nights Hamonic looks like an entirely different player than what I saw last year.

Sanderson gives Hamonic a lot of credit for helping him transition to the NHL game.

Some guys are great supporting actors. But, they are overwhelmed if asked to take on the leading role. Methot was brilliant in his support of Karlsson to the point that he became an outstanding blue liner in a supporting role.

Is this what we are seeing with Hamonic? Is he adapting his game to read off Sanderson and making really smart plays because of it.

The whole hockey world had exceedingly lofty expectations for Sanderson, I don't think he's exceeded them but I am pleasantly surprised he's met them at his age. I never saw Forsberg as a 1A or B, but he's been filling the B role nicely.

But to me the biggest surprise is up front in Brady. Only last season most here, myself included, lamented signing a 'second line winger' to his contract. It's nice to be proven wrong.

Get Forsberg out of net my god 4 shots and 2 Goals 🤦‍♂️ the guy gonna have a bad game I can feel it 🫣

Get Forsberg out of net my god 4 shots and 2 Goals 🤦‍♂️ the guy gonna have a bad game I can feel it 🫣
- sens4life1971

Make that 3 goals on 5 shots 😏

Talbot in net for period 2

un believable OTT ties and Talbot give SEA the lead again....

Can't stop a beachball in a light breeze tonight.

OTT got 3rd ranked PP and 6th on PK and yet they are a .500 team, has this ever happened in the NHL before

OTT got 3rd ranked PP and 6th on PK and yet they are a .500 team, has this ever happened in the NHL before
- Mithos

Can't score 5 on 5. I think they're like 28th in the league 5 on 5.

Can't score 5 on 5. I think they're like 28th in the league 5 on 5.
- Whatisavailable

not counting tonight they are 17 goals below the goals for average in the NHL

by comparison Boston is 10 goals above the league average for 5 on 5

Can't score 5 on 5. I think they're like 28th in the league 5 on 5.
- Whatisavailable

Which says alot about the make up of this team. If you cant score 5 on 5 in the playoffs you are in trouble. But then most teams that cant score 5 on 5 dont make the playoffs.

Make that 3 goals on 5 shots 😏
- sens4life1971

Regardless of the goaltending. Seattle is well coached, organized and structured. They dont have big names on their team but are playing with cohesion, something this team doesnt do nearly enough on a consistent basis. It all goes back to coaching, but the goaltending needs to be better. Ottawa has no business losing to Seattle on home ice.

Wow, very good teams expose Ottawa, even with last change like Seattle has tonight. This is embarassing.

Hamonic and Sanderson both a -4, ouch.

Pinto and Debrincat both a -5, that is just awful. That should never happen at this level.

Which says alot about the make up of this team. If you cant score 5 on 5 in the playoffs you are in trouble. But then most teams that cant score 5 on 5 dont make the playoffs.
- LawyerSens4Life

Which is what I have been saying. You need a bottom 6 that can score or you are done. Plus you need another top 4 D. Plus you need a real number 1 goalie. These things are not free.

Which is what I have been saying. You need a bottom 6 that can score or you are done. Plus you need another top 4 D. Plus you need a real number 1 goalie. These things are not free.
- Whatisavailable

How does Pinto and Debrincat get 15 and 19 min. of ice but Kastelic less than 9 min. the least amount on the team as a -1 but those other 2 players are each a -5 but they keep getting minutes? This coach continues to blow me away.

How does Pinto and Debrincat get 15 and 19 min. of ice but Kastelic less than 9 min. the least amount on the team as a -1 but those other 2 players are each a -5 but they keep getting minutes? This coach continues to blow me away.
- LawyerSens4Life

Well we both know that it's time to move on from Smith. Seattle doesn't have any stars on their team and they have really mediocre goaltending and in spite of this they are nonetheless looking like a playoff team. This win for them was not a fluke but rather a testament to a coaching staff that recognizes what kind of players they've got to work with and proceeds to create a style that works for them.

I'm just now listening to the postgame clowns and guess who they are blaming? You guessed it - Chabot! Un friggin believable. These clowns just say anything they think will resonate with their listeners plus they don't want to look at the big minus 4 for their darling, Sanderson and they sure don't want to look at the big minus 5 for their golden child.

Anyway Pinto and DeBrincat stunk out the place tonight defensively which I find puzzling because one of the strengths Pinto has always had is his responsible, two way game. Gee I wonder what could possibly have happened?

Both goalies stunk which didn't help at all. Letting in goals that should be stopped tends to gum up the works.

First line played great. Chabot looked good jumping up offensively quite a lot and he ended up even on the plus minus and Zub was a plus one.

Well we both know that it's time to move on from Smith. Seattle doesn't have any stars on their team and they have really mediocre goaltending and in spite of this they are nonetheless looking like a playoff team. This win for them was not a fluke but rather a testament to a coaching staff that recognizes what kind of players they've got to work with and proceeds to create a style that works for them.

I'm just now listening to the postgame clowns and guess who they are blaming? You guessed it - Chabot! Un friggin believable. These clowns just say anything they think will resonate with their listeners plus they don't want to look at the big minus 4 for their darling, Sanderson and they sure don't want to look at the big minus 5 for their golden child.

Anyway Pinto and DeBrincat stunk out the place tonight defensively which I find puzzling because one of the strengths Pinto has always had is his responsible, two way game. Gee I wonder what could possibly have happened?

Both goalies stunk which didn't help at all. Letting in goals that should be stopped tends to gum up the works.

First line played great. Chabot looked good jumping up offensively quite a lot and he ended up even on the plus minus and Zub was a plus one.
- Whatisavailable

That Creech guy on 1200 is hard to listen too, he sounds lost in his thoughts far too many times. He goes with what the listeners are saying each night, then proceeding to pile on with the rest of the fans, only to get listeners texting in more to support his ridiculous takes. Chabot and Zub were so solid and beyond their best defenseman.

Like you said, look at Pinto and Cat plus Hamonic and Sanderson. Those 5 man units were on the ice for over half of the goals, end of game right there.

As for coaching, you hit it, use your teams strengths to develop a system, not make the team conform to your system. It's like an OC or DC in the NFL, any coach that doesnt use his players strengths to put together a system, usually ends up fired after the season. I will never understand coaches that force players into their system instead of developing a system based on the talent they have. Exhibit A tonight with Seattle, great coaching for the talent he has available to him.

Which says alot about the make up of this team. If you cant score 5 on 5 in the playoffs you are in trouble. But then most teams that cant score 5 on 5 dont make the playoffs.
- LawyerSens4Life

This is where Smith is just being routinely exposed as a terrible NHL coach. You could try to blame the D-men, but the top-4 has actually exceeded expectations by most accounts. You could try to blame the goaltenders, but they're 6th in the league in PK%, so it's not a matter of stopping pucks (other than maybe last night). You could try to blame the forwards, but they're 3rd in the league in PP% so it's not a lack of skill. You could try to blame the lack of 3rd line scoring, but Joseph and Motte are the only forwards on the entire team with a positive +/- rating. Meanwhile, Tkachuk, Stutzle, Batherson, Pinto, and DeBrincat are now a combined -70, and Tkachuk/Stutzle have 2/3 worst +/- ratings among the top-40 scorers in the NHL. And of those teams in the top-10 in PP%, they're 1/3 teams that aren't also in the top-10 in overall GF/GP, and have the worst GF/GP of those 3 teams. All this despite being top-5 in the league in faceoff %, which should be giving them possession advantages all over the ice.

It all adds up to a critical lack of management of the 5-on-5 portion of the game, when there's a high-pace 200ft flow to the game. It also explains why they're so statistically terrible in the 2nd period, when the benches are on the wrong side of centre ice and line changes become more challenging. Dorion got his wish... an offensive-biased roster that's one of just 5 NHL teams to have 5 players in the top-100 in scoring, and one of just 2 NHL teams to have 5 players in the top-60. However, those 5 players for OTT are a combined -57... while those 5 players for BUF are a combined +58. Dorion is now faced with the question of whether Tkachuk, Stutzle, Batherson, Giroux, and DeBrincat are just a collection of horrendously dysfunctional hockey players, or whether - just maybe - these players not being effectively deployed at even-strength by their coach, and the team lacks a systemic structure to improve the coordination of their defensive play.

Spoiler alert: it's the f$%^ing coach.

This is where Smith is just being routinely exposed as a terrible NHL coach. You could try to blame the D-men, but the top-4 has actually exceeded expectations by most accounts. You could try to blame the goaltenders, but they're 6th in the league in PK%, so it's not a matter of stopping pucks (other than maybe last night). You could try to blame the forwards, but they're 3rd in the league in PP% so it's not a lack of skill. You could try to blame the lack of 3rd line scoring, but Joseph and Motte are the only forwards on the entire team with a positive +/- rating. Meanwhile, Tkachuk, Stutzle, Batherson, Pinto, and DeBrincat are now a combined -70, and Tkachuk/Stutzle have 2/3 worst +/- ratings among the top-40 scorers in the NHL. And of those teams in the top-10 in PP%, they're 1/3 teams that aren't also in the top-10 in overall GF/GP, and have the worst GF/GP of those 3 teams. All this despite being top-5 in the league in faceoff %, which should be giving them possession advantages all over the ice.

It all adds up to a critical lack of management of the 5-on-5 portion of the game, when there's a high-pace 200ft flow to the game. It also explains why they're so statistically terrible in the 2nd period, when the benches are on the wrong side of centre ice and line changes become more challenging. Dorion got his wish... an offensive-biased roster that's one of just 5 NHL teams to have 5 players in the top-100 in scoring, and one of just 2 NHL teams to have 5 players in the top-60. However, those 5 players for OTT are a combined -57... while those 5 players for BUF are a combined +58. Dorion is now faced with the question of whether Tkachuk, Stutzle, Batherson, Giroux, and DeBrincat are just a collection of horrendously dysfunctional hockey players, or whether - just maybe - these players not being effectively deployed at even-strength by their coach, and the team lacks a systemic structure to improve the coordination of their defensive play.

Spoiler alert: it's the f$%^ing coach.
- khawk

Great post.

Batherson 103.9 mph that’s crazy lol
Fastest skater is my man Big Kastelic 😮
Hope Norris returns soon this club is missing him 😏

That Creech guy on 1200 is hard to listen too, he sounds lost in his thoughts far too many times. He goes with what the listeners are saying each night, then proceeding to pile on with the rest of the fans, only to get listeners texting in more to support his ridiculous takes. Chabot and Zub were so solid and beyond their best defenseman.

Like you said, look at Pinto and Cat plus Hamonic and Sanderson. Those 5 man units were on the ice for over half of the goals, end of game right there.

As for coaching, you hit it, use your teams strengths to develop a system, not make the team conform to your system. It's like an OC or DC in the NFL, any coach that doesnt use his players strengths to put together a system, usually ends up fired after the season. I will never understand coaches that force players into their system instead of developing a system based on the talent they have. Exhibit A tonight with Seattle, great coaching for the talent he has available to him.
- LawyerSens4Life

Creetch is brutal. Completely agree. He sounds like some fan you meet at the bar who agrees with whatever everyone is saying.

Batherson 103.9 mph that’s crazy lol
Fastest skater is my man Big Kastelic 😮
Hope Norris returns soon this club is missing him 😏
- sens4life1971

I got Batherson right but was certain Joseph would be fastest. I can live with Kastelec being the fastest.