Zednik

Nil d · Guru

Zednik

Nil d · Guru

PS: Pretty Boy Ribeiro, by way of comparison, has seven points in the past eight games, with a minus 1 +/-. I'm not crazy about the guy, but I think he gets more than his fair share of criticism.

barry33 · Guru

Nil d wrote:

PS: Pretty Boy Ribeiro, by way of comparison, has seven points in the past eight games, with a minus 1 +/-. I'm not crazy about the guy, but I think he gets more than his fair share of criticism.

I agree with you..Zed has been non-existent without his linemates. And I really do not see Ribieoro as bad as some here do. But all I hear on this board is "why does CJ play Ribs so much? Why does he have Plekanec out there with a minute left" yadda yadda yadda. Fact is that he is running out of people he can and cannot play. Many here whined that he did not play Perez enough. Well Perez is showing he is still a defensive liability out there and is prone to mistakes due to his age. I am begiining to think that Julien cannot win here. "Why is he not playing Peks more?!???". Then today "What the hell was Pleks doing out there in the last minutes of the game".

If you are going to give the younsgters the ice time many of you are demanding Julien to give them then you best be prepared for mistakes. You cant have it both ways boys. Garth Murray scores a cheap goal in the first and you demand he get more ice time. Yet had he been on the ice in the 3rd for a goal you would have all been whining about that. Fact is we had so many penalties last night that our killers were played out by the 3rd. So do you put Pleks out there who is relatively fresh, or stick Begin out there with 1:50 exhasted?!?? Bottom line is last night his options were very limited. I am totally shocked taht many of you are not NHL head coaches with this amount of knowledge.

Habtastic · Guru

Zednik has really dissapointed me this year, even more so than Ribiero (but not as much as Bonk), as I never expected anything from him. As for Plekanec, I think he was out in the last minute because he is strong defensively, so I had no problem with that move. I am just increasingly frustrated with certain players and their inability to get up for games. I had expected more heart and grit from this team and instead of stepping up, they are lying down. This is not true for all of them, but when it is your key guys doing it, it drops everyone around them. Rivet really surprised me last night, I expected him to take over in Koivu's absence and he played a terrible game. Allowing Edmonton to score 4 un-answered goals while getting only 6 shots is disgusting. I don't blame the coach, I blame the players who are supposed to be leading this team in their areas of specialty. I don't care if we take a bath, but BG has got to get rid of certain elements that are continually bringing us down.

Habtastic

P.S. There are some players stepping up and I still love our youth. Things will get better.

brooklynhabfan · Guru

Hey I agree 100% with you guys (Nil and Barry), but I think it's too early to drop the hammer on Zeds. He's one of those guys who's really consistent (if not super brilliant) with his numbers from year-to-year. He's also, even though he's not played all the games, having a career year in Shot %.

Add on his ability to be an anvil in the playoffs, and I think he's a keeper, and he'll make up for it when his fellow K's are back.

As for Ribs, if you look purely at his stats, maybe he deserves less criticism, but how many games has he been the clutch guy in? Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't remember the last time a game finished, and I was thinking "Wow, Ribs made that game"

More often, I've been irritated by him. I get enough irratation in my daily life without that. It's either his smug look after scoring, his general vibe on the bench, or, worst of all, him trying to skate like Denis Savard (for the record, my favourite post-dynasty hab) , but getting knocked against the boards as he watches the puck float away once again. If he's going to act like the heir to the throne of habland, he needs to play for the team, not with them..

-- Edited by brooklynhabfan at 10:16, 2005-12-16

barry33 · Guru

I agree habtastic. We need everyone to play at the same time. Last night Rivet took the night off. Dandenuealt was terrible. And Bouillon got shoved all over the place because of his size. I like the cube. But when we play a team with big forwards like Edmonton he gets pushed around. I hate to say it but for all those who booed Breezer out of Habland how good would he look now? He is doing well in Colorado

ray · Senior Member

Nil d wrote:

I don't hear many people crapping on Zednik lately (AbHabman had good comments), but in my opinion he's simply not playing up to par. I saw the replay of the tying goal (Edmonton's third); he had a chance to get the puck off the boards, and was bounced like he was made of styrofoam. He's always getting knocked off the puck, usually with one hand on the stick (that play used to work, by using the free hand to keep the defender away, but it's not working anymore). Maybe he has the flu, maybe a groin injury, but he's simply not producing. I just looked up his game-by-game stats - one goal, one assist, minus six +/- in his past eight games. Not acceptable!! I hope the two K's can wake him from his slumber. -- Edited by Nil d at 07:50, 2005-12-16

I mentioned how Zednik was playing poorly a month ago, always trying to beat guys along the boards with his speed and toughness, but this is the NHL and defenseman can skate and are tough also. He needs to pass the puck and try a new move. Move to your left Zednik, maybe he is afraid to because he has the McClaren hit still fresh in his head. I love the guy, but his game has struggled most of the year.