Face Offs

barry33 · Guru

Face Offs

JohnM · Guru

Yup, we had two good faceoff men last time around with Perrault and Dowd. We are lacking in that department in a big way.

You forgot about Bulis and Ryder, they were 100% for the night.

barry33 · Guru

JohnM wrote:

Yup, we had two good faceoff men last time around with Perrault and Dowd. We are lacking in that department in a big way. You forgot about Bulis and Ryder, they were 100% for the night.

Ya lol..one for one each hehe..but like I said I give Saks credit for showing up last night. Really the only guy you can put out there for that draw..him or maybe Begin.

Pablo Honey · Veteran Member

Is there anyone on this team that can actually win draws besides Koivu? It seems when he struggles winning face-offs, we're screwed.

Not a good thing, especially if we want to make a play-off run. Ribs should really work on that aspect of his game...

barry33 · Guru

Pablo Honey wrote:

Is there anyone on this team that can actually win draws besides Koivu? It seems when he struggles winning face-offs, we're screwed. Not a good thing, especially if we want to make a play-off run. Ribs should really work on that aspect of his game...

Actually Saks is rated 56th in face off% at 52.3%. To put that in perspective, Yannick Perreault is second at 62.9%. 62.9% is awesome..incredible really. If you were to make an argument regarding Koivu as a first line center the one defining stat would perhaps be his face off%. I would be curious to know whether his % is better or worse this year than in past. Something tells me that face offs have never been Saks' strong point.

JohnM · Guru

Here's the stats:

Saku Koivu

52.3 2005-2006

53.8 2003-2004

49.6 2002-2003

Just to compare for fun:

Joe Sakic

52.4 2005-2006

52.6 2003-2004

50.8 2002-2003

plouf · Guru

Saku is a good face-off man, probably the best on the team. But he's no face-off specialist, just "pretty good", so that's something we need. Bonk was also horrible in the face-off dept. last night. Plekanec and Ribeiro are never that great. And Bulis (former centre) sucks in that dept. Apparently Higgins needs work there too. It really is too bad we couldn't have somehow hung on the Perreault.

barry33 · Guru

JohnM wrote:

Here's the stats: Saku Koivu 52.3 2005-2006 53.8 2003-2004 49.6 2002-2003 Just to compare for fun: Joe Sakic 52.4 2005-2006 52.6 2003-2004 50.8 2002-2003

Thansk Johnny thats what i was looking for, to see if he is having an off year but it appears he is consistently around the 50% mark. Like Sakic, faceoffs are not his strong point. But both do many other things well.

24 Rings · Guru

As much as I like Saks, Joe bags a lot more points. I've heard some guys say that giving up Perreault was a total flub and that might be true based on face-offs alone, BUT he wasn't a producer in Montreal and is basically having a career year this year. I didn't think he did much of anything with the Habs, except win 3 out of every 5 draws. Generally, I don't think we are that bad on the draws.

plouf · Guru

24 Rings wrote:

As much as I like Saks, Joe bags a lot more points. I've heard some guys say that giving up Perreault was a total flub and that might be true based on face-offs alone, BUT he wasn't a producer in Montreal and is basically having a career year this year. I didn't think he did much of anything with the Habs, except win 3 out of every 5 draws. Generally, I don't think we are that bad on the draws.

True. We're not usually as bad as the other night. But what we lack is a go-to guy who takes the BIG faceoffs. That's where Perreault was really handy.

Habtastic · Guru

The problem with Perrault is that he was so poor defensively, that he couldn't really be trusted to take crucial draws in our zone. I still would have kept him over Ribs though, just because of his face-off skills.

Habtastic

JohnM · Guru

24 Rings wrote:

As much as I like Saks, Joe bags a lot more points. I've heard some guys say that giving up Perreault was a total flub and that might be true based on face-offs alone, BUT he wasn't a producer in Montreal and is basically having a career year this year. I didn't think he did much of anything with the Habs, except win 3 out of every 5 draws. Generally, I don't think we are that bad on the draws.

Agree with you there 24. I was just pointing out that Sakics numbers for faceoffs are around the same as Koivu's and Sakic is Colorado's #1 center. Just comparing Apples with Apples. This thread was about faceoffs.

Ando · Guru

Kindly refrain from comparing Joe Sakic to the likes of Saku Koivu!

...they are residents of planet Earth - and THAT is where the similarities end (as apparently do ours)!

Cripes John...Saku isn't qualified to carry Joe Sakic's hockey bag!!!

GAW'D...comparing them is just stupid!!!

JohnM · Guru

Like I said And, the thread was about faceoffs. If you like, get the statistics on all the #1 centermen out there and let me know how Sak compares.

Taking my post out of context is what is stupid.

Trapper John · Member

plouf wrote:

Saku is a good face-off man, probably the best on the team. But he's no face-off specialist, just "pretty good", so that's something we need. Bonk was also horrible in the face-off dept. last night. Plekanec and Ribeiro are never that great. And Bulis (former centre) sucks in that dept. Apparently Higgins needs work there too. It really is too bad we couldn't have somehow hung on the Perreault.

Well put, plouf. Here's a question for those who have played the game. I used to be pretty consistent on the draw. (Beer league, a legend in my own mind.) I found that watching the ice, visualizing the area where the puck would land, and using peripheral vision to catch the official's movement seemed to get me in motion faster than guys who looked at the puck in the official's hand. Watch Saks on the faceoff - he seems to always be looking up, as if to follow the flight of the dropped biscuit.

What do you think, oh Wise Ones?

Jonny G · Senior Member

Trapper John wrote:

Well put, plouf. Here's a question for those who have played the game. I used to be pretty consistent on the draw. (Beer league, a legend in my own mind.) I found that watching the ice, visualizing the area where the puck would land, and using peripheral vision to catch the official's movement seemed to get me in motion faster than guys who looked at the puck in the official's hand. Watch Saks on the faceoff - he seems to always be looking up, as if to follow the flight of the dropped biscuit.
What do you think, oh Wise Ones?

Sounds like you use some fancy Jedi-mind tricks. How do Perreault and Brindamour deal with faceoffs?

Trapper John · Member

Jonny, I have actually never resorted to Jedi Mind Tricks in the faceoff circle. Instead, I save them for when I need to bank my shot off at least five other players to put it in the net.

Nil d · Guru

Ando wrote:

Kindly refrain from comparing Joe Sakic to the likes of Saku Koivu! ...they are residents of planet Earth - and THAT is where the similarities end (as apparently do ours)!

Untrue, And-o. Nil d is also a "Scholar, Genius and all around great guy", as are many of us!