“Pav, Bert and Homer haven’t been as good. They turn the puck over way too much and haven’t had enough substance playing in the offensive zone. For Homer to score goals and be effective, they gotta be on the grind in that zone, and he’s gotta be at the net. That’s a key for him.”
Sure he's abrasive and a little blunt at times, but that's our Uncle Mike, and we love him.
Truth be told, this line did look a little shaky on Wednesday. Bert looks like he's hustling, but without sustained pressure in the offensive zone, Holmstrom can be a liability at times. The pressure and shots needs to be established by Datsyuk and Bert, and the defense need to get their shots through the opposition.
Let's go, boys.
The biggest thing that LaRue overshadowed was how poor this line was. I couldn't believe that was Datsyuk out there. Bertuzzi of course, I would've shat had he done anything different, but not Pav.
ReplyDeleteDatsyuk is trying to do too much out there and his linemates aren't doing enough to help him. So often it looks like the first thought running through Bert's head when the puck is on his stick is "how can I get it to Pavs?" even when Datsyuk is double-covered.
ReplyDeleteI'd kill to see a speedster out there with Datsyuk to help alleviate some pressure from him. Teams are triple-teaming him.
How many times do we have to watch Bert look like he's going to do something, only to see him drift off into Lala land when he should be going hard, when the likes of Helm would be hustling and make something of it? I swear it's like watching a 200lb Tooth Fairy skating at times. All he needs is the tutu.
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