Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019
It almost maddening to see how many very good chances to score they squander and yet...When all is said and done they have put quite a few in the net like this weekend against an elite goalie.
IMO, they were pretty good in this regard yesterday. They deflected a lot of shots from the point that skittered just wide, and on several of their goals, they put in a lot of good, solid work to set the goal up and the finish was there. You can see the chemistry building on #9's line and #16's as well.
Still quite a bit of improvement that can be made in their offensive game as certain players are just not producing that should be producing.
It is almost painful to watch #19 and #26 on some shifts, because you can tell that they want it so bad, but it just isn't happening. I'm not sure that either could score on a funnel. Not easy to do, but I think both have to relax, concentrate on the rest of their games, and just let the scoring come via hard work. I don't envy Skaja, because every time she gets the puck a linemate is hollering for it, and then she gives it to them, and either the pass doesn't connect or they flub the chance. I'd suggest busting the whole line up for a fresh start, but at this point, it is more important to leave the other lines alone, because they look very good. It is strange to think that the Gophs have two players with 100+ points and that's the duo that is stuck in neutral. Although, I guess #3 is pointless for 2019. She's had her best moments when on the fourth line. Long term, it might be better to swap her and 21, but it might just spread the slumping instead of resolving it if that change was made now.
And then on the defensive side, if they could cut down on the turnovers in their own zone...
I thought that they were better yesterday; at least they weren't putting the puck on a tee very often. On the first goal against on the PK, #6 had a chance to clear early after the faceoff, didn't get it out, and they never did. There were about three straight sequences with shots and second-chance opportunities, and it proved to be one such play too many. Up until then, the Gophers had controlled the game, but that goal gave the Mavericks life, and their play ascended. Scobee missed on a chance for a cover to start the scrum for the second goal, and then there were too many in maroon and gold around her trying but not doing. The goal against on the tip? It happens.
Overall, I liked how UM responded in the long term. The Woken goal was huge to get the lead back to 2 by the second intermission.
This is a special team. Yes, they still have a lot to clean up, but they are very fun to watch. We focus heavily on the mistakes, but they do so many things right, and a number of them have incredible skill sets. Zum makes it look so easy, but she had maybe a 6x6 target to hit on her PP goal, and she hit it. I know D2D thinks they go to that well too often, but I could watch that play all day. Meanwhile, I think that both 9 and 16 are just scratching the surface of what they'll do before their careers are done.