I thought I'd give my two cents on the state of the program currently. I want to preface this by saying I dont think anyone wants Barr gone any time in the next three years, and if they do then they're out of their mind. Everything I say here is done with the mindset that I think Barr is still the guy.
Let's start with the positives:
-This team can skate. They're so much more fluid than they were in the Gendron era, they can actually break out with speed, and they can go down the ice in transition. They also don't get pinned in their own end nearly as much as they used to.
-The defense is legit. They do really well at limiting chances and keeping their opponents to the outside. It seems like they often allow around 20-25 shots on a lot of nights, when in the Gendron era they seemed to routinely give up 35-ish shots.
-The penalty kill, before last night, had been playing really well. I very rarely have had this feeling of dread watching them this year that a goal is inevitable, or that they'll be bailed out by the goalie if they do manage to kill it.
-They never give up. I don't think they really gave up in the Gendron era either, but these guys never seem to just pack it in, and they go hard until the final siren no matter the score or situation.
-They're very disciplined. The fact that Mack was perfect on the power play last night overshadowed the fact that they only had three opportunities. In the Gendron era, Maine was regularly among the most penalized teams in the nation, if not #1. In the Barr era, they were the least penalized team last season, and remain in the Bottom 10 this season.
Now for the negatives....
-The power play. Oh man, the power play. 3-37. 8%. 5th worst in the nation. It's hard to watch. They can't do a damn thing with the man advantage.
-The offense in general. They really struggle to score goals, or even generate chances. They outshoot opponents regularly, but way too many of their shots go straight into the gut or glove of the goalie. And based on the one game I have got to see them play in person so far this season on Friday afternoon, they don't get guys to the crease to crash the net nearly enough. I found myself exclaiming about why they didn't have a guy in front of the net several times per period.
-They can't play from behind. Though we established they never give up, they still struggle to play from behind. If they allow the first goal, or go down by more than a goal, it just feels like its over.
-They "find ways to lose". Yesterday, they gave up a PPG with 0:01 in the first to go to the intermission down 3-1 instead of 2-1. In Hartford on Saturday last weekend, they tied the game late in the third in a gusty display, only to immediately give up the GWG about a minute later. They will sometimes have these stretches where they just get absolutely bodied (against Q and NU, for instance).
-They can't win on the road. This one is a recurring theme that has been a signature of this team ever since I became a student six years ago. This might be the most frustrating and disheartening thing that seems to have not changed under new leadership.
These are what I see as this teams primary strengths and weaknesses. I do think a lot of the weaknesses will be remedied by getting more experience and less young, especially the finding ways to lose and struggling to play without the lead elements. But a 2-8-1 record and streak of L5 are not great looks, especially when most of those 5 losses were games you theoretically could have won. I'm sure everyone is familiar with that certain quote by Bill Parcells, I don't think I need to be the one to say it out loud. Barr is clearly still the guy, but a lot of stuff needs to get cleaned up in a big way.
Let's start with the positives:
-This team can skate. They're so much more fluid than they were in the Gendron era, they can actually break out with speed, and they can go down the ice in transition. They also don't get pinned in their own end nearly as much as they used to.
-The defense is legit. They do really well at limiting chances and keeping their opponents to the outside. It seems like they often allow around 20-25 shots on a lot of nights, when in the Gendron era they seemed to routinely give up 35-ish shots.
-The penalty kill, before last night, had been playing really well. I very rarely have had this feeling of dread watching them this year that a goal is inevitable, or that they'll be bailed out by the goalie if they do manage to kill it.
-They never give up. I don't think they really gave up in the Gendron era either, but these guys never seem to just pack it in, and they go hard until the final siren no matter the score or situation.
-They're very disciplined. The fact that Mack was perfect on the power play last night overshadowed the fact that they only had three opportunities. In the Gendron era, Maine was regularly among the most penalized teams in the nation, if not #1. In the Barr era, they were the least penalized team last season, and remain in the Bottom 10 this season.
Now for the negatives....
-The power play. Oh man, the power play. 3-37. 8%. 5th worst in the nation. It's hard to watch. They can't do a damn thing with the man advantage.
-The offense in general. They really struggle to score goals, or even generate chances. They outshoot opponents regularly, but way too many of their shots go straight into the gut or glove of the goalie. And based on the one game I have got to see them play in person so far this season on Friday afternoon, they don't get guys to the crease to crash the net nearly enough. I found myself exclaiming about why they didn't have a guy in front of the net several times per period.
-They can't play from behind. Though we established they never give up, they still struggle to play from behind. If they allow the first goal, or go down by more than a goal, it just feels like its over.
-They "find ways to lose". Yesterday, they gave up a PPG with 0:01 in the first to go to the intermission down 3-1 instead of 2-1. In Hartford on Saturday last weekend, they tied the game late in the third in a gusty display, only to immediately give up the GWG about a minute later. They will sometimes have these stretches where they just get absolutely bodied (against Q and NU, for instance).
-They can't win on the road. This one is a recurring theme that has been a signature of this team ever since I became a student six years ago. This might be the most frustrating and disheartening thing that seems to have not changed under new leadership.
These are what I see as this teams primary strengths and weaknesses. I do think a lot of the weaknesses will be remedied by getting more experience and less young, especially the finding ways to lose and struggling to play without the lead elements. But a 2-8-1 record and streak of L5 are not great looks, especially when most of those 5 losses were games you theoretically could have won. I'm sure everyone is familiar with that certain quote by Bill Parcells, I don't think I need to be the one to say it out loud. Barr is clearly still the guy, but a lot of stuff needs to get cleaned up in a big way.
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