Das Feller-Forum » again. Gerald Green and Channing Frye sank 3s, th

In the past week or so, there has been a 20-round shootout on one night, and eight-round and nine-round shootouts on another night. The Florida Panthers alone have had four shootouts (including their 20-round outing against the Capitals) in the last six games, with three of them reaching extra innings - Luongo has made 29 saves on 35 attempts in those games. The amount of shootouts of late has once again sparked debate over the game-deciding practice - whether you like it or not. The one thing that has been consistent in the debate is that fans want an end to the game, period. It’s amazing to think that it wasnt long ago that ties were still a part of the equation. Regardless of what you think of the shootout, it still has to be better than the old 1-1 tie that left not only fans, but players feeling empty for not having a conclusion to the game, good or bad. Now Im on record, of not loving the shootout. I believe the game is so high paced, and so high skilled, that there has to be a way to extend the four-on-four play, or to play a three-on-three format. I believe with either option, you will see more games end in OT and, as a last resort, have the shootout until you get to the conclusion. I know and realize there are bigger entities to deal with in this debate. The most obvious concern, as far as NHLPA would be concerned, is extra strain being put on players to play more minutes in a night, in addition to building schedules, travel after games and many more details that have to be considered. It’s obviously tougher than just saying ‘lets add five more minutes to overtime,’ but I still would like to see a longer frame. I have to preface my comments with saying, that I am 0-2 in shootouts in my career, and both reached extra shooters. So people may think my argument comes from a negative bias, but if you know me, you know it’s not coming from a place of disgruntlement. Instead, my quarrel with the display is more from a hockey fans perspective, that the pace of the game as well as the skill level is at an all-time high right now, and that some of the overtimes I have witnessed this year have been outstanding and left fans literally dying for the clock to continue - even if were for a few more precious minutes of three-on-three. An extra frame with fewer players would allow even more ice for the best players in the world to showcase their talents. And maybe that is to come, but we will have to wait and see. The following are a couple things I have noticed about shootouts in my experience both as a player and as a goalie coach in the NHL. Due to the shootout being a relatively sudden addition (brought into the NHL in 2005/06 season) the adjustment was huge for the goalies. It all began with the fact that none of them had grown up playing with it. All goalies worked on breakaways in practice and faced a few rare penalty shots in their careers, but suddenly precious points were on the line and a main focus had to be shifted to stopping these previously uncommon shots. Facing a shooter in the shootout is extremely different for a goaltender than facing a breakaway. The pace in a game where someone is in alone, though still fast, is changed by shooter’s knowledge of an impending back checker. That defender, in essence, will force the shooter to be very quick with his decision-making and his play, so you may deal with one straight on move, or a couple if you’re dealing with an elite scorer, but everything was done at a real fast rate and, usually, straight on. Now, enter the shootout, a completely different animal. There is no back checker and players are free to go outside the Zambonied lanes, allowing them change their angle or point of attack. Shooters could also speed up and slow down at any rate to try and throw goaltenders off their typical depth in net. Finally, the highly skilled players would really get to shine with some ridiculous moves. I can vividly remember in my playing days when we used to do breakaways or shootouts in practice for fun. On those days, when a guy made an unreal move to torch me or my goalie partner and leave you looking real silly, I’d yell at him, “do it in a game.” The point being, both of us knew full well he couldnt pull those moves off with the presence of the pressure from a back checker. Enter the addition of the shootout, and suddenly, players were free to pull off those moves with a full point on the line. This meant veteran goaltenders who had treated shootouts in practice as a novelty for their entire career, were thrown into a situation where the shots were for real. Being that it really wasnt part of their toolbox or repertoire as an NHL goalie, it became a huge challenge for guys. Some goaltenders really struggled with it early on, because they treated it like a breakaway, while players were smart enough to catch onto their pace and slowed things down to make a play. Some shooters tried to further level the playing field by adding spin-o-ramas, and all sorts of other real neat plays. I soon noticed that some of the younger goaltenders in the league were having more success against shooters because they were familiar and practiced with it at lower ranks. This meant they felt comfortable with it by the time they made the jump to the NHL. The second thing I noticed and experienced is how big the mental challenge was. There is always pressure in goaltending, but the shootout added a different type. There was lots of time to think and try and process information instead of reacting. In any sport, I’m sure you have heard a coach say, the player needs to just relax and play, and not over think the game. Coaches preach let his instincts take over,” and though all those statements are clichés, all are true. Therefore, when it came for the shootout, and goaltenders had the opportunity to get an extra point for their team - regardless of how your game went - you have a chance to be the hero with a win, or the goat with a loss. In today’s game, with pre-scouting, video, and guys tendencies out in the open, goaltenders have the added pressure of processing information as they hear a player’s name being called. Goaltenders start to think of their opposition’s moves, what theyre capable of, and they start to play in their head, ‘if I can just stop this one, they will get one for me at the other end.’ Yet with thinking of all the different scenarios that can happen, you can overthink and overanalyze, and before long you have beat yourself before the shot is taken. Now the guys who are really good at shootouts and have mastered how to go through the process of it, allow themselves to react at what’s being thrown at them, and this is what makes them special, for sure. But make no mistake, this was something that was a work in progress for every goalie since the shootout was implemented less than a decade ago, and it still continues to be as shooters add more creativity to their efforts. Regardless of what your opinion on the shootout is, whether you love it, or loathe it, you should know that the goalies have taken a while to adjust to it and the challenges that have come with it. Look no further than at Roberto Luongo, who is having a ton of success and has really began to enjoy the process at 35 years old. He worked hard at getting better at it on the fly, which is very tough to do, and it seems to be paying off for him and the Panthers for the time being. Cheap Shoes Black Friday . Austin does not believe the game-time temperature is going to be an advantage for either side heading into the Grey Cup. "We dont think about (the cold)," said Austin. "Im not even sure how you would determine an advantage. Discount Shoes Black Friday . - Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Jason Babin is now a free agent. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/ .com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have finalized their agreed-upon trade that sends former National League MVP Jimmy Rollins to the West Coast for a pair of minor league pitching prospects. China Shoes Black Friday . Jagr had a goal and two assists, Andy Greene scored 43 seconds into overtime and Marek Zidlicky had two goals as the Devils rallied past the Washington Capitals 5-4 Saturday night. Fake Shoes Black Friday . The injury will keep the Finnish forward out of the Olympics. The 29-year-old has 20 goals and 41 points in 56 games this season, his first with Tampa Bay.PHOENIX -- That dynamic double point guard backcourt of the Phoenix Suns might have had its best game yet. Goran Dragic scored 29 points, Eric Bledsoe had a career-high 28 and the Suns extended their season-high winning streak to four games by beating the Sacramento Kings 116-107 on Friday night. "Every game is better," Dragic said. "I know what hes going to do, he knows what Im going to do. Weve got a good feeling about each other and thats really tough for opponents." Suns coach Jeff Hornacek called it "a great tag team." "Both of those guys trust each other," Hornacek said. "If they dont really have a play and the other guy is in the view, he can get it to him and make a play." The Suns Miles Plumlee had two crucial blocks of DeMarcus Cousins shots and had four emphatic fourth-quarter dunks for 12 points. "I dont know if the guys in the league know if he can jump," Dragic said of Plumlee, "but we know." Isaiah Thomas scored 29 for Sacramento. Rudy Gay added 22 in his first game for the Kings since being acquired this week in a trade with Toronto. Cousins had 15 points and 15 rebounds but shot just 5 of 15 and wouldnt talk to reporters afterward. It was a testy night for the officials, who called five technical fouls. Gay was on a losing team in Phoenix for the second time in eight days. Toronto lost to the Suns a week earlier. "Thats the thing with trades in the middle of the season," he said. "You have to learn on the fly." Sacramento coach Michael Malone lamented his teams lack of defence. "That is two games in a row where we havent defended anybody," he said. "You look at Bledsoe and Dragic, what they did to us tonight, I am embarrassed by our defence right now. ... I cant go out there and guard. I wish I could." Phoenix took the lead for good with a 14-0 third-quarter run that started after Plumlee chased down Cousins from behind on a fast break and blocked the layup try hard off the glass. "I knoww Im really fast, I knew I could catch him," Plumlee said.dddddddddddd "Its just a matter of timing it up, and it worked out." It was a play that drove the energy level in the building up a notch. "When a player makes a hustle play, it definitely gets the crowd into it, and everybody else gets motivated even more," said Bledsoe, who had eight assists. "Just for Miles to hustle back, it means a lot to the team." Bledsoe missed the first two games of the season against the Kings, and Sacramento won both. Dragics 3-pointer punctuated the 14-0 outburst and Phoenix led 77-65 with 6:13 to play in the third quarter. Dragic and Bledsoe scored five apiece in the run. But the Kings responded with a 12-4 spurt and, after Thomas driving layup with 2 seconds to play, trailed 85-82 entering the fourth quarter. Sacramento never got closer than that again. Gerald Green and Channing Frye sank 3s, then Plumlee blocked Cousins again, leading to Bledsoes layup that boosted it to 101-91 with 6:43 remaining. The Kings cut it to 105-101 on Thomas driving layup with 3:11 to go, but Bledsoe hit a 3-pointer, P.J. Tucker scored inside, then Plumlees final big dunk made it 112-103 with 1:29 to play. The Kings led by as many as 11 before a 14-3 Suns spurt put Phoenix ahead 49-47 on Dragics two free throws with 4:07 to go in the second quarter. Sacramento ran off nine consecutive points to go up 58-49 on Thomas third 3-pointer of the night 1:43 before the break. Fryes 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds to play cut Sacramentos lead to 61-58 at the half. Notes: Bledsoes previous career high was 27 last Feb. 6 for the Los Angeles Clippers at Orlando. ... Dragic just missed getting the first consecutive 30-point games of his career. He has three 30-point games this season after previously getting three in his entire career.... Technicals were called against Tucker, Hornacek and Marcus Morris of the Suns, and Jason Thompson and Cousins of the Kings. ... Gay has reached double figures in 18 of 19 games this season. ' ' '