Shootout Specialists

There is a lot of talk about Bert, Neids, and Teemu, but little talk about what we need to do to improve our shootouts!

Imagine having a shootout guy to go to. How many more games would we have won last year. First place in our division was extremely tight that boiled down to a number of weak shootouts during the season. Thank God for that extra point. Imagine if the league did not provide a point for OT games. The results could have been much different.

Our netminder could improve a bit.

Andy needs to quit choking under pressure.
Getz is gold.

Well we got rid of Shannon and he might have been our best shootout guy. He did suck overall though, so I have no problem with this move. I think Getzlaf, McDonald, and Perry will be pretty good with the shootout. Its not really a priority though. Hopefully a few shootout losses don't keep us out of the playoffs. I doubt it will. But thats really all its good for, its not even a factor in the post season.

I dont think GMs really sign or look for guys for the shootout... but it is pathetic when you have guys not even getting shots off (remember the last game vs SJ in the regular season??- Selanne's illegal stick and Andy Mac stickhandling the puck to the corner )... good thing for the ducks playoff games aren't decided by the shootout

I dont think GMs really sign or look for guys for the shootout... but it is pathetic when you have guys not even getting shots off (remember the last game vs SJ in the regular season??- Selanne's illegal stick and Andy Mac stickhandling the puck to the corner )... good thing for the ducks playoff games aren't decided by the shootout

I know. I'm glad games are decided by the game instead of a skills competition..

I was thinking the exact same thing, that's why in my "armchair gm" thread my suggestion for a forward was Ales Kotalik, he was (I believe) 5 of 7 in the shootout last year. Which was one of the highest totals in both % and goals not scored by some kind of superstar.

We just don't have many hands people on the team. And it's by design, we're more of a dump and chase, board work kind of team. Which is great for the playoffs, not so great for the shootout. I'm hoping Perry can do some damage this year, though.

I was thinking the exact same thing, that's why in my "armchair gm" thread my suggestion for a forward was Ales Kotalik, he was (I believe) 5 of 7 in the shootout last year. Which was one of the highest totals in both % and goals not scored by some kind of superstar.

We just don't have many hands people on the team. And it's by design, we're more of a dump and chase, board work kind of team. Which is great for the playoffs, not so great for the shootout. I'm hoping Perry can do some damage this year, though.

Kotalik is money when it comes to penalty shots/shootouts.

I don't see the Ducks getting much better at the shoot out and it certainly is a problem...but there aren't any SO's in the playoffs, so...

:dunno:

Remember that amazing victory the Ducks had against Dallas where R. Nieds and Hedstrom scored in the SO and the Ducks ended up winning against the mighty Stars. Good times. :D

I don't see the Ducks getting much better at the shoot out and it certainly is a problem...but there aren't any SO's in the playoffs, so...

:dunno:

Remember that amazing victory the Ducks had against Dallas where R. Nieds and Hedstrom scored in the SO and the Ducks ended up winning against the mighty Stars. Good times. :D

I remember that game, the Stars were like undefeated in the SO for 11 straight games or something crazy like that. Didn't Hedstrom scored a hat trick that game too?

I remember that game, the Stars were like undefeated in the SO for 11 straight games or something crazy like that. Didn't Hedstrom scored a hat trick that game too?

Could be...I really don't remember. It seems like so long ago, yet it was only two seasons ago.

It is too bad that Hedstrom doesn't want to play over in NA...he certainly has the skills to do it. It is so hard to adjust though to a completely different lifestyle and plus his wife wanted to stay in Sweden, so I understand.

Andrew Ebbett is a very skilled hockey player and he could be effective for the Ducks in the shootout.

Teemu comes back...

1. Perry- I think starting the SO would be better for Perry
2. Getzlaf- Monster in SO's and this is a good spot for him.
3. Selanne- Our best SO player, He'll make the deference of 1 point v.s. 2
--------------
4. McDonald- Showed signs of getting out of the "Shoot directly at the goalie" phase.
5. Kunitz- He's got 1 move and he does it well but goalies will catch on if they haven't already.

If Teemu doesn't come back then McDonald goes to the 3rd spot.


It's really not that bad.

I remember that game, the Stars were like undefeated in the SO for 11 straight games or something crazy like that. Didn't Hedstrom scored a hat trick that game too?

Hedstrom scored the hat trick against the Queens that year.

Teemu comes back...

1. Perry- I think starting the SO would be better for Perry
2. Getzlaf- Monster in SO's and this is a good spot for him.
3. Selanne- Our best SO player, He'll make the deference of 1 point v.s. 2
--------------
4. McDonald- Showed signs of getting out of the "Shoot directly at the goalie" phase.
5. Kunitz- He's got 1 move and he does it well but goalies will catch on if they haven't already.

If Teemu doesn't come back then McDonald goes to the 3rd spot.


It's really not that bad.
I think it is that bad.

Anaheim: 10 SO losses (most in NHL), 29% winning (24th in the NHL).

And for your list of shooters:
1. Perry 1 goal, 17%
2. Getzlaf 5 goals, 42%
3. Selanne 4 goals, 33 %
4. McDonald 1 goal, 10%
5. Kunitz 2 goals, 33%
Team average: 25% (26th in the NHL)

To get some idea of what the team shooting percent should be, the 15th place team has a 33% success rate, 16th has 32%. San Jose has a 58% success rate (!), but it's only with 4 games.

We'll just have to hope two of McDonald, Perry, and Kunitz improve this year. Although in 05-06 we weren't any better, with a 26% shooting percentage and a 30% win rate. So maybe we could try to win more games in OT and not let it get to SO (open up play more?).

No not needed especially not at the expense of losing a tough player which is usually what happens:shakehead
We have enough skilled players for shootouts

We have enough skilled players for shootouts

Unfortunately the actual on-ice results go against that statement.

Our netminder could improve a bit.



There it is, right there:shakehead

There it is, right there:shakehead

So true...Giguere SUCKS in shootouts. Id rather they put Bryz in there cold. once you get Giggy moving or once he commits to a deke its all over.

So true...Giguere SUCKS in shootouts. Id rather they put Bryz in there cold. once you get Giggy moving or once he commits to a deke its all over.
Do the rules let us play Bryz cold like that?

I remember Pronger was like the hero of a game I was at. I think it was like a comeback against the Islanders where he had 2 goals I think or something like that. Carlyle put Pronger like 4th in the shootout rotation. I think they won, but that was a disgusting move. I guess he thought Pronger deserved it...

I don't see the Ducks getting much better at the shoot out and it certainly is a problem...but there aren't any SO's in the playoffs, so...

:dunno:

Remember that amazing victory the Ducks had against Dallas where R. Nieds and Hedstrom scored in the SO and the Ducks ended up winning against the mighty Stars. Good times. :D

Sure, but a bad shootout season can keep you from making the playoffs.

Do the rules let us play Bryz cold like that?

I dont know, probably not unless Giggy was hurt or something. But I'd still rather have a cold Bryz in net for as shootout.

Actually, Giguere isn't that bad at shootouts. While his .667 save percentage looks pretty bad, Bryz is at .538, and if Bryz had never played a game (ie Jiggy's % was our team's %), we'd be tied for 9th in the league for best SO save percentage. As is, our team is ranked 17th, compared to those 24th and 26th place I was talking about earlier with our scoring and winning percentage.

Not 6 million dollar numbers, to be sure, and Giguere typically looks pretty horrendous when he does bet beat. But the numbers aren't as bad as you would expect by watching him get beat.

Boy, just think of how well the Ducks would've done last year if they had only been better at shootouts... *sigh*

Boy, just think of how well the Ducks would've done last year if they had only been better at shootouts... *sigh*

We can be the worst team in shootouts for all I care, as long as we win the cup again.:)

IMO, i dont take too much emphasis that the Ducks havent done well in the shootout. Its just a bit surprising our team didnt do better than they did last year. I think a few more practices would help.

Boy, just think of how well the Ducks would've done last year if they had only been better at shootouts... *sigh*
Fair enough, but if you think Selanne and Niedermayer are gone and we're a weaker team, how might we improve otherwise? Getting a shootout specialist might be a cost effective way to do it.

Teemu comes back...

1. Perry- I think starting the SO would be better for Perry
2. Getzlaf- Monster in SO's and this is a good spot for him.
3. Selanne- Our best SO player, He'll make the deference of 1 point v.s. 2
--------------
4. McDonald- Showed signs of getting out of the "Shoot directly at the goalie" phase.
5. Kunitz- He's got 1 move and he does it well but goalies will catch on if they haven't already.

If Teemu doesn't come back then McDonald goes to the 3rd spot.


It's really not that bad.


It Selanne is your best shooter, he needs to be 1st or 2nd. You don't save your best shooter for last. You put him in a spot where he's guaranteed to shoot.

As for the shootout, I'm only willing to see Burke grab a shootout specialist if he can contribute during the rest of the game too. I don't care if we lose some points in the regular season because we have a great all-around team but no real shootout finishers, because look how many we lost last season and look how far the team went.

BTW - Giguere does not suck in the shootout. He's not great at it, but our biggest problem in the SO was not goaltending. He wasn't getting enough support from the shooters. If he stops 2 of 3 shots, but our shooters aren't even getting 1 in, we're going to lose. Period. And for the record, his average was almost exactly that.

Boy, just think of how well the Ducks would've done last year if they had only been better at shootouts... *sigh*

Sarcasm, sarcasm.....You don't get it. I'm not talking about last season. It's a new season.

Lets just say we are the same shootout team as last year, and say, San Jose makes it much closer this year, if not better than the Ducks. Losing the majority of shootout games could very well make the difference.

So dont dread on last year, worry about defending and where we can improve.

If I'm San Jose this year, I'm thinking, okay....."It may come to the wire, but if we can get extra points through shootouts, what can we do to improve and get ahead of the Ducks?" It was literally only a few points that made the difference in playoff draws, and for some making the playoffs at all.

Sarcasm, sarcasm.....You don't get it. I'm not talking about last season. It's a new season.

Lets just say we are the same shootout team as last year, and say, San Jose makes it much closer this year, if not better than the Ducks. Losing the majority of shootout games could very well make the difference.

So dont dread on last year, worry about defending and where we can improve.

If I'm San Jose this year, I'm thinking, okay....."It may come to the wire, but if we can get extra points through shootouts, what can we do to improve and get ahead of the Ducks?" It was literally only a few points that made the difference in playoff draws, and for some making the playoffs at all.

Answer me this... do you think a shootout specialist will really help the team that much, if it's at the expense somewhere else? Rob Schremp would qualify as a possible NHL quality shootout specialist... but I sure as hell wouldn't want him on my team right now.

As for the shootout, I'm only willing to see Burke grab a shootout specialist if he can contribute during the rest of the game too. I don't care if we lose some points in the regular season because we have a great all-around team but no real shootout finishers, because look how many we lost last season and look how far the team went.

BTW - Giguere does not suck in the shootout. He's not great at it, but our biggest problem in the SO was not goaltending. He wasn't getting enough support from the shooters. If he stops 2 of 3 shots, but our shooters aren't even getting 1 in, we're going to lose. Period. And for the record, his average was almost exactly that.

Exactly. It is not Jiggy's fault that we lost so many SO games. The Ducks almost never provided him with enough help offensively.

We just have to be optimistic that Getz and Perry will get better at it. Maybe Bertuzzi is good at it? :)

Let's see...we won the Stanley Cup without a shootout specialist.

Why do we need a SO specialist again?

Exactly. It is not Jiggy's fault that we lost so many SO games. The Ducks almost never provided him with enough help offensively.

We just have to be optimistic that Getz and Perry will get better at it. Maybe Bertuzzi is good at it? :)

That isn't true.

Our netminder(s) ranked 17th in percentage save during shootouts (26th at home) with the most losses. While generally overrated, it remains that our starter is one of the highest paid netminders in this league. He needs to pick up his game in this area.

Adding a shootout "specialist" is not worth the roster spot.

And since Burke hates the shootout, he will never look at the game with it as a legitimate factor towards failure or success. So, good topic but it isn't going to happen.

That isn't true.

Our netminder(s) ranked 17th in percentage save during shootouts (26th at home) with the most losses. While generally overrated, it remains that our starter is one of the highest paid netminders in this league. He needs to pick up his game in this area.

Adding a shootout "specialist" is not worth the roster spot.

And since Burke hates the shootout, he will never look at the game with it as a legitimate factor towards failure or success. So, good topic but it isn't going to happen.

Martin Brodeur had the same save % in the shootout as Giguere, and he broke a record this season for most wins in a season. Luongo had a .010% better save %, and was challenging for that very same record. Both of them were above .500 in the shootout. Why? Because their shooters found the back of the net.

Vokoun, Bryzgalov, Ward, Kiprusoff, Backstrom, Hasek, Huet, Emery, Kolzig... all names you recognize, correct? All of them had a worse save % in the shootout. Some of them significantly so. When it comes to the shootout, Giguere is either middle of the pack, or he's a bit above it.

In fact, if you look at the top 30 goaltenders (regardless of how many shootouts they were in) in save % in the shootout, only two were under .500. One of them was J.S. Giguere.

Could Giguere improve a bit in the shootout? Certainly, and I'm sure he will try to work on it... a bit. But to imply that because he's one of the highest paid netminders he should be one of the better shootout goaltenders is just silly. He's one of the highest paid netminders because of the 60 minutes before the shootout, and because of the 16 wins it takes to win a Stanley Cup. There are few goaltenders in the league who can compete with him in the playoffs, when it really counts, and I can think of three, maybe four, who I'd consider over him during the regular season.

Answer me this... do you think a shootout specialist will really help the team that much, if it's at the expense somewhere else? Rob Schremp would qualify as a possible NHL quality shootout specialist... but I sure as hell wouldn't want him on my team right now.

I'll get hell for this, but yes, I think it should be considered. With possibly two retirments, I can foresee a few additional game losses compared to last year, and more ties. All of a sudden that extra point becomes very precious. My point is that this area is a weakness. It ticks me off when others think that we don't need to improve here simply because we got the Cup last season. Two key words there, "last season". The Ducks are going to get more of a pounding this year by teams that are better and stronger than last season. Improving this weakness could very well mean the difference between 1st place and barely making the playoffs. If this implication is accurate, then expending another area should be looked at.

But frankly, I don't think the Ducks need to lose in order to gain. Outside of being a liked guy, Parros is not a huge contributor. Lets get him trained to be a SO specialist! (sorta kidding). Personally, I think there are some key guys that can be better trained, within the organization. Evidence has it that SO training was probably not enforced last season. I sure that Burke wants to train to win games and not tie games. Great mentaility, but not reality. SO points are valuable and a part of the game.

Lastly, after all this is said, I'm not a big fan of the extra point. It's win or lose in my opinion. I wonder what the results would have been if the extra point was not enforced last season. Hmmmm.....

parros a so specialists

I know. I can't imagine it either. I suppose he already has a specialty.

someone like kunitz could go well

Nah I think you gotta go with Getzlaf, Perry, and Bobby Ryan/Todd Bertuzzi.

well yea i haven't seen bert in a shootout anyone got the stats

I'll get hell for this, but yes, I think it should be considered. With possibly two retirments, I can foresee a few additional game losses compared to last year, and more ties. All of a sudden that extra point becomes very precious. My point is that this area is a weakness. It ticks me off when others think that we don't need to improve here simply because we got the Cup last season. Two key words there, "last season". The Ducks are going to get more of a pounding this year by teams that are better and stronger than last season. Improving this weakness could very well mean the difference between 1st place and barely making the playoffs. If this implication is accurate, then expending another area should be looked at.

But frankly, I don't think the Ducks need to lose in order to gain. Outside of being a liked guy, Parros is not a huge contributor. Lets get him trained to be a SO specialist! (sorta kidding). Personally, I think there are some key guys that can be better trained, within the organization. Evidence has it that SO training was probably not enforced last season. I sure that Burke wants to train to win games and not tie games. Great mentaility, but not reality. SO points are valuable and a part of the game.

Lastly, after all this is said, I'm not a big fan of the extra point. It's win or lose in my opinion. I wonder what the results would have been if the extra point was not enforced last season. Hmmmm.....

Parros doesn't have the hands for it. You can't just pick a guy and say "Hey, let's make him our guy."

Lastly, after all this is said, I'm not a big fan of the extra point. It's win or lose in my opinion. I wonder what the results would have been if the extra point was not enforced last season. Hmmmm.....

You may not be a fan of the extra point, but it is something that has to be there. You can't have the players play 65 minutes of hockey, and then decide who gets 2 points and who gets zero by what is essentially a skill's competition.

You may not be a fan of the extra point, but it is something that has to be there. You can't have the players play 65 minutes of hockey, and then decide who gets 2 points and who gets zero by what is essentially a skill's competition.

Yea, lets just have the hardest shot competition or fastest skater, Beachiman and Mac......??

I'll keep posting on this regarding this matter. It's a tighter West this year. Shootouts are bigger than last year.

As I've said, we better improve.

everyone knows that already... I'm sure the Ducks know they need to improve in the shootouts...

The guys who went looked just plain beat. New Lineup:
Bertuzzi
Bobby Ryan
Huskins

The guys who went looked just plain beat. New Lineup:
Bertuzzi
Bobby Ryan
Huskins

But did you see both Datsyuk and Zetts attempts? Very weak. Weak shootout in general and the ice looked bad enough to scare the players into skating fast.

The guys who went looked just plain beat. New Lineup:
Bertuzzi
Bobby Ryan
Huskins

I was going to mention Huskins, I think he could be a decent shooter and we need to try something new.

The guys who went looked just plain beat. New Lineup:
Bertuzzi
Bobby Ryan
Huskins

I'd keep Getzlaf in it. His move was perfect, just couldn't pull off the finish. I'd go with Getzlaf, Kunie ( I don't care if he's only got one move, it works occasionaly which is more then we can say then our other shooters.) and i'd give Bobby Ryan a shot at it.

I'd keep Getzlaf in it. His move was perfect, just couldn't pull off the finish. I'd go with Getzlaf, Kunie ( I don't care if he's only got one move, it works occasionaly which is more then we can say then our other shooters.) and i'd give Bobby Ryan a shot at it.

Hate to burst your bubble, but Getz uses the same move, over and over and over. Now that he's a semi-star, people will realize it and he'll never score on it again.

Hate to burst your bubble, but Getz uses the same move, over and over and over. Now that he's a semi-star, people will realize it and he'll never score on it again.

maybe eventually they will figure it out, but for now you have to go with him, because no one is even coming close.

maybe eventually they will figure it out, but for now you have to go with him, because no one is even coming close.

I'm just saying, if he can't flip the puck over the flopper, how in the world is he going to manage it against an athletic goalie like J. Bernier?

I'm just saying, if he can't flip the puck over the flopper, how in the world is he going to manage it against an athletic goalie like J. Bernier?

So he messed up that shot, so what it happens. Would you rather him just go shoot it at the goalie like Bertuzzi did? Getzlaf brings more to the shootout then most of the players on the Ducks roster right now IMO. I can not name 3 guys who would be better then him at it, that's why I would stick with him. I mean who in this lineup would you use instead. Alright guys, everyone name your shooters for the Ducks if you're the coach that are on the CURRENT roster.

Mine: Getzlaf, Kunitz, McDonald

I'm tempted to take Andy out, but you hear from Jiggy that he makes sick moves in practice. Maybe he will show them some time. Plus no one really seems able to replace him IMO, maybe Perry.

Only if Teemu was here, he'd know what to do...

How confident was the crowd in that shootout last night? Winning it could have been a turning point.

We may as well put targets on Garon's chest.