Question about Patrik Elias

Alright so this is another question, I hope I can get an explanation on this.

Due to my poor hockey knoweledge, I seem to not appreciate enough, or not like others on this board do, what Patrik Elias does on the ice, to me, it seems like he skates barely interested, he just can skate faster than pandolfo and has more mobility, but I rarely notice him on the ice when he's on, I can't seem to find him hustling for the puck, and I always find him turning the puck over because of a few dangles he pulls in the offensive zone, which sometimes work, but most of times he loses the puck and then he barely backchecks.

He stands on his feet in the corners, I guess he can cycle the puck, and he can shoot, I think, because he never does anymore but I remember he had a nice shot.

Sorry if I sound harsh, and I'm sure my opinion is totally wrong on this, so if someone can explain me why am I seeing Patrik Elias' play like this It'd be greatly appreciated and useful to my hockey knoweledge.

thank you and excuse me Elias fans.

the only thing I've noticed lately is that he does not get that excited after scoring some goals, last night you barely saw a reaction after he scored

Well, those who just watch a game here and there might get that impression..

For us who have watched Elias all year certainly see all the great things he does on the ice. Patty's line's production has dropped off as of late, and it seems like he's creating all the chances on his own. His production is going to take a hit of course when his linemates don't finish off some great plays he makes.

The guy doesn't hustle? I don't know, but you must be watching someone else. Elias is one of the hardest working players on this team and never stops skating. He creates offensive chances, makes great passes (last night to Oduya) and he kills penalties and is always in great position. Maybe that's why you get the impression that he doesn't hustle. He's just always in the right spot.

Did you see him hurry up to the point on the PK last night when he tried to block a shot with his teeth and when he sacrified his entire body? How many $6 million forwards in the game do that today? Not many.

The guy loves this team and does whatever it takes. It's a long season, so of course he's gonna go through tougher stretches where he doesn't do as much offensively.

Well, those who just watch a game here and there might get that impression..

For us who have watched Elias all year certainly see all the great things he does on the ice. Patty's line's production has dropped off as of late, and it seems like he's creating all the chances on his own. His production is going to take a hit of course when his linemates don't finish off some great plays he makes.

The guy doesn't hustle? I don't know, but you must be watching someone else. Elias is one of the hardest working players on this team and never stops skating. He creates offensive chances, makes great passes (last night to Oduya) and he kills penalties and is always in great position. Maybe that's why you get the impression that he doesn't hustle. He's just always in the right spot.

Did you see him hurry up to the point on the PK last night when he tried to block a shot with his teeth and when he sacrified his entire body? How many $6 million forwards in the game do that today? Not many.

The guy loves this team and does whatever it takes. It's a long season, so of course he's gonna go through tougher stretches where he doesn't do as much offensively.

I may have missed 5 games at most this season.

anyway, thanks for the explanation, didn't have in mind the positioning, which may very well be a factor why he doesn't need to skate that much

keep em coming

His line has looked lackluster as of late but he really does give it his all when he's on the ice, on both sides of the puck. Devilswede gave a great example of him on D, the best recent example on O would be on the PP in the game against Tampa Bay in my opinion. Elias was playing near the boards and Parise lost control of the puck down low, it was sliding out and a Bolts player was about to retrieve it.

Instead, Elias dove forward and knocked it to Langs on the point. He threw it on goal and Parise jammed it home after it kicked off of Zajac. That goal would not have happened without Elias' effort there, and he didn't even get an assist on the play thanks to Zajac's face.

I'm too lazy to find out if this video is anywhere else but you can watch it here on nhl.com.

http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlp=8470610&event=T.B605

your so right!

in this silly beer league we call the "NHL" there are like 12 players ahead of him in scoring...

damn that elias needs to get his **** together, obviously a slacker.

those other 826 players behind him in scoring...they must super suck!

and that pandolfo you speak of...holy christ can we please trade him for a bag of practice pucks already?

your so right!

in this silly beer league we call the "NHL" there are like 12 players ahead of him in scoring...

damn that elias needs to get his **** together, obviously a slacker.

those other 826 players behind him in scoring...they must super suck!

and that pandolfo you speak of...holy christ can we please trade him for a bag of practice pucks already?

lay off dude, I haven't been watching hockey since I was born, just asking for an explanation so I can understand his game better and what to look at when he's on the ice.

Positioning is the probably the last skill you learn as a fan new to hockey, as it takes time and lots of repetition to notice where players are, how they play away from the puck, and how it sets them up to succeed or fail. Some of the players who hustle the hardest and are obvious in their play are forced to do because they can't anticipate the play and where the puck will go, so they have to chase to stay in the flow of the game. Their work ethic may look fantastic, and it probably is, but there's a reason they end up being marginal scorers and impact players while a guy like Elias is near the top of the league in scoring and does it without breaking a sweat.

This is an area where being at a game can help you, since you can focus on guys away from the puck and learn what they're doing and how they play the game when they're not at the center of play. It's harder to do when watching on TV, though having an HD feed and seeing that extra ice is a nice extra bonus in that area, since you can see guys further from the play.

Positioning is the probably the last skill you learn as a fan new to hockey, as it takes time and lots of repetition to notice where players are, how they play away from the puck, and how it sets them up to succeed or fail. Some of the players who hustle the hardest and are obvious in their play are forced to do because they can't anticipate the play and where the puck will go, so they have to chase to stay in the flow of the game. Their work ethic may look fantastic, and it probably is, but there's a reason they end up being marginal scorers and impact players while a guy like Elias is near the top of the league in scoring and does it without breaking a sweat.

This is an area where being at a game can help you, since you can focus on guys away from the puck and learn what they're doing and how they play the game when they're not at the center of play. It's harder to do when watching on TV, though having an HD feed and seeing that extra ice is a nice extra bonus in that area, since you can see guys further from the play.

This is going a little off at a tangent but, as a Spanish resident, you may get it (though living in Barcelona you may not want to). In 2005 a film was made called "Zidane". It followed the eponymous protagonist in isolation for the full 90 minutes (slightly less as it turned out, as he was sent off) of a game against Villareal.

He hardly seemed to do anything; a couple of falls as he was fouled, a few calls of "alli, alli" or "va,va". Villareal were leading 1-0 in the second half then a run down the left and a back post cross dug out of nowhere for Ronaldo to head home.

In iso he hardly had to run for 95% of the game because he played the game in his head and was in perfect position throughout.

Zidane, like Elias, was so hard to appreciate for people not brought up with the game.

Hope this helps you appreciate what you might be missing. Keep watching and in a year or two you'll see it too.

Did you see him hurry up to the point on the PK last night when he tried to block a shot with his teeth and when he sacrified his entire body? How many $6 million forwards in the game do that today? Not many.

The guy loves this team and does whatever it takes. It's a long season, so of course he's gonna go through tougher stretches where he doesn't do as much offensively.

I was gonna say something close to this. Elias was also in a great position to make the block, he flustered the point man so much that the guy didnt even shoot it. he just passed it back to another play who got it poked right off of his stick.

He's silky smooth on the ice.

With the exception of Brodeur, he is our most-skilled player on the team. He makes great passes, and can shoot when given the opportunity. He is still burying his chances on the powerplay. I think his line might need a shakeup.

When you're in the right position, you don't always have to move around the rink. When you're teamates are not creating opportunities, you can't do anything. Or when your teamates can't burying your opportunities, then possible great plays are forgotten. Watch how he backchecks, breaks up plays. Maybe his line doesn't score so much, but does the line out there against him score?

He competes at every level, and sometimes there is so much going through his head. His just being in the right place at the right time causes a "non-pass" from the other team, because they know it won't go through.

I used to hate on Elias a couple of years ago, or at times, because I expected more of him statistically. Now I know better.

Its cool Anssi is Epic, i'll just say "trust us" :)

The thing with Elias too is conditioning and age. He knows that he sees significant ice time. He's the second highest time-on-ice forward on the team - about a 2 second average behind the #1 forward, Zach Parise.

Elias kind of 'cruises' in a lot of his time out there. He gets himself away from the play to be open and such. He knows he can't skate that hard, and stick handle well enough, and battle at the boards for that much ice time, so he doesn't. It makes the other team kind of uneasy though, because he can 'turn it on' when he wants.

As of late, he hasn't been 'turning it on', but I bet we'll see that change as the playoffs roll around. It's just a typical pre-run laziness.

Zach Parise, at 2 inches shorter then Elias but the same basic weight, has more body to throw around for that whole time. I'm just using these two guys as an example, since they're 1-2 in points and TOI.

Hopefully that helps a bit?

Positioning is the probably the last skill you learn as a fan new to hockey, as it takes time and lots of repetition to notice where players are, how they play away from the puck, and how it sets them up to succeed or fail...

This is an area where being at a game can help you, since you can focus on guys away from the puck and learn what they're doing and how they play the game when they're not at the center of play. It's harder to do when watching on TV, though having an HD feed and seeing that extra ice is a nice extra bonus in that area, since you can see guys further from the play.

spot-on, glad you mentioned this.

the only thing I've noticed lately is that he does not get that excited after scoring some goals, last night you barely saw a reaction after he scored

Patty's reaction was sarcastic last night because he scored a garbage goal out front that was a gift compared to what he got robbed on 2 times prior to that. It's not that he doesn't care.

spot-on, glad you mentioned this.

agreed. Its easier to see these things in person. Thats why a lot of hockey fans prefer seats in the upper section, to see the whole rink.

The thing with Elias is that he's a really finesse type of player and he likes to pull off all these moves that are totally unecessary. If he was playing with decent linemates then yea, do all the moves you want...but he's playing with zubrus and gionta, opposite of finesse type players. Elias needs to be original and just pass or shoot...not toe drag, spinorama, behind the back, saucer pass to a teammate right in front of him or behind him. lol i was exaggerating on that description but that's how i feel about him right now. Another thing is....he seems to pull off all these moves when he's got teammates around him but then when he's alone in front of the net....he either passes or just plain misses the net. When you're alone in front of the net, that's the time to pull off those moves....not when there's 5 opponents around you.
For those who said he seems to lack effort, I kind of agree. I watch Elias alot off the play and sometimes in the offensive zone, he just doesn't seem to be paying attention but that isn't always the case so it's not that big of a deal but I wish the coaches would emphasize the importance of offense as much as defense.
In regards to the goal and how he reacted, it's probably because he's pissed that Parise is getting ahead of him in scoring now, when he's been the scoring leader of this team almost his entire career haha

he went down at least twice last night to block shots...Shanny must be rubbing off on him

The thing with Elias is that he's a really finesse type of player and he likes to pull off all these moves that are totally unecessary. If he was playing with decent linemates then yea, do all the moves you want...but he's playing with zubrus and gionta, opposite of finesse type players. Elias needs to be original and just pass or shoot...not toe drag, spinorama, behind the back, saucer pass to a teammate right in front of him or behind him. lol i was exaggerating on that description but that's how i feel about him right now. Another thing is....he seems to pull off all these moves when he's got teammates around him but then when he's alone in front of the net....he either passes or just plain misses the net. When you're alone in front of the net, that's the time to pull off those moves....not when there's 5 opponents around you.
For those who said he seems to lack effort, I kind of agree. I watch Elias alot off the play and sometimes in the offensive zone, he just doesn't seem to be paying attention but that isn't always the case so it's not that big of a deal but I wish the coaches would emphasize the importance of offense as much as defense.
In regards to the goal and how he reacted, it's probably because he's pissed that Parise is getting ahead of him in scoring now, when he's been the scoring leader of this team almost his entire career haha

I think I disagree with just about every single sentiment in this post. That doesn't happen often.:handclap:

Like others have said, Patty's a very cerebral, creative player. He anticipates the play really well and has amazing awareness for where his teammates are on the ice. He makes those little blind touch passes all the time on the power play that blow my mind, sometimes you barely notice them but they can make a huge difference to put the puck right where the shooter needs it.

He's deceptively strong along the boards and very hard to dispossess of the puck. With the right linemates who find open ice, he's a really good playmaker in the offensive zone because he works well in tight areas. When the Elias-Zubrus-Gionta line got hot, you really saw what Patty can do.

Defensively he's a really sound player. He gives great effort in the defensive zone and backchecks hard and smart. His PK time is well deserved and a great asset.

And yes, he does turn the puck over sometimes--but he's a player that can break the game open by taking those risks. You need that from some of your top-end players to break down tight defenses. Sometimes those plays work, sometimes they don't.

When things aren't going well for him he can get frustrated and lose confidence and loses his game. Last year obviously was a disaster, but he's been that way at times throughout his career. But it always seems like he turns it on for the playoffs. He's one of the great playoff performers of the last 10 years.

A few people hit upon the big things that make good players seem nonchalant in their effort and play on the ice. Average players have to work harder to compete against skill, and thus they skate faster, throw themselves around the ice with disregard and in general just look like they're trying because of the commotion they cause that draws your attention (think Clarkson here). Pure skill players like Elias have such command of their movements they appear to glide effortlessly with taking only a few strides that may look 'lazy' by comparison, but in reality they are masters of position and being efficient in using their momentum to carry them to the play.

Remember Scott Niederymayer and how he would only take a few strides out of his zone and seem to glide past guys when he would take the puck end to end? It seriously looked like he was in slow motion - long sweeping movements and rarely a suddent start/stop or stickhandling dekes back and forth - it just flowed. (This last description is in no way a supporting statement for getting him back however).

Elias is much the same. He just has a mastery of positioning himself and the puck in such a way that he avoids having to make the herky jerky moves and cutbacks that result usually in losing the puck. Compounding this is watching on TV where you lose the sense of speed because the camera pans with the players and puck to the point it negates what you will see in person which is just how freaking fast these guys really are.

I seem to not appreciate enough, or not like others on this board do, what Patrik Elias does on the ice, to me, it seems like he skates barely interested, he just can skate faster than pandolfo and has more mobility,

Even putting Jay Pandolfo and Patrik Elias in the same sentence is ridicolous. Elias is natuarally talented and what you have said is completely untrue. he is not afraid to hit and is a solid defenseive forward as well. He has great speed and is VERY down on him self if he lets a scoring chance get away or he cannot bury a puck. Usually he gets so down on himself he ends up scoring later in the game.

This is the 2006 Elias post illness. He looks awesome.

How can you possibly be convinced that Elias is better than you think he is by text on a forum rather than simply looking at his entire career. You're completely delusional if you think the guy doesn't try -- if that were the case he wouldn't be on the New Jersey Devils.

Case closed, btw he's #26, that might help you spot him next game.

Elias is now just 8 points behind Johny Mac for most points in franchise history

You do have to look at his career with the team, and the commitment the organization has made to him, repeatedly. Since Lou stepped in 20 years ago, he has not put up with guys who feel they're marquee players but don't play inside the team concept. Coasters simply don't last long, even when they show tremendous potential. (Bernie Nichols, Alexander Semak, Arnott, Sykora, Tverdovsky, Jefferson/Danton, and finally Gomez) I liked a lot of those guys, but they just didn't keep their effort up enough. Gomez got more leash to be lazy than anyone else I can remember in the last 20 years, and that probably came from the fact that he was a good lockerroom guy, and as good a 2nd line playmaker as you can ask for in this league.

Elias on the other hand, kept his effort up, and made it clear he wanted to win, and win with this team...so he got to stay and get paid big money by the team.

it looks like he is not skating because he is a great skater. he is a very efficient skater. in that i mean he does not overexert himself. he knows when to turn it on.

great skaters get the most out of every stride and to not exhaust themselves as quickly because of it. he is a fluid skater. look at guy like mottau, who isnt as good of a skater. he uses alot more energy in the same amount of time as elias

elias' great skating ability along with his positioning makes him look like what he is doing is effortless, but really he is covering the same amount of ground as a player with worse skating ability, while using less energy

What did you say about patty???:rant:

I think he's worked real hard this season compared to the last 2.

What did you say about patty???:rant:

I think he's worked real hard this season compared to the last 2.

for the third time

I'M JUST POSTING WHAT I NOTICE WHEN I'M WATCHING HIM PLAY

I'M ASKING FOR TIPS ON WHAT TO LOOK AT SO I CAN VALUE ELIAS BETTER

MY HOCKEY KNOWELEDGE IS BASIC

SO I CAN BARELY NOTICE WHAT HE DOES GOOD AND WHY HE'S EARNING 6M PER

APPARENTLY IT'S GOOD POSITIONING, I'M GOING TO START TAKING A LOOK AT WHERE ELIAS PLACES HIMSELF NEXT GAME

THANK YOU.

I hope that clears things up, ffs.

All you need to do is look at his point totals. That's why he's earning $6M a year.

the only thing i noticed he does not celebrate like he use to at the start of the season when he would score or get a nice assist.

the only thing i noticed he does not celebrate like he use to at the start of the season when he would score or get a nice assist.
He's not having as much fun. I don't really know why that is, but it's evident.

For Elias, the amount of fun he's having is a direct corollary to how well he's performing. The more fun he's having, the better he performs. Don't ask my why this is, but it's been proven a couple times.

(Bring in Martin Havlat to take advantage of the Elias fun phenomena, IMO.)

He's not having as much fun. I don't really know why that is, but it's evident.

For Elias, the amount of fun he's having is a direct corollary to how well he's performing. The more fun he's having, the better he performs. Don't ask my why this is, but it's been proven a couple times.

(Bring in Martin Havlat to take advantage of the Elias fun phenomena, IMO.)

he is a free agent at the end of the year, maybe not for 6 mil but we should go for him

He's not having as much fun. I don't really know why that is, but it's evident.

For Elias, the amount of fun he's having is a direct corollary to how well he's performing. The more fun he's having, the better he performs. Don't ask my why this is, but it's been proven a couple times.

(Bring in Martin Havlat to take advantage of the Elias fun phenomena, IMO.)

elias usually celebrates alot more when his teammates scores. i think what elias026 was refering to was yesterday when he scored that pp goal he just stood there. i thought it was funny. but if he would have set up parise for a nice goal he would have celebrated alot more

i also think it was jusr relief because he could have had a couple over the last few games

He was celebrating last night after that goal, we just couldn't see it through all the awesomeness.

his celebration last night.... was like a "finally" type celebration.... he could (should) have scored a couple of times leading up to that play.... it looked like he didn't even look at the net and just chipped the puck in.... compared to the wide open looks and opportunities he messed up.... pretty sure thats why he didn't seem as excited.... i liked his game winning shoot out goal/reaction the other night.... he looked happy