Post by torontogm on Mar 23, 2014 14:17:49 GMT -5
Toronto, ON - A quick glance at the standings of the AsHL would make you conclude that the Toronto Marlies are having an excellent season. However new coach Glen Gulutzan does not see it that way at all. In fact, he is quite baffled by where his team is at.
"I look at our club as one game over .500. We have 21 wins and 20 losses. Fortunately for us 12 of those losses have been in extra time so we got the points for them. This cannot sustain itself," said the coach.
In spite of sitting second in their conference and in a three-way tie league-wide for total points, the Marlies do not look like a team built to win at the moment.
"Let's face it, with this kind of trend we will be out of the playoffs in the first round - all overtime losses," quipped the coach. "We need to learn how to get things done more consistently in regulation time."
In spite of their shiny record, the club has been outscored this season by one goal. That may not be a lot, but it certainly does not sound like a stat that fits a team sitting on top of their standings.
The club has managed to make do after losing key players Jeremy Williams to Europe and Slava Voynov to the Leafs. Reilly Smith is showing why it is the Leafs are excited about his future. He leads the club in scoring and is considered a lock to play in the top 9 with the Leafs next year. Jordan Weal is another rookie who has wowed the club. He is second in team scoring and has been a driving force on the first line.
"We expected good things from those two, but they have absolutely exceeded expectations thus far," said Gulutzan.
Another bright spot has been the play of goalie Ben Bishop. He struggled along with Eddie Lack and Alex Stalock to start the season, but has become the clear-cut starter for the club and also is expected to make the jump to the Leafs next year.
"It was a tough go at the beginning of the year, and I look at my record and know that I've been in for one more loss than wins, but I'd like to think I'm giving us a chance to win every game. It's just a matter for all of us to dig deeper and get over that hump," said Bishop.
Digging deeper is something that Gulutzan will be asking of his players in the second half. "We have been blessed with a very good run of good health, so we have managed to keep our lineup quite consistent. We have a few good players waiting in the wings for a shot. We may just have to put them in to try something different. It may boil down to a bit of a change to the mix here," claimed Gulutzan.
Whatever the plan, the Marlies hope to turn those overtime losses into wins. If they can, they will be dominant come playoff time. If not, it could be yet another early exit for this perennially strong regular season squad.
--- Barbie Q Pork for the Hogtown Hockey News
"I look at our club as one game over .500. We have 21 wins and 20 losses. Fortunately for us 12 of those losses have been in extra time so we got the points for them. This cannot sustain itself," said the coach.
In spite of sitting second in their conference and in a three-way tie league-wide for total points, the Marlies do not look like a team built to win at the moment.
"Let's face it, with this kind of trend we will be out of the playoffs in the first round - all overtime losses," quipped the coach. "We need to learn how to get things done more consistently in regulation time."
In spite of their shiny record, the club has been outscored this season by one goal. That may not be a lot, but it certainly does not sound like a stat that fits a team sitting on top of their standings.
The club has managed to make do after losing key players Jeremy Williams to Europe and Slava Voynov to the Leafs. Reilly Smith is showing why it is the Leafs are excited about his future. He leads the club in scoring and is considered a lock to play in the top 9 with the Leafs next year. Jordan Weal is another rookie who has wowed the club. He is second in team scoring and has been a driving force on the first line.
"We expected good things from those two, but they have absolutely exceeded expectations thus far," said Gulutzan.
Another bright spot has been the play of goalie Ben Bishop. He struggled along with Eddie Lack and Alex Stalock to start the season, but has become the clear-cut starter for the club and also is expected to make the jump to the Leafs next year.
"It was a tough go at the beginning of the year, and I look at my record and know that I've been in for one more loss than wins, but I'd like to think I'm giving us a chance to win every game. It's just a matter for all of us to dig deeper and get over that hump," said Bishop.
Digging deeper is something that Gulutzan will be asking of his players in the second half. "We have been blessed with a very good run of good health, so we have managed to keep our lineup quite consistent. We have a few good players waiting in the wings for a shot. We may just have to put them in to try something different. It may boil down to a bit of a change to the mix here," claimed Gulutzan.
Whatever the plan, the Marlies hope to turn those overtime losses into wins. If they can, they will be dominant come playoff time. If not, it could be yet another early exit for this perennially strong regular season squad.
--- Barbie Q Pork for the Hogtown Hockey News