On Gordon on Tambellini
by Dominik on Feb 4, 2010 3:52 PM EST
in Roster Manoeuvres in the Dark
Email
Print"I think with Jeff it's playing a complete game. He's got to play in all three zones. Even though he's scored goals, three of them were in one game, and four in the remaining 20 isn't the kind of production he needs to have. We need production from someone like him and if it happens, it's going to make us a better team."
>>Scott Gordon, in Katie Strang's gameday update at Isles Files [sub.]
Apologies for the consecutive Jeff Tambellini-themed posts, but he is sort of the topic of the moment given his impending return to the lineup after over a month spending games wearing a tie. It's been said so many times before, but is this his make-or-break moment?
I wanted to examine Scott Gordon's view quoted above. On the surface, we know it all to be true, and those are the talking points some of us have referred to in the past to rationalize a scratch here or there to the adherents of the Church of Tambellini:
Tambellini's goal tally is 43% comprised of just one game. His three-zone play has always been the underlying concern (and it definitely receded right before his scratches -- although his teammates are hardly perfect yet continued to play). His production after the hat trick and before the banishment was paltry (although, again, exactly who are the prolific scorers on this team?).
The question of whether his banishment should have lasted this long is open to head-scratching and likely the impetus for most fan complaints on the issue. Most players don't sit that long after a couple of bad games. But forgetting that for a moment, what about his three-zone play? Has it been a handicap this year?
Going to Behind the Net for the 5-on-5 rate stats: His relative +/- (.25) is among the top six on the team, though it is aided by a relatively weak quality of competition (-.101, second-lowest) and a high quality of linemates (.091, fourth-highest). His points/60 minutes is also in the top six among forwards.
Of course, thanks to the cold storage, all of that is from a sample size half as large as his teammates. His teammates have as many non-Tambellini games in their data as Tambellini has games played, period. But at minimum, those rate figures tell us he's hardly been an on-ice defensive disaster.
After tonight, all of those dynamic stats linked above can change. And take out the one hat trick, as Gordon implies, and the whole picture looks weaker. I've never (well not "never" but not since 2008, probably) advocated Tambellini as the answer to our prayers, or even as a sure top-six sniper. But I do think the way he's approached his return the last year-plus -- by throwing checks, hustling on the backcheck, turning to basics -- shows signs that he could be one of those useful energy guys with above-average hands (to say nothing of the shootout, which has sadly become important). All things being equal, in this league it's nice to have a third-liner who has the hands to score.
What I don't know is whether my suspicion about Tambellini's potential for evolution is true, and it's hard to find out without seeing him actually play. For a rebuilding team, I was looking forward to discovering if that curve might continue, but circumstance and coaching discretion hasn't really allowed that.
So here we go, starting tonight. I hope he stays in the lineup the next five games until the Olympic break -- mistakes be damned -- to give us a little more data. I hope he gets some opportunities with both scoring linemates and checking linemates -- hell, if not to evaluate his future than to possibly dress him up for trade. Five games is a cruel mini-sample, but that may be all we get.
No pressure, kid.
15 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Hey Dom ...how much did u pay Botta
He’s pimpin your site not once but twice today
Tamby
I just returned from a business trip in Tampa and I happened to bump into Tamby and 5 other islanders (Streit, Bergy, Tavares, Moulson and Neilson). While all of them were very nice (they couldn’t believe I recognized them) Tamby was the most personable. Hopefully, he has a great game tonight and Gordo starts playing him…Go Tamby!!!
While all of them were very nice (they couldn’t believe I recognized them)
Ha, good on ya for letting them know people are paying attention. We’ll need a couple of those guys to feel loved and eager to re-sign in the future…
Lighthouse Hockey: Under contract through 2021, knees and hips be damned.
Epic mismanagement
No plausible way to defend playing Jon Sim and the like over Tambellini.
BUT JON SIM HAS JUST AS MANY GOALS, YOU SHOUT.
He’s played in 54 games, Tambellini just 24. And Tambellini has 3 more points. Not to mention that Tambellini is actually useful in a shootout and Sim has inexplicably played on better lines and on the PP.
Gordon has got to be kidding me with this “Tambellini has got to produce” bullshit. What about Jon Sim — or the majority of the team, for that matter? Statements like this are insulting to everyone involved.
No plausible way to defend playing Jon Sim and the like over Tambellini.
I’ll try: Sim works as an agitator, takes countless lumps in front of the net, gets under the other team’s skin, picks up dirty goals. He’s really the only guy that provides that element (although Moulson sets up camp in front of the net, and Bergenheim hits enough to unsettle the other team). Is that enough to dress him over Tambellini as 3rd or 4th liner? Depends on one’s view of building a lineup, I guess. But it’s a theory.
I was bothered by Sim’s use on the PP earlier in the year, but during this stretch of the season he’s just been used as a checking line forward and agitator. That doesn’t bother me. I’m more confounded by Tambellini going so long without being rotated in at all. If you have 20 skaters on your roster, there’s no harm in using all of them and giving strugglers a one- or two-game break.
Lighthouse Hockey: Under contract through 2021, knees and hips be damned.
Fortunately, I was prepared for the garbage goal argument. :)
True, he gets garbage goals — very occasionally. But Tambellini simply seems to be capable of generating more overall offense in any event, so I don’t see this as a reason to play Sim.
Maybe it’s a philosophical point, but I don’t see the point in having agitators for the point of having them. Sim isn’t nearly as irritating to opposing players as, say, Avery (thank god). I don’t see him making life all that more miserable for the third and fourth line players that he sees time against. Cf. Avery, who can play against and irritate top lines on opposing squads.
Maybe it’s a philosophical point, but I don’t see the point in having agitators for the point of having them.
I’m not certain I do either, but since coaches tend to speak of that element… Regardless, I do see some value in having players who, for lack of a better phrase, “make life difficult” for the opposition. (And thank god Sim does it without going Avery.) Of course, the best way to make life difficult is to score goals, but we’re short in that department no matter who plays. This is why I wouldn’t banish anyone currently healthy for long stretches; they all have their moments and their lulls, and providing the scratch stick/roster carrot may be the best way to drill home that they are players on the margin of NHL employment.
The problem I’ve seen with Tambellini is consistency: Not just production but also keeping the physical and combative play up. The last time he was scratched after playing several games, I could almost see it coming: “He’s peeling away again, failing to initiate,” but I don’t think I’d banish him for so long under any circumstance.
Lighthouse Hockey: Under contract through 2021, knees and hips be damned.
gotta be the money
your right its mismangement or a mistake signing Sim in the first place. I think in this case the fact that Sim makes more money and his experience is the only reason he’s playing over Tamby. Hopefully Tamby has taken advantage put on some more good weight and knows what Gordon wants on out of him by playing in all 3 zones of the ice.
Question
Is it at all possible that, having been out of play for a month, Tambellini could actually be in game shape? Won’t he need a game or two to get his legs and timing back?
Someone is going to have to enlighten me
Whats the big deal about Tambelleni?
Look, the guy’s had some great AHL seasons, but so has Krog. Not only that, but they are both the same height and weight according to HockeyDB.
Is it that he’s a former first rounder? I mean there are lots of former first rounders floating around who never get anywhere.
I think last year was his chance to show anything he could do with 60+ games. He must not have impressed Gordon enough then and now he’s the short man out with Rob Schremp Hockey.
I agree with Dominik’s opinion of Sim. I was just in the midst of basically writing the same thing. If I had to choose between Sim and Tamby, I’d go with Sim too.
"So basically, the Stats make no sense whatsoever."
It seems to go all over the spectrum with pro-Tambellini. I was ready to cut bait after they weren’t sold on him last year, but obviously they kept him on and so my thinking is, “He’s here, why not fully evaluate what you have?” Reason being I think he adapted his play since last winter’s demotion.
Gordon’s talk seems to imply he needs to be top-six forward or bust — I once thought that, too, but I don’t buy it anymore given Tambellini’s apparent evolution. Or rather: I haven’t seen enough of Evolved Tambellini to think he should be cast away. Of course, my advocacy of using the bodies you have on the 23-man roster could easily feed into the reason a coach gets fired/scapegoated: “No consistency, he’d never stick with a lineup, players always felt on edge,” etc.
Lighthouse Hockey: Under contract through 2021, knees and hips be damned.
I’ll play devil’s advocate here for the fun of it. You have a guy that has what could be almost termed as an unstoppable shot if he has enough clearance to the net but he doesn’t move his legs enough to merit seeing him in a lineup spot versus a guy that has hands of stone who will do anything you wnat him to do provided you don’t count on him to score goals for you. In a lineup that has so very little scoring power you would think that you could use the guy with the hands. However, Gordon keeps using the bowling ball for reasons that are unclear to the goal hungry fans.
I can definitely see why there is a need for Tambi in the lineup but if the coach does indeed know best then perhaps he is simply trying to motivate the team to work hard rather than sit back and rely on the cherry pickers to get their goals. In the end the team will probably be better off with Sim but right now you can ask the question, “who else has scored a hat trick on this team?” If I am not mistaken there is only one other player on the team that has done that and he has played in a considerable amount of games more than Tambi. The reason that Schremp gets the nod over him is that Schremp has a whale of a shot as well but he also moves his legs (and I was shocked when I witnessed that in Dallas.)
The kicker is that you put a possible scoring potential on the shelf for that long with no word of possibilities then you are creating controversey. I sure hope that he finds his way tonight because it would be a perfect time for him to show something. Hopefully he will either be traded or find a way into the permanent roster.
Will work...for playoffs.
so we need a someone to light up the net
his 3 zome game as Gordon says may need work but he can put the puck in net, and if he scored 3 in a game so what, he has also been sat most games and unable to get a consistent feel for a line
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Lighthouse Hockey
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Featured Stories
Islanders Schedule
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- Who are the Non-Smythe candidates for the Devils, Kings?
- End is near for Rick Nash, Blue Jackets as trade discussions set to resume
- Why the Devils and the Kings are evidence the Capitals shouldn’t trade Alex Ovechkin
- Eulogy: Remembering the 2011-12 New York Rangers
- Stanley Cup Final: 5 keys for New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings
Latest stories and headlines from NHL.com
- Shawinigan wins Memorial Cup in OT
- Cataractes forward Chaput wins Memorial Cup MVP award after putting up 12 points
- Knights' impressive run comes up just short in Memorial Cup final
- Zlobin's overtime goal lifts Cataractes over Knights in Memorial Cup final
- Zlobin's overtime goal lifts Cataractes over Knights in Memorial Cup final
SBNation.com Recent Stories
1979-80
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
