The Moncton Wildcats will be tested. They were tested last week they will be tested this week and every week until the playoffs start. Some would say they failed the test miserably last week; others would beg to differ.
Like I mentioned last week, it’s all about being ready for “when it matters.” You see this time of year is all about getting ready for the big test which is the playoffs. Players and coaches alike will be tested down the stretch drive of the season which is top heavy with Maritimes Division opponents which will be a test in itself for a group with ultra-high expectations.
3 Game Series
The Wildcats face the high-flying Cape Breton Eagles three games in a row, which will be another good test for a Wildcat group that’s a little sick and banged up right now.
You can talk about depth all you want, but Gardiner MacDougall has his system of running the bench and he is not one to deviate from that plan. When everyone is healthy the 4th line or “energy” line for the Cats see at tops 7 to 8 mins a game. I don’t have my stopwatch out and you shouldn’t either, but it’s going to be intriguing to see if the Cats bottom six will in fact see more action in the last few weeks of the season.
The next three games will test the Wildcats compete level and their willingness to push back. The Eagles are rolling and when they play their best hockey, they are a nasty in your face team that can hurt a team in many different ways. Rest assured the Eagles will come out and try to hit everything that moves. Puck management and movement will continue to be an area of focus for the Wildcats. Defensive zone coverage and face off assignments will also be one area that the Cats will look to key in on over this mini three game set with the Eagles. Getting pucks through and creating traffic would be another lookfor for a team that struggled in that department versus Rimouski.
As we have talked about all season long the Wildcats have been targets all season long. Teams will get up for any game versus the Cats, but this little series will definitely have a slight playoff feel to it, but this is a perfect test to see how players on both sides handle it.
The Mullen Effect
Simon Mullen’s absence has been noticeable.
The rookie rearguard has had a stellar start to his QMJHL career logging key minutes on the Cats backend. Mullen provides stability and a calming presence back there. Clearly there have been some growing pains throughout the season, but that’s to be expected. Overall he has adapted beautifully to the league which speaks volumes to his work ethic, willingness to buy in, compete level and hockey IQ. As far as the D pairings are concerned those are still a work in progress and there’s tons of time for those to get solidified by the end of the regular season. Mullen’s absence due to injury has been noticeable in all three zones. Now I’m not up on all of the analytics, but it doesn’t take a bunch of numbers to notice the impact Mullen has in all three zones. He’s ultra smart with the puck, moves it effectively and efficiently and defends like a seasoned veteran. His skill and ability to play the position and the game is as quiet as his demeanour, but it’s amazingly quietly efficient.
Again Mullen has logged very few minutes on speciality teams, but still has solid offensive numbers. His ability to make plays on the offensive blueline and get shots through makes him a threat. All indications point to a return to the lineup sooner rather than later.
If the Wildcats are going to win a championship all 7 defenders will have to at their best.
“Well Isn’t That Special”
There’s been a lot of talk about the Wildcats speciality teams.
As the regular season progresses you will see the Wildcats units get zeroed in. They will tighten up every aspect of their speciality teams and you can bet your ass they will have some hidden gems ready for the playoffs.
Whenever you talk power play you have to break things down.
Breakout, Neutral Zone, Zone entries, Initial set up, Puck Movement, Scoring options/Plays.
The Wildcats need to refine a few of those aspects, but there’s definitely one area that was noticeable the last few games was late support to the puck.
Outnumbering is one thing which is a given, but they need to support the puck quicker or with more urgency down low to work the puck up and then get their rotation going or get their arses to the net.
Since Dyllan Gill’s arrival the PP has been more consistent and less complicated in several of those aforementioned areas. Obviously, you want consistency, but you want efficiency in every one of those areas. A more basic approach has also been taken with regards to the Cats PP. Over the last few games they are taking shots from the point earlier on in the PP sequence which keeps their opponents honest which opens up the quick low to high one time play. The 2nd unit like the 1-3-1 set up, but the 2nd unit has now trying to clone the first unit more and more. The 2nd unit need to compete better down low, be sharper with puck movement, more composed and less one dimensional at the top of the umbrella. All those things will be corrected coming down the stretch.
As for their PK, they have been solid all season long, but better communication is needed at times at the top so the forwards can rotate quicker when the puck gets rotated or switched.
The D overcommit down low at times as well and get caught out of position, again it’s not from a lack of effort it might be the complete opposite, they care and try so much that they take themselves out of the play. Speciality teams are all about trust and execution. The Wildcats will be testing many different looks coming down the stretch.
The Wildcats will be tested and will continue to test themselves coming down the stretch.
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