GDT: PRESEASON TBL V NSH 4 PM CDT

[Scoresberg]

O'Reilly, Forsberg and Parssinen - unsurprisingly - looking good together.

 

[Scoresberg]

Forsberg takes a stupid penalty and Tampa cashes in on the PP.

4-3.

Svechkov turns it over on the opposition blue line and they get a breakaway which they score. Maybe a bit soft on Askarov as well.

5-3.

 

[Scoresberg]

Not Forsberg's greatest night.

In Tampa's 1st goal, he was the one who fumbled the puck on PP which led to a shorthanded breakaway.

In Tampa's 3rd goal, he was the one with the lazy backcheck that led to the three-on-two.

In Tampa's 4th goal, he was the one who took the stupid penalty that gave Tampa the PP.

 

[Scoresberg]

Preds cash in on the 6-on-5. Novak with his second of the night. Josi and Kemell with the assists.

5-4.

Damn, one sec to go and O'Reilly hits the crossbar..

5-4 the Preds drop this one.

 

[ShagDaddy]

Overall, I think that was a much better game. The young guys had some impressive play tonight which is encouraging. Forsberg looks very rusty after being out of the game for as long as he was. Passing looked better and should continue to improve. Fun game to watch.

If I never have to watch a Tampa bay lightning stream again it’ll be too soon.

 

[wmupreds]

I don't think Kemell "needs" to go to the AHL personally. I haven't watched nearly enough to determine if he deserves a roster spot but I believe if he earns it he should get it.

 

[BigFatCat999]

MUCH better game. The result sucks but with no Saros that not bad. I can now see what coach is trying to do: Spread defensive forwards around on the lines to take defensive pressure off centers.

 

[PredsV82]

I don't think Kemell "needs" to go to the AHL personally. I haven't watched nearly enough to determine if he deserves a roster spot but I believe if he earns it he should get it.

Yeah I don't see what's wrong with keeping him up and then if he does struggle send him down with specific instructions on what needs improvement. And it's not like previous years where keeping a kid up to start the season would risk losing someone we wanted to keep passing through waivers.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

3-3. Someone lost their man in the net-front.

Sissons. I believe it was the Tampa center that got tangled up with the ref after the faceoff and Sissons completely forgot about him. Once he got up he skated to the back post, the Preds D were manned up while Sissons was fronting them out high toward the puck. Shot came in and the third guy down low gets the goal.

Sissons lost the faceoff and his man so the puck went in the net.

Forsberg and Josi with lackluster performances. Some of the same typical problems showing through.

Kids look good. Tomasino took his summer seriously this year. Evangelista, though not flashy, is showing he can make plays. Tommy effing Novak, what can you say? Parssinen looked like he's trying to catch up a little bit but still made some plays.

Kemell is more than just a shot. This kid can play the game, he's even comfortable out at the blueline with the puck, unlike Svechkov. He had nice keeps and high cycle exchanges with poise that show he's processing the game at a high level that's close to, if not at, the NHL level. He's reminding me of Evangelista in his call up last season.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

While he did have 2 goals, did Novak look much better than last year? Ready to take on a more offensive role?

 

[wmupreds]

While he did have 2 goals, did Novak look much better than last year? Ready to take on a more offensive role?

Novak's problem is not on the offensive side. He's more than ready there. He just... doesn't really defend.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Novak's problem is not on the offensive side. He's more than ready there. He just... doesn't really defend.

He's that much of a liability on the other end?

 

[wmupreds]

He's that much of a liability on the other end?

Depends who you ask.. But IMO while he's still a very useful player his defending significantly limits his potential as a top 6 center. I still think he should move to wing.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

I did notice Novak make a couple plays in the Dzone that facilitated exits. He's never going to be a center that "makes stops" but he seems very coachable so he may not always be a liability.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Novak is definitely flying out there. I'm all for letting him stay at center as long as possible. It's just, if you are going to have a Sherwood-Novak-Evangelista line... that's basically a WHOLE LINE with no real defensive acumen. They've had the jump and offense so far (both the end of last season and yesterday) that we've been okay with it so far. But I'm not sure how long it can last.

Meanwhile, I sure hope they don't lean TOO hard on O'Reilly. He will be good on draws and could be a solid insulator defensively, but he does look slow and a bit clumsy offensively. More of a Sissons 2.0 than a guy who should be getting 1st line 23 minutes + 1st unit PP & PK? I mean, he's solid and the leadership sounds great and I'm happy to have him on the team and all. But we don't need to create another Granlund-like lovechild situation with overusing him, do we?