I read thru the thread this morning to see what everyone was thinking about the game and had a few thoughts I wanted to share:
4. While the top line didnt score, I noticed some good defensive play from them several times which is significant too. If you keep the other team's dangerous top line with 2 guys that can score at will (Eric Staal & Alex Semin) off the scoresheet, thats just as good as scoring yourself. I saw several takeaways by Weiss and he won 55% of his faceoffs so we kept control of the puck that way.
5. Coming into the arena, was anyone else annoyed how they were scanning the tickets inside instead of at the door? It seemed like a big cluster ******* doing it that way instead of the old way. It didnt save on employees and didnt save on time and wasnt better for safety. I'm definitely planning to say something to Viner about that.
Was at the game last night and that first period felt like one of the playoff games last year. Place was packed, even the upper bowl, and the crowd was electric!
Theo looked in mid-season form last night! He was at the top of his game. If he can continue to play like he did last night, and the defense improves, we can have a good season.
Top line didn't score but the second line looked very good. I could not tell they had only a week of practice together. They seemed to have pretty good chemistry. This was only one game so we have to see how they progress.
The game slowed down, especially they went up 5-0, as it seemed like they were protecting the lead rather than attacking the net. That is why, imo, that the crowd began to drift out of the arena.
Concerning the ticket scanning inside the doors; my wife commented to me that she thought it may have been done this way due to the threat of rain. I guess we'll see on Thursday. My concern was the parking. It was crazy! Cars were parked all over the place, blocking the roadway! That plus the long backup due to the parking fee made for a stressful entrance and exit to and from the game.
All in all a great game! Big win against a division foe. Washington and Winnipeg both lost so the 2 points were even more important! Let's keep it going on Tuesday in Ottawa and then in the return home stand!