- Jun 19, 2018
- 32,048
- 69,992
I don’t know if it’s because I’m tired after a long night of work or what, but I usually find a few specific plays for a handful of players and report them here. That didn’t happen tonight, and I think that’s a good thing. That means guys didn’t have to bail each other out and players were in position. It was an all around solid game for this team, through and through.
Provorov and Sanheim had good games. I do remember a play that Provy made on Hall- keeping him outside as he attacked the Flyers’ blueline and Prov forcing him to make a pass through traffic, which Provorov muted. He had his eyes on the net many times too, hungry for a look. Love to see it. Sanheim made a few more great cuts to the net, finding seams in the offensive zone. One resulted in a grade A chance, and he also led a rush, centering a pass to G like a winger would have. Hayes really plays a solid game- like Coots, the puck follows him because he’s always in the right spot. He added to the growing list of shorthanded chances tonight, which is cause for rejoicing.
The team as a whole is really looking good system wise. In the offensive zone they’re creating 2nd, 3rd, and 4 chance offense- not in the form of rebounds, but in dogged puck pursuit. Many times they were outnumbering the speedy Devils to the puck even if they weren’t first to it which forced turnovers, knockdowns of clearing attempts, or resulted in a takeaway. The 4th goal was a great example of that: Konecny pressured hard on the forecheck behind the net with Coots looking on from beneath the dot. TK forced a quick outlet pass to the only available option in the middle of the ice, who was swallowed up by Coots. It seemed like Palmieri was surprised, and the rest was finished by TK. It’s like the script is flipped from last season. On a similar note...goes to show you don’t need to be big and mean and hit to forecheck...ask those Golden Knights.
In the defensive zone, the blueline is a tough battle to win for the opposition, even on the PK. Raffl’s bs tripping call is a good example. Coots and Hayes both had strips at our blueline that I can remember. Ghost is reading the plays well in the NZ and made a great pinch on a player to stop an entry in its tracks in the 3rd. Players are being forced to coast outside to less dangerous areas instead of attacking North/South like last year and crashing the net. All of this is a recipe for winning hockey. Add that to the Hart factor, and it’s looking good.
Anytime Hart has a great save or good game, all I can hear is Mrs. Hart squeaking out “Carterrrrrr!!!!” through tears after his first game in the locker room. It’s so fking adorable. He deserves all the praise for his play last night, highlighted by the definition of a momentum save on Hall.
Suck it NJ.
Provorov and Sanheim had good games. I do remember a play that Provy made on Hall- keeping him outside as he attacked the Flyers’ blueline and Prov forcing him to make a pass through traffic, which Provorov muted. He had his eyes on the net many times too, hungry for a look. Love to see it. Sanheim made a few more great cuts to the net, finding seams in the offensive zone. One resulted in a grade A chance, and he also led a rush, centering a pass to G like a winger would have. Hayes really plays a solid game- like Coots, the puck follows him because he’s always in the right spot. He added to the growing list of shorthanded chances tonight, which is cause for rejoicing.
The team as a whole is really looking good system wise. In the offensive zone they’re creating 2nd, 3rd, and 4 chance offense- not in the form of rebounds, but in dogged puck pursuit. Many times they were outnumbering the speedy Devils to the puck even if they weren’t first to it which forced turnovers, knockdowns of clearing attempts, or resulted in a takeaway. The 4th goal was a great example of that: Konecny pressured hard on the forecheck behind the net with Coots looking on from beneath the dot. TK forced a quick outlet pass to the only available option in the middle of the ice, who was swallowed up by Coots. It seemed like Palmieri was surprised, and the rest was finished by TK. It’s like the script is flipped from last season. On a similar note...goes to show you don’t need to be big and mean and hit to forecheck...ask those Golden Knights.
In the defensive zone, the blueline is a tough battle to win for the opposition, even on the PK. Raffl’s bs tripping call is a good example. Coots and Hayes both had strips at our blueline that I can remember. Ghost is reading the plays well in the NZ and made a great pinch on a player to stop an entry in its tracks in the 3rd. Players are being forced to coast outside to less dangerous areas instead of attacking North/South like last year and crashing the net. All of this is a recipe for winning hockey. Add that to the Hart factor, and it’s looking good.
Anytime Hart has a great save or good game, all I can hear is Mrs. Hart squeaking out “Carterrrrrr!!!!” through tears after his first game in the locker room. It’s so fking adorable. He deserves all the praise for his play last night, highlighted by the definition of a momentum save on Hall.
Suck it NJ.
