Few random thoughts from today's game:
Brad Malone was a stud. Tremendous in all three zones, played in all situations, and stood up for his teammates in the first period with a scrap. Won the scrap too. He was outstanding in every facet of the game. Very involved. Can't imagine he'll be in Cleveland very long.
Stefan Elliott looked great offensively. He didn't get game-winner, it deflected in off an Abbotsford defender's stick, so it should be Lerg's. Most of Elliott's passes were on the tape, his goal was a perfect shot low gloveside. Struggled with Abbotsford's physicality in the corners, but most LEM defenders did.
Stollery looked weak tonight. Got handled in the corners numerous times. He wasn't bad, per se, but he had some difficulty with the physical nature of the game.
Garrett Meurs had one tremendous shift on the forecheck, but also committed a brutal penalty late in the game to give Abbotsford a chance.
Mitch Heard has some maturing to do. He was close to taking several retaliatory penalties from Abbotsford's chirping. Mostly, the players congregated and he was able to get out before a penalty was called, but he needs to learn to pick and choose his spots.
Thought Pickard was great tonight. Very sound positionally and made a phenomenal glove save with three seconds left to preserve the win. Puck was behind him when he caught it. I didn't go to Friday night's game, so I can't comment on Aittokallio, but Pickard looked strong. Let in a very cheap shortside goal to open the game. Second goal was a great passing play by Abbotsford and Pickard had no chance.
Lerg and Carey were both a big help tonight. Carey was all over the ice. Strong effort.
The Monsters certainly lack forward talent and finishers. Agozzino wasn't noticeable. The Monsters didn't generate many quality chances. But, they sold out in the defensive zone, blocked a lot of shots, and did a pretty good job of moving the puck around on the powerplay.
Mikael Tam is a pain in the ass. He was constantly shoving, chopping, and chirping after the whistle. I think he'll draw some cheap powerplays for the Monsters this season. He's an interesting player. Doesn't have a NHL ceiling by any means, but he's a nice guy for an AHL team to have.
Siemens didn't impress me at all. He played a rather timid game. Didn't show much confidence in any of the zones. I'm sure it's just a transitional phase, but not much to write home about. To me, his foot speed looked slow when trying to contain cycling forwards. Also took him a few too many strides to get up to top speed when carrying the puck in. I'll keep a close eye on him throughout the season to see how he develops.
Olver floated most of the night. Came out really motivated on his first shift of the third, but that was about the only flash.
Saw somebody ask about lines. I tried to write them down mentally, but I can't really remember. Believe Sgarbossa was with Carey and Lerg. Stollery was with Elliott most of the night, but I think the D pairings were changing a bit throughout the game. I think Chynoweth is still looking for some chemistry.
Hope to contribute to this thread throughout the season when I get a chance to go the games. Obviously observations one game at a time can be taken with a grain of salt, but I don't mind giving some thoughts.
