Overall, that was a good win. We are still very rough around the edges, way too many odd man rushes against, a lot of puck watching, a lot of forced plays resulting in turn overs, still a lot of learning to do and progress to be made. Everyone still looks nervous and hesitant, but that will go away as time progresses.
Howden is a beast. There are players that perform better if they focus on doing 1 thing and 1 thing only, and there are players that perform better when they go out and just try to do that hockey. Howden is the latter of the two. He definitely needs more lower body strength, but once he builds that up, he will be scoring a lot of goals in front of the net.
To be honest, that was the first game I saw Hayes actually skate hard. I get that his play style is to slow down the pace and create chances with his patience (which causes people to think he is lazy), but I noticed Hayes creating opportunities because he was consistently hustling, instead of hustling only when he thinks he can make a play.
In stark comparison, Krieder has been getting on my nerves. The guy doesn't seem to want to skate hard. If he does, it looks like hes just going through the motions. He has intangibles he only uses when he feels like it. If Krieder skated like Howden, those two on a line would be difficult to stop. I dont know if it's lack of motivation or conditioning or if hes trying to play safe to avoid injury (like nash after the concussions) or what, but it's getting obvious to me that he isnt the same player he was in 2014. I wouldnt be surprised if he gets scratched or benched soon.
Mika has been a complete ghost. He falls down whenever he gets near the puck.
Zucc is trying hard, but he is trying too hard, which is ruining his hockey sense and timing. The old adage of gripping your stick too tightly comes to mind.
ADA reminds me of every New Jersey kid I played against in juniors. Plays well, plays gritty, has skill...but always finds ways to screw up or do something that makes himself look stupid.
Sjkei played poorly despite his goal in OT. Sure, he had a lot of offensive chances throughout the game, but he needs a an anchored stay at home partner to be a threat, otherwise he starts becoming liability. That is why he thrived when he was paired with mcdonagh. The first SJ goal where Sjkei pinched then got juked out of his jock strap made me facepalm twice.
Namestnikov looked better, but wiffed so much i am calling him Namisstnikov from now on.
We do not deserve the god that is Henkrik Lundqvist.
Marc Staal is a traffic cone.
