Just got home from the game. It was a wild (and strange) shootout win.
General team observations:
-They are DEFINITELY playing AV hockey. Chasing players around, giveaways in the defensive zone, nobody quite sure where their teammates are supposed to be, giving up top notch chances at point blank range. All the hallmarks were there. The first period looked like they were going to get embarrassed. Rochester scored an early goal and were unlucky not to score several more.
-The second period was wide open, with both teams trading goals (the game ended 5-4. Both teams scored 3 goals each in the second period). Scott Kosmachuk scored the deciding shootout goal. When he went to celebrate, he lost an edge and ended up sliding face first into a teammate's knees.
-The team generally seemed sloppy with the puck and tentative. They seemed afraid to hit or be hit (though Crawley got fed up in the 3rd and started slamming a couple of guys into the boards). I lost count of the giveaways, particularly in the defensive zone, and that doesn't even count the near giveaways--Pionk on three separate plays in the first period alone tried to clear the puck in front of his own net, and barely avoided the goal-mouth giveaway by a matter of inches each time.
-I was most excited to see Chytil, and I left disappointed. He played like he was exhausted from the first drop of the puck. He also had several turnovers in the defensive zone. I'm wondering if he still has the flu, as he just seemed to have no energy whatsoever.
-Which brings me to ADA. Such. A. Disappointment. From tonight's game, I'd say he's pouting, and obviously so. He gave the puck away on easy passes. He flubbed plays on the blueline, letting the puck leave the zone solely because he mis-handled it. He spent most of the game coasting. It looked like he got benched for an extended stretch of time in the 2nd period, only getting on the ice for a couple of PP opportunities. He kept trying to dangle the entire Rochester team, ignoring his teammates. On one of those dangles, he lost the puck and then looked back and flung his arm up in frustration at his teammates, as if it was their fault that he was show-boating. I can't say for certain, obviously, but his teammates seemed to be ignoring him as well. On more than one occasion, four guys came off the ice as a group while ADA came off by himself.
The kicker is that he CLEARLY has the talent. When he was on the ice for the two 2nd period power plays, he was making crisp passes and he pulled off a REALLY sweet stretch pass from behind his own net. I went with a friend of mine, and she said, and I quote: "If you hadn't told me that he was a player who had talent, I would have wondered how he even made the team."
Positive notes:
-They won.
-Gilmour and Lettieri looked good.
-Georgiev, even though he gave up 4 goals, kept them in this game. He played VERY well.
-Pionk moved the puck well (aside from the goal mouth nonsense, which stopped after the 1st period).
-I wish Graves was more assertive offensively, but they had players draped on him all game to contain his shot from the point (the result of this was that ADA had acres of ice, which makes his turnovers and lackadaisical play all the more frustrating).
-Pedrie played well.
-Holland was superb at the dot, and was a calming presence every time he was on the ice. Very steady. He also scored the other shootout goal.
I wish there was more good to report, particularly with ADA and Chytil. I hope the latter is still just recovering from the flu. I hope the former gets his head out of his ass soon, because even if AV SHOULDN'T have sent him down in the first place, he himself is the person KEEPING him in the AHL right now. I about lost my shit after the "grandstand/lose puck/blame teammates" BS.
