Some thoughts from last night:
- Offensive looked cohesive. Slick passing. Good puck movement.
- New players have already made a difference. Really impressed with Bjorkstrand.
- I try to temper my expectations of Beniers but the kid looks more and more like the real deal every time I see him on the ice.
- Defense is much of the same. Blown coverages. Players out of position.
- Gru looked good for much of the game. I think he could/should have saved 2 of the goals but can't hold the rest over him. What worried me his body language after the 4th goal. It had looked really good for most of the game but that 4th goal looked like it broke him. He definitely needs the defense to hold up for a few games for some wins so he can get that going.
Not blaming this loss on Hakstol. I don't really think the team took its foot off the gas even after the 4-2 lead. The 3rd goal against seemed to deflate the defense and after that the skaters in our own zone looked like they were unsure on their assignments and were scrambling.
That being said, with the roster, we need to be better defensively. We have a lot of good 2-way forwards and while our D-men are not top-shelf, they are not really known to be bad defensively, maybe with the exception of Schultz who actually looked decent. That, at the end of the day, is what Hakstol will be looked for. Sure it may be the players blowing assignments, but that will fall on Hakstol. If the team continues to score goals but lose these 4-5, 3-4 games, it will end up costing Hakstol his job.