Vinny was bad, but he wasn't alone. He was joined by Johansen, Anisimov, Umberger, Savard. Guys looked tired out there, slow and listless. Artem the most egregious of the bunch until he seemed to get a jump late.
A case could be made Brassard was the best of the forwards, with Foligno and Letestu next in line. DMac worked hard but, as always, was a mixed bag.
Erixon looked competent in the offensive zone, less so in his own end. Holden and Golo looked like call-ups in their first game. What are you going to do? They didn't look out of their element or overwhelmed but that's about the best you can say right now.
Dubinsky should not be suspended. Not even sure what was up with the game misconducts. What he did is always going to be a penalty, and I'm all for protecting the players, but there needs to be some allowance for how that play went down. Dubi was with him all the way down the ice and Scuderi goes in low. The player knows the play is to "finish your check," it's tough to let up on short notice. I guess if we're talking about player safety first, then you've got to come down hard to set an example, but I don't think harsher penalties are going to keep plays like that from happening, because they're within the flow of the game. Whatever. No suspension is warranted, IMO. Make is a one-gamer if you absolutely must.
Why does Mason have such difficulty catching? Does he have small hands? Is his glove too big? Does he have some lingering issue with his hand or wrist that hampers his ability to catch? Is "high glove" just in his head? I think that last point is too simple an assessment.
Why does this team historically not score on rebounds but give up goals on rebounds? This goes beyond goalie play. Forwards struggle to "bang home" pucks, while our defensemen struggle to keep opposing forwards from doing the same. Is that an issue of shoulder strength? Legs? I see the team make good stick plays in open ice, so I would say it's not hands, but I don't know. Is it the elusive "puck poise"? Is it "Hockey IQ," isasmuch as knowing where to look for loose pucks?
I like the pressure being applied on the PK. On the other hand, I'm not really sure what they're trying to do on the PP.
In all, much less confidence, decisiveness and purpose than in the Detroit game. Is that a function of something LA does? Is it a matchup thing? Is it simply on the Jackets not being fully engaged?
The team is going to lose games. I have accepted that from the start. Nonetheless, there are things that can and should be addressed.