GDT: Game 6: Ducks vs. Wild 2/1/13 7:00 PM

[Ducks DVM]

Faith scares me. Routine shots drop at his feet and he seems to have no clue where they are. He has good positioning and reflexes, but his rebound control is atrocious. Against a team that crashes the net he's going to get absolutely lit up. I'm hoping its just learning new angles on a smaller ice sheet, but I don't think Hiller has anything to worry about just yet.

 

[Duck Off]

Faith scares me. Routine shots drop at his feet and he seems to have no clue where they are. He has good positioning and reflexes, but his rebound control is atrocious. Against a team that crashes the net he's going to get absolutely lit up. I'm hoping its just learning new angles on a smaller ice sheet, but I don't think Hiller has anything to worry about just yet.

His rebound control is subpar but not awful IMO. My problem with him is he starts flopping around a lot after the initial save. Not as much tonight but he wasn't tested near as much.

I think he's being a little overrated here but still a solid backup. Good pickup by Murray.

 

[airforceones25]

Fasth, awesome outside the first goal against. Never thought it would happen but if he keeps playing like this he may force Hiller out of a starting job.

Fasth, excellent minus the one softie (taking after Hiller maybe? )

Still not sold on Fasth at all... Terrible rebound control. Still looks very lost at times especially after the initial save. Not sold on his lateral movement either. He's coming up with saves at key moments but he's been living right. The biggest thing is the rebound control. He won't be successful if he's going to leave pucks just sit around the crease.

He's nowhere close to upending Hiller in my eyes. I'm still nervous that he's our backup at the moment! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE work on your rebound control. Thank you very much!

 

[Duck Off]

I don't know if I buy the maintenance day thing for Lydman. I imagine there's some merit to it, but Beauchemin is just as much in need, if not more, of one of those than Lydman.

I think it was for a few other factors:

-Wanting to get Vatanen a game.

-Bb probably knows that Lydman is most likely to be moved if a trade were to happen.

I imagine he does want to watch his health, but I think that line was more about trying to not get Toni discouraged or upset.

 

[Merya]

From the talk around here, Lydman is back to his 2011 shape. That's why I'm a bit surprised he was sitting. I mean it's great Ducks have so many young puck moving D's, but I've always thought defensive Dmen are rather important. But maybe BB is just shuffling his cards. In any case, it was awesome to watch it live for once since I got the chance. Win and those Selänne passes just crowned the night.

 

[mightyquack]

Fasth looked solid, he's still swimming abit on times on angles etc. Gave up a bad goal, but impressive how strong he came back after that, and made some big saves. His rebound control needs to get better, but he seems to deal with loose ones pretty well so far (seems really active with that stick to poke them away)

Souray had a really good game tonight, I'm surprised by how much crap he gets here. Does he have maybe 1 year too many on his deal? Probably. But he's been really solid so far this season, especially defensively, all this talk of a buyout etc is crazy to me.

Great to see the 2nd line start to get going. Teemu even if he's been a bit subpar at times is still above a PPG right now

Vatanen was solid, I was actually surprised how solid he was defensively, as Hazy said during the broadcast he needs to make sure he doesn't let his man inside, but he used his body quite well, and his skating is beautiful.

Also I'd like to see Etem get a shot on the PP ahead of Beleskey, I was / still am a bit sceptical about Etem being up so early, but he's looked good with limited minutes, wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of him.

 

[Sean Garrity]

Fasth looked solid, he's still swimming abit on times on angles etc. Gave up a bad goal, but impressive how strong he came back after that, and made some big saves. His rebound control needs to get better, but he seems to deal with loose ones pretty well so far (seems really active with that stick to poke them away)

Souray had a really good game tonight, I'm surprised by how much crap he gets here. Does he have maybe 1 year too many on his deal? Probably. But he's been really solid so far this season, especially defensively, all this talk of a buyout etc is crazy to me.

Great to see the 2nd line start to get going. Teemu even if he's been a bit subpar at times is still above a PPG right now

Vatanen was solid, I was actually surprised how solid he was defensively, as Hazy said during the broadcast he needs to make sure he doesn't let his man inside, but he used his body quite well, and his skating is beautiful.

Also I'd like to see Etem get a shot on the PP ahead of Beleskey, I was / still am a bit sceptical about Etem being up so early, but he's looked good with limited minutes, wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of him.

I'd rather neither of them be on the PP.

1st PP: Selanne-Getzlaf-Perry-Fowler-Souray/Vatanen
2nd PP: Ryan-Koivu/Bonino-Palmieir-whoever-whoever

 

[Padawan]

Vatanen: Better than I expected just like Etem. If this is the norm for him (which I'm skeptical to believe to be so) then he may force Allen or Lydman out.

Vatanen is usually a little bit better than what he showed tonight. Granted, I haven't seen him play for the Admirals.

Sami was a bit nervous to play his first NHL game. Understandably so since this has been his lifelong dream. After the first couple of shifts he seemed to shake it a bit off but this wasn't really the true Vatanen I've used to see. He seemed to play a more cautious game than he normally does. Then again, Vatanen plays very offensively for a d-man and sometimes gets carried away with it. He has gotten away with it because he usually gets some points by doing so. Sometimes though it bites him in the butt when whe losed the puck and the opposition gets 2-1 or even 3-1 attack rush. He likes to take the puck and go with it to the opponent's d-zone. Maybe even getting a shot at the end. At times his play is best described as reckless because he doesn't seem to fear any situation. He has injured himself twice because of that, both times a lower body injury. Maybe it's also that he tries to get away from a hit rather than take it carefully. He reads the game well, offensively but needs to improve his defensive game and also his physical game. He obviously lacks size and strenght and I think to help him with that, he needs a stay-at-home d-man as defence partner.

He had a decent game for his standards and the PP is where he feels like home. It showed again today. Give him time to adjust and he will be a good fit for the team. Especially for the PP unit but also in a equal strength.

Also, Selänne was the man tonight and Winnik equals winnink!

 

[Merya]

Great to see the 2nd line start to get going. Teemu even if he's been a bit subpar at times is still above a PPG right now

Selänne has been showing great hockeyvision in his elder years, but tonite was just crazy. Especially that third pass was mindblowing. Ryan as center is definitely the way to go. Solves two problems. Ducks 2C, and Ryan's confidence/commitment.
3rd line has to stay the same. Koivu is having a new spring in that role and elevates his linemates to play 101%

Absolutely loved the long splitscreen shot of brothers koivu in the second period. I wonder if Saku called Mikko and apologized for shutting him down, lol.

ps. I can't think of any other reason for Lydman benching than fatigue, rest, or (god forbid) a lingering injury.
pps. Selänne is now all time 17th in points(shared).

 

[mightyquack]

I'd rather neither of them be on the PP.

1st PP: Selanne-Getzlaf-Perry-Fowler-Souray/Vatanen
2nd PP: Ryan-Koivu/Bonino-Palmieir-whoever-whoever

I can't remember if Palmieri was on the PP v Wild or not, if not then obviously put him in ahead of Etem. I was just assuming Palmieri was already on the PP as I couldn't remember

 

[NEWFowler]

Beleskey needs to be off the first PP unit ASAP He's honestly probably the last person I'd like out there..

 

[Merya]

Why was Selänne not on the first PP unit at some point of the game?

 

[EverybodyLovesRay]

Faith scares me. Routine shots drop at his feet and he seems to have no clue where they are. He has good positioning and reflexes, but his rebound control is atrocious. Against a team that crashes the net he's going to get absolutely lit up. I'm hoping its just learning new angles on a smaller ice sheet, but I don't think Hiller has anything to worry about just yet.

Exactly.

 

[Pepper]

I thought Cogliano was pretty bad. Apart from that 1 great shift (which got the crowd going), he lost so many battles.

Fasth has good positioning but he seems to lose the puck easily when it's at his feet. I was scared everytime he started looking around looking for the puck when I though he had it covered.

Bonino. He's not 4th line player. If he can't play in the top9, he should sit.

 

[lumberjack]

My only complaint is Beleskey on the 1st line, and 1st PP UNIT!!!!! He does not have enough poise with the puck to be on ANY PP. Also, dont think he has an accurate enough shot to be the recipient of all these amazing Getz/Perry passes hes been getting.

Lmao. He received one pass for a scoring opportunity and it would not sit flat. Matt has to create most of his chances He made a great play in the 3rd By digging it out of scrum kicking it up to his feet and if not for a unlucky block he would have scored.


His job on the pp is not to be creative. He is out there to get in the front, win puck batttles on the wall and get high in the slot.

Matt is obviously not a 1st line guy based on skill but he adds a element to that line the BB likes That's why he is the coach.

 

[quentez]

One of the best games I've seen from Ducks in quite a while. Almost like you knew they were going to win even after letting in that early softie.

If someone needs to sit vs Kings it really has to be Allen. That guy has looked like a Lilja/Sutton-hybrid out there from the first second of the season. While Winnik looks to be the signing of the season, Allen needs to get his **** together not to end up at the other end of that scale.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Why was Selänne not on the first PP unit at some point of the game?

I liked the idea...
PP#1
Winnick Getz Perry - no more belesky on the 1st pp please :'(
Vatanan Fowler
pp#2
selanne koivu Ryan
Souray Sbisa

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

I thought all the lines looked pretty dangerous tonight, as far as forwards go i was pretty impressed with the team as a whole.(perry/belesky)

Vatanan is quick, and super aggresive with his positioning and shooting, a few times he had me freaking out but only time he looked bad was behind the net... I'd like to see him a few more games before i make a full judgement.

I wouldn't mess with line up to much. Since its back to back bring lydman/rakell/stabitz and hiller in for fresh legs maybe.
Getz Perry Etem
Ryan Palmeiri Selanne
Koivu Winnick COgliano
4th line any combo of rakell bonino dsp belesky , i still think rakell is a better option then bonino(hard to say becuase i was a big fan of bonino in college and followed him even when he was with the sharks)

Souray + Beauch
Fowler + lydman
Vatanan + sbisa... i think this is as good a test as any for vatanan to show he can play vs nhl size, i also think there will be a few power play opportunity and would like to see this toy in action a lil more.

Anyway was a great game, and 2nd game in a row we dominated one of the favorites in the western conference. Im glad the team is kinda flying under the radar hopefully we stay hot tonight vs la

 

[NEWFowler]

forgot to say something, but Fowler played AMAZING last night. He looked like a true #1 defenseman last night. I get goosebumps watching this kid skate. Unreal.

 

[PuqTalk]

I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Etem get some shifts with Getzlaf and Perry, but Beleskey is not a problem on that line. He's done his job and he's done it well. I think he's finally beginning to grow into the player that he was projected to be.

 

[NEWFowler]

I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Etem get some shifts with Getzlaf and Perry, but Beleskey is not a problem on that line. He's done his job and he's done it well. I think he's finally beginning to grow into the player that he was projected to be.

I agree completely, but I definitely think he should be no where near our power play

 

[Quack Shot]

I thought all the lines looked pretty dangerous tonight, as far as forwards go i was pretty impressed with the team as a whole.(perry/belesky)

Vatanan is quick, and super aggresive with his positioning and shooting, a few times he had me freaking out but only time he looked bad was behind the net... I'd like to see him a few more games before i make a full judgement.

I wouldn't mess with line up to much. Since its back to back bring lydman/rakell/stabitz and hiller in for fresh legs maybe.
Getz Perry Etem
Ryan Palmeiri Selanne
Koivu Winnick COgliano
4th line any combo of rakell bonino dsp belesky , i still think rakell is a better option then bonino(hard to say becuase i was a big fan of bonino in college and followed him even when he was with the sharks)

Souray + Beauch
Fowler + lydman
Vatanan + sbisa... i think this is as good a test as any for vatanan to show he can play vs nhl size, i also think there will be a few power play opportunity and would like to see this toy in action a lil more.

Anyway was a great game, and 2nd game in a row we dominated one of the favorites in the western conference. Im glad the team is kinda flying under the radar hopefully we stay hot tonight vs la

Stephens said that is why Lydman was scratched, they want to rest him for back to back games. I assume that is why Rakell was scratched also, because he still has one more audition game I believe.

 

[JabbaJabba]

Awesome game! Minnesota was really bad and Anaheim was really good. Best game so far? Although I didn't see the game against Sharks and the first Vancouver game was pretty good too.

Great game by Vatanen, calm and mature performance. Still needs to add muscle and work his defensive game but he should become a fine NHL player. I liked how our Koivu silenced their Koivu (just like I suggested). Older brother taught few things to little brother.

I didn't like Allen's game, he still makes mistakes and looks pretty slow. I wonder if he gained weight during the lockout and is out of shape... But I would still use him against Los Angeles and let Lydman play instead of Vatanen. If Allen continues this way, maybe put him in the stands for Colorado game perhaps?

I would like to see Etem on the top line, he can bring the same energy as Beleskey and he's more skilled. There's just so much potential with Etem-Getzlaf-Perry -line.

Also, send DSP down already and bring Holland up. I feel bad for Holland because all kinds of youngsters are getting their chances while he was promised a shot but he still got sent down. And now that Ryan plays center, there's really no place for him in the middle. I would rather have Holland play the wing of 4th line than DSP.

2nd line worked well today but I have fears that when Ryan has his next night off, the line is in troubles. I don't know if it was the center role that inspired him last night, and I hope it did because that way we could have the motivated Ryan more often.

But yeah, give Etem a chance to impress on the 1st line:

Etem-Getzlaf-Perry
Palmieri-Ryan-Selänne
Winnik-Koivu-Cogliano
Beleskey-Bonino-Holland

Defence for Los Angeles game:

Lydman-Fowler
Souray-Beauchemin
Allen-Sbisa

edit: Or, try Rakell instead of Cogliano, Winnik-Koivu-Rakell. I'm sure that they could do as good as with Cogliano.

 

[OCSportsfan]

Pretty surprised and impressed with the second line. I know it was one game, but I think Palmieri is what the line needed. They seemed to have great puck movement.

The power play is not as easy as just putting players in, you have to remember after the power play is over and what line comes in. If you have guys from multiple lines then it screws up the 5-5 line after it is over. I think that is why Beleskey is out there so it can be the whole line.

 

[Emerald Duck]

Why was Selänne not on the first PP unit at some point of the game?

Selanne had just completed his regular line shift so he needed a breather. He's only 42 ...