Watched the game with a friend, so no posting tonight while he was here because I didn't want to be rude. Couple of observations. This was obviously the most complete game we've played thus far. Good balance up front. The 4th line set the tone early & the first line picked it up in the last half of the first & the rest of the game.
Wild Bill, Smitty & Marchy were buzzing the entire game. Nice to see them break out. I expect them to start rolling now.
The second line is troubling. I'm not the biggest Haula fan to begin with & he's REALLY struggling to start the season. Patches looked alone out there trying to play with his 2 linemates. They have zero chemistry.
It seems like the forwards are all being extremely responsible in our end & that needs to continue with this makeshift defense. I liked the addition of Hunt tonight & he should stay in the lineup even when Engellend is ready to come back. Sit Merrill or Holden....or both preferably.
Anyone else notice the ice tonight was a disaster? I can't remember a hockey game where so many players went down without contact or even an opponent within 3 feet of them. It looked like half the Knights lost an edge at some point during the game, but I imagine their equipment was just fine. Guys were struggling to corral the puck on breakouts & stick handling was a problem the entire game. The ice crew needs to remedy that pronto. Seems pertinent when our team game is built upon speed.
Solid win tonight. I told you the sky wasn't falling!
Haula and Patches need to hit the bar or discuss this through. It's horrible to watch them wasting their potential. It's not really a surprise to me that 2 scorers/snipers get nothing done. I saw Haula with very little effort to forecheck, but then again he is playing center. For me it comes to Patches not being a good forechecker. Not blaming Hyka for the lack of synergy in the line, but he really isn't supporting their plays and doesn't look like a playmaker.
a) 2nd line was decent at best defensively
b) 2nd line sucked offensively, even though they should be the most offensive line we have
c) 2nd line had absolutely horrible pass quality (thanks to bad positioning & lack of communication maybe?)
