I thought Gionta had some good wheels and elusiveness last night. Any sluggishness or lazy from early in the season definitely wasn't there.
The team D was solid. Collapsing in their own zone. Not chasing (that Sabres centipede avatar wasn't that long ago). Short, close, passes once posession re-gained, no forwards leaving the D-zone early. So much of those aspects were 180-degrees different last night than from 12+ months ago.
LA kept bringing it, but it was rather weak - limited repeat chances. I heard the announcers say LA was on the 1st of a 5-game roadie; my visual assessment would have guessed it was the last game, or the 2nd of a back-to-back.
Re: 55 & 51. I was truly impressed by their poise, especially Risto, when handling the puck below their goal line with Kings converging on them. Separately, a couple times I felt Risto backed into the slot too quickly and too much (versus forcing his man wide) when there were some King rushes down the left wing. And then I reminded myself HE JUST TURNED 20 YEARS OLD and HAS PLAYED LESS THAN A FULL NHL SEASON!! Both of them - wow. Weak elbowing call on Zadarov - e.g., Chara wouldn't have been whistled.
Agreed, but Sabres won't be able to score, either.
Kaleta looked no different than what I've been accustomed to in the past - good to see. D-Lo was solid. McCormick wasn't hitting, yet his positioning and puck support in the high slot of the D-zone was noticeable to me.
100% this - I noticed it too.
Terry
IMO, one reason the goaltending tandem has worked is I assume neither feels threatened by the other. The roles / responsibilities (true tandem / split) were clearly defined in the offseason. Both are pending UFAs - same situation. Both know they'll be in the NHL next year, it's just a question of what role - starter, backup, tandem - and with whom.
Indeed. Despite the huge differential in shot attempts, the Kings did not look dangerous.