You could really see that it was just a bunch of kids in that third period. Whole team got stressed out and structure started to fall apart.
Some impressions:
- I've been harsh on Gordeev, but I liked his mobility, reach, and ability to use his skating to rush the puck.
- Much better game from Lilygrin. He's very similar to Gardiner in his breakout game at this point. A lot of brilliant stuff, but also a tendency to force plays. Looked great on the PP.
- Dermott was head and shoulders above any other player for 40 minutes. Fell victim to the same thing as everybody else in the third.
- Nielsen underwhelmed in both games. On the good side, it's quite obvious how it's skating that holds him back. If he can improve on it enough over the coming years, he could be an impact player.
- Didn't really like Rasanen in any way during these games.
- Goaltending hasn't been a strong point. Scott had a clean sheet, but was making really awkward saves.
- Expected more from Timashov. Don't see much progression there.
- I'm surprised by the criticism against Bracco. I saw a player that read the flow of the game well, and made a lot of nifty plays with the puck to solve tough situations.
- Grundstrom looked as expected. Should be knocking on the door for a complementary role on a scoring line.
- Dzierkals is another who is not projecting well. Thought he had upside as a agitator with skill, but right now he looks more like a possible energy player who can participate.
- MacGregor is very interesting. Really smart, really good skater, functional skill. Felt like he was always one step ahead of the play, which is something I think translates very well.