GDT: Pre-Season Game #5 - 9.29.14 - vs. Florida - 7:30 PM - The Dress Rehearsal

[BigG44]

Hopefully Lobo can work his mod magic and add a better game day thread.

I just noticed that Heika said tomorrow's game is actually the dress rehearsal game. Pretty exciting.

Can't wait to see Benn-Seguin and Spezza-Hemsky together in a game. Wonder if Garbutt is healthy enough to play.

Speculate to your heart's content. Who do you think is in the lead for the Top 12?

I'll start with ....

Benn-Seguin-Nichushkin
Cole-Spezza-Hemsky
Roussel-Fiddler-Garbutt
Horcoff-Morin-Sceviour

Goligoski-Daley
Benn-Jokipakka
Nemeth-Gonchar

Lehtonen
Lindback

Ruff's comments about the D stuck with me. He doesn't seem ready to hand out job's to new guys. I think he's going to give vets the benefit of the doubt in some cases before pushing them out. I hope I'm wrong. I'd say for sure though they'll be quick to rotate Eaves in for Horcoff and Connauton in for Gonchar. I saw one report that Nemeth struggled again in STL. If that's true ... it's an unnamed source from Worley so I don't like taking that with any certainty ... maybe Connauton gets in and Nemeth sits for very few games. I just think Ruff likes his size too much for him not to be a Top 6 regular. Seems to me if they start a rotation ... it would be Jokipakka and Connauton ... and Jyrki would have the upper hand at this point.

Click to read more...

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

I was gonna but then you posted.

 

[Alistar]

Benn - Seguin - Nichushkin
Cole - Spezza - Hemsky
Roussel - Fiddler - Garbutt
McKenzie - Horcoff - Sceviour

Extra: Eaves, Morin

Curtis McKenzie is the guy who most deserves to be on the team out of the borderline guys, this is the only way I can see he makes it..

 

[Johno]

A little switcharoo of Cole and McK = roster would be golden.

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

If this is a dress rehearsal, then what's tomorrow's game? :/

 

[Elysian]

If this is a dress rehearsal, then what's tomorrow's game? :/

Absolute must win.

 

[BigG44]

Mark Stepneski ‏@StarsInsideEdge

Stars lines this morning: Benn-Seguin-Nichushkin; Cole-Spezza-Hemsky; Roussel-Fiddler-Garbutt; McKenzie-Faksa-Ritchie

I wouldn't take this to mean they've earned the jobs. I'd say this is their final chance though, and it's a very positive sign for all three.

Also, pretty much makes it seem like Faksa has the lead on Morin.

I'd put money on seeing Ritchie rotate a bit with Seguin and/or Spezza briefly. I still don't believe he has a shot as a 4th liner. Could be totally wrong.

 

[Frozen Failure]

Benn-Seguin-Ritchie
Nichushkin-Spezza-Hemsky

That's how it should be.

 

[BigG44]

Well then they go and do this ....

Mark Stepneski ‏@StarsInsideEdge

Stars defense pairs this morning: Connauton-Daley; Benn-Gonchar; Oleksiak-Klingberg

The forward lines 100% look like a dress rehearsal game. This not so much.

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

Someone please hurt Gonchar and put us out of our misery.

 

[BigG44]

Someone please hurt Gonchar and put us out of our misery.

The 4th forward line is pretty clearly a last opportunity for 3 key young players to win a spot. I'm wondering with so many questions on D if that's not the reason the D pairs are formed the way they are.

Essentially, because of injury, Daley has only played one game. That's why maybe they want him to get in the rehearsal game. Jokipakka IMO is the clear favorite hands down. I thought Nemeth has been fine but not the best. Maybe his size (especially with Dillon out) makes him a virtual lock. This could be Connauton, Gonchar, Oleksiak, and Klingberg's opportunity to prove they belong right now. IDK ... just a theory, but those D pairs are a bit confusing for a dress rehearsal game. Maybe the D dress rehearsal is tomorrow.

 

[Alistar]

Yeah I'm not sure what to make of that 4th forward line. I think it will be tough for any of them to stand out in 4th line minutes and not playing with established NHL players.

**I don't even think that any of those three have any prior experience playing with the other two.. Hope they can figure out their chemistry fast.

 

[PezRadar]

4th Forward Line feels very much like it is still in limbo, likewise with Defense.

Should be a good game nonetheless.

 

[BigG44]

Yeah I'm not sure what to make of that 4th forward line. I think it will be tough for any of them to stand out in 4th line minutes and not playing with established NHL players.

**I don't even think that any of those three have any prior experience playing with the other two.. Hope they can figure out their chemistry fast.

That's why I'm guessing ... at least in Ritchie's case .... he's going to take shifts in the Top 6.

McKenzie on the other hand ... if he makes this team it will be the 4th line more than likely. Faksa would 100% be on the 4th line. No prior experience doesn't really matter. Eventually they'd be linemates. McKenzie is one of my favorite bottom six options for Dallas in the future, but I don't buy the hype that he has Top 6 upside, especially not considering how many better skilled options Dallas has.

Same goes for Roussel, I like his work in the Bottom 6. It's great he got an audition in the Top 6, but long term he's not a serious option IMO. I don't really buy into the Burrows comparisons. They're both agitators, French/French-Canadian, and a bit undersized. Burrows actually was a productive Top 6 option in juniors and developed into one at the NHL level for a bit playing with world class players. I appreciate Roussel's scoring touch, but he's never shown it at any level that he's a consistent offensive option. I doubt he's the one in a million junior and AHL grinder that is going to become a 50/60 point scorer in the NHL.

 

[NukeJukes43]

The 4th forward line is pretty clearly a last opportunity for 3 key young players to win a spot. I'm wondering with so many questions on D if that's not the reason the D pairs are formed the way they are.

Essentially, because of injury, Daley has only played one game. That's why maybe they want him to get in the rehearsal game. Jokipakka IMO is the clear favorite hands down. I thought Nemeth has been fine but not the best. Maybe his size (especially with Dillon out) makes him a virtual lock. This could be Connauton, Gonchar, Oleksiak, and Klingberg's opportunity to prove they belong right now. IDK ... just a theory, but those D pairs are a bit confusing for a dress rehearsal game. Maybe the D dress rehearsal is tomorrow.

This has to be it. All this says to me is that Jokipakka proved himself and secured a roster spot. For them to handle this any other way would be silly. Even if they thought Oleksiak or Connauton could contest him for the spot they would have to play Jokipakka tonight. You don't sit your best pre-season defender to see if someone can possibly play better.

But then again I'm not convinced at all that Klingberg has a chance to crack this roster so I'm not sure why he's playing in this one.

 

[Hull Fan]

I think they want to see Klingberg to see how he bounces back. They don't want to play their regulars back to back but they'd also like to see how he does with an extra day of practice, hopefully all the jitters gone and feeling better about his body after the surgeries. Why not tonight? Does it matter if he plays in this game or the next?

 

[TrillMike]

Gonchar sucks. That is all.

 

[Primetimey*]

What a stacked lineup.

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

Will be watching game on my laptop with the rest of y'all. Hopefully a good showing again.

 

[bug]

What do we think the likelihood of Gonchar being our 7th D man is? Worst case he's pissed and goes home to Russia, right? Yes, it would be nice to get rid of his cap hit - but more importanly, it would be more beneficial to give that spot to one of the kids.

Thoughts?

 

[Alistar]

Not going to happen. Like it or not veterans get all the breaks in this league, and Gonchar will get minimum 16-17 minutes a night on the blue line including power play time.

It's the way the world works. Our best hope is that we can somehow offload him by trade to a team who ends up with an emergency shortage of players on the back end.

 

[bug]

You were supposed to assure me that was going to happen, and we didn't have to worry about Gonch anymore

 

[txomisc]

What do we think the likelihood of Gonchar being our 7th D man is? Worst case he's pissed and goes home to Russia, right? Yes, it would be nice to get rid of his cap hit - but more importanly, it would be more beneficial to give that spot to one of the kids.

Thoughts?

I don't want any of our young dmen who have any sort of potential to be the 7th d. Gaunce would be ok, but the rest need to be playing on a regular basis.

 

[BigG44]

Not going to happen. Like it or not veterans get all the breaks in this league, and Gonchar will get minimum 16-17 minutes a night on the blue line including power play time.

It's the way the world works. Our best hope is that we can somehow offload him by trade to a team who ends up with an emergency shortage of players on the back end.

I agree he'll get plenty of opportunities early. There will be some sort of rotation. I completely disagree they won't bench him if he doesn't improve. Last year the depth was Fortunus and Gaunce. Neither Oleksiak or Jokipakka were close to pushing for NHL time, and Nemeth was hurt at key times they needed D early.

This year you have SIGNIFICANT talent ready to play right now. I don't like Gonchar, but it's not like Fortunus or Gaunce had anything to offer. Gonchar is going to constantly be looking over his shoulder.

 

[oOwlCat]

Thought I'd pop in and share Panthers lineup tonight:

Fleischmann-Barkov-Jokinen
Pirri-Bjugstad-Hayes
Bergenheim-Bolland-Upshall
Howden-Shore-Grimaldi

Mitchell-Campbell
Gudbranson-Olsen
Robak-Petrovic


Luongo
Montoya

Notable missing players: Huberdeau, Ekblad