Was out all night Saturday but I recorded the game and watched it the next day. It was...dare I say...fun! Quite exciting at times, by far our best preseason game.
Though they did not convert I really liked the 2 PPs in the 1st period, and generally the pressure applied in both ends was great during the last one-third of the 1st period as well. Hynes definitely had the crew firing on all cylinders for much of the game. I detected a (relentless =) sense of urgency that was either non-existent or real spotty up until now. (Barring the radio broadcast game that none of us could see) It's so refreshing seeing us get to pucks quickly and apply pressure, not to mention get the puck up the ice quickly for more chances.
Blandisi looked great again I'd much rather have him on the roster and scratch Gio or Ruutu. I think we'd get a lot more out of Blandisi because he works hard to get into the plays, he's been effective in doing so, and while at it he manages to agitate the opposition. He also looked like he wasn't just working for a job but would easily fall into the roster as a cohesive part of this crew and I liked that.
Zacha had his best game yet and showed flashes of the player he could become in the form of a couple good rushes and plays, plus a big back check when he decided to jump on it. Otherwise still looking useless off the puck most of the time. Also some errant plays on the boards under pressure. But again, so young.
Boucher had a great game too and I loved the subtle deflection on that one shot (from Severson was it?) Boucher had contributions outside of the goal during the game too. Palmieri was consistently good again as well, loved the slap he scored on that I think was ultimately tipped by JJ upon further review. Really strange DoG penalty he took in that game though, that was a head scratcher. No biggie though as it was a freak thing we'll never see again.
Severson easily had his best game yet, tons of impact and contribution out there. All kinds of shots, great puck movement and a technician on point and really just a changed player from two games ago. I suspected the tough love session the other day in practice would get him going and whatever Hynes said really did the trick...he looked awesome out there. Loved the stand up hit at the blue line to meet a guy dumping in that one time too. Merrill also had a good game and looked real sharp in most instances. Gelly was decent for the most part too and that huge 3-on-3 slapper would simply NOT be denied.
In general I liked the hustle and urgency during much of the game and even in the last moments of regulation time to try and tie things up. We all know we should have won the game but I'll leave it at that...and it's preseason anyway so yeah. If anything it has me more excited to see our actual starting roster get out there. Expectations are still realistically low but I'm also eager to see them play. I guess it's not really worth commenting at this point on all the cuts as I don't disagree with them. I'll miss Blandisi and that's about it.
I couldn't believe it when I saw that was him skating up the ice.
