I wasn't able to catch the first game of the season but I how the young guys do, MDZ, Lisin, AA, and Gilroy?
Do you guys think MDZ is going to stick with the club?
I haven't really been in the game thread, but I'm assuming that you'll get a lot of your answers in there.
IMO MDZ will stick w/ the big club (at least based on one game) because he was better than Redden, Rozsival and Girardi. Right now the team only has 6 dmen, but I see Sather signing someone in the next few days.
Gilroy had a decent game and was involved in several offensive plays that I thought he was going to at least get an assist. But, against a team that uses the long pass like the Pens did last night he could get burned. The Pens had A LOT of odd man rushes last night (not saying Gilroy was the reason).
AA was pretty quiet
Lisin showed some flashes of what he could do especially on 1 particular play when he outskated everyone to get a dump in that resulted in him getting a good shot on goal.
I expect Boyle (who was awful last night) to be the odd man out once Avery is ready to go.
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Pens did have a bunch of odd man rushes, some of those due to Gilroy pinching or going deep. He seemed to do it a lot, but i actually liked it. They just need to make sure someone backs up to the blue line when that happens. I think it just has to do with all of the D-men playing more aggressively. A team that can make those passes is going to burn us. They definitely need to work on that.
I really liked watching Gilroy play though. I'm excited
Del Zotto looked a little nervous in the 1st but played better as the game wore on.
Gilroy did get caught pinching several times, but that is also partly the system. He also finished a +2, pretty good for a supposed defensive liability, and his driving to the net was a big factor in the 2nd goal.
Playing your first NHL game against the stanley cup champs on banner night has got to be tough, so the fact that they both played well is pretty huge in my book.
Redden had a decent game, he'll never be a 6.5 mil per defenseman, but as long as he's serviceable that's something. Roszival was mediocre, Girardi was brutal. Girardi played like he had no confidence in his game (nice one Torts).
Gaborik looked dangerous every time he had the puck, despite Pitt clearly focusing on him. He could have easily had 2 or 3.
Drury/Cally/Higgins played well as a line, did a real good job of cycling down low.
Overall they were sloppy and turned the puck over a lot. But there were a lot of positives considering probably the worst possible opening night situation.
I wasn't able to catch the first game of the season but I how the young guys do, MDZ, Lisin, AA, and Gilroy?
Do you guys think MDZ is going to stick with the club?
Just posted this in the GDT, so I might as well put hit here too, since it's basically what you asked for:
First of all, what a great, great game! It was just a pleasure to watch, despite the result. The team came to play, and yes, they still have some kinks to work out but they were right there with the SC champs all night long. The team is definitely going in the right direction.
My thoughts on the individual players:
Vinny Prospal - completely agreed that he just looks out of place on the first line. I would be happier with any one of Higgins, Lisin or Avery (this from me - shocking, I know ) there in his place. His defensive coverage of the rushing D was better than the other forwards (except for Drury), no doubt because he knows Torts's system like the back of his hand, but he was completely out of synch with Dubi and Gabby all night long and I just don't think his game meshes well with theirs. He would most likely be much better served as a 3rd line center for this team.
Brandon Dubinsky - looked great. He appears to have taken his game to another level, building off of his excellent performance in the playoffs last year. He does not look out of place as a PF center for Gabby.
Marian Gaborik - awesome. Just freaking awesome. Could easily have had a hattrick. Quite possibly the best forward the Rangers have ever had this early in his career during my lifetime. Speed, hands, moves, shot, vision and even defensive responsibility. Please stay healthy.
Chris Higgins - solid play like the rest of his line. They play a naturally complementary game so this isn't a surprise. Would like to see him being a little more of an offensive threat, however.
Chris Drury - best game we've seen from him in quite some time. He was all over the place (in a good way), always in on the play, pressuring the opposing Dmen, and being defensively responsible when our own D rushed up the ice. Even on the Crosby goal, he made the right play (lifting the stick), but simply mistimed it. And, as much as we all hate him, you do have to understand that it was Sidney Crosby - a darn hard guy to stop.
Ryan Callahan - same review I gave for Higgins. Very solid, but I would like to see a bit more of the offense we saw in preseason/end of last season.
Enver Lisin - given the debate that's raged since we acquired him, is one of those players that gets viewed through either rose-colored or crabgrass-colored glasses. (I am probably somewhat guilty of the former.) I thought he played very well, but his effectiveness was stunted by the poor play of his linemates. He's dynamic in the offensive zone - had a great shot that forced MAF to make a better save, a great pass that Kotalik flubbed and had the D backing away from him constantly. His D-zone positioning has gotten better, but he clearly still needs to think about it - he needs to take the next step and start making defensive plays instinctively.
Artem Anisimov - not a good season opener. He was a step behind all night long in both zones. Given what we saw in preseason, I think we can assume it was a one-game thing, but it might not be a bad idea to move him back to the fourth line when Avery comes back - at least until he gets a little more comfortable with the speed of the game.
Ales Kotalik - has a shot and not much else. He committed a number of ugly giveaways and didn't seem very involved in either zone. Actually, he doesn't do much other than wait for other players to feed him for his big shot (which I will admit is a total CANNON). Don't see him on this team for the duration of his contract - and while he IS here, he might be better served on the half boards on the PP as opposed to the point.
Donald Brashear - oof. He looked old in that fight. Where was the fearsome Donald Brashear that would simply overpower the opposing player? He does bring more than Colrton Orr during actual play, but I'm beginning to wonder whether or not the Caps don't have the right idea regarding goons (i.e. you don't need a true heavyweight). If I don't see more of the old Donald Brashear soon, I'd much rather have Dane Byers playing in that spot.
Brian Boyle - I thought he showed flashes in the preseason, but he was invisible last night.
Aaron Voros - pretty invisible as well, other than one or two hits. He's a mediocre engergy player, who doesn't use his size particularly well. That's all he's ever been. This is the sort of player that you're supposed to be trying to upgrade.
Marc Staal - played a great game. Is clearly listening to the coaches and trying to bring more offense into his game. Positionally phenomenal, great hockey IQ. Just displays a "presence" on the ice that says he's in control. Wouldn't be surprised to see him get the second A.
Dan Girardi - very inconsistent. Not as uniformly bad as others have posted, because he had some confident rushes up the ice that looked good. But his defensive play wasn't very good - used his strength well, but didn't show good vision or anticipation. Not good signs for a defensive defenseman. Needs to pick his game up or he's going to be on his way out.
Michael Del Zotto - rookie jitters, but he belongs. I'm a little worried about his strength in the corners, but he compensates by good body position. In control when the puck is on his stick. I can't wait to see what he can do when he gets his feet under him.
Michal Rozsival - brutal first period, but I thought he picked it up in the second and thrid to be the Rozsival of old. Thing is - he's got to stop having those moments like he had in the first. 2 good periods out of 3 is acceptable for Gilroy or MDZ, but it's not what you expect out of your veteran defensive leaders.
Wade Redden - looked really good. Of all the defensemen, he was the most calm in his zone. Looks like he knows exactly what he's doing. Played a smart game - including the play at the end that everyone is debating. (You've got 30 seconds left, so you need to take the risk of trying to get it with your stick. If you get it, you can turn it the other way and get one or two more chances. If you stop and try to block it with your body, you will eat up 10 seconds just controlling the puck and waiting for your teammates to reset and get back onsides. You also take a big chance that it will simply bounce past you for the game ending EN goal.) He will have to add a lot more offense for us to ever forgive his contract, but he's looking like a solid #2 all-round Dman.
Matt Gilroy - love his game. He's ALWAYS moving - constantly taking himself out of position and then recovering with his speed before the other team can react. He adds an element that most other teams don't have. Didn't appear to have any jitters at all.
Henrik Lundqvist - was beaten only by 2 deflections and a pass from behind the net. Would you have loved for him to have stolen one of those? Sure, but each one was a goal that could have beaten Roy, Brodeur, Plante, Hasek and any other goalie who's ever played. He also stopped inumerable odd man rushes (which he's going to have to do this year) and looked in mid-season form. One of the top 3, if not the top, goalie in the league.
I don't expect much from Anisimov for the first 20-30 games. Even though he was impressive in preseason, I ultimately think he's the type of player that will gradually get better as he plays more games. It might even take him a few seasons to find his niche
IMO w/no clearcut 7th defenseman now that the Semenov deal fell through, Del Zotto will stick with the team. I think the plan was if MDZ was going to go back to juniors, was to bring up Sanguinetti and have Semenov challenge him for the 6 d-spot.
As for 1st impressions, I only saw the 1st two periods. It seemed like we spent a lot of time in our own zone, but at the same time didn't give up a ton of chances because of it. I think we lacked good chemistry, and I think that was expected to start the season. The Prospal-Dubinsky-Gaborik line seemed pretty good, and Drury and Callahan together was solid as well. Kotalik looked a lot better than he did all pre-season. I really like Lisin, even though his line didn't seem to really do much at all. It's one game but I'm wondering if Anisimov may end up in Hartford soon.
i thought all the kids looked nervous, and I thought gilroy looked a bit slower in this game than others...nto necessarily his foot speed, more his decision making. playing your first NHL game against the defending SC Champs will do that do you.
The first 10 games of this season is our extended preseason. expect a .500 start to be strong....after that i expect us to start improving considerably.
Donald Brashear - oof. He looked old in that fight. Where was the fearsome Donald Brashear that would simply overpower the opposing player? He does bring more than Colrton Orr during actual play, but I'm beginning to wonder whether or not the Caps don't have the right idea regarding goons (i.e. you don't need a true heavyweight). If I don't see more of the old Donald Brashear soon, I'd much rather have Dane Byers playing in that spot.
Brian Boyle - I thought he showed flashes in the preseason, but he was invisible last night.
Aaron Voros - pretty invisible as well, other than one or two hits. He's a mediocre engergy player, who doesn't use his size particularly well. That's all he's ever been. This is the sort of player that you're supposed to be trying to upgrade.
Boyle had 4:48 total ice time; Voros had 6:26. It's not fair to really say players getting that kind of ice time were "invisible", a word thrown around here way too loosely.
I also disagree completely about Brashear's fight. That first jab caught Cooke square in the nose, and I'm pretty sure it might've had him bleeding a little bit (I don't think that blood on Brashear's head was his..) and that one went on for awhile. And the Caps can wait and see what kind of liberties people will take specifically with Mike Green now that they don't have a true goon (Ovechkin's a bigger, stronger kind of guy. Honestly I bet he can hold his own in a fight if it came down to it too). As long as we have Gaborik on the team, I'd rather we fill one of the 4th line spots with someone that's going to intimidate the other team. Brash plays well enough hockey where I'm glad it's him in that spot.
I have to agree that Brashear looked old. Hope he picks it up...but in the couple of fights I've seen out of him so far (in pre-season and last night) he sure didn't look very imposing.
I have to agree that Brashear looked old. Hope he picks it up...but in the couple of fights I've seen out of him so far (in pre-season and last night) he sure didn't look very imposing.
He hasn't decisively won or lost any fights. If it remains that way the entire year and he provides the offensive pressure he has for his ~6 minutes of ice time then I'll be more than satisfied with him on our 4th line.
I couldn't agree more - everything you've said is spot on. I don't think I've ever read a game summary I've agreed with more.
The whole 4th line seemed fairly invisible, despite looking like they might turn into a decent 'pin the opponent in their zone' energy line in preseason. I wonder if this is more due to the higher skill levels of the lines that they were being rolled against last night - I can remember one sequence when Jordan Staal danced past two of them (Voros and Brashear, I think) without missing a beat, ending up in the Rangers' zone with speed.
Can't say I agree with all of the harsh comments from last night's game. Basically, this is what I took away from the game:
We played the cup champs and made a ton of mistakes within the new system. We played with 3 rookies, 2 on defense. Fleury robbed at least 2 goals, maybe more. All of that happened and we lost by 1.
Think about that. Now, without Lundqvist we get blown out... but isn't that the basis of the new system? We don't need to bunker down with "5 in the box" and dump the puck if scoring isn't 99% guarenteed.
I have to say that I am mildly optomistic about the Rangers. Once they get this system down pat, when they can better judge the right times to pinch and press, they will reduce the chances against and increase the chances for. Pittsburgh definitely taylored their gameplan to take advantage of our aggressiveness and rookies and they still only beat us by 1 with Malkin and Crosby. Like Inferno says, we are going to tread water until the troops get the system, then I see us improving the play greatly.
A few player comments: Drury looked good except on that Crosby goal... thats mental but his offense and actual play looked good.
Dubinsky, Gaborik and Prospal is looking great.
Redden was good without the puck. He may become an anchor back there.
Roszival... I'm biased against him anyway but that game was horrible. His countdown is begining.
Everyone else was inconsistent or just par... not bad but not great. Some guys definitely have to step it up since they know their role is to chip in and take charge periodically.
Brashear's jab that caught Godard in the nose was pretty funny. It's like he didn't even see it coming after they'd been sparring for a good half minute.
The thing I'm wondering with MDZ is his physical maturity. He has a stocky body--I'm not sure he's strong enough yet. I like though that he showed a willingness to defend himself.
If I had to pick one player which stuck out in my mind, it was Staal. I thought he had a great game. He was pushing and hitting quite a bit, and taking chances in the offensive zone. If he can keep this up, watch out. I'm sure he will find his offensive touch especially if pushed by Torts. He also looks even stronger than last year - just using his arms to knock other players down.
On playing a 19-year-old defenseman, Mike Del Zotto: “Patience. Patience. It’s a very important thing. Michael’s going to be a very good player. We’re going to have some bumps with him, but he’s going to be a very good player.”
If I had to pick one player which stuck out in my mind, it was Staal. I thought he had a great game. He was pushing and hitting quite a bit, and taking chances in the offensive zone. If he can keep this up, watch out. I'm sure he will find his offensive touch especially if pushed by Torts. He also looks even stronger than last year - just using his arms to knock other players down.
Staal on the powerplay = useless, but the guy can rush the puck up the ice very well using his big body and long reach. There is definitely upside there
I'm pretty impressed with how far Dubinsky has come over the years in regards to puck control. He's very hard to knock off the puck and controls it very well with his stick while being checked. Very good at puck possession.
Also in regards to Brashear fighting...for awhile now his MO has been to slow things down at first and tire the other guy out and then unload on him when the guy can't defend himself. I wouldn't expect a bunch of barn burners out of him...the nickname "huggy bear" is because he will wrestle with the other guy until he has the advantage and then beats the crap out of them with a few punches.
He wins his fair share that way, but it's not as exciting as two guys going toe to toe
I felt I'd be a nice Senators fan, and give you guys an idea of what to expect from the team I will be cheering for. Maybe some stuff to look for; albeit it'll be a bit scarce considering this exact roster has never played together before. The only reason I'm mentioning this is because I found this thread helpful in giving me an idea of who to watch and what to look for while watching the game tonight.
Forwards
Michalek - Spezza - Alfredsson
Kovalev - Regin - Fisher
Foligno - Shannon - Cheechoo
Ruutu - Kelly - Neil
Defense
Phillips - Volchenkov
Kuba - Karlsson
Campoli - Carkner
Goaltending
Leclaire
Elliott
Up front, the team will boast speed and skill, but there is a severe lack of chemistry. I imagine they'll be pressing to gain chemistry quickly, so I think the Rangers can make inroads there. Spezza and Alfredsson are clicking, but although Michalek is skilled and fast, he was never really working effectively with Spezza.
The second line is an experiment. Regin is a rookie who impressed at camp, and Fisher has never (as far as I can remember) been expected to play as a Winger before. This line was our best line through training camp, but that was training camp. Kovalev is the most talented on the line, and everyone else on the line has been, at times, a step behind. Regin has good vision, but he's completely unproven at the NHL level. Look for Fisher to dig in the corners and use his quick wrist shot to try score. Kovalev will be the one carrying the line offensively though.
Cheechoo has worked hard all camp, but his legs just aren't there. He has no speed. This is a problem because Shannon and Foligno were great together last year on the FFS line (Foligno - Fisher - Shannon). Shannon's not a natural center, but he's got good vision. He is small though, but I imagine it'll be Foligno and Cheechoo working the boards. Foligno's looking to build on a career year last year, and is motivated to prove he's a top-six forward. This is a good line. In my eyes it's the only one that'll be clicking from the get-go. Not deadly though, but they'll be a good energy line.
Kelly was our third-line center last year, so him on the fourth line only goes to show that we've added depth. This line is a line that has caused a lot of problems for Senator fans. Kelly has hands of stone, but is a great Penalty Killer and hardworker. Ruutu is a pest, and Neil is a guy who gets paid 2 Million dollars to skate around and look like an idiot. I'm not being entirely fair, but this is the most expensive fourth line in the league. They should work well though. I expect Ruutu to spend much of the game trying to get into the faces of guys like Gilroy. Rangers are banking on some question marks on defense, and I expect you'll see this line get in the hair of the defense. Nothing special on the line, but they're all proven NHL guys who have talent.
Our defense is going to be interesting. Karlsson and Carkner have never played an NHL game. Carkner's essentially a bear on skates, but he's intimidating. His defensive game is okay as long as he doesn't take risks. Hopefully Clouston keeps him off the ice when the speedy forwards of the Rangers are out, because he's slow. Karlsson is weak defensively, but has a wicked shot, good passing, and a creative side offensively that the Senators have missed. Kuba is steady. The best description is "good at everything, great at nothing." Phillips and Volchenkov are good pairing, but there's nothing offensively to be worried about. Phillips is a slick passer, better then he gets credit for, but he's just expected to be a steady defensive player. That's what this line will do. Campoli is a question mark. I think he'll be better then expected. Good passing, quick shot, and is competent. Still a question mark though as he has never really proven himself.
In goal, Leclaire looks ready to go. His puck handling is sub-par, so if the Rangers dump and chase a lot, I expect he'll make an error. He is very fast. He is also confident and relaxed. Very rarely does he do any flailing. Still, he needs to prove he's a #1 Netminder in the NHL. He has shown flashes of brilliance, but he has also been hurt a lot. While healthy, he was consistently good, but he still hasn't played a full season.
As far as coaching is concerned, look for Clouston to focus on forechecking and puck pressure. On defense keep things very simple. You take your man, and you don't take chances. Offensively, they're encouraged to use their speed and the natural talents they have. The roster is built that way. Each line has a worker, a speedy guy, and someone who can move the puck around. Clouston is likely hoping this sort of thing will pay off. The main problem will be lack of chemistry, and a questionable defense.
Hopefully that helps give you Ranger fans some stuff to know about the roster, and keep an eye out while watching the game.
