Well, I guess we had to see if our team stacked up to a well-built organization with a roster of NHL players actually lacing them up. I do understand that this is the beginning of the season and two games are nothing to panic about, but this is the world stage and we were completely out classed on the ice, from behind the bench, and it looks like from high up above by the people making decisions on how to construct a team. Yes, I have been optimistic because I thought that who they brought in would elevate them from the down year that saw Granato fired. What I am nervous about is that they might never be able to duplicate the career point productions from numerous top end players after long extensions were signed. Let’s all hope that this feel-good bonding trip of failure was an anomaly, and that our boys are just getting their skates under their feet, and they have more tenacity than what we witnessed. I truly thought Ruff would have had them better prepared, but they obviously were not up to the challenge. Sometimes things just don’t go your way in a game, but you have to be able to change the narrative.
Outshot, out finessed, beat on the faceoff dot at crucial times, we just didn’t show any cohesiveness, and not one guy who wore our crest really showed up on consecutive nights. The Devils Skill and speed, depth on forward, and sizeable muscle on the blueline clearly gave us problems. We could barely carry the puck into the offensive zone without a struggle. That being said, this hit on Peterka should have been a five-minute penalty, but you have to like a player who isn’t afraid to stand their ground and show some aggressive behavior. Dirty hit but it sends a message. I appreciate the response from Tuch because it was necessary, but the whole scenario put us on our heels. Take a look again, you be the judge. With Dillon and Hamilton they have guys who can really smash, also take note they were missing Pesce and Hughes. This team can put up a wall. Remember Stevens and Daneyko?
Time and time again we have talked about a slow start and the damage it can do, but with injuries to JJ and apparently Benson, we will be looking for answers right out of the gate. So, what do we do? Go home from our vacation and lick our wounds, and try to figure it out. Find some semblance of a powerplay so we can score more than one goal a game, and pray that we just played one of the best teams in the league which is doubtful.
I thought our defense would be better than what they showed. Clearly our big boys don’t currently match up, and Dahlin could still be hurt. I thought Power and Byrum gave some good effort at times, but Samuelsson at over four million looks to be slow and not worth it if he doesn’t bring more physicality. I barely even noticed Clifton. Joker is just Joker.
To the forwards –
Tage Thompson – Obviously trying, but is far from showing the confidence he had in his breakout year. Too many moves and not enough pucks on net.
Alex Tuch – I have no idea where he was in the first game. He amped it up in the second contest to where he needs to be. He is a power forward and must have his motor running to generate chances.
JJ Peterka – He is a player who can score and he is a shooter. No idea what he was doing with his head down, let’s really hope that his mishap isn’t a long-term issue.
Dylan Cozens – Loved him in the first game because he was making things happen. He obviously has some puck skill, plus a willingness to challenge the opposition. I am not at all sure what happened to him in the second tilt. Did he forget to use Girgensons smelling salts?
Jack Quinn – We have seen him do some amazing things on the ice. Didn’t see anything and was barely involved for two straight days.
Zach Benson – Showed up like he always does with a work ethic and is a keeper. Hope the surprise injury doesn’t linger. We need him.
Ryan McLeod – Definitely had the speed that was highly talked about, but why not use it all of the time?
Jordan Greenway – Mister interchangeable was his plodding big bodied self, but does have some usefulness if everyone else is clicking. He can work the corners and can protect the puck if he is motivated.
Jason Zucker – I am not sure, but we might be suckers for signing Zucker for five million.
Lafferty, Malenstyn, Kubel, Krebs – Did what they were brought into do but were held off the score sheet like pretty much everybody else. Paul Cotter anybody?
Jiri Kulich – Made some decent plays out there. Just might rather see him more often than not if we can’t pull it together.
Obviously, we are all disappointed that we couldn’t sustain three periods of hockey to at the very least get a point. I didn’t expect to look lost and constantly turn the puck over with all of the attention associated with this series.
Nice job to UPL. Levi showed why he is a quality goaltender. The kid played his heart out and kept the score close.
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