TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 This here thread is to loosely talk about things we may all be looking forward to in the first week of the NHL season.Though it may vary by team, I believe a range of Wed (tomorrow) thru Wed next week is good enough for everyone to either have seen more than a handful of games, catch up on highlights (or lowlights ), and by then, I believe every team will have played at LEAST their home opener, some teams may have played more than one, depending on where their road trips take them. I can start on tomorrow's games.No TB Lightning or Minnesota Wild on, but still, 4 very good matchups, at least early on, that have reasons one way or another for folks to want to watch. In our house, we will be having on television Philadelphia playing at Boston's home opener, followed by the Vancouver Canucks playing at the Flames home opener.The other two games (Mon at Tor, as the early game, SJ at LA as the late game) also have intrigue, but I chose Flyers-Bruins because I want to see how much growth Philly has made with their younger talent and how they stack up against one of the East's better teams.Plus, as a Bolts fan, how could I not like two prime rivals, Bruins for the division, Flyers for the Conference and possible WC, go at it? Hopefully, VLC can fit in a bit better this year than he did last season, and if Steve Mason can hold up, I think the Flyer scorers can take care of the rest. The defense will be expected to be average at best, but average could be all the Flyers need if everything else works the way it should. For Boston, have they aged too much, have they sufficiently replaced some former Stanley Cup parts that are no longer there?B's looked a bit slow n tired last season against the Habs in the playoffs, we will see if they come out rejuvenated and ready to resume their role as division ruler....for now anyways....they may have a very good Lightning, Canadien, or maybe even surprise Leaf or Panther teams hot on their tails for parts, if not most of the season. Vancouver - Calgary, what can I say, two Western Canadian rivals, two teams that fell way short of any contention last season, and both wanting to be on the left side of the win-loss column to start out their seasons. The 'Nucks will be looking towards renewed commitment from their veterans, including newly acquired Ryan Miller, while the Flames will see what they really have with the mix of youth, toughness, and defensive mindset that they have seemed to put together this off season.If Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and some of the other young players on this team come out strong...then lookout Vancouver. This matchup should be a nice "veteran regrouping team vs young up n coming team" match up, and I am interested. What is everyone else looking at for tomorrow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 @TropicalFruitGirl26 I'm interested to see Vancouver's new 2nd line, featuring Zack Kassian, Alex Burrows and Nick Bonnio. How long have the Canucks been struggling to find offensive depth behind the twins? I think this line is the ticket. Kassian started scoring with regularity near the end of last season. Kassian and Burrows will create space for Bonnio....who is very underrated, certainly one of the better Ducks last season. This will be one of the better 2nd lines in the league (not as good as Boston's, the Ave's or Tampa Bay mind you) and should come out of the gate firing. This will be the year that Kassian lives up to the potential and shows why the Nucks paid such a large price for his services (Cody Hodgeson). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 This here thread is to loosely talk about things we may all be looking forward to in the first week of the NHL season. 2104????? Jeeeeezzzz i don't won't to wait that long for hockey...pretty sure i'll be dead!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 8, 2014 Author Share Posted October 8, 2014 2104????? Jeeeeezzzz i don't won't to wait that long for hockey...pretty sure i'll be dead!!!!!Hehehe...alright wise guy...I fixed it....you don't have to put yourself in a cryogenic capsule just to see hockey again.... @TropicalFruitGirl26 I'm interested to see Vancouver's new 2nd line, featuring Zack Kassian, Alex Burrows and Nick Bonnio. How long have the Canucks been struggling to find offensive depth behind the twins? I think this line is the ticket. Kassian started scoring with regularity near the end of last season. Kassian and Burrows will create space for Bonnio....who is very underrated, certainly one of the better Ducks last season. This will be one of the better 2nd lines in the league (not as good as Boston's, the Ave's or Tampa Bay mind you) and should come out of the gate firing. This will be the year that Kassian lives up to the potential and shows why the Nucks paid such a large price for his services (Cody Hodgeson). You know, @jammer2 , with all the press Ryan Miller, the Twins rebounding, and Ryan Kesler leaving got, I completely forgot about the fact that the Canucks got some very good players in return for Kesler. Nick Bonino, as you mentioned, and wasn't Lucas Sbisa part of that as well?Something more for me to look at during their match up with the Flames. I talked about the Flames up n comers, while referencing the 'Nucks vets, but Vancouver has some pretty good young talents as well, such as the ones you mentioned.....Kassian included in that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Hehehe...alright wise guy...I fixed it....you don't have to put yourself in a cryogenic capsule just to see hockey again.... You know, @jammer2 , with all the press Ryan Miller, the Twins rebounding, and Ryan Kesler leaving got, I completely forgot about the fact that the Canucks got some very good players in return for Kesler. Nick Bonino, as you mentioned, and wasn't Lucas Sbisa part of that as well?Something more for me to look at during their match up with the Flames. I talked about the Flames up n comers, while referencing the 'Nucks vets, but Vancouver has some pretty good young talents as well, such as the ones you mentioned.....Kassian included in that.Flyers will still be paying Bryz then though..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 8, 2014 Author Share Posted October 8, 2014 Flyers will still be paying Bryz then though..... As will the Lightning be paying VLC.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 .Kassian included in that. Zack rockets out of the gate with a goal on opening night! He will score 20 goals and accumulate 150 PIMS.....or I will eat my Hanes!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 Montreal 4, Toronto 3 Both teams had their share of giveaways and turnovers, but obviously, the Habs had just one more go their way than the Leafs. Toronto, at times, seem to actually play very good defense, which kinda surprised me.Didn't watch the whole game, as I tuned to Phi-Bos when that started, but from what I saw, both teams really did look like they were in the opening week of the season. I suspect Montreal will tighten it's defense a bit more as the season wears on, Toronto, well, if they can improve upon what I saw from them, their defense may not be so bad this season...of course, they STILL have Dion Phaneuf playing on that team so...... Side note, Phaneuf exited the game at one point...not sure what happened or if he came back....I joked yesterday that maybe that's a good thing if he is out.....lol...but seriously, have no clue what his status is, haven't looked at anything about it to this point. Boston 2, Philadelphia 1 This was a typical Bruins game. I mentioned in the shoutbox yesterday that I thought the Bruins basically dictated the pace (slow, plodding, defensive minded, waiting for moves by the Flyers....usually that never really came), and while the Flyers had flashes of up-tempo play (what I felt Philly really needed), they just never got near enough of it. Steve Mason was outstanding and he kept the score from being any worse than the 2-1 final it was, but as a team, the Flyers were pretty much "told" how to play and at what pace by the patient, veteran Bruins.Only times Philly really dictated anything was when they took the play low, passed the puck around a bit (accurately), and got the Bruins moving more side to side on defense than they would like.Philly loosened that defense, and it resulted in their lone goal. If I am Berube, I take that positive out of that game...along with noting the work that needs to be done on the PP, which really didn't look that good at all for the Flyers. Vancouver 4, Calgary2 Watched most of this one, though not all of it...Calgary came out like a house of fire (no pun intended!) and guys like Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan DID play well, but in the end, Vancouver simply looked more ready for this game than the Flames did.Calgary got their share of chances, but too many broken down plays, wiffing on passes, and missing out on very good scoring chances (sometimes at point blank ranges) ultimately did in the Flames. Not sure if Calgary's younger players were just overly amped from the home opening ceremonies, but there were many 'spazz-tastic' plays they could certainly use LESS of......we will chalk that up to youth at this point.The Hudler-Monahan-Glencross line looked pretty good (Hudler in particular) and if they can settle down Monahan, he can be a very consistent point getter with those two vets. Calgary did lots of hitting, as expected, and goalie Jonas Hiller didn't play too badly, but Vancouver as a team, again, just looked like they were more ready to go, were calmer in most situations than the Flames, and capitalized more on their chances when they got them, obviously, more than the Flames did. Ryan Miller in net was good for the Canucks. I wouldn't describe his performance as "excellent" as he was spared some goals by Calgary's inability to take advantage of some clear chances, but he did come up with some key saves when he needed them, and more importantly for the Canucks, Miller did seem engaged in the game and seem to track the puck pretty well.And when I say Miller seemed "engaged" it's because I have seen Miller lose interest and/or focus at times during a game if his team is down, the action hits lulls, or most of the play is going on 200 ft away from him.....his attention seems to wander and next thing he knows, he has opposing players bearing down on him and he has to snap back to reality.....thankfully for Canucks fans, that wasn't the case last night. San Jose 4, Los Angeles 0 Didn't watch much of this one at all, but from the bits n pieces I did see, and from highlights this morning, the Sharks simply outplayed the Kings in every facet of the game.The Kings just really didn't look like they were on the same level in intensity as the Sharks were, and even had times when communication was a problem. Only one game in, but I have to think the Sharks had to like how the team played, and that is the kind of play they think they can get from this group for the entire season...and if they do, maybe an early exit from the playoffs can be avoided this year.Yea, I know, way too soon to think of that....but good dominating game overall from the Sharks over the Kings from the looks of it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 @jammer2Overall, I thought the Flames looked ok.Their young guys need to play with a bit more calmness to their game, but outside of that, I think they should be ok. Their season will come down to how well Hiller plays in net and how healthy they can stay.Calgary's vets such as Engelland, McGrattan, Bollig, Hudler, Stajan, and Glencross will provide some good stability, but it will fall on Monahan and Gaudreau for instance to really take this team to the next level and be the engines that make this team go. The Canucks, while playing a good game, and certainly more ready to go than Calgary was, WILL need to tighten their D just a bit more when they play the upper echelon teams. Calgary got some chances, but failed to really take advantage....i suspect the Canucks won't be wanting to give those same chances to a seasoned team like the Blackhawks, Kings, Sharks, or Ducks. The return the Canucks got for Ryan Kesler played pretty well, and I saw no real sign that Vancouver was missing Kesler's presence....that trade between the 'Nucks n Ducks could be a win-win for both at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samifan Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Ryan Miller in net was good for the Canucks. I wouldn't describe his performance as "excellent" I know someone else on this forum that would... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 I know someone else on this forum that would... Indeed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Montreal 4, Toronto 3 Did you happen to notice Percy out there, if so, who was he paired with? I know he's in the line-up as an injury replacement, but I'm cheering for the guy to stick...or at least make it a tough decision to send him back down. Tons of talent there, he has outlived his time in the AHL, can't really learn anymore there, he needs to be playing against NHL'ers to take the next step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 Did you happen to notice Percy out there, if so, who was he paired with? I know he's in the line-up as an injury replacement, but I'm cheering for the guy to stick...or at least make it a tough decision to send him back down. Tons of talent there, he has outlived his time in the AHL, can't really learn anymore there, he needs to be playing against NHL'ers to take the next step. Can't really say that anything regarding Percy stood out in particular to me, @jammer2 .Then again, like I said, I didn't watch the game in it's entirety. I know the announcers were making some comments about him, about how he has his chance to make an impression, etc, etc...he did get some PP time and in fact, picked up a PP point, but honestly, I could not tell you about the kind of overall game he had last night, as I wasn't really looking at what he was doing when I did watch parts of that game. My attention was mostly on how the two defenses reacted to the opposing offenses as units rather than individual players, and both seemed like they needed some work in this opening tilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.