Preseason game #1 is in the books and after going down by 2 quick goals the Jackets battled back to take a 3-2 lead in the 3rd only to give up another two quick goals. So much going "undefeated" in preseason.
Okay so onto the review.
This season I'm rolling out the "stoplight" for my game reviews. Basically GREEN is great. YELLOW is okay. RED is bad.
Its really hard to get a read on the game through the radio but I'll give it a whirl.
STOPLIGHT GAME REVIEW
GREEN
* The kids were alright. From the sounds of it Derek Brassard was the best player on the ice just like he's been in camp. Jakub Voracek also sounded like he played very well. Sestito and Dorsett did their jobs while Kris Russell played good D and moved the puck well.
* Speaking of Russell - he led all players with over 24 minutes of ice time. Backman was second with over 23.
* Jason Chimera seemed to show well notching a goal playing with the kids while also giving Cam Barker a beat down. Speaking of Barker what was with him being Mr. Tough Guy tonight?
* Novonty and Picard with goals. Nice start for them to get on the board.
* Boys battled back from a 2 goal deficit to make a game of it.
* Hey, the did score 3 goals which is usually a win for this club.
* Blackhawks crowd was announced as a sellout. Although I did read you could get $2 tickets on stubhub to the game. Regardless it creates a nice buzz even if they are giving seats away. This is something the Jackets brass should look hard at -- the preseaon is the place to discount tickets and get new fans to come out and get em hooked...
YELLOW
* Sounded like Norrena made some good saves tonight. Not sure if the goals he let in were weak or not.
* Didn't hear much out of York tonight. Not much out of the defense either but again its hard to translate defensive play over the radio.
* Boll with only 13 minutes. You have to think Hitch limited his ice time so he didn't start throwing down out there with his still healing hand.
RED
* The powerplay did not sound sharp. Not much generated on a 5 minute major.
* Same with the PK. They allowed 2 PP goals including a critical one that tied the game up in the 3rd.
* George & Bill. I appreciate that you get all excited but when there is no TV could you please describe the play and what's going in more detail. I still don't know why Bolerice got that 5 minute major.
* Gave up 4 goals. LaCosta didn't sound particularly sharp out there.
* No live video streaming. In this day in age there is absolutely no excuse why these preseason games, especially on the road, are not streamed live over the net. None. This is mature cost effective technology here folks - lets use it!
3 Bright Lights on the Night
1. Vorack and Brass -- kids sounded like they made some magic out there tonight
2. Chimera -- goal and a fight in preseason
3. Dorsett/Sestito -- did their jobs out there
It will be interesting to hear what Hitch has to say about this one and I'm sure there are some bright spots and some things that need worked on. Remember though that as he said in the pre-game interivew, these first 4 games are about evaluating individuals while the final 4 are about evaluating the team.
That said I still wanted to win this game as I'm sure he did as well especially after digging out from a 2 goal deficit to take the lead in the third. The Jackets young 'D' that played in this one needs to learn to close out this kind of game.
Next up is Minnesota tomorrow at 8 EST.
-LTL
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Youth is served in preseason loss
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21 comments:
I didn't catch the game (doing a fantasy hockey draft - landed Nash and Huselius with a shot at Brassard as a prospect!) but just checked out the game recap and it looks like there was a lot of rough stuff - 3 fights and 3 misconducts!
I can't wait for the season to start!
I live in Chi-town and attended the game. Some very brief notes.
- Vorechek setup for Picard was a beautiful backhand pass across the crease.
- It is very apparent that Russell is a lot stronger on the puck and in the corners.
- Sesito went toe to toe with Boulrice getting in some nice pops...that is until he got smacked down with a right...best fight of the night in what was a very scrappy game...especially the 1st period.
- Did not notice York or Backman the entire evening...don't think that's a good thing.
Clay Wilson also had a nice shot from the point which Novotny deflected for his goal.
Thanks for the notes Todd. I know its only one game but I really hope Backman can give us more -- especially on the PP.
-LTL
I liked this comment from the Dispatch summary of the game...
Brassard took a 100-foot pass from defenseman Christian Backman along the Blue Jackets' board, then fired a quick pass to Voracek, who was skating in through the right faceoff circle. With Chimera to his left, Voracek drew the Chicago defender's attention and slid a nifty pass through the slot to Chimera for a tap-in.
The first sentence got me excited, and it's good to see the play started in the Defensive zone, and was sent forward with a pass. Not a forward coming back and carrying the puck all the way up ice.
Any news yet on a stream for tonight's game ???
Having the NHL play-by-play and stats sheet is nice... but you can't get a feel for the game and individual performances... and I agree the radio commentary is not very enlightening.
Anyways, the thing that stood out to me stat wise... is Backman 1 GIVEAWAY... something we have heard from Rangers/Blues fans over and over again (Great skater/puck handler but has a tendency to be soft and also for poor decision making, is it lack of Hockeysense?).. also Murray 1 Takeaway, once again it appears he's putting in the extra effort and doing the little things.. Other notable stats, Tollefson has 0 hits/fights, that's very unlike Tollefson, are injuries nagging him?? .. York 1 attempt blocked in 18 minutes of play...not sure what to think of that..
The thing i took away from this game is if you look at who Chicago was playing, they basically had their top two D pairings playing. With that in mind our "B" squad with Murray, Brass, Jake and Chimera put up 3 goals!!!!!!
Granted neither the Hawks had about 11 mil in goalies up in the press box but that still tells me that Chicago is not as strong defensively as they are being billed to be.
Yeah, I know that the Blackhawks had their better forwards and Dmen in the game last night, but then they put out their third-tier goalie. Hard to get a read on the Jackets, but I was also disappointed that York didn't seem very active in the game last night. I'm looking forward to seeing them play at Nationwide on Friday night!
Here is the list of regulars/starters with the games played first and then the minutes played in yesterdays game..
As pointed out top D-men Duncan and Seabrook logged 17 minutes, Sharp a top line winger logged 15. Barker 2/3rd line d-man logged 13. Bolland a 2/3 center logged 12. Kane played 15 and Campbell was playing 14...
That's some pretty good D out there for Chicago, I guess they are worried about there Defense this year and are trying to create chemistry early in the season..
2 D Duncan Keith 82
2 D KEITH, DUNCAN 17:24
7 D Brent Seabrook 82
7 D SEABROOK, BRENT 17:54
10 L Patrick Sharp 80
10 R SHARP, PATRICK 15:00
22 R Troy Brouwer 2
22 R BROUWER, TROY 13:31
25 D Cam Barker 45
25 D BARKER, CAMERON 13:44
29 L Bryan Bickell 4
29 L BICKELL, BRYAN 9:42
32 L Kris Versteeg 13
32 R VERSTEEG, KRIS 9:16
34 C Petri Kontiola 12
34 C KONTIOLA, PETRI 14:14
36 C Dave Bolland 39
36 C BOLLAND, DAVE 12:09
46 C Colin Fraser 5
46 C FRASER, COLIN 8:26
51 D CAMPBELL, BRIAN 14:20
88 R Patrick Kane 82
88 R KANE, PATRICK 15:12
It's a joke to even consider charging full admission for a preseason game anyway... Who are you going to watch? A bunch of (no name) guys still figthing for a roster spot? It was great that Kane was out there, but not many of regular guys. Lottery for free tickets... I'm not sure how many non-fans would bother to watch it on their computers. They could wait until the season starts and watch on FSN.
Backman has one giveaway and now he is EXACTLY what we have feared? Come on. I heard that he was a lot better in his own end that people expected. The fact that he could execute a 100 foot pass and that we have a forward with the skill to accept it is also encouraging.
George and Bill are very poor and don't provide much insight into what is happening on the ice, but when you don't have anything else I guess...
Everyone who can go to the game vs. Nashville on friday you ought to go. I have been told that the lineup on friday is going to be a pretty good one.
Don't count out CHI's goalie Crawford, he did get a shutout against Anaheim last season in his first full nhl game.
I was also at the game last night (I got my 3rd-row-from-the-ice-ticket from TicketsNow for $38 - face value said $75, and I don't think that's a regular season price. If I knew about the $2 tickets I may have went for them)
The goals that went past Norrena were not soft goals to me. He went on to make some great saves after being plowed into the boards by Tollefsen & Kane. I can't tell about LaCosta's let-ins though, since I was at a bad angle on the other side of the rink.
I was really impressed by Voracek & Brassard's speed on the ice. Sestito & Dorsett were really plowing the 'Hawks into the boards.
I thought Backman & Tollefsen did alright with D. I wasn't impressed by anyone else personally.
PP & PK really needs working on with this lineup.
Anonymous,
Calm down, you have been getting on me lately.. you are right, it is just one game and in a mix-and-match lineup. I just thought it was ironic that he would be the only Jacket to achieve that stat, and I was trying to point out that I hope it doesn't continue..I apologize if I seem to negative at times, but we need to have something to gossip/talk about. The dispatch blog even describes him as: "high-risk player who could drive Hitchcock nuts". Personally I believe that Backman has some serious offensive skill as a D-man, but also some defensive flaws. I think with Hitch as coach, he can probably improve Backman significantly by teaching him how to play in the Hitch-system. If he responds and steps up, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being one of our top 3 defensemen this year.. Being from northern Europe myself, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Backman flourishes under a strict and systematic coach.
Perhaps Erik. But bothering to bring up 1 giveaway as if it's an indication of anything?
Look up ironic.
Taking the work of the Dispatch blog is flawed at best. Much like listening to the Rangers fans.
So far I have seen him in 1 practice and from a couple of games early last year. Hardly enough to form any real opinion.
I enjoy talking hockey, but trying to discuss something from a posistion of ignorance is pretty pointless. I would like to have real data, not a bunch of hearsay.
Hey erik--I am the first anonymous that spoke up (not the 2nd one that is responded to you just below your comment--that guy was harsh!).
I didn't mean to come across as jumping on you specifically (I actually didn't even pay attention to who wrote that about his giveaway stat) so I apologize if it came off like that. This isn't the only place that I had read something similar about Backman but it just happens to be the only place I wrote about it so it all came out! I read the same garbage over at puckrakers about him and I have about had enough.
I know someone who is neighbors with a former teammate of Backman's in St. Louis (that player is no longer a Blue either) and he had nothing but good things to say about Backman as a player. What he DID say was that Andy Murray..well, to put it nicely...didn't help Backman much.
I am not going to put too much stock into what Rangers fans have to say about the guy since he was only there for 18 games. It is hardly enough time to clean up any messes that were there or had been made previously by the former coaching staff.
I am actually really excited about what I see as untapped potential in Backman. If there is a coach who can get it out of him it will be Hitchcock and I think our 'throw in' player in the Zherdev trade has the potential to have other people in the hockey world saying: what the hell got into him!
From everything I heard about the game last night he was very good and much better than what they thought he would be in his own end.
I find it very difficult to come up with any reasonable assessments or judgements coming from the stat sheet or even from George and Bill. They will play up who they want to play up and the 'view' is very jaded.
Wow, that first anonymous really has some issues.... not quite sure how to respond to that.
Sure he's right 1 giveaway doesn't indicate anything, we probably can't get a good feel for Backman until he has at least played 5-10 regular season games. I am merely trying to dissect the first glimpse of Backman, yes we don't know much, and what we do know is fairly negative and hearsay. We don't have enough yet to form an opinion, especially since he has to adapt to a new city/coach and system.
BTW Ironic - The words ironic, irony, and ironically are sometimes used of events and circumstances that might better be described as simply "coincidental" or "improbable," in that they suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly.
So yes I thought it was Ironic that the one thing we do know (from hearsay/puckrakers/hockey writers, his poor decision making) becomes reality in his first game.
Look sure, as Blue Jackets fans what we know about Backman right now are opinions of Hockey writers and fans. I would say about 80% agree with each other on this subject... they are opinions... It's just ironic that he has a turnover in his first game..(especially since statistically he's only had 1 or 2 turnovers in his entire NHL career.)
Lighten up, I just love to discuss hockey from a position of comlete and utter ignorance.
For instance I keep reading that Iginla might be the best power forward in the league, we all know those are just ignorant opinions... we all know he sucks, right.
BTW, thanks 2nd Anonymous, I completely agree with you.
LTL, keep up the good work, I love a spirited discussion.
Ah its hockey season baby! Great stuff everyone.
As far as Backman I'm not gonna lie... I have my doubts about him... my expectations are that he will be a Hainsey clone (and I wasn't a Hainsey fan) but if he performs over my personal benchmark for him (I know many share other opinions) I will be pleasantly surprised and thrilled.
We really need him to shine, especially on the PP, so I'm certainly rooting for him.
-LTL
Love the Stoplight review format, LTL.
Hey Erik--friendly anonymous here:
Sure, he might have had the one giveaway, but there were ample other things that he did in his own zone that they don't keep stats for.
An example is the 100 foot pass to Brassard that lead to the goal was something that he didn't get credit for but certainly sounds like he deserved.
Just reading all the speculation about the players that gets gleaned from what they heard over the radio or by reading stats sheets really irks me for some reason.
Listening to the description of the players from someone who was there last night has been, in many cases, a lot different than the impressions people have formed via radio and stats. When people bag on a player when it isn't warranted irritates me.
For me it generally takes a long time to formulate a negative view on a player even if there is some tangible things to back it up. It takes time before I am down on them. I guess I have a forgiving nature!
I always have a hopeful view of what they will be capable of and am excited to see what they bring. That is why Backman is intruiging to me. First round pick, never really lived up to it, yet has exactly the elements that we need.
There are very few players who I actually carry 'expectations' for. A guy like Nash is a player who you just know will be good, but I don't view those as expectations...'more like, he is just a good player and that is what he does'.
There are some players I get more excited for than others or there are some that I really pull for (York) to bring more than people think they will, but if they don't do it, I don't feel let down as a result. Does that make sense?
Irony.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irony
The "event" was not "improbable". It wasn't even "coincidental". (a noteworthy alignment of two or more events or circumstances without obvious causal connection)
If he had made it all preseason without a giveaway, that would have been closer to ironic.
Lighten up? Just saying, quit reading the "experts" and building a preconceived notion. Watch him and build your own opinion. Be a Shepherd, not one of the sheep.
Comparing Iginla and Backman is not really fair. Try looking up the book on Hainsey. You'll get a lot of differing opinions because people value different things and he's not watched as much by.. well.. pretty much everyone. Hainsey and Backman are both flawed. The common eye can pick out and wants to watch the games elite players.
Friday can't get here soon enough.
anonymous,
Sorry I get too much enjoyment out of irritating easily irritated people, my apologies. I haven't seen a single frame of footage, of course I can't make a judgement whatsoever.. Anyways I really have a good feeling that Backman might be Howsen's new Hedja... a solid pickup that performed beyond expectations.. Anyways lighten up... everyone's a sheppard and Hainsey, yeah not a big fan...
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