Post by burn on Sept 23, 2008 12:59:13 GMT -5
If Jason Blake can continue passing the way he was last night rather then take all those perimeter shots, he will have a good season.
It's funny that you say that because when he made his first pass and it almost resulted in a goal, I turned and looked at my buddies and said... "he passes?" lol
As for what Burn's been saying, I had a little chat with Alec yesterday about what to expect from Kulemin and everything I talked to him about happened last night. Kulemin will be a great 2nd to 3rd line player this year but might be upstaged by the now NHL-READY John Mitchell. That kid is big and fast and looks like he has a bit more talent than Chad Kilger.
Carlo seems to be back in form and when he scored that goal, I thought he got injured on the boards right before it. On the replay, it just showed him standing awkwardly looking for the puck, so that's a relief. Great shot though.
And what about Dominic Moore threading the opener? Man that was slick.
Tlusty is definitely making a case for top line winger. He's thriving under Wilson's new approach.
And I like how the defense are just confidently getting the puck to the neutral zone and letting the speed of the forwards do the dirty work. Very good system.
Looking forward to Wednesday's game when Luke Schenn is expected to play the whole game against Malkin and Crosby.
I liked Blake's game last night. That was what I was hoping for last year. Showed the speed, a bit of grit (he did get easily knocked off the puck though), and didn't take 40ft wristers with nobody in front of the net. In fact Blake wasn't credited with any shots. If he keeps it up, I'll be happy.
I only really noticed Kulemin once or twice last night. He seemed OK when I saw him, but those 2 times I noticed him for a second aren't really enough. I look forward to seeing more of Kulemin and seeing him with better players (He practiced with Steen and Hagman). Hopefully after he gets acclimated to the NHL style and to his linemates he'll start to show more. The biggest thing is that he grows as a player and that by the end of the year he's better than he was at the start. With Wilson, I think that that will happen.
I thought John Mitchell was really good last night. I liked his hussle and his size. He was terrific for the Marlies during the playoffs. I think that he'll definitely get in some NHL games this year. If he doesn't make the team out of camp he'll be the first call-up, I'd think. The only thing I'm worried about is loosing him on waivers if we send him down. Does anyone know if he's waiverable?? Is he on a one-way?? I can't find out.