Alrighty, just got home.
To sum up the game: boy against men. This was definitely our B team our against their A team. They wanted to impress for their home (preseason) opener, and they did. They outworked us even though they probably didn't have to given the talent difference.
I saw ghoste wanted me to watch
Esposito, so i watched him in the second and third. He didn't get a ton of ice time, but when he did, he was nothing special. He's got speed, but there's just something missing. I'm not sure if it's drive, hockey IQ or what, but he just hasn't put it together yet.
Huberdeau is the real deal. The kid was pretty much the only guy who belonged out on the ice tonight, aside from maybe Guds, Goc and Santorelli. He also got a TON of ice time since we had so many PPs early on. He's just got great vision, it's really a treat to watch him.
Guds looked good. Not spectacular, but it's not like it was an even matchup tonight. But he definitely looked like he belonged, so that was good to see. He didn't throw many hits at all, but he played strong in his own zone and was even the first man in on some dump-ins on the PP. He's looking good on his skates, which is important.
Goc had a strong game. He got a bunch of ice time centering Reino and Hubs on the PP. There was on play where he drove hard on the goal line, took a hit that bounced off of him and retrieved the puck for a jam-in chance. He also showed some surprisingly nice hands and good skating.
Santorelli looked strong in his skating, but his hands couldn't keep up with his feet. 3 or 4 times he lost the puck while simply skating, or making small dekes. But that's something that is to be expected in a preseason game. He'll get it together and have a strong season.
Matthias played a banging 3rd line type of game tonight. He worked hard and was trolling around the net. Looked pretty good to me. Through the body around.
Ellerby looks alright. He wasn't hitting too much until later in the game. I would've liked to see him meaner, but again, the whole team was completely outmatched.
Guds and Ellerby were paired up for most of the game.
Markstrom had a pretty rough game. He looked shaky the whole game, and had he played a bit better, that would've been a close game. He's gotta work on coming out to challenge the shooter more. Also, his legs need to get quicker, but that's to be expected from a guy coming off ACL surgery. A full season in the AHL will really help this kid's development. It's pretty imperative that he stay healthy all year.
Skille was pretty invisible until the third. His goal came on a nice shot low, glove-side. After that, he was very noticeable, getting into the corners and controlling the puck well. Same with
Repik. He didn't look out of place, but he wasn't impressive at all. Then he scored, and he really turned on the jets. His goal was a flukey play. He drove behind the net and sent it out in front. The puck went off Roloson's skate and right into the net.
Also, Strachan-Deryluk is the pairing of the future.
