NYI/Bruins - I didnt see alot of this game but NYI didnt back down from Boston. Quite the fight with Lucic and Carkner......along with Boulton in the line-up for the Isle, can were able to match up toughness wise.....something they havent been able to do for years. Boston did pull away at the end but this game went a very long way in showing that NYI are going to be tough to play each night.
Canes/Sabres - I was really surprised by this game. Canes had the Sabres chasing them for a good portion of the night......Canes dominated the faceoff circle and it was the Sabres downfall. Wide open game with a ton of shots. Special teams for the Canes made the difference in the 3rd period.
Caps/Devils - Oates scratched Poti and Hamrlik in this one and moved AO back to his natural position LW. It still wasnt enough........Caps really lack grit on this team, outside of Erskine and Chimera there isnt much edge on this team and to play in the East they are going to need to address this. Personally I think GM McPhee needs to go, how many more coaches can this guy through? He is the architect of the product put on the ice and it's a mess! Devils continue to play a flawless system and DeBoer is one of the better coaches in the league, getting way more out of his team each night!
Wild/Wings - Didnt see a single minute of this game.
Sens/Lightning - Plain and simple, Bishop was miserable in this game and was the difference between the Sens winning and losing. Ottawa continues to get scoring from all 4 lines and on defense. TB played a resilient game coming back from behind to win a wild affair. The Lightning defense is atrocious though......too much finesse on the back end and Lindback is not a franchise goalie, something Yzerman was hoping when he got him from Minny. If Anderson had been in goal for Ottawa, we would be talking about another Sens win.
Jets/Pens - Jets continue to get it done at home like they did last year. They really draw off the crowd and after getting behind 2-0, they stayed the course and imposed their will on Pitt. Pens have a bit of a soft defense and they allowed the Jets forwards to drive the net far too much. Pens will have to address this glaring problem by the deadline.
Nucks/Ducks - I turned this one off after the 2nd period. Revenge was sweet for the Nucks after getting hammered on homeice last week. The one thing that stood out to me in this game was the amount of PP Vancouver got compared to Anaheim. Nucks went 3 of 9, while Ducks were 0 for 2. Personally, when refs make a game soooo one sided with penalty calls, it makes you wonder!
Canes/Sabres - I was really surprised by this game. Canes had the Sabres chasing them for a good portion of the night......Canes dominated the faceoff circle and it was the Sabres downfall. Wide open game with a ton of shots. Special teams for the Canes made the difference in the 3rd period.
Caps/Devils - Oates scratched Poti and Hamrlik in this one and moved AO back to his natural position LW. It still wasnt enough........Caps really lack grit on this team, outside of Erskine and Chimera there isnt much edge on this team and to play in the East they are going to need to address this. Personally I think GM McPhee needs to go, how many more coaches can this guy through? He is the architect of the product put on the ice and it's a mess! Devils continue to play a flawless system and DeBoer is one of the better coaches in the league, getting way more out of his team each night!
Wild/Wings - Didnt see a single minute of this game.
Sens/Lightning - Plain and simple, Bishop was miserable in this game and was the difference between the Sens winning and losing. Ottawa continues to get scoring from all 4 lines and on defense. TB played a resilient game coming back from behind to win a wild affair. The Lightning defense is atrocious though......too much finesse on the back end and Lindback is not a franchise goalie, something Yzerman was hoping when he got him from Minny. If Anderson had been in goal for Ottawa, we would be talking about another Sens win.
Jets/Pens - Jets continue to get it done at home like they did last year. They really draw off the crowd and after getting behind 2-0, they stayed the course and imposed their will on Pitt. Pens have a bit of a soft defense and they allowed the Jets forwards to drive the net far too much. Pens will have to address this glaring problem by the deadline.
Nucks/Ducks - I turned this one off after the 2nd period. Revenge was sweet for the Nucks after getting hammered on homeice last week. The one thing that stood out to me in this game was the amount of PP Vancouver got compared to Anaheim. Nucks went 3 of 9, while Ducks were 0 for 2. Personally, when refs make a game soooo one sided with penalty calls, it makes you wonder!
