That was a great game to be at last night. First and foremost, we were all there for Juice. I'm glad we got the opportunity to thank him. Great little ceremony for Bieksa and honestly, a great gift by giving him that piece of the stanchion
Things I noticed watching them in person:
1. For the first half of the game or so, they could hardly string together 2-3 clean passes to each other. Incredibly frustrating to watch because so many of those were no look passes to no one in particular. They really struggled to get anything going and were fortunate to tie the game up at the end of the first.
2. Petey was an absolute force out there from beginning to end. Every shift he had, no matter which end of the ice, he was effective. Once Mikheyev and Kuzmenko got into a rhythm, things finally clicked and we saw a bunch of goals. Petey led them there.
3. This team would be shit without Bo. He may be a quiet leader, but he absolutely leads by example. Plus, literally no one else on the team is above 50% on FOs. He's out there all the time to try and win possession for us.
4. Miller is still not on his game. Prior to his goal, he was playing like dog shit. He's better than this and I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.
5. The defense, holy fuck it's bad. OEL looks like he lacks any sort of confidence most of the time. There was one moment where OEL found himself alone in the Duck's zone and instead of taking a shot he just threw up a floater towards Gibson.
Stillman is what he is I suppose but yeesh. I don't understand why he's being played in favour of others.
Meyers had that monster hit which was nice but he always falls afterwards. Really wish he would make good use of his size more often. For someone who's a literal giant, he doesn't seem to put fear into his opponents.
Hughes is doing everything he can to help this team win. Honestly, it seems like sometimes he does too much because he knows he has to be the one driving the play. It often leads to defensive breakdowns because the people who are supposed to cover him simply fuck it up with bad decisions.
Bear I actually thought played well last night. Physical, able to make the break out pass. If he can improve his game during the course of this season, he may actually be a bit of a steal for us. I see some good potential in him.
6. The fourth line actually plays well for us. I have to admit, I was skeptical when they didn't re-sign our guys from last season but these guys have been a nice little surprise. Any time a fourth line can be physical as well as contribute offensively, you can't ask for anything more. We need it and they delivered.
7. Kuzmenko! Chants of KUUUUUUUUZ were loud in the building. When I first saw videos of him skating with local kids and during training camp, I could see that this is a real likeable guy. Such positive vibes from him almost all the time. It was a real privilege to see his first NHL hat trick in person. The whole bench was ecstatic for him. Great sight to see. Just seeing the look on his face as he soaked in the adoration of the crowd was amazing. I hope this guy sticks around with us!
Forgot to add, as great as last night was, let's be real for a second. The Ducks are a terrible team right now so we absolutely should have won. We also gave up 5 goals to a shitty team and couldn't kill penalties again. I don't count the one at the end because time ran out before the penalty did lol. This was great for their confidence and hopefully they can start to build up some momentum heading into other games.