Gamethread: Wild vs. Blue Jackets (7:00 p.m.)

10 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Mojo needs to wear a letter

Blocked.

Wild win Number 1

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

That is a game the Wild had no reason to win.  Gus and the 2nd and 4th lines did all the work.  3rd line came on late, as the PP, and uh...Rossi as 1C has some work to do.  Sloppy ass defense, but Gus stole this.

Gonna need to be a lot better than a team who can barely beat CBJ at home. Nice game for Boldy. #1 star.

Need Kaprizov to have a faster start. The Boldy, Ek, Kaprizov line needs to come back.

Nice win boys

good game awards

Gus ***

MJ **

Boldy *

bad game awards

Trenin ***

Rossi **

Spurge *

 

 

Well, got the W and nobody got injured. I'll call it good enough for game 1. Thanks Gus. 

10 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

good game awards

Gus ***

MJ **

Boldy *

bad game awards

Trenin ***

Rossi **

Spurge *

I missed much of the 3rd period, but Johansson above Boldy seems unwarranted. Boldy was part of all 3 goals. Johansson made solid drop passes, but one of his assists was the most simple move the puck pass. The goal was all Boldy and JEE. His other assist was setup by Boldy getting him the puck deep in the zone and him dropping it to JEE. That was a better pass, but JEE was the far better player.

Definitely not too excited by the Kaprizov, Rossi, Zuccy line in the minutes I watched. They had a couple good shot opportunities, but Columbus also had a bunch of dangerous opportunities against them.

27 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Definitely not too excited by the Kaprizov, Rossi, Zuccy line in the minutes I watched.

Agree. In fairness Rossi has not had enough TOI with other two to develop chemistry, but this  line struggled.  If the Ek line continues to dominate, then I’ll suggest giving Khuz a few shifts at 1C.  Yes it’s still a small line but he may be able to see the game like 97 and 36 and not get lost every shift the way Rossi and Hartman sometimes do.  My bet though is that Hartman gets moved back to 1C

Performance’s like that are not going to make Guerin like Rossi more. 1 game, I know

Edited October 11 by Pewterschmidt

Rossi won't be solely judged by how many points he gets this year.  However, not playing with an edge when you're with the best player doesn't show off confidence.  That line should be doing what Ek's line did: tilt the game just by playing.

Kaprizov and (especially) Zuccarello will make up offensive ground on the PP.  Rossi doesn't have that luxury.

43 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I missed much of the 3rd period, but Johansson above Boldy seems unwarranted. Boldy was part of all 3 goals. Johansson made solid drop passes, but one of his assists was the most simple move the puck pass. The goal was all Boldy and JEE. His other assist was setup by Boldy getting him the puck deep in the zone and him dropping it to JEE. That was a better pass, but JEE was the far better player.

Definitely not too excited by the Kaprizov, Rossi, Zuccy line in the minutes I watched. They had a couple good shot opportunities, but Columbus also had a bunch of dangerous opportunities against them.

They both played well 🙂

and could of had a couple more!

keep at it

13 hours ago, Protec said:

First game of the year, okay we'll give NoJo a little wiggle-room. If he starts swinging his stick, and coasting though I'm ready to unleash the memes.

GREAT time to trade NoJo!

Good to get the win.  Some very encouraging things to take away, some other not so much.

That’s not a good team we played tonight.  It’s tough to read as players shake off the rust, and Columbus is clearly playing with some emotion.  But, if we consistently play like we did last night, it’ll be tough sledding.

It maybe could’ve been better than the final score looked.  Boldy and Ek looked good.  We won faceoffs.  We also missed on at least two breakaways.  Gus played a good game.

But, no player had more than 3 shots on goal.  The first line come out a minus.  Rossi got less than a minute of special teams ice time.  Outside of Ek, nobody was hitting anybody (Foligno had as many penalties as hits, and the 4th line had no hits).  We were outhit fairly significantly.  The forwards blocked on 3 shots (comparison, Winnipeg had 13 in their first game).  Columbus was carrying the puck and entering the offensive zone with ease a little too much.

Itll be interesting to see how things look the next couple of weeks.  They don’t have the easiest of schedules and this division is looking strong, as expected.  

45 minutes ago, Beast said:

Good to get the win.  Some very encouraging things to take away, some other not so much
Outside of Ek, nobody was hitting anybody (Foligno had as many penalties as hits, and the 4th line had no hits).  We were outhit fairly significantly.  The forwards blocked on 3 shots (comparison, Winnipeg had 13 in their first game).  Columbus was carrying the puck and entering the offensive zone with ease a little too much.

Itll be interesting to see how things look the next couple of weeks.  They don’t have the easiest of schedules and this division is looking strong, as expected.  

The hits don’t have to be big bruisers. It’s a matter of separation from the puck and creating turnovers. Ek was the recipient of a passing play created by CBJ player doing a NoJo and just poking his stick at one and missing. That was a blunder but MN needs to make their opportunities. More assertive hockey needed.

3 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Rossi won't be solely judged by how many points he gets this year.  However, not playing with an edge when you're with the best player doesn't show off confidence. 

Agree.  This is Rossi's chance to show up big and claim the prize (big contract offer), and that did not happen in game 1.  We're going to find out how short his leash is if he cannot deliver with 97 on his wing.