- We saw the best outings from Hinostroza, Hartman, Panik and Fortin, so far. Hino' appeared to slow things down a little and it made him more effective, as he took that extra fraction-of-a-second to look for a play rather than simply storm toward the net. Hartman had a strong game, but I'm still unsure that he's among the dozen-best forwards available who aren't Tootoo or Mashinter. Panik was Panik, and it worked in this case, but let's not get too excited; his goal was an absolutely perfectly placed shot, which might occur once in 200 tries for the hardworking forward. The hockey media is, somehow, still talking Panik up as a potential linemate for Toews but, if that's even remotely a good idea, then why not Desjardins? They each fill a similar role and Des', as impossible at it sounds, may have the better hands. Panik works at a higher speed but are they really all that different when you look at what they each accomplish? I am not advocating for Des' to end up on Toews' line, but picture Desjardins on Toews wing and tell me if Panik really belongs there, too.
Fortin has spent the preseason buzzing around, looking industrious as hell, but too often trying to do it all himself. His infrequent pass attempts have been poor, his vigor has often left him out of position after his solo charges down the wing & behind the net fail, and he's been a chucker of the highest order. One can see the urgency with which he's approaching his duties and, if what he's doing works, that's great, but when it fails to provide a result it just appears...I dunno...desperate. Last night he tried to do a little less and accomplished a little more.
- Gustav Forsling is just so damned poised. I'm unsurprised that Gustafsson was dispatched to Rockford, as Forsling provides everything Goose brings, but better. He's quicker, more precise and makes far better choices. Goose is a little bigger but has played as if he were a smaller man, anyway, so he'll get no credit for size. Forsling belongs in the lineup, every night, but more on that in a little bit.
The Bad
- Jordin Tootoo. I guess there's way to get out of this, is there?
- TVR. Oh I wish, how I wish, I could believe that The Hawks will play their six best defensemen on opening night...and beyond. I keep telling myself that I need to understand that TVR will stick, he'll play, and there's nothing I can do about it, but it's not easy when he just sucks nine nights out of ten. This is the reason Ville Pokka isn't getting a longer look...not Forsling or Kempny, but The Hawks wasting a lineup spot on that slug, TVR.
The Indifferent
- Nick Schmaltz. Yes, I do see that he tipped-in a goal last night but, apart from that, what's he done? I like his puck control and his apparent confidence, but I have to say that he's being outshone by Motte, Hino' and even Fortin.
- The Hawks packed a tour bus with guys heading to Rockford. As mentioned, above, the only sorta surprise there was Pokka, but it is pretty crowded on defense, he's not going to supplant TVR or Rozsie, so he may as well get busy in Rockford. Well, at least there's no longer any sign of Kero, Baun or Svedberg. The only remaining fellas with no apparent shot at the lineup are Mark McNeill and Ivan Nalimov.
Other News
- Cody Hodgson, age 26, retired from hockey. There was a time that I would have taken gleeful delight in any scenario in which the Canucks fail, but this is actually a pretty sad story. Thanks to an alleged misdiagnosis of a back injury and subsequent nerve damage, Hodgson was compromised physically and in terms of his confidence at arguably the worst possible time in a young player's career. The guy shoulda coulda been great.
- Barrett Jackman. I couldn't be more pleased that this mouth-breather's long con has come to an end, as I'm pretty sure the Best Before date on this goof reads "2009".
No comments:
Post a Comment