Just some notes from tonight's game:
The Good:
- Negrin played very well. He blocked at least three good shots. Good positioning all around.
- Bouma and Aliu are a perfect fit for each other. They complement each other's physicality and it seems like they always know where each other are. I'm liking the loan.
- Ortio played pretty darn good despite the 2 goals he allowed. He made a couple of big saves to keep his team in it. Probably the first time I've actually liked how he looked in net. Maybe all the time put in practice is paying off for him.
- Rheault scored twice and was good as usual.
- Nemisz played quite well even though he was stuck on a line half the game with Desbiens and Blackwater. The other half, he played with Walter and Kolanos and he looked good. Even scored a goal on that line.
- Bancks looked alright in his first game back. I swear he's going to injure himself again the way he plays. You couldn't tell he just came back from an injury haha.
The Bad:
- As I posted above, Howse left the game after he hit a guy. His arm went completely limp and it looked like either a break or a dislocation of some sort. I really feel bad for him because he's been working his ass off lately. Tough break.
- Taylor finally showed that he is human after all. He let in two rather easy goals on seven shots and that's why he was pulled.
- Henry made numerous mistakes in the form of turnovers out there, but also played okay during some parts of the game. Too bad it wasn't him who was traded instead of Mikkelson.
- The refereeing was atrocious. In the AHL, some games there's one ref and in some there's two. Tonight's game only had one and I understand it's difficult seeing everything that's going on, but man he made some awful calls. For example, the Heat were on a PP, the puck got flipped up and Blackwater grabbed the puck with his hand and put it down to his stick and the ref called him for closing his hand on the puck. Very lopsided officiating IMO.
- Ward must've been very disappointed in the effort tonight because he held a closed door meeting after the game. The post-game interviews were delayed, so Nemisz and Walter were late for their interviews. Ward was scheduled for an interview as well, but as far as I know he didn't show up.
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