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Originally Posted by belsarius
Good write-up. I thought after reading the PGT I was on crazy pills seeing some positives.
I thought Johnson did great, Miller did better. I saw some really good opportunites by the Flames stymied by good goaltending. I don't think it was all dom and gloom on the offense. I think we saw something more like GG's system tonight, good puck pressure, holding out blueline and making Vancouver work for every inch. The game tying play where the first line got trapped and tired out I think can be blamed a lot on the 3rd game in 4 nights. It may be early in the season and they should be fresh but it also means they aren't quite in game shape yet and I think the rested Canucks took advantage of it.
First line still looks out of joint but it was good to see the fire in Gaudreau in the third and some sparks of what to expect soon. I was happy with the line shuffling and thought Ferland was having a strong game early and deserved the move to Bennett's line. I also didn't take it as a shot against Tkachuk who I thought played another good game for a rookie. Make smart decisions with the puck, still got PP time and I thought him and Chaisson really made that fourth line effective, Stajan however I would rather see replaced with Hamilton.
Backlund and Frolik still looking good. Versteeg has been very meh to me as have Gio and Brodie. Not as dominate as they have been in the past. Kulak looked comfortable and Dougie was able to get some offensive chances and probably a goal if Miller wasn't on. Engelland in these first three games has really changed my opinion of him, he may not be as good as Regher in his prime but thats the role he is filling right now and I think he is doing a great job at it, best defenseman on the team at doing his role.
I really liked what I saw system wise, the players need more time to gel for everything to become effective and some days off and practice should do that. Training camp ended up a waste and unfortunately these three games are how it should have ended. Less concerned about the team this year after tonight than after game 1.
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Totally agree with this post, except for the bolded part. The top line was getting hemmed in their own end by the Canucks top line all game. What has been concerning to me is that the opposition so far (albeit only two teams) has chosen to match up their top line vs. our top line....and that strategy has worked with our top line losing that battle. JG has been held pointless on the road again..though I agree that he played pretty well in the second period.