I didn't see either of the split-squad games, so it was good to be able to see some of the young guys in action. Overall, a pretty disappointing game considering the weak Canucks line up and giving up the lead.
Gillies: some spectacular saves but overall I don't think it was a great night for him. I doubt that he put himself into the back up conversation. That behind the back save was incredible though, and a few of his pad saves in close were great. Hopefully he has a great year in the AHL and comes back to challenge next season for a spot.
Kulak: other than the great play he made on a defensive 3 on 1, his game actually made me a little bit concerned about the third pairing. I thought he struggled for a lot of the game and I doubt he can be happy with what he brought tonight.
Kylington: I thought he played pretty well actually. He took a few hits to make plays, showed his speed well, made some good passes. He wasn't perfect but I thought he looked a lot closer than he did last year.
Lomberg: just awesome. I love his game and think that his speed and tenacity really give him a shot to be an energy guy.
Hrvik: bigger than I thought he would be and he really showed off some good hands at one point early in the game. Overall he wasn't great, but I thought Backlund and Frolik were playing at about 60%. I'd like to see him in some of the later exhibition games.
Jankowski: I liked his game for the most part. He's pretty effective at using his absurd reach to keep the puck away from defenders and make plays. Really nice finish off a great pass from Versteeg.
Foo: definitely not the night he needed to show the coaches that he has to be on the team, but I thought there were some positives. He's got the speed to compete in the league and as the game went on he seemed to be trying to get more creative. At this rate though he'll be playing in Stockton (which is okay... he looks like he needs some pro seasoning).
Dube: I think he's got pretty much everything except for size. Looks like an excellent prospect. Picked up a couple more assists tonight.
Lazar: not really sure what his skillset is supposed to be after watching him since joining the Flames. None of his tools really stand out to me and I think that is a pretty big problem. There are other young players in the organization that can do what he is doing, but they can score or get under the opposition's skin or jet past people. I'm sure he'll get a few more games and hopefully he will show more as the exhibition season moves along.
Andersson: thought he was pretty good (as I usually do). He'd be my pick for the 6th D. His hockey sense is the best of the young guys as far as I can tell and I don't think that there is a big gap between any of them overall physically.
That's about it. Here's hoping they can win the next one and get some positive momentum going. Still some good performances but wins are always better.
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