Blues are a good team at forward once again. Very deep forward group that plays a strong two way game and can hurt you offensively. Defense still has some very strong pieces, but isn't as dominant as they once were. The one weak link is Allen, who is off to another questionable start with an .818 Sv% and a GAA of 4.91.
Shoot early, shoot often.
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Really looking forward to the follow-up game. If what we saw in Nashville was any indication, this is going to be another fun one.
Will be interesting to see how the 1st line does tonight. You'd have to think that there will be more focus on them tonight. It's also going to be interesting to watch Bennett tonight. He played well last game, and stayed off the scoresheets despite great efforts. If he brings that effort tonight, we could see the floodgates finally open for him.
I would play Smith again, as he's riding a high from the shutout. The coaches need to manage his playing time, but also need to bank points early on. IMO good teams like the Preds and Blues are much more vulnerable early in the season while they are still finding their grooves. Best to take advantage of that before they eventually start to shape into playoff contenders and points are more difficult to obtain.
Should be a good game. The Flames seem to be rounding into the form we all expected of them. This feels like uncharted territory for myself. I want to have faith they are finally entering the 'run' phase now that the rebuild is over after 5 seasons. But years of disappointment have made me very cautions. Let's see if the team can follow up 2 strong outings with another.
As great as it would be to see the first line and powerplay keep rolling, I am also hoping to see the secondary scoring kick in. The Backlund line has had some very impressive flashes and close calls, so hopefully Backlund and Czarnik can produce something.
Also, it would be fantastic to see Neal or Bennett pot a goal tonight. There have been some chances (Dube too), but Neal and Bennett are both streaky, so if they can get hot the Flames will be a handful for anyone and could be looking at a pretty great start to the season.
The Blues are always a decent team. O'Reilly was a great pick up for them and Tarasenko is one of the more dangerous players in the league. Looking forward to this one.
I would play Smith again, as he's riding a high from the shutout. The coaches need to manage his playing time, but also need to bank points early on. IMO good teams like the Preds and Blues are much more vulnerable early in the season while they are still finding their grooves. Best to take advantage of that before they eventually start to shape into playoff contenders and points are more difficult to obtain.
Should be a good game. The Flames seem to be rounding into the form we all expected of them. This feels like uncharted territory for myself. I want to have faith they are finally entering the 'run' phase now that the rebuild is over after 5 seasons. But years of disappointment have made me very cautions. Let's see if the team can follow up 2 strong outings with another.
I've kinda come around to playing Smith. If he needs a rest, playing him now and giving him Colorado (even if Smith posts another SO) gives him a longer rest. He'd get almost a full week off.
As great as it would be to see the first line and powerplay keep rolling, I am also hoping to see the secondary scoring kick in. The Backlund line has had some very impressive flashes and close calls, so hopefully Backlund and Czarnik can produce something.
Also, it would be fantastic to see Neal or Bennett pot a goal tonight. There have been some chances (Dube too), but Neal and Bennett are both streaky, so if they can get hot the Flames will be a handful for anyone and could be looking at a pretty great start to the season.
The Blues are always a decent team. O'Reilly was a great pick up for them and Tarasenko is one of the more dangerous players in the league. Looking forward to this one.
The 3M line playing well but not scoring last year was the biggest single reason the season went belly up in my mind.
This year?
Tkachuk off to a good start on the PP, but Backlund has zero points. Has to change. They're dominating but not scoring.
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I used to have a soft spot for the Blues. So many competitive teams, so few Stanley Cups. I don't think the O'Reilly trade made them better. Also, I can't tell if Allen is solid or garbage.
Looking for:
Neal to get going, hopefully with a goal. Bennett to keep up his strong play and hopefully get rewarded, I think he's been really good so far even with limited opportunities, which is exactly what we could have hoped for. Valimaki to continue his upward curve.