But from what I saw the team looked better than they have lately. It seemed that they skated hard the entire game and hustled. They went after the loose pucks along the boards and threw their weight around nicely.
The all rookie line of Osala, Perrault, and Bouchard again played extremely well. How this line is not the #1 line yet I don't know but they sure have played like it. Bouchard earned his 4th goal of the season 2 minutes into the game after Perrault stole the puck from a Phantom and set him up in the slot.
Chris Bourque also played much better last night as he assisted on Mink's goal and then added the eventual game winner a little bit later for a nice 2 point night.
Varlamov played pretty well in net only allowing 2 goals on 24 shots. I am sure he would want the short handed goal back as it just trickled through him and fell into the goal. But he was big the rest of the night.
But the defense also played very well and seem to have stepped up their game some.
My Three Stars of the Game:
- Chris Bourque - a goal and an assist will get you 1st star most days
- Mathieu Perrault - no one skated as hard or hustled more than he did
- Sean Collins - probably the best defenseman last night, he made some big plays on the blue line
Grading the Performance:
Offense - B - 3 goals is good but there outta be more when you take 39 shots. The power play looked MUCH better as they took more shots and had many good opportunities and even tallied a goal on 6 attempts. Some players still bothered by their slump but Minker broke through his and Bourque did too.
Defense - B - The shorty came with Bourque on defense and it was probably a soft goal but other than that I thought the defense played very solid. Nothing flashy but that is what you want to see. Patty McNeill has really found a place on this team. Him and Sean Collins are going to be regulars in the lineup no matter who is with the team.
Goaltending - B - 22 saves on 24 shots is good. The shorty wasn't but as long as you stop almost all the other shots you can have 1 redo a night. Can he handle a second game in a 3 game weekend? I suspect we are going to find out.
Power Play - B - A lot better. Taking more shots instead of just passing around waiting for the perfect play.
Penalty Kill - ? - Only had to play 2 times but they didn't allow a goal so that was good.
Overall - B - A good game but more importantly a complete game. They never seemed to stop playing and were always near the puck. This is the way a hockey team should play....with intensity and urgency NO MATTER the record or the talent on a team.
Next up is Philly again...this time at home.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
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