better energy level today, and he was rewarded for it. hustled hard. challenged defenders. greater physical focus. bit more of a dump and chase style but it worked, he was pressuring on the forecheck
scored his first SHL goal after a heavy battle for position in front, modo D were giving it to him. goal was pretty greasy, jumped on a bouncing puck that was shot into traffic, but he showed good anticipation/timing on when to spin out of the way/position himself for a rebound
had a couple really good setups, too. first one, puck shot past modo D at the blue line and traff raced up the ice to get it near the corner. sauced it over a defender's stick to find his linemate crashing the net. second one, traff had the puck around the top of the faceoff circle, shot it toward his teammate out front looking for a redirect, connected but sent high
puck possession showed some bobbles per usual but i liked the ideas today. tried to be evasive in transition. slipped around coverage, kept the puck moving, shielded it pretty well. some great possessions down low, too. high intensity, incorporated a lot of cutbacks. didnt generate much in terms of chances but you can see how it would wear down the opposition
defensive zone involvement still feels a little passive but he did make a couple plays/pressure for turnovers. had a good clear mid 2nd, grabbed a loose puck in front after a high danger chance and cleanly sent it out. nothing too remarkable, but liked the composure/decision making to not just immediately launch it
if guys start to mix it up after the whistle, he will be there. its almost funny how he just beelines it for any scrum he sees
gonna tempt hv71 into extending his recall if this is how he looks next game lol this was good