Laval Rocket: Laval Rocket at Bridgeport Islanders, December 15th 3pm
- Thread starter Treb
- Start date
ChesterNimitz
governed by the principle of calculated risk
- Jul 4, 2002
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I watched the game and can say that the score did not reflect the flow of play. Laval won this game by playing a good 10 minutes in the first period and a good 10 -12 minutes in the third period. Let's just say that for the rest of the game, they looked and played like a tired team.
I don't think one can draw too many conclusions from this type of game, but here are my very short observations about the level of play of our prospects.
Beck was, for one of the very few games this year, ineffective. It may be fatigue, being the second of back to back games, but he had little of the explosiveness that has made him such a valuable prospect. As I have noted, one of the chinks in the armour that is Beck's game, is a noticeable lack of stamina. It may also be that his line mates, Roy and Davidson in this game, just aren't a good fit as neither has good speed . It's interesting to note that Kidney did play and his surprising outside speed was missing. Beck needs players that can keep up with him. But it was one game and my opinion of Beck's upside remains unchanged.
I don't think one can draw too many conclusions from this type of game, but here are my very short observations about the level of play of our prospects.
Beck was, for one of the very few games this year, ineffective. It may be fatigue, being the second of back to back games, but he had little of the explosiveness that has made him such a valuable prospect. As I have noted, one of the chinks in the armour that is Beck's game, is a noticeable lack of stamina. It may also be that his line mates, Roy and Davidson in this game, just aren't a good fit as neither has good speed . It's interesting to note that Kidney did play and his surprising outside speed was missing. Beck needs players that can keep up with him. But it was one game and my opinion of Beck's upside remains unchanged.
Roy was simply bad. Slow and uninvolved, Roy played a passive game that exposed the weaknesses in this young player’s skill set: a slow, low intensity player.
Davidson played a fair game as his high compete approach never allows him to go unnoticed for long. Davidson played hard , attacked the Hartford net and scored a power play goal using his NHL level one-timer shot.
While Farrell had an overall ineffective and nondescript game, he used his quickness to strip a Hartford forward of the puck which turnover directly led to Xhekaj’s second goal. Other than this singular play, Farrell was largely a passenger.
Xhekaj had the most impactful game of his brief AHL career. Before his three goals and two assists outburst in the third period, Xhekaj was one of the few Laval players that showed up and competed consistently. He skated with purpose, battled hard along the boards and established a strong net presence. Xhekaj played the game that he has to for him to get to the next level. He possesses much better skills and skating ability than many credit him for. Those skills were best displayed when he seized the puck just inside the offensive blue line, turned and skated towards the center of the ice using his better than average straight forward speed and fed Trudeau a perfect pass that Trudeau buried. The three goals Xhejaj scored were all a byproduct of his strong net presence.
Mailloux had a mixed game, steady in the first period: horrible in the second where he turned the puck over repeatedly and a better third where he started to move his feet and have a strong presence in the offensive zone. It’s hard to get a good read on this perplexing player as the level and effectiveness of his play can vary so dramatically from game to game and even within the same game.
Of three young Laval defenceman, Engstrom had the steadiest game. Like the entire team, Engstrom looked a step slower than what we have come to expect from this fine rookie. He made few mistakes in the defensive zone and made several excellent plays that created scoring chances. Engstrom was able to walk the line on several occasions using his exceptional agility and stickhandling ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone including one such effort that directly led to a goal.
In addition to scoring his second goal of the season on an excellent feed from Xhekaj, Trudeau played a fair game where his mobility and physicality were noticeable among a defensive corps that was largely immobile and under pressure for most of the game from a strong Hartford forecheck.
Xhekaj had the most impactful game of his brief AHL career. Before his three goals and two assists outburst in the third period, Xhekaj was one of the few Laval players that showed up and competed consistently. He skated with purpose, battled hard along the boards and established a strong net presence. Xhekaj played the game that he has to for him to get to the next level. He possesses much better skills and skating ability than many credit him for. Those skills were best displayed when he seized the puck just inside the offensive blue line, turned and skated towards the center of the ice using his better than average straight forward speed and fed Trudeau a perfect pass that Trudeau buried. The three goals Xhejaj scored were all a byproduct of his strong net presence.
Mailloux had a mixed game, steady in the first period: horrible in the second where he turned the puck over repeatedly and a better third where he started to move his feet and have a strong presence in the offensive zone. It’s hard to get a good read on this perplexing player as the level and effectiveness of his play can vary so dramatically from game to game and even within the same game.
Of three young Laval defenceman, Engstrom had the steadiest game. Like the entire team, Engstrom looked a step slower than what we have come to expect from this fine rookie. He made few mistakes in the defensive zone and made several excellent plays that created scoring chances. Engstrom was able to walk the line on several occasions using his exceptional agility and stickhandling ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone including one such effort that directly led to a goal.
In addition to scoring his second goal of the season on an excellent feed from Xhekaj, Trudeau played a fair game where his mobility and physicality were noticeable among a defensive corps that was largely immobile and under pressure for most of the game from a strong Hartford forecheck.
