Igor looks locked in. That’s big time for this team.
Tank with another strong game.Loving the physicality from him and leadership. Really really like his game
Panarin seemed to figure something out in the second. He was pulling up and finding open lanes. He got better as the game went on.
Great to see Foxy get one. He made some better plays defensively after that. Maybe a little weight came off.
Kane looks lost. He’s got very little chemistry with his line mates, looks slow, is floating and was not in sync with the team tonight. Maybe he’s still figuring things out but he isn’t as noticeable as you would think.
Trocheck is one of the most fearless hockey players I’ve ever seen. He just plays the game with reckless abandon. I almost cringe in fear every time he’s out there.
The Kid line got it going later in the game. When they dick around with the puck and get cute in the neutral zone it goes the other way. When they get it in and go to work they can sustain shifts. Good to see Kakko taking it to the net and shooting more, but he’s so far from that killer instinct player he was back in Finland. Hope he finds that again. Even if it’s half of it.
Beyond the evaluations, I thought Vally hit it on the head especially after the first. Early on you gotta weather the storm against this team. Take your learning points against a very sturdy, well coached team to play against. The Rangers are much more skilled, they need to be patient keeping up their level of play and the chances would come