Preseason Game 3 | @ Boston | 7PM

[NotWendell]

What a sick move by Gagner in the SO!

 

[CBJ goalie]

What a sick move by Gagner in the SO!

Unreal!!!
He gets to make the team based on that!!!

 

[Jackets16]

Certainly a good problem to have!

No doubt.

 

[CoachWithNoTeam]

victim of directv blackout through first 2 periods.

Gagner had a very impressive 3rd and OT.

Sonny looked like himself again, after having a really poor game last night.

Prout had 3 turnovers on the same shift. Not looking like he's doing much better than last year, although I think his build probably makes a heavy skating training camp even more rough. He might be in danger of sitting on the bench in reserve for teams with enforcers.

Nutivaara looking very slick. I thought after he played 25 minutes last night he would be dragging but he looks silky smooth. He's gonna be an NHL player in the not too distant future.

Zaar looking much sharper tonight. Had his legs under him a little more tonight, compared to last night.

Hardly noticed goloubef.

Harrington not doing much for the transition game, but has looked pretty steady without the puck. I thought he did decent last night. Opted to chip the puck off the glass a few times instead of making any risky passes, all seemed to find Boston defensemen's sticks.

Mike Brown looked a little quicker than I would expect but I don't know if he has a shot to make this team. Had a close, but bad, unforced delay of game penalty with 9 mins left.

Also, related to last night, Palushaj had a good game, showed good speed and was going to the dirty areas. May possibly earn a two-way contract. I liked him as a prospect but haven't seen him in years.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Mike Brown is a very fast skater.

And a HORRIBLE hockey player.

 

[NotWendell]

Mike Brown is a very fast skater.

And a HORRIBLE hockey player.

And an even worse team owner.

 

[major major]

Gagner with a SICK move to win it.

He's making this team. Pretty clear

I hope you came to that conclusion before tonight - because pre-season is where guys like him shine. It's like Abramov in the rookie tournament.

 

[Fro]

was able to watch the game down here (thanks NHL network!)

think Gagner played incredible the entire game, let alone the shootout....

Zaar goal was really nice

I get the whole "we want to see so and so play more" angle, but I really wish we'd put 3 and 27 together and not break them up in any game...need them to continue growing chemistry in the back together...

 

[Dr. Fire]

Unreal!!!
He gets to make the team based on that!!!

He was also one of the few bright spots on Sunday as well with a goal and 2 assists. Yea, it is pre-season, but come on, the guy is making a hell of a case for himself so far.

I also thought Zaar was one of only a couple of guys that looked good in the game at home on Sunday. Would like to see him stick around this pre-season to play against better caliber talent in the later games.

 

[Light the Lamp]

I agree about Nutivaara. He looked good in Traverse City (I was up there on Fri/Sat). Showed some good skill. Still a few years out, but it will be interesting to see how his career develops.

 

[Old Guy]

I watched the game on the NHL network last evening. I used to love Jack Edwards. But the more time goes by, the less I like him. He is still on the "like" side of the line, but the trend and rate of change will have him moving into the "dislike' and "strongly dislike" very soon. Other people and teams compete in the NHL also you know. And some of those non-Bruin players and non-Bruin teams can actually be good, even great sometimes.

I expect a homer. God knows I spent enough time around Boston to get my fill of NESN and know what it is all about. But even in the interest of "educating Boston fans about other teams/players" I would think you would be willing to tell something about them.

My viewing covered parts of all 3 periods, all of the OT and all of the shootout. Gagner played well in all that I saw. Zaar contributed as well. Aside from one turnover, Jones played well. Yevenko is imposing, but doesn't skate well and doesn't puck-handle well. A poor combination for an aspiring NHL D-man. McEleheny played pretty good. Bjorkstrand made a solid contribution in my mind. I hate to see these players skate their legs off, then charge fans full price for this show. One or the other - please.

 

[MAHJ71]

Only caught the Gagner shootout deke.. and decided to end there on a positive note

 

[Nordique]

Gagner is playing his butt off, but I'm trying to remain realistic.

He's been a 15g/25a guy for 9 seasons in the NHL.

That being said, he's a great value and has a role on the team imo.

 

[Crede777]

If Gagner's conditioning is good and he can be decent in the defensive zone, I see him as a solid alternative to Mark Letestu. Those are big if's, but he looked good last night.

Nutivaara looked pretty good, his skating was smooth and he didn't cough up the puck.

Prout looked really bad. Goloubef wasn't much better, but at least his skating is serviceable. After last night I'd have Prout about 9th on the depth list and would only dress him as a pugilist. Jones, Murray, Savard, Johnson, Werenski, Kukan, Harrington, Goloubef, and Nutivaara are better based on last night.

Saad and Jones looked like they were adjusting after the WC. Saad had a nice pass on the goal by Zaar.

McElhinney looked ok.

I liked what I saw from Bjorkstrand. He's a dangerous player.

I also liked what I saw from Milano. Needs to work on his physicality, but he is dangerous no matter where he is on the ice with the puck. Even a 0 degree backhand is dangerous from him. And he's got great speed that can catch defenders off guard.

Sedlak wasn't useless. I could see him getting a call up during the season.

Didn't like what I saw from Wennberg. If he's going to be our 1C, he NEEDS to be able to shoot the puck. He passed on a 1-on-0 right in front of the net! That speaks to an immense lack of confidence with shooting the puck. He can skate the puck, he can stick handle, he can protect it... but he NEEDS to be able to shoot at an NHL level. The reason why Niklas Backstrom gets away with not shooting is because he's playing with the best shooter in the league in Ovechkin. Wennberg is not. He needs to be practicing shooting hundreds of pucks every day between now and the start of the season.

 

[Old Guy]

Didn't like what I saw from Wennberg. If he's going to be our 1C, he NEEDS to be able to shoot the puck. He passed on a 1-on-0 right in front of the net! That speaks to an immense lack of confidence with shooting the puck. He can skate the puck, he can stick handle, he can protect it... but he NEEDS to be able to shoot at an NHL level. The reason why Niklas Backstrom gets away with not shooting is because he's playing with the best shooter in the league in Ovechkin. Wennberg is not. He needs to be practicing shooting hundreds of pucks every day between now and the start of the season.

Amen and amen.

When it happened, I thought, "what drill can they do to make him shoot more"?

Then it came to me........next practice, make him strap on the goalie pads and put him in net. Every time he fails to think "shoot first", I would do it again. At a point in time, he would get sick of his teammates peppering him with shots in practice. He would control when the barrage would stop by just shooting the darn puck.

 

[Tulipunaruusu*]

Remember what World Cup 2004 silver medallist head coach Raimo Summanen had to say about coaching and individual strength in his book Meidän Päivä, 'Our Day'? He referenced one of the most celebrated SM-liiga teams ever, HIFK of 1997-1998, build by one Jarmo Kekäläinen who would from there go onto a successful scouting career. The Summanen-Westerlund brand of ice hockey coaching would bring Finland another silver medal in Torino 2006 and bronze in Sotshi 2014.

"In HIFK we had a player, Jan Caloun, who could score 2-3 goals in a game and I hapless pondered only how he could learn to play defence better."

Focusing on the strengths of players was Summanen's main teaching.

Alexander Wennberg has went through the vertical playbook of Frölunda. He debuted for Djurgårdens IF under Hardy Nilsson's torpedo hockey. By the end of his rookie (!) season in the NHL Wennberg was playing better ice hockey of cooperation than Ryan Johansen. You cannot break him.

 

[major major]

If Gagner's conditioning is good and he can be decent in the defensive zone, I see him as a solid alternative to Mark Letestu. Those are big if's, but he looked good last night.

I can see the comparison in terms of smallish skilled kinda-slow veteran pivots. But Letestu has a positional sense that Gagner doesn't have. He knows where to be to help out his teammates and that's what allows him to take harder dzone starts and to play so much PK.

Defensive zone play has been one of Gagner's main weaknesses. I don't have a crystal ball but I do think it's rare for a weak defensive player to turn it around that quickly at that age.

Prout looked really bad. Goloubef wasn't much better, but at least his skating is serviceable. After last night I'd have Prout about 9th on the depth list and would only dress him as a pugilist. Jones, Murray, Savard, Johnson, Werenski, Kukan, Harrington, Goloubef, and Nutivaara are better based on last night.

Damn. It's one game, but it had to be aspirational to throw $3.4m (1.7 per) at Prout and expect him to become a better player.

 

[Crede777]

I can see the comparison in terms of smallish skilled kinda-slow veteran pivots. But Letestu has a positional sense that Gagner doesn't have. He knows where to be to help out his teammates and that's what allows him to take harder dzone starts and to play so much PK.

Aka "if he can be better in the defensive zone... that's a big if."

 

[CBJx614]

Amen and amen.

When it happened, I thought, "what drill can they do to make him shoot more"?

Then it came to me........next practice, make him strap on the goalie pads and put him in net. Every time he fails to think "shoot first", I would do it again. At a point in time, he would get sick of his teammates peppering him with shots in practice. He would control when the barrage would stop by just shooting the darn puck.

That's not gonna help anyone though. If he doesn't shoot, make him skate or sit him. Putting him in net isn't going to do much of anything except maybe get some laughs.

 

[hardkorejackets]

How may other people seen the play developing with Wennberg attacking the net and just knew he was going to just pass away the attempt? Goodness, I hate that it was so predictable.

Torts didn't look as amused on the sideline as Wennberg did with a silly grin on his face. I know it's only pre-season, but I was hoping at somepoint that Wennberg will learn to shoot, when it's the only option pretty much available.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

If Wennberg is going to rarely shoot, that's fine, but he better have 40+ assists. No reason he can't be a 10-20 goal scorer.

 

[major major]

Aka "if he can be better in the defensive zone... that's a big if."

I say "a big if" about things like - "if Bob stays healthy", "if Bjorkstrand scores 25", etc... I think this is well beyond that category of if.

 

[Old Guy]

That's not gonna help anyone though. If he doesn't shoot, make him skate or sit him. Putting him in net isn't going to do much of anything except maybe get some laughs.

Yea....probably a better answer.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

That's not gonna help anyone though. If he doesn't shoot, make him skate or sit him. Putting him in net isn't going to do much of anything except maybe get some laughs.

Maybe get all those "SHOOOOT" folks from the stands to come to practice.

 

[Dr. Fire]

Nice article on Zaar, and how he loves to shoot the puck. Since you all are talking about Wennberg, here is a little tid-bit from the article.

“You can take shots from almost everywhere in the offensive zone and I think that helped me,†Zaar said.
Tortorella believes center Alexander Wennberg could benefit from watching his fellow countryman.
“Wenny wants to pass it into the net and he has a bomb of a shot,†the coach said.

http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com...daniel-zaar-not-passing-up-opportunities.html