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Post by ED on Dec 7, 2003 15:44:36 GMT -5
Game is about to start, being shown on Sportsnet East right now.
Playing against some of their old teammattes from last year so a bit of a rivalry. Believe Gainey is in Hamilton for this as well.
Here's the Bulldogs lineup. Fichaud in goal.
4 Dykhuis, Karl
5 Archer, Andrew
14 Plekanec, Tomas
17 Hossa, Marcel
18 Olvestad, Jimmie
20 Somervuori, Eero
21 Ferland, Jonathan
24 Beauchemin, Francois
25 Gratton, Benoit
27 Perezhogin, Alexander
30 Fichaud, Eric
35 Svitov, Alexander
38 Carpentier, Benjamin
43 Cote, Jean-Philippe
46 Higgins, Chris
55 Traverse, Patrick
57 Balej, Jozef
65 Hainsey, Ron
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Post by Yeti on Dec 7, 2003 16:34:15 GMT -5
Pretty good first period by the Bulldogs. Balej, Gratton, Higgins and Plekanec all stood out.
Svitov too... I wish we could trade a guy like Hainsey or Hossa for him.
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Post by ED on Dec 7, 2003 17:11:26 GMT -5
There interviewing Hossa in the 2nd intermission.
Edit- Supposed to be Hossa ended up being Gratton.
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Post by ED on Dec 7, 2003 17:12:39 GMT -5
After first 2 Periods- 1-0 Roadrunners, Shots 17 for T.O., 13 for Hamilton
Hainsey- OK, couple defensive lapses, took stupid penaly
Beuchemin- OK, been solid
Ferland- Good when he was on, hustles
Fichaud- Good, screened on goal
Balej- Very good, fast!, likes to shoot
Higgins- Good, flashes of good skill, good all round game
Hossa- OK, i'd expect more of him in AHL, bit lazy
Gratton- Good, pretty fast, works hard
Plekanec- Awesome, playing best of Bulldogs, fast, wroks hard, had a couple good chances but couldn't finish
Archer- Big!, solid so far
Perezoighin- Havn't noticed him to much
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Post by PTH on Dec 7, 2003 17:20:29 GMT -5
Thx for the heads up
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Post by SystemLord on Dec 7, 2003 17:38:28 GMT -5
They are looking absolutely disorganized in the third period. Toronto is all over them.
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Post by seventeen on Dec 7, 2003 18:01:25 GMT -5
This is simply one of those games where no matter what you do, nothing is going to go right for you. I've been watching the 3rd and the Dogs have had more than enough very good chances, but it either hits the goalie (I refuse to believe he really is that good) or it just goes wide. Also, its unfortunate that our best chances have fallen to Olvestad and Archer, hardly snipers. Too bad Balej missed that breakaway early in the period. That was a big save by Valiquette.
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Post by SystemLord on Dec 7, 2003 18:03:58 GMT -5
Olvestad with a nice late period penalty with his team down. Wow, that was not a pretty 3rd period at all. Toronto deserved that win.
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Post by ED on Dec 7, 2003 18:15:24 GMT -5
One guys who I think might have gone un-noticed but I believe played a good game was Archer. Big, used his size quite well, good defencively and almost had a goal when he sneaked in off the point there near the end of the game.
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Post by PTH on Dec 7, 2003 18:16:03 GMT -5
Hard to even tell that Perezhogin was dressed - I think the announcers weren't sure how to say his name too, when he made a nice play they avoided his name.
But other than that play I didn't notice him.
Traverse sucks.
Hainsey looks like an NHLer - eventually. He could even be a very good one, he just needs to clean up his game and effort.
Higgins should make it.
Balej IMO isn't an NHLer - he's a B version of Petrov at best...
Am very worried about Hossa, looked lost as always...
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Post by PTH on Dec 7, 2003 18:17:04 GMT -5
One guys who I think might have gone un-noticed but I believe played a good game was Archer. Big, used his size quite well, good defencively and almost had a goal when he sneaked in off the point there near the end of the game. Yeah, forgot about him. Looked like a good, reliable defenseman. He won't unseat any great players, but he could play a safe, physical game in the NHL one day. |
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Post by seventeen on Dec 7, 2003 18:23:20 GMT -5
Toronto deserved that win. I didn't see it that way. I've watched the 1st period now (the magic of VHS) and we dominated that period. Way more wide open scoring opportunities than the beep-beeps. Again, the puck just wouldn't go in. That's most likely because we were too anxious, but there was one Plekanec shot from Dykuis with Valiquette way out of position and the puck hits the shaft of a defenders stick and goes wide. Not the blade, the shaft. Valiquette will probably let in 7 bad goals the next game, but in this one, he was right place right time, or some other object was. We were better in the 2 periods I saw. In the 3rd, the beepers were motivated galore because they were ahead, but we're still the better team by a long shot. Perezhogin was invisible, though he seemed to me to be bigger than I thought. Balej certainly looks confident. Hainsey made numerous good passes. He's good with the puck, but I'd sure like him to be stronger checking in his end. Too bad we got a loss televised, but I still think our prospects look pretty good. Plekanec is pretty well ready to come up. Balej could make the big team right now I think and others are very close (Higgins, Hainsey). |
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Post by Bob on Dec 7, 2003 22:08:18 GMT -5
Everyone seems to have opinions on who is going to make it and who isn't. Based on this game, it is ludicrous to say that a player is not an NHL player. It was Hamilton's third game in less than three days... no wonder Toronto outshot them.
Before we jump to conclusions the game has to be put into context.
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Post by seventeen on Dec 7, 2003 23:39:41 GMT -5
Forgot that. Our misses were no doubt due to fatigue.
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Post by PTH on Dec 8, 2003 0:15:38 GMT -5
Balej could make the big team right now I just don't see it in Balej - he has speed but very little else, and is still taking his Junior-style slapshots from all over. He hasn't changed a bit since he was a Junior, his game needs to develop maturuity, and it hasn't done so at all to date. |
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Post by Disp on Dec 8, 2003 2:07:27 GMT -5
I didn't think either team looked very good. Toronto managed to bury a couple chances, while the dogs didn't, but it could have went either way. It was the roadrunners third game in three nights as well.
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Post by seventeen on Dec 8, 2003 2:12:09 GMT -5
A couple of things I saw raised my hopes. He took a hit in his own end to get the puck out along the boards. And yes, he does shoot a lot. Darn good thing too, considering the guys on our team consider it anathema to do so. On one play where he passed the puck out of his own end with several Beepers around him he ended up in the offensive zone with a chance after outracing people who were ahead of him to get there. I just liked the speed and his thinking. Compared to Hossa, who is so much heavier, Balej seems much more committed.
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Post by Disp on Dec 8, 2003 15:53:10 GMT -5
Pretty good first period by the Bulldogs. Balej, Gratton, Higgins and Plekanec all stood out. Svitov too... I wish we could trade a guy like Hainsey or Hossa for him. "Second-year pro Alexander Svitov could be dangled. Lightning coach John Tortorella was so unimpressed with Svitov that when he was demoted Tortorella suggested he ''can go rot in the minors.'' But Feaster is reluctant to move the No. 3 pick in the 2001 entry draft." Not what I would call a glowing endorsement. Perhaps if he continues to rot he could be picked up as cheap reclamation project.  |
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Post by Goldthorpe on Dec 8, 2003 16:15:59 GMT -5
Hossa for Svitov would be a lateral move at this point, but I think we are more in need of a big center than of a big winger.
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Post by StickHandler on Dec 8, 2003 17:04:13 GMT -5
I know it's only one game but I though Svitov was way better than Hossa in this one! I'm starting to wonder about Hossa's lackadaisical play. He just doesn't skate out there!
I'd make that trade in a heartbeat.
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Post by seventeen on Dec 9, 2003 1:18:05 GMT -5
tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=63596&hubName=nhl"Second-year pro Alexander Svitov could be dangled. Lightning coach John Tortorella was so unimpressed with Svitov that when he was demoted Tortorella suggested he ''can go rot in the minors.'' But Feaster is reluctant to move the No. 3 pick in the 2001 entry draft." Not what I would call a glowing endorsement. Perhaps if he continues to rot he could be picked up as cheap reclamation project. Interesting to note that when a Hab gets sent down, CJ doesn't ridicule him (which is the correct way to handle anyone...a human being, a pet, etc.) Meanwhile, Tortorella, who is developing a reputation as a very good coach, makes a ridiculous statement like that. If he wasn't misquoted, that's a silly thing to say. What if Svitov gets his game together and gets called back up? How does Torturella deal with him then? How will Svitov feel, playing under him? You have to respect people's feelings, even if you don't respect their performance. Without that there can never be trust and the player will always doubt you and never give you everything they have. |
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Post by Disp on Dec 9, 2003 14:09:22 GMT -5
Yeah to a certain point I agree, but you have to wonder what has happened to allow their relationship to degrade to this point. A line has been crossed by the coach no doubt, so what did Svitov do to deserve it? Comments like that are usually reserved for uncoachable prima donnas. Fonzi wouldn't fly off the handle for no reason, would he?  |
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Post by roke on Dec 10, 2003 18:02:14 GMT -5
Perhaps we should see what Hossa does at his natural position, Centre. Everyone says we need a big centre, and although he isn't a very big player he may be able to do the job and he would probably be more effective.
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