dondo
11-29-2014, 01:06 AM
It felt less scrambly and more focused. Jarry was very good, but the boys still need to gut it out better on the doorstep.
Oil Kings Grease Giants
Vancouver 0 Edmonton 3
Giants get shut out again. Better effort from the boys, but it is not translating onto the score sheet. Jackson Houck and Dalton Sward had some very good chances to break Tristan Jarry’s shut-out, but the Edmonton netminder was too good and too lucky to be beat. After stinking up the joint in Medicine Hat and even worse in Lethbridge versus a team that was most definitely beatable, the boys somewhat bounced back at least effort-wise. Still a bit undisciplined and lacking focus at the beginning of the game the Giants players need to shore up these deficiencies. They also need some puck luck. A goofy bounce or deflection off an opposing player to break their goalless slump and break their now 6 game losing streak.
The Giants coughed up a goal 22 seconds into the game. They recovered well and battled for the rest of the period, but could not make their chances count. In the second it was much the same, good chances but no finish around the net and not getting good wood on loose pucks. Allowing the puck to be tipped off your stick when you are looking to have a 2 on 0 break is just a lack of focus and poor puck protection. Despite their good work in the middle frame, they gave up a PP goal against on Edmonton’s first PP chance late in the period. In the third they had their chances, but eventually were broken with another PP marker. Late in the game the Giants had a 5 on 3 chance and got close to breaking the goose-egg, but could just not solve Jarry. It’s getting frustrating for me so I can only imagine how agitated the boys in the room are. They really do need a little bit of fortune to smile, but hard work begets luck as the old adage says – “good to be lucky, lucky to be good”.
Edmonton is a good team so you could almost call this game a good bounce-back, but the Giants weren’t able to find twine. Maybe I’m just desperate to see any positives, but to be honest this game felt like some progression. Traffic around the net and players trying to score and creating chances is a good direction to move. The more they do that eventually the dam has to break. The Gs do have players capable of filling the net, but they are gripping the stick a bit tight and lack some real quality second chances and hunger.
Team Notes: Holterhus and Bobylev found their way back into the line-up and Menell played up front a bit. Geertsen was back in the line-up after serving his (ridiculously bogus) 1 game suspension. McKinstry, Ronning still out – Stukel scratched. If he is uninjured I expect to see him in Calgary.
Fight Night: Jackson Houck v. Aaron Irving – a decent bout, but the linesmen were far too quick to jump in. I want some old school intense hockey, but we seem to have all types of zebras getting involved far more than they need to do.
Zebra Cage: Clayton Hall and Kyle Kowalski – Edmonton took the first three penalties of the game. The striped ones seemed to be mainly punishing physical play, from my perspective.
The Giants out shot the Oil Kings 35-29. They struggled with the man advantage going 0 for 6 and let the Edmonton boys have a 50% night, going 2 for 4. So special teams were not their strong suit. On a positive note the Giants were actually creating some good looks on the PP, but could not finish. Jarry was very good, but when the boys finally slipped a puck past the ‘tender they found red iron. I am hoping that the guys can build from this outing and take a more complete game into Calgary.
I was most disappointed by the interview with our scout in Alberta between periods. He seemed to be talking up very average prospects as ones to watch. Kole Bryks is a 17 yr old defenseman and big, if he was good enough to stick in the Dub he would be a regular on the team. But our scout talks like he’s a top prospect. At least that what I was hearing. I really think it is past time for us to implode our scouting crew, from Bonner’s Dad on out. Ripplinger must go and the team needs to address its needs. The scouts have to stop looking at smaller skilled guys as top prospects – those are latter round pick-ups. We have to stop trading down in the first round to get an Ast instead of drafting Nik Petan, or Sam Reinhart who were available to us in that draft, before we traded down. Unless the smaller skill guy fights like Hunt and scores like Gallagher then let’s look at some other options. We already have tons of small skill guys, who are small, play small and not as skilled as advertised. Our first round picks the past seasons have been busts. Let’s recognize our scouting has been some of the worst in the league and that the franchise cannot use the “It’s Don Hay’s fault” boondoggle any more.
Anyway, that’s my rant. We need real prospects and not another raft of “skilled, smaller forwards”. Funny that other teams get skilled big forwards and we continue to draft undersized forwards who are not as talented or durable as they should be. I agree we need a mix of those guys, but we have so many of the same kind of player in the system it gets frustrating and predictable.
The boys need to build on the effort of tonight, but make their created opportunities count. They need to rediscover the finish they had at the start of the season and stop leaving their goalies high and dry. Better work ethic a bit more pride and less lazy penalties at poor times. Not much to ask, eh? Actually they need to make more progress and begin to rebuild their confidence and earn some games. The boys need to realize that no one is going to give them games the way they have gifted games to opposing teams. They need to work, work harder than they think they do and most importantly commit to their team-mates. The puck drops in Calgary at 7pm local time and 6pm Pacific.
Three Stars
1. Tristan Jarry
2. Brandon Baddock
3. Aaron Irving
Still no hardhats, but some better effort by some of the boys
Oil Kings Grease Giants
Vancouver 0 Edmonton 3
Giants get shut out again. Better effort from the boys, but it is not translating onto the score sheet. Jackson Houck and Dalton Sward had some very good chances to break Tristan Jarry’s shut-out, but the Edmonton netminder was too good and too lucky to be beat. After stinking up the joint in Medicine Hat and even worse in Lethbridge versus a team that was most definitely beatable, the boys somewhat bounced back at least effort-wise. Still a bit undisciplined and lacking focus at the beginning of the game the Giants players need to shore up these deficiencies. They also need some puck luck. A goofy bounce or deflection off an opposing player to break their goalless slump and break their now 6 game losing streak.
The Giants coughed up a goal 22 seconds into the game. They recovered well and battled for the rest of the period, but could not make their chances count. In the second it was much the same, good chances but no finish around the net and not getting good wood on loose pucks. Allowing the puck to be tipped off your stick when you are looking to have a 2 on 0 break is just a lack of focus and poor puck protection. Despite their good work in the middle frame, they gave up a PP goal against on Edmonton’s first PP chance late in the period. In the third they had their chances, but eventually were broken with another PP marker. Late in the game the Giants had a 5 on 3 chance and got close to breaking the goose-egg, but could just not solve Jarry. It’s getting frustrating for me so I can only imagine how agitated the boys in the room are. They really do need a little bit of fortune to smile, but hard work begets luck as the old adage says – “good to be lucky, lucky to be good”.
Edmonton is a good team so you could almost call this game a good bounce-back, but the Giants weren’t able to find twine. Maybe I’m just desperate to see any positives, but to be honest this game felt like some progression. Traffic around the net and players trying to score and creating chances is a good direction to move. The more they do that eventually the dam has to break. The Gs do have players capable of filling the net, but they are gripping the stick a bit tight and lack some real quality second chances and hunger.
Team Notes: Holterhus and Bobylev found their way back into the line-up and Menell played up front a bit. Geertsen was back in the line-up after serving his (ridiculously bogus) 1 game suspension. McKinstry, Ronning still out – Stukel scratched. If he is uninjured I expect to see him in Calgary.
Fight Night: Jackson Houck v. Aaron Irving – a decent bout, but the linesmen were far too quick to jump in. I want some old school intense hockey, but we seem to have all types of zebras getting involved far more than they need to do.
Zebra Cage: Clayton Hall and Kyle Kowalski – Edmonton took the first three penalties of the game. The striped ones seemed to be mainly punishing physical play, from my perspective.
The Giants out shot the Oil Kings 35-29. They struggled with the man advantage going 0 for 6 and let the Edmonton boys have a 50% night, going 2 for 4. So special teams were not their strong suit. On a positive note the Giants were actually creating some good looks on the PP, but could not finish. Jarry was very good, but when the boys finally slipped a puck past the ‘tender they found red iron. I am hoping that the guys can build from this outing and take a more complete game into Calgary.
I was most disappointed by the interview with our scout in Alberta between periods. He seemed to be talking up very average prospects as ones to watch. Kole Bryks is a 17 yr old defenseman and big, if he was good enough to stick in the Dub he would be a regular on the team. But our scout talks like he’s a top prospect. At least that what I was hearing. I really think it is past time for us to implode our scouting crew, from Bonner’s Dad on out. Ripplinger must go and the team needs to address its needs. The scouts have to stop looking at smaller skilled guys as top prospects – those are latter round pick-ups. We have to stop trading down in the first round to get an Ast instead of drafting Nik Petan, or Sam Reinhart who were available to us in that draft, before we traded down. Unless the smaller skill guy fights like Hunt and scores like Gallagher then let’s look at some other options. We already have tons of small skill guys, who are small, play small and not as skilled as advertised. Our first round picks the past seasons have been busts. Let’s recognize our scouting has been some of the worst in the league and that the franchise cannot use the “It’s Don Hay’s fault” boondoggle any more.
Anyway, that’s my rant. We need real prospects and not another raft of “skilled, smaller forwards”. Funny that other teams get skilled big forwards and we continue to draft undersized forwards who are not as talented or durable as they should be. I agree we need a mix of those guys, but we have so many of the same kind of player in the system it gets frustrating and predictable.
The boys need to build on the effort of tonight, but make their created opportunities count. They need to rediscover the finish they had at the start of the season and stop leaving their goalies high and dry. Better work ethic a bit more pride and less lazy penalties at poor times. Not much to ask, eh? Actually they need to make more progress and begin to rebuild their confidence and earn some games. The boys need to realize that no one is going to give them games the way they have gifted games to opposing teams. They need to work, work harder than they think they do and most importantly commit to their team-mates. The puck drops in Calgary at 7pm local time and 6pm Pacific.
Three Stars
1. Tristan Jarry
2. Brandon Baddock
3. Aaron Irving
Still no hardhats, but some better effort by some of the boys