Good to see some hockey back. Given how putrid the Giants looked Sunday I left work early yesterday to watch the whole thing and make sure my brain is in hockey mode.
It's always tough to judge vets in pre-season, but Kreider looked very fast when he wanted to. I think it's a good thing he's kept those extra 15 pounds off. He's still one of the biggest guys on the ice. Hayes and Buchnevich also looked fine. Staal was also solid - kept it simple and made no mistakes. He had a decent bounce-back year last year, hopefully he keeps that going.
The standout obviously was Lias. I wanted Middlestadt in that draft but there's no denying that Andersson can be a player. Very smart and always goes hard. He's not going to be the most skilled or fast guy on the ice and needs to rely on his IQ, but if yesterday is any indication he'll be just fine.
I also liked Meskanen. He's been a sleeper to make this team; we can really use his right shot on a wing.
Nieves looked brutal. He may be at the end of his line here.
Defensively, Lindgren looks very solid and very poised. Was surprised how well he moves. O'Gara still too slow. And rough debut for Claesson but he's another vet who will get it going. Finally, Pionk clearly outplayed DeAngelo. DeAngelo is flashy and comfortable with the puck in the offensive zone, but he doesnt hold gaps and is constantly looking for the home run when he gets the puck in the d zone. I know DeAngelo needs waivers, but Pionk is an NHL player right now and we would be doing both him and the team a disservice not finding a way to get him into the lineup.
Glad to see some white has returned to my T.V. that doesn't yell, scream and cry about social injustice every other second.
Yeesh