* Biggest difference tonight was the change in systems to allow them to forecheck instead of trap all the time. Suddenly, they didn't look as slow as they did the rest of the season. They were aggressive all night.
* The defensemen did a great job of pushing Quad City's forwards out wide and letting them shoot from there where Nick Boucher could see everything. I would not have guessed that putting Craig Cescon and Steve Delisle together would work, but it definitely did. Delisle looked much more comfortable tonight.
* How about Leo Thomas on right wing? That was a decision that he and Mathieu Curadeau made and it worked. They are switching off on faceoffs depending on who's strong side is on a particular side of the ice, and that worked as well. P.C. Drouin set up some great chances for both throughout the game, too. They are all basically interchangeable anyway when it comes to carrying the puck down the ice.
* Also would not have guessed that switching centers Neil Musselwhite and Chris Francis would have made such a big difference on the other two lines, but again, it certainly did. Switching the system allowed both to show more of their speed.
* Thought it was pretty interesting to see how Keith Rodger was used. Instead of putting him at forward as Al Sims has done in the past when Rodger is the extra skater, he played him on defense for the power play and penalty kill. That limited some ice time for Guy Dupuis and the other defensemen depending on the situation, but it was obvious Rodger was much more comfortable playing that way.
* The crowd of 7,289 may have seemed small to some, but it was actually about what the normal Thanksgiving crowd has been for the last 15 years. The Komets haven't had close to a sellout on Thanksgiving since 1995.
* Quad City is in the midst of playing seven games in nine days and it kind of showed, especia
Comments
Easily the Komets best game of the season. I was very impressed with Desile and Cescon playing together...I loved it, both big physical dmen. Excellent game...the Komets brought thier "A" game tonight..nice job
Very good 60 minutes of hockey. By far, the best they've looked all season. Getting bodies in front of the goalie really helped too. Keep it rolling...
Like Frankie DeAngelis observed when he was awarded player of the game, Licoln Kaleigh Schrock did a great job of planting himself in front of the net and screening the opposing goalie.
Much Improved tonight. They won, so I am sure that makes it alot easier to say they looked better. But they did.
I thought passing around the net was much better.
This game could have easily been 10-4 or something aling those lines with the looks we had tonight. I say 4 for QC because they hit at least 1 post and had a penalty shot, but Nick made some great saves.
Francis shined tonight...That line of Francis, Schrock, OC was the best line all night.
Curdy, LEO, PC line......they haf moments. One guy on that line was a lolly-gagger most of the night, but showed signs of sucking it up and made a couple of plays tonight. One big one obviously.. I hope it pulled his head out and he builds on this and becomes the player we all know him to be. Just play hockey. Bottom-line.
I saw good things from the Musselwhite, Patrosso, Naurato line.....would have thought they would have scored a goal or 2 from Patrosso/Naurato.....the effort was there, and they looked better.
I really liked what I saw from OC tonight. He played both ends very well. He pressured the puck like a mad-man....that is the effort it takes....he was awesome.....I am sure this is a result of his personal effort, and the system change. Can't say enough about that line tonight. Francis and OC looked great together, very comfortable, and slick.
Is Phillips Ok? Was it just his night off?
#9 needs put into that role that Rodger was in tonight. He is a good one way player is #9.....offensively.....he is not as strong defensively. I think Rodger is a better more physical defender. My opinion of course.
Let's hope this was the game that gets them pointed in the right direction and let's build on this to get a win tomorrow night and one Saturday.
Fingers crossed.
I was very impressed with the effort tonight. OC had a great game, DeAngelis was a major force on the ice tonight. Frankie worked hard and has an awesome shot....was very deserving of the #1 star.
A good start to a 3 in 3 weekend.
Enjoy the win, I'm turning in since I'm working on 3 hours sleep....I went overboard on the homework, and my dogs decided to keep me awake all night....
Great summary here Blake. Was going to share some of the same points you had, especially about about the forecheck, defensive pairings, and less ice time for some. Great summary here Blake.
I have talked bad about Warner all season. So when the kid has a solid game on both sides of the ice, I will say great game. I hope he continues to play like tonight. I was glad to see Curo score tonight. I hope that takes the weight off his shoulder and gets him going. It was good to see him working hard in the neutral zone. Frankie played a great game tonight. I would say that the whole defense unit played a really good game. Attacked on the offensive zone and played solid defense. Glad to see them get a big win tonight. Hope it carries over to tomorrow night. I still think we are taking to many penalties. Stupid penalties. The OC penalty is a awful penalty to take when the team is really struggling!!!!!
I think we can all probably agree, Brandon is better suited to the forechecking style from the forwards rather than the trapping style. He's much more effective when he's moving as a defenseman, stepping in to cut off passes and pinching in, and he can't do that as well in the trapping style. Same with some of the forwards. He and Frankie have actually been playing pretty well the last five games with 10 points and plus-4.
I really did like the line combos last night and thought each one looked really good. Lets hope they stick with these and see if the K's can build off last nights victory. The new systems looked really good. I liked the more aggressive forechecking they showed last night. D-men pinching in from the point on PP's to take advantage of that back door play (Warner got 1 this way and should have had 2). Deangelis finally showed that spark he had last season and was all over the ice (he makes that pairing). Curadeau had several good chances and I was really relieved for him when he hammered one home off a beautiful fake pass that froze the goalie.
I will say that I just dont like dressing 7 D-men each game. Last night was one game and this team has yet to show that they can duplicate that offensive production. Make the tough choice and trade one of these D-men for a competent extra forward or move Warner up to the forward ranks. I think Deangelis could be even better with a defensive minded guy as his partner and not paired with one that takes so many ill-advised defensive zone chances. If they are holding on to 8 D-men because they dont know when Delisle will be recalled (if ever this season...) I understand that; but rotate them to the IR and dress and actual forward for the extra guy...IMO
I agree Blake. I think Brandon is much better when he plays the system from last night. I hope they continue to play that way. Why dont you think they try Warner at forward. I have always said I thought he would be a better forward. That is just my opinion. I would be the first to admitt I dont know everything about hockey. Hockey is about the only sport I never played or officiated.