-Binghamton’s training camp-altered lineup defeated Norfolk 4-2 last night in a game I was unable to watch. Nathan Lawson picked up the win, Mika Zibanejad returned to action (no points), and Daniel New picked up his first AHL point; Eric Gryba scored twice (including an empty-netter) while Mark Stone and Corey Cowick had the other goals. Here’s the box score.
-Elmira lost 4-3 in OT to Evansville; Louie Caporusso picked up a goal. Brad Peltz did not dress for Trenton in their 3-1 loss; I’m not sure if he was a healthy scratch or was injured after his fight with Tyler Randell the night.
-Some fans were surprised that Mark Stone was not included in the Sens training camp, but as Paul MacLean succinctly put’s it:
The evaluations I made in the games I went to were Hoffman and Silfverberg were better.
Stone has spent the bulk of the AHL season playing on the checking line and while he’s been good he’s definitely not been as good as the two forwards picked ahead of him.
-For those who remember Robin Lehner‘s comments that stirred up a debate about his ELC status, he had this to say:
It’s not my job to look at numbers and contracts and stuff there’s other people who gets paid for that. Wherever I am, I really like this organization. They’ve been treating me well. I came here as a pretty young boy and they’ve been helping me mature and they’ve been a little bit like family and they’ve helped me get into the man I am now. Wherever I am, you get paid to do your job, and I love to do it.
That was said in the context of the goaltending question in Ottawa, but I’d take the first part of that and apply it to what Lehner said about his contract: those details are going to be the meat for his agent and the organisation, not him.
-The addiction to five-point lists continues with Allen Panzeri, who goes through the usual goaltending nonsense before wondering if Jason Spezza can repeat last year’s performance, if Kyle Turris a legit second-line center, if the blueline can hold up, and wondering what the team will get out of Guillaume Latendresse.
-The Sens schedule is up.
–The Silver Seven re-visit their predictions for the 2011-12 season (welcome to the club)–gotta love Dave Young and Adnan picking Sergei Gonchar as the surprise player–don’t go out on a limb boys!
–Ken Hitchcock offers some insight on what he expects from a shortened season:
When we start up here, there’s going to be some guys who have played in either Russia or Europe who have played 40 games and they’re going to have a big advantage, game conditioning-wise, over a guy who’s played zero. You’ve got to get quality over quantity and accept that, for the first month. If [a player] was a 20-minute player and he can give you 15 good ones, you’ve got to get 15 good ones out of him.
Via the same Stu Hackel link the other emphasis various coaches make is on the health of their roster–injury problems are magnified in a shortened season.
–Allan Muir warns that:
Part of the payoff of the last lockout was a commitment to calling the rules more stringently, and it worked for a couple of years. Last season, season-and-a-half, though? It doesn’t take a seasoned observer to recognize that standards had been relaxed.
This laxity has been obvious and contributed to the success of teams like Phoenix and LA (among others). One wonders how far it will go before the NHL makes yet another crackdown on obstruction.
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
eyeonthesens 