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Takeaways from Calgary Flames (1) vs Boston Bruins (3) |
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Follow me on Twitter @ToddCordell
A few thoughts from Calgary's 3-1 loss to Boston:
- Sam Bennett had the most Sam Bennett game in history. He looked good skating the puck up ice and through the neutral zone. He was engaged physically. He lived around the net and generated a few good chances – yet he once again had nothing to show for it. Bennett is still only 22 but it's fair to wonder if the hands/finishing ability will ever match his drive.
- I liked what I saw from Noah Hanifin. He was really active from the blueline in and didn't hesitate to jump into the play. I think he is ready to take another step offensively, which would help offset some of the offense lost from Dougie Hamilton.
- It doesn't look like Sean Monahan's wrists are bothering him too much. He was really comfortable with the puck on his stick, he took a ton of faceoffs, and he showed off the release on Calgary's lone goal.
- The power play was pretty messy once again but that's to be expected. They've had limited practice time and, with all the nightly personnel changes that occur during the preseason, it's pretty hard to get into a rhythm.
- Mike Smith played well. His post-to-post movement was good and he made a few really good stops. Unfortunately, his tendency to overplay the puck resulted in the eventual game-winning goal. It's hard not to wonder if he'd be better off staying in his net more frequently than he does. I think goaltenders playing the puck is very valuable in 3-on-3 situations but why is Smith making an outlet with a ton of goalie gear on and a bulky stick better than Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie or Noah Hanifin (you get the point) doing it themselves?
- I thought Rasmus Andersson made the most of the limited ice he received even though he was playing on his off-side. Putting him there rather than Dalton Prout, who can't really move the puck anyway, was strange but perhaps they wanted Andersson to get some reps on the left considering he could end up taking Brett Kulak's spot on the 3rd pairing.
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