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tullskull
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***Florida Panthers vs. LA Kings GDT 3/13/22 EARLY START >> 7:00pm on BSW***
- Thread starter Nyssa42
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VCRW
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Yup! So great to see a whole new line! I really liked the way those 3 worked together.
I would also like to see Kempe join Danault and Moore at RW. Juice has been dragging Kopi and Iafallo around long enough. Kings need to get #9 going again.
Kempe had great chemistry with Danault in the early season. I think Grundstrom or Lias might be a better fit with 11 & 19 right now.
Helvetica
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i agree, but am somewhat split. Kempe is one of the few to find success on Kopitar's line, so id like to see him stay there and step up and get that line going. Earn that next paycheck. But he definitely did look good on Danault's line (as everybody seems to do). Its shocking to me how much Kopitar and Iaffalo's games look to have fallen off here in the last couple weeks or so. Maybe with Arvidsson out now is a good time to get juice going, but id certainly expect to see arvidsson back with danault as soon as he's healthy. Those two with Moore have been this team's best line and it's not even close.
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Helvetica
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from what ive read he does use a shorter stick, and it was some sort of holdover from his younger playing days as he was so big he had to slouch over so as to not hit kids in the head.
Frankly i dont care what length stick he uses, and the way i evaluate him is based on two key criteria... First, he's 19 yrs old playing his first season in the NHL after a significant injury. He's young, and he's raw. And that was always the case. He was always going to need lots of development time, so expecting him to be a McDavid is simply not understanding the situation. Second, is how he's playing in relation to his line mates. Before last night, he's basically been playing with two 4th liners. So, i set my expectations accordingly, and try top focus on the little plays. Is he playing 200ft? Is he winning pucks along the boards? Is he getting lost in coverage? For the most part, i've liked what ive seen, but obviously, at his age and experience, he's going to be making mistakes.
Last night was about as physical as ive ever seen him. He was down low winning battles behind the net and keeping plays alive. I didnt see any egregious defensive lapses. And all in all, that line got chances. He had an assist, was a +1, and did that with 11min of ice time. I think he needs to shoot more, and i think he's still learning a man's game. It's going to take time, and im hoping some better wingers will give him some breathing room to improve his confidence a bit. So, it wasnt a great game, but it was solid.
So yeah, i liked what i saw, and **** twitter =D
santiclaws
I was in the pool!!
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Byfield is struggling with consistency, as many young players do, and not just shift to shift but even within a shift. He'll make a great play and follow that up with a bad one. He also needs to get stronger and possibly better conditioned. That said, you can definitely see the oodles of talent he's got and why scouts were salivating over the skill he has combined with his size. If he reaches his potential, he's going to be a nightmare to play against.
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What party?
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santiclaws
I was in the pool!!
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I... really have no idea whatsoever what this means.
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What party?
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shoot2scor
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Byfield has been awful in the D zone. He often looks lost, misses coverage and has had some really bad turnovers. With that said he will learn it; he is young and adapting. I definitely think he is going to be a force for years to come.
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Sultanic
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Kempe hasn't ever really gelled with anyone. He doesn't have the highest hockey IQ to begin with, and his big year here is largely the result of burying a lot of individual chances. His play hasn't changed much at all over the course of the last few weeks, its just that the shots aren't going in the way they had earlier in the year. If there was ever a candidate to come back down to Earth, its him. He essentially has two plays - carry the puck in or set up way off the puck on the weak side to be fed for a shot. He doesn't offer much on the cycle or get involved in recoveries, which makes it difficult to sustain more than one chance per attack. If the pucks don't go in, he doesn't offer much else.
