Ottawa @ Boston - Sept. 29th, 2011 - 7PM

Yeah, I want to believe that, but if we play like we did last night Datsyuk alone is gonne molest us.

I don't have any question that MacLean sees something in Greening. He's giving him the same sort of opportunities he's giving Filatov right now.

Greening plays smart and he's huge (which I think is attributable to a strong off ice work ethic). I think MacLean does well to play him with top lines because if he learns the NHL game at that speed, he could be a serious power forward in the league.

Comparisons to John Leclair are striking.

MacLean's maritime bias is showing.

Da lil Guy wrote:I don't have any question that MacLean sees something in Greening. He's giving him the same sort of opportunities he's giving Filatov right now.

Greening plays smart and he's huge (which I think is attributable to a strong off ice work ethic). I think MacLean does well to play him with top lines because if he learns the NHL game at that speed, he could be a serious power forward in the league.

Comparisons to John Leclair are striking.

Add to that that he's got the hardest slapper on the team @ 101 I think it was and was the fastest skater on the team last year (not sure he'd beat Filatov now, but still...) and you've got a big bodied guy who can rip it and isn't afraid to fart in the goalies face - something we were SORELY missing in the first two periods yesterday. I think he can be a real player.

There's no coincidence that Greening took Filatov's spot - it's not really a negative against Filatov, but Greening needed to drive the net and take a defender with him last night, it hadn't been done at all really and I was surprised it took that long for MacLean to move him.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Da lil Guy wrote:I don't have any question that MacLean sees something in Greening. He's giving him the same sort of opportunities he's giving Filatov right now.

Greening plays smart and he's huge (which I think is attributable to a strong off ice work ethic). I think MacLean does well to play him with top lines because if he learns the NHL game at that speed, he could be a serious power forward in the league.

Comparisons to John Leclair are striking.

Add to that that he's got the hardest slapper on the team @ 101 I think it was and was the fastest skater on the team last year (not sure he'd beat Filatov now, but still...) and you've got a big bodied guy who can rip it and isn't afraid to fart in the goalies face - something we were SORELY missing in the first two periods yesterday. I think he can be a real player.

There's no coincidence that Greening took Filatov's spot - it's not really a negative against Filatov, but Greening needed to drive the net and take a defender with him last night, it hadn't been done at all really and I was surprised it took that long for MacLean to move him.

Hey, you need at least one player on every line who can muck & grind, forecheck hard, & dig pucks out of corners to get possession and create offence in the other team's zone. Michalek & Alfie do this, Spezza, Filatov, & Butler don't. I expect Greening to get lots of opportunity this year just based on that. Either that, or you have to have Michalek on one line and Alfie on the other.

This is the exact reason why both Butler & Foligno got more opportunities in the 3rd period last night, and on the top lines no less. We couldn't create offense until we could start turning pucks over in the offensive zone, thus creating zone time, possession time, and SOG & chances.

I think back to how well Spezza played with Getzlaf and Nash.

Not to suggest Greening is in the same place as those guys - but Spezza needs some room to operate out there.

SpezDispenser wrote:Meh, Spezza didn't play well either and Foligno looked lost when he took his spot. Not much was working - I don't see Filatov being singled out personally.

Seeing how the team was playing in the first 2 periods... it's probably the coaching staff shuffling the lines to try to get something that was actually working.

rooneypoo wrote:

Michallica wrote:Spezza is a whole 'lotta suck tonight

Nobody wants to hear it, but this has been a HUGE problem for Spezza. Everyone thought he turned the corner two years ago, but he didn't. And then it looked like he turned the corner this winter. But has he? Sure doesn't look like it right now. That's his challenge in the next 100+ days. Show us that the Spezza from March last year is the real Spezza.

He's only played 2 pre-season games I believe... still needs to get the rust out... or is he fighting an injury?

rooneypoo wrote:

Hey, you need at least one player on every line who can muck & grind, forecheck hard, & dig pucks out of corners to get possession and create offence in the other team's zone. Michalek & Alfie do this, Spezza, Filatov, & Butler don't. I expect Greening to get lots of opportunity this year just based on that. Either that, or you have to have Michalek on one line and Alfie on the other.

Yeah I noticed how things changed once Greening took the top line spot.

Filatov-Spezza-Butler will never work. Both wingers almost never go into the corners to get the puck.

rooneypoo wrote:

Michallica wrote:Spezza is a whole 'lotta suck tonight

Nobody wants to hear it, but this has been a HUGE problem for Spezza. Everyone thought he turned the corner two years ago, but he didn't. And then it looked like he turned the corner this winter. But has he? Sure doesn't look like it right now. That's his challenge in the next 100+ days. Show us that the Spezza from March last year is the real Spezza.

Agreed 100%. It annoys me that he ends the season 2 years in a row on a very good note, we all think he's turned around his play and then BAM! he goes back to the same old ways. What the hell? Just start playing the same way you ended. I don't care if its preseason, last night's game was just god awful and unacceptable as a 'leader' of this group.

Michallica wrote:
Agreed 100%. It annoys me that he ends the season 2 years in a row on a very good note, we all think he's turned around his play and then BAM! he goes back to the same old ways. What the hell? Just start playing the same way you ended. I don't care if its preseason, last night's game was just god awful and unacceptable as a 'leader' of this group.

I'd wait til the regular season. Established players like Spezza don't give me a Dung about meaningless preseason, I see it every year. Why go all out and risk injury ?

I don't think pairing him with Filatov and Butler works either.

Filatov-Spezza-Zibanejad
Michalek-Regin-Alfredsson
Greening-Smith-Condra
Foligno-Konopka-Neil

Da lil Guy wrote:I think back to how well Spezza played with Getzlaf and Nash.

Not to suggest Greening is in the same place as those guys - but Spezza needs some room to operate out there.

That's Heatley you are talking about me thinks

SpezDispenser wrote:

Da lil Guy wrote:I don't have any question that MacLean sees something in Greening. He's giving him the same sort of opportunities he's giving Filatov right now.

Greening plays smart and he's huge (which I think is attributable to a strong off ice work ethic). I think MacLean does well to play him with top lines because if he learns the NHL game at that speed, he could be a serious power forward in the league.

Comparisons to John Leclair are striking.

Add to that that he's got the hardest slapper on the team @ 101 I think it was and was the fastest skater on the team last year (not sure he'd beat Filatov now, but still...) and you've got a big bodied guy who can rip it and isn't afraid to fart in the goalies face - something we were SORELY missing in the first two periods yesterday. I think he can be a real player.

There's no coincidence that Greening took Filatov's spot - it's not really a negative against Filatov, but Greening needed to drive the net and take a defender with him last night, it hadn't been done at all really and I was surprised it took that long for MacLean to move him.

He might wanna start thinking about using it then

I like his game right now. He's all about getting right up in the goalie's face and pounding at loose pucks. He'll use his shot when he becomes more comfortable.

Dash wrote:Filatov-Spezza-Zibanejad
Michalek-Regin-Alfredsson
Greening-Smith-Condra
Foligno-Konopka-Neil

Me likey. How dangerous is that 3rd line? Very sneaky. No one will see it coming. The fourth is a scoring threat as well. I really like that lineup. (Though I think we could easily make an argument in favour of Z-Bad in Regin's spot.)

spader wrote:

Dash wrote:Filatov-Spezza-Zibanejad
Michalek-Regin-Alfredsson
Greening-Smith-Condra
Foligno-Konopka-Neil

Me likey. How dangerous is that 3rd line? Very sneaky. No one will see it coming. The fourth is a scoring threat as well. I really like that lineup. (Though I think we could easily make an argument in favour of Z-Bad in Regin's spot.)

^ You're never getting Zibanejad out of that lineup - unless he sucks in his 9 games, but really...can you see that happening?

Yeah he was just saying you could switch up the lines and have Zibanejad as the 2nd line center, but not saying to take him out of the lineup.

I just figured he was ideal as a PWF type player.