Wombat 26 Report post Posted April 6, 2009 The Griffins were in town yesterday, so I jumped at the chance to see them play the Rochester Amerks. The game flow overall reminded me of last year's Red Wings in that they played even through the first 10-15 minutes, then they just kept pushing harder and harder. The Amerks had one short stretch in the 3rd where they seemed a little frisky, but the Griffs dominated and won 3-0. Howard played in net and wasn't challenged much until the 3rd period, where he stopped a couple odd man rushes, including one on a guy that got a pass and came in all alone from the tops of the faceoff circles. Overall, Howard did look really good. The top line was Leino/Abdelkader/McCarty and they were buzzing all day long. McCarty had a rebound goal, and almost had another on a great cross-ice feed from Leino, but he didn't get all of the puck on the one-timer. Abdelkader looked solid, and after getting knocked over in the 3rd he was trying to start something with an Amerk. Other pertinent Griffins for the immediate future of the Wings... Helm is really fast. VERY! He was even standing in front of the goalie on the #2 PP at times. He didn't hit much but I think he'll do so in Detroit for the playoffs. Kindl on the backline was solid. He's not afraid of the puck and is starting to use his size a little bit more. I don't think he's a star in the making but he'll be good as the injury call-up to Detroit next season. Overall I think the best word to describe the team is solid. It wasn't as flashy as the 6-0 Griffs/Amerks game I saw earlier this season (when Leino was amazing), but it was an overall good effort at both ends of the ice for the team. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aussie_Wing 354 Report post Posted April 6, 2009 Thanke mate, really appreciated. I think it was a great win considering their back to back losses at the hands of Hamilton and given they are on such a long road trip. It was important to get a win, especially a decisive one. It should give them some confidence. Pleased to hear Kindl was solid as I've been reading a lot of negative stuff about his play lately. Anytime I hear he's solid I am relieved. How was Lashoff, any impressions of the young man? Had 2 assists which gives him 5 points in 4 games, fantastic stuff and his +/- seems to always be good. And lastly, how was Zack Torquato? Did he get much ice-time? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wombat 26 Report post Posted April 6, 2009 I think the best way to describe my impressions of Lashoff and Torquato is that I saw them, but didn't really notice them. Torquato went on some rushes here and there but they didn't usually amount to any scoring chances. I would guess he was playing on a 3rd or 4th line. I think the best thing for Lashoff was that I did not notice many if any defensive break downs for the team, so I will say that he played a good game. The few times I've seen the Griffins, I try to pay attention to the big guys, like Kindl for example. And I thought Kindl played better yesterday than when I've seen him before. He's smooth with the puck but I didn't see a ton of offensive upside. He was using his body a bit more than before. It really was a very workmanlike performance by the Griffins and I enjoyed seeing them play that way. No one stood out as being great and no one looked bad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dimaline312000 51 Report post Posted April 6, 2009 Great 3-0 Win for the Griffins. I hope they can get these last few points of the season because we need home ice advantage against Hamilton. The Bulldogs are a great team and as much as I have confidence in the Griffins the Dogs will be hard to beat at home. Go Griffins!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
