Overextending shifts is another subtle indication of a lack of discipline. –Mike Keenan, Feb. 23, 1994
Now if the Sound Tigers’ coaches really wanted to get innovative, they’d have kept guys out on the ice for six and seven minutes at a time, the way Keenan did with Alexei Kovalev that night.
First thing Dan Marshall said, and Blake Comeau readily agreed when asked, was the Sound Tigers overextended their shifts in the second period. It’s obvious on the little chart I keep — the second-period list was notably shorter than the first, so the shifts were probably longer.
“You’ve got to battle for 30 seconds hard and get off. That has hurt us a few times,” Marshall said. “It definitely burned us tonight.”
And, he mentioned, after you’ve gone and worked for a minute, then you have to kill penalties. Bad combination.
Actually, Garrett Stafford’s power-play goal was just a faceoff play, but the working damage was done by a hard 115-second penalty kill. Another goal off the draw, then a penalty (Brandon Nolan got speared, so maybe it should have been four-on-four, but that’s the chance you take), and then another, and the whole game had turned topsy-turvy.
And without Wade Dubielewicz, who had stood on his head to that point, it would have been worse.
LINEUPS
BRIDGEPORT
F: Marjamaki-Nokelainen-Pitton
Comeau-G. Johnson-Nilsson
Regier-Nolan-J. Johnson
Boguniecki (‘A’)/Ferraro
D: Fata-Berry (‘A’)
Fraser-Wotton (C)
Malec-Mitchell
WORCESTER
F: Darche-Iggulden-Mink (A)
Cavanagh-Plihal-Stevenson
Kaspar-Prudden-Armstrong
Rome/Leisenring
D: Staubitz-Stafford
Spang (A)-Ferguson (A)
Evans-Traverse…
er…
D: Evans-Traverse
Ferguson (A)-Stafford
Spang (A)-Kurtz
Didn’t see Kurtz out there in warmup… The lineup sheets we got had Kurtz scratched off and Staubitz in, and the off-ice crew had Staubitz in and Kurtz out at first on LeagueStat, so maybe I wasn’t the only one. Anyway, third shift, there’s Kurtz. I don’t know.
Phantom A’s on both Berry and Boguniecki (first time).
Neat job by Comeau on the first goal. He took Nilsson’s chip in the neutral zone and raced ahead with Jamie Fraser joining the rush. Comeau went to cut to the left at the blue line… and ran right into Gregg Johnson. But he bounced off, took the puck to the top of the left circle and blasted one past Dimitri Patzold.
That stood up for a while.
Will dig it up later, but I’m pretty sure (a) that was the fastest three goals against this team has ever allowed, and (b) that isn’t the first time they’ve allowed two goals on one penalty kill. Now, what I can’t remember is (c) if they have allowed an empty-netter and then a goalie-in goal before…
BTW, some early scoreboard watching: Albany blew a lead to Binghamton, and Philly lost in a shootout, so the lead on Philly trickles to five points.
Darren Haydar got the call from Atlanta.
Eurohockey.net notes Brendan Yarema has gone from Switzerland to Rogle BK, Kenny Jonsson’s team, in Sweden.
Cail MacLean feature on NHL.com.
Scoreboard before the game had “SUNTIGERS” above the visitors score. Sponsored by the Sun-Times; theme song: Sun King; games start at sundown; Raisin Bran boxes dot the concourse. (Actually, my press pass had me reporting for the “Connecticut Sun,” so maybe it’s a theme.)
Technomalogical request: Anybody ever have a thing where the power button on your laptop didn’t work? From the inner workings, it looks like something either broke off the button on the inside, or the whole board under there slipped somehow… Anyway, if so, please e-mail if you have any insight into something similar. Thanks.