GDT: Preseason game 1, 'nucks vs Islanders

[the toucan kid]

I think most people here are aware of this but at this point its all we have to go on right?

Doesn't mean it is right to make much out of it. Not that you, in particular, are.

[Island Nucklehead]

Get back to me when both Salo & Schnieder are injured and we've got SOB in the top 4.
I think its very important we see how these guys perform when the heat is on and reveal how far they can be pushed. Agreed they'll rarely be in positions where they're playing that many minutes...which is a relief.

Bieksa, Edler, Mitchell, Ehrhoff should be our top four regardless... still leaves Salo, Schneider, O'Brien and Lukowich. Don't see how SOB winds up in the top four unless we hit a SERIOUS injury bug, in which case the season is probably F'd anyways.

I guess we have different standards because I certainly thought that 2nd goal was spectacular. At that speed, taking a puck off your skate and then backhanding it top corner all in one motion is alot harder than it looks. It just looked effortless to the kid, consider me *very* impressed with his hands.

If the center of the net equals top shelf, count me impressed. He made a nice play to get it to his stick, but thats a wide open net that most NHL players should hit 9/10 times.

[dr.dork]

I'm flabergasted its not a done deal that Burrows starts the season w/ the Sedins....utterly shocked. Why screw with chemistry?

Burrows has chemistry with Kesler as well. If Samuelsson, for example, doesn't fit in with Kesler and the second line struggles, it does make sense to switch up Samuelsson and Burrows. Samuelsson is known to have chemistry with the Sedins (from the national team) and Burrows is known to have chemistry with Kesler. I don't think it would be screwing with chemistry so much as rebalancing it a bit.

Having said that, I would be shocked too. But if the second line chemistry doesn't develop I wouldn't be surprised to see Burrows moved to play with Kesler. Mainly to jumpstart the second line, not as a demotion for Burrows.