Giants Game Report: Game 6 vs Kelowna
A dominant night on special teams propels the Giants, who pick up their second straight win over the Rockets.
The Giants picked up their second straight win, improving to 2-0 in their stylish new black jerseys, defeating the Rockets 7-2 on the back of an impressive night from both the powerplay (4/5) and the penalty-kill (3/4), with 6 of the Giants goals coming either short-handed or with the man-advantage. Of the two units, the penalty-kill was the most impressive, the forwards, especially Hall and Sourdif, were constantly getting out on the Rockets defencemen up-top and forcing turnovers that lead to chances, and two short-handed goals.
Forwards:
1st Line:
#42 Justin Sourdif (F, ‘02): Despite a slow start to the game, Sourdif recorded the highest Game Score of any Giant this season, posting two goals, including a shortie, as well as a primary and secondary assist, and four shots on goal. The Giants dodged a bullet when at the end of the first period Sourdif blocked a shot with his hand, and it looked like he was in serious discomfort, dropping his glove and stick, but was able to finish the game, and looked no worse for wear in the 2nd and 3rd periods.
The powerplay showed a new look last night with Sourdif, not Tanner Brown, working the top of the unit, which led to Sourdif getting more shooing opportunities and him generating 2 of the Giants 4 powerplay goals. Sourdif has a pretty innocent-looking shot from distance but was able to get it through traffic and get’s it off with a quick release.
Game Score: 3.4
#12 Adam Hall (F, ‘01): Hall continues to be, in my opinion, the best overager on the roster and had a monster first period, drawing a pair of penalties and notching a short-handed goal. Hall found himself reunited with Sourdif on the 1st line (Hall-Sourdif-Mount) and continued to display chemistry between the two, as Sourdif forced the short-handed turnover that eventually led to Hall’s team-leading 5th goal of the season.
Game Score: 2.1
#19 Payton Mount (F, ‘02): After 6 games a theme is beginning to occur for me, as after each game I’m not entirely sure what to write about Mount. While he had a quietly good night, and setup Sourdif early in the 2nd period, Mount kind of blends in as the third forward regardless of the line he’s playing on, and throughout the game my mind wandered, I started thinking about whether Lies would be a better fit on the line. He’s been kind of vanilla.
After saying all that, Mount is 5th among forwards in scoring on the Giants, with 6 points (1G, 4A) in 6 games to open the season, but he’s only registered 14 shots on goal, for comparison fourth-line centre Ty Halaburda has 11 despite significantly less ice-time and opportunity. Mount has generated some scoring chances over the past two games against the Rockets and needs to continue to build off of that, but as Coach Dyck continues to tinker with the deployment of the forwards, Mount is going to have to continue to show he’s earned a spot in the top-6.
Game Score: 0.4
2nd Line:
#8 Ty Thorpe (F, ‘02): Highlighted by four shots on goal and a powerplay goal, Thorpe’s tenacity when on the ice continues to benefit the Giants. He and Ostapchuk really meshed well and made life difficult for the Rockets’ defencemen both when they controlled the puck in the offensive zone, but also on the forecheck.
This is the first time we’ve seen Thorpe centre Lysell and Ostapchuk for an entire 60-minutes and constitutes what would have been my ideal top-6 going into the game. Thorpe’s skillset fits well with Lysell, with both bringing different strengths to the table. Thorpe is strong on the draw (61.3%), a great forechecker, and is defensively responsible, which allows Lysell to think offensively and play with the puck on his stick. Ostapchuk has a bit of both skillsets and fits in nicely as the 3rd member of that line.
Game Score: 1.1
#11 Fabian Lysell (F, ‘03): Lysell looked great on the new-look powerplay, recording 3 powerplay assists on the night, and adding an even-strength goal late in the second period. The powerplay really caters to Lysell’s skillset now and runs directly through him, he’s constantly looking for passing lanes and circles the zone occasionally, rotating up high with Sourdif to create switches for the penalty killers. This structure really plays to his strengths, of playmaking and skating, with the puck on his stick he can make subtle moves with his agility and speed to open lanes and has the passing ability to get the puck to his teammates or shoot himself when given the opportunity.
Game Score: 3.3
#10 Zack Ostapchuk (F, ‘03): Ostapchuk continues to get better as the season goes on, especially when the puck is on his stick. Zack led the Giants in shots on goal with 6 last night and made some nice plays off the rush with Lysell, but was held pointless on the night. I didn’t like his penalty in the offensive zone, but Ostapchuk and Thorpe gave the Rockets’ defencemen fits on the forecheck, shutting down their breakout, and creating contested pucks and turnovers, which led to extended time in the offensive zone.
Game Score: 0.7
The Bottom 6:
The Bottom-6 for the Giants improved relative to last week’s game against the Rockets and saw more ice-time in the 3rd period when the game was out of reach. Both lines showed the ability to get into the offensive zone but were unable to retrieve dump-ins or sustain pressure and keep the puck there. The inability to generate extended offensive zone shifts highlights a real issue for these two lines. Over the last 4 games, the bottom-6 have been outshot at even-strength, in large part due to being one-and-done in the offensive zone, but spending extended shifts in the defensive zone. No team is perfect, and if your biggest concern is how to improve your team’s depth I think you’re in a decent spot as a group, but for these individual players what’s going to help them contribute more effectively is being able to spend more time at the far end of the ice, which will lead to more offence, as well as limiting time in the defensive zone. They’re only going to be able to do that if they can find a way to be more effective on the forecheck and retrieve contested or dumped-in pucks.
#36 Justin Lies (F, ‘03): Lies recorded a shot on goal, and fought Kovancevic late in the third period, but was held off the scoresheet. On the Rockets’ 1st goal, Lies followed his man into the corner, rather than stopping on a loose puck in front of his own net, you’d like to see him protect the dangerous areas rather than follow a player without the puck into the corner.
Game Score: -0.2
#15 Jaden Lipinski (F, ‘04): 3 Shots on goal, and some good offensive shifts in the third period, but was 40% (6/15) in the faceoff dot.
Game Score: -0.1
#17 Kaden Kohle (F, ‘02): Recorded a shot on goal, and drew a penalty, but missed a breakout pass in the 1st period that went back the other way for the Rockets’ first goal.
Game Score: -0.1
#7 Ty Halaburda (F, ‘05): Despite playing limited minutes so far this season, Halaburda is 7th among Giants forwards in shots on goal and second in faceoff percentage (58.7% - 63 attempts), among regular centres. He made an impact, recording two points on the powerplay, a goal, and a primary assist, as well as recording 3 shots on goal against the Rockets. He looked more comfortable at even-strength as well, especially in transition and getting open for shooting attempts in the offensive zone.
Game Score: 1.4
#14 Ethan Semeniuk (F, ‘05): No shots, no points, no penalties drawn or taken, and a Corsi of 27%.
Game Score: -0.3
#28 Julian Cull (F, ‘04): No shots, no points, no penalties drawn or taken, and a Corsi of 36%.
Game Score: -0.2
Defencemen:
#29 Tanner Brown (D, ‘02): Brown has had a quiet few games, but got his first point of the season taking a shot that banked in off of Lysell late in the second period. It surprised me that, that was his first point of the season, considering his role on PP1 and playing with Leslie at even-strength.
Brown is a quiet steady defenceman, and I think that makes him the ideal partner for Leslie, but can leave you wanting more at times. I thought he struggled defensively last night, on the Rockets’ first goal Novak was able to pass the puck under his stick to Dach who finish off the odd-man-rush. There were also times, in the second period when he got knocked off pucks, which allowed the Rockets chances to try and get back into the game.
Game Score: 0.5
#47 Mazden Leslie (D, ‘05): Apart from not taking the man/stick on the Rockets’ second goal, as the net-front defenceman, Leslie had a good night for the Giants, recording a shot on goal and three blocked shots, while also drawing a penalty. He took a few hard hits throughout the game which could be worrisome.
Leslie was held pointless in both games against the Rockets but continued to be a presence in the transition game, making smooth outlet passes that improved the condition of the puck for the G-Men.
Game Score: 0.6
#22 Connor Horning (D, ‘01): Horning looked slow when defending in transition and when the puck was below the goal line in the defensive zone. While he looked good on the 2nd powerplay unit, and scored a goal, the Giants need more from him at even-strength. Horning rates at the top among D-men last night, with a Game Score of 1.4 due to his goal and a secondary assist, but was a 45% Corsi at even-strength in a game the Giants dominated from start to finish. You can attribute that to ‘Score Effects’ maybe, but with he and Pentecost posting the worst Corsi among the Giants’ defensive pairings, it’s noteworthy and a potential cause for concern.
Game Score: 1.4
#24 Brenden Pentecost (D, ‘03): What has impressed me the most about Pentecost’s game is his ability to kill the rush with his stick, he’s very aggressive in the neutral zone denying ice when defending the blueline and using his stick actively to force turnovers and dump-ins. He doesn’t always make the best decision when he gets the puck on his stick and is prone to the occasional bad pinch, but I’ve liked his defensive game thus far.
Game Score: -0.1
#21 Nico Camazzola (D, ‘03): He’s looked better when handling the puck of late, and was even activating in the offensive zone, posting a pair of shots on goal last night. It’s likely in part due to him playing against weaker competition on the 3rd pair, with McNelly and lately Pentecost taking reps with Horning in the top-4, but Camazzola seems to be finding his legs.
Game Score: 0.3
#13 Damian Palmieri (D, ‘04): It wasn’t Palmieri’s best night, and I could see him being the one to rotate out for McNelly. He was second on pucks, and one play stands out in my mind where he tried to take the man but ended up taking himself out of the play, leading to Vikman having to make a nice save. I didn’t like his decision-making with and without the puck last night.
Game Score: 0.3
Goaltender:
#30 Jesper Vikman (G, ‘02): Vikman continued his string of strong performances allowing just 2 goals on 28 shots in the win (.929 save %). He’s been a real steadying presence in net for the Giants and continues to look calm when making big saves, including 2 good saves in the first 5-minutes to keep the game scoreless. His best save might have been when he pulled the puck off the goalline in the 2nd period after being run into and drawing a goalie interference penalty - it wouldn’t have counted, but really highlighted his flexibility and compete-level to get to that puck.
The challenge for the G-Men regarding their goaltending moving forward is going to be managing Vikman’s workload. After an easy October schedule 28 (45%) of the Giants’ remaining 62 games come as the 2nd or 3rd night of a back-to-back or three-in-three. They’re going to have to rely on Gurski to give Vikman nights off, and after Gurski allowed 6 goals on 27 shots in his debut against the Blazers, are the Giants going to be able to do that?
Game Score: 1.3