I took the family to the LA game. Got some last minute tickets that were better than cost from the box office but still not cheap due to the Christmas holidays. The upper bowl was packed but still lots of empty season ticket holder spots in the lower bowl. As Derby said, the first period was great and if the hockey style was like that all the time, I would be more inclined to go to the odd game live, even though the cost to get from the island and stay over etc is prohibitive. Both teams were aggressive on the attack and the scoring chances were there because of it. However, after the quick second period goal by Henrik, it was like the Canucks decided two was enough to win and it became a dump it in and trap it up style. Now, it worked in this game as they got the win and overall I was impressed at how well the D played and the forwards worked hard to not give LA many grade A scoring chances. I also understand that until some of their younger guys consistently learn how to play at the NHL level, they need to play this way but, from a pure entertainment level, it is somewhat painful to watch.
On the bright side, there is some good things happening if you really watch closely. Bo Horvat is going to be a very good player for a long time. He is smart, quick, strong as on Ox and has decent puck skills and Baertschi definitely has the speed and skill...just needs to find consistency. The 6 D they had on the ice on this night were quite good and should only get better with age and seasoning. Tryamkin manhandled Kopitar on more than one occasion down low which is no easy feat. He also stapled one of the bigger LA wingers into the glass right at the penalty bench in a way that no one else on the team could. The glass must have moved three to four feet and the camera on top of it nearly was dislodged! If a couple of their young prospects ie Boesser and Juolevi can translate their current play to the pro game they will be entertaining again, but not for a few years yet!
On the downside, the overall team speed isn't where it needs to be and missing a guy like Hansen and with Virtanen not quite figuring out how hard you need to work to play at the NHL level, hurts this team quite a bit as the drop off in skill for the guys filling in is very noticeable. The Sedins need someone to play with that has the ability to get in hard on the forecheck and they also need to be able to play as a so called second line at this stage of their career. There skill level is still there but it will make for an interesting decision when it comes time for them to negotiate new contracts if the team can't surround them with enough good youth and speed to allow them to play that role of good depth scorers and leaders/mentors.
It is always good to see a game live as it gives you a different perspective than on TV and some of the subtleties you see in a player such as Tanev that don't translate in nearly the same way on the screen at home. It also usually proves that the bad isn't nearly as bad as it sounds and the good not as good as it sounds. when you compare it to what is said by the die-hards out there!