Deep apologies for being so late with these - it took a hospital visit to throw me off my cadence with match reports. Hopefully that'll be the only instance it happens!
Asiago 5 - 3 Olimpija
Stats:
P1 - Kapel G, Sabolič A, Gregorc A
P2 - Zajc G, Bičevskis A, Ege A
P3 - Sabolič PPG, Bičevskis A, Atwal A
Shots-saves at 5-on-5:
P1 - 8-12
P2 - 9-5
P3 - 9-7
Shooting %: 11.5. About average.
Save %: 82.7. Below average. Asiago were mercilessly fast in their transition game and Horak couldn't go superhuman mode, like he usually does for us (but which we shouldn't take for granted).
PK: 3/3 = 100%
PP: 1/3 - 33%
Good special teams work tonight, even if it felt like we got dominated 5 on 5!
Main takeaway: This was the kind of game where you had to switch off your Olimpija fandom and just enjoy how Asiago were playing. Their free-flowing, attacking hockey was a joy to behold. Just a shame it came against us! What a turnaround for them this season, even if their position in the standings hasn't changed that much.
Key moment: Asiago's captain coming out of the penalty box to receive a stretch pass and score, killing our hopes of winning. A shorthanded goal didn't help, either.
Graz 3 - 1 Olimpija
Stats:
P1: Graz goal.
P2: Nothing! I'm glad my sister called me because it was mostly just neutral zone battles back and forth with little end product.
P3: Graz PPG
Mašič G, Sabolič A, Kerbashian A.
Graz shorthanded goal...
Shots-saves at even strength:
P1 - 5-14
P2 - 5-14
P3 - 7-5
PK 2/3 = 67%
PP 0/3 = 0%
A much less effective special teams day for us than Asiago's game, but a better 5 on 5 performance.
Key contributor: Luka Kolin made some of his trademark rapid-reaction saves, including a particularly impressive double save.
Main takeaways:
We played much better this game; it was extremely tight up until the finish, where we conceded another shorthanded goal. These cannot happen if you want to win games.
Sabolič is wearing the C, so that must mean Pavlin is out for a significant amount of time (later confirmed to be a long-term shoulder injury). Oh-oh. The injuries have just been brutal this year.
Key moment: On a late powerplay where Kerbashian had had a couple of tight angle chances (and where it looked like we were nailed on to score), Tomaževič looks up too early when receiving a pass. Graz's penalty killers greedily accepted the puck and scored a shorthanded goal at the other end to make it 3-1 rather than 2-2. As GB said to me in a DM, "dude that was like our season in 2 min...High hopes, good chances but then we **** ourselves".
Olimpija 2 - 1 Salzburg OT/SO
Stats:
P1: Bičevskis G, Zajc A, Lavoie A. A really nice triple move between the 3rd line.
P2: RBS goal. Right circle, pair 3 and line 2. Extended zone time ends in a goal.
P3: Nothing...
OT: Nothing...
Shootout: Kerbashian and Sabolič both scored, Horak saved both of RBS's - game over and we win!
Shots-saves at 5 on 5:
P1: 3-5
P2: 7-12
P3: 4-6
OT: Too hyped up, stopped tracking - sorry lol. We had a PP that saw a lot of cycling but not much shooting. From there, I was terrified we would lose on penalties despite our momentum. Thankfully, I was mistaken...
Shooting %: 7.14. Below average.
Save %: 95.8. Excellent and well above average.
PK - 3/3 = 100%.
PP - 0/4 = 0%.
Would have loved to score on one of those powerplays, but at least we killed all of our penalties.
Main takeaways:
- Lavoie was moved down to the 3rd line and looked effective alongside Bičevskis and Zajc.
- Tomaževič moved up to the top line alongside his buddy Sabolič and Kerbashian. I feel Sabla and KK are our two best forwards at the moment, but Tomaževič is sitting on a -9 +/-. It'll be interesting to see how that develops with his new linemates and tougher matchups.
- We kept up with RBS all game and had the staying power to edge them out at the finish convincingly, against their vaunted top goalie Atte Tolvanen in the shootout. This is the type of performance that makes me believe we can win the league - and this is before Nick Bonino joins us! Let's hope we see a lot more of this type of game and a lot less of the earlier messiness.
Key contributor: Lukaš Horák. A vintage performance from him, with the loudest crowd roars for saves that I have experienced. Dneska ne!
Key moment: Kerbashian and Sabolič doing what they didn't do in the previous shootout - elevating the puck on their backhands. Both did the same thing beautifully. Whether it was a scouting thing on Tolvanen that had cropped up, or simply a comfort move, it worked and the W was ours.
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