Sorry this is a little late, but here is today's analysis on the first scrimmage. Group 1 faced off against Group 4, with Marty Biron in net for the green team, and Jason Missiaen and Chad Johnson splitting time for Red.
The starting line for red included Marian Gaborik, Wojtek Wolski, and Brad Richards, along with Michael Del Zotto, and Steve Eminger on defense. For green, it was Mike Rupp, Artem Anisimov, and Mats Zuccarello, with Marc Staal and Dan Girardi on defense.
The line of Wolski, Gabo, and Richards made some quick impressions, with Wolski scoring off a nice passing play by Richards and Gaborik (anyone else excited about this?!). Gaborik quickly made it 2-0 for red, off a Wolski pass at their own blue line. Heading into the second period, John Mitchell cut the lead to one with a great screen setup by J.T. Miller.
A short time later, Wolski led Dale Weise on a breakaway, and he potted it to make it 3-1 red. Avery showed some great speed, breaks down ice to dig out the puck, and feeds John Mitchell who scores his second of the game. Gaborik put the game away, with his second of the game, and red went on to win the game 4-2.
Follow after the jump for more analysis.
To start, the Gaborik, Richards and Wolski line looked VERY promising, as they were apart of all four red goals. Wolski has definitely improved, and his passing seemed to be on key today, as he set-up two goals. Another surprise was John Mitchell scoring twice for green, which could be a very good asset down the road.Avery seems to have hit grit back in the corners, and he was flying all over the ice today. Overall, it looked like a great first scrimmage, a lot of key players standing out.
Just some side notes; Mike Sauer is scheduled to participate in the second scrimmage, and Marc Staal sat out today's first scrimmage. Staal is scheduled to practice with his group later on today though.
The next scrimmage is set for 1:00 PM, there will be an update thread at game time, followed by an analysis shortly following the game.