I missed the game because the NFL IS BACK! and thank God for small miracles because this game was, by all accounts, brutal. However, some hardy souls managed to take the game in and have provided recaps from opposite sides of the aisle. First up, Bell via Garrett Bauman of Maple Leafs Hot Stove who didn't see too much good at the game but knows just what to do to lighten the load on your shoulders:
I think, getting back to tonight’s game, that the team just looked spent. I mean, it’s a rookie tournament, and the final scores really don’t matter. Heck, it’s not even NHL-level competition these guys are facing. More like a cross between ECHL and AHL at best. So it’s hard to judge how a guy will really do at the next level. What you want to see out of something like this is which players have room to grow, who shows flashes of talent that can be tapped, that sort of thing. And I think there has been a lot to feel good about, regardless of whether the game was a 3-1 win or a 7-1 loss.
From the apostate side of things comes Jeremy Milks of Black Aces who has a lot to crow about but ends on a bright note for the Maple Leafs:
On the Leafs side, you have to appreciate the game 7th overall pick Nazem Kadri played tonight. He seemed like the only Leaf who was embarrassed and started throwing his body around even though he's not known as a physical player. If anything, Kadri woke the Senators back up after a sluggish start to the 3rd period, but it's easy to see why the Senators coveted the London Knight at the draft - and why Brian Burke made sure to get him before Ottawa got the chance.
So did anyone else manage to catch the game? Let's hear what you thought.
