RBS will know they have been in a game last night. Apart from a poor first period/slow start, bad luck on some ref calls, the Devils played well in p2 and p3. They should be proud of themselves - the fans certainly were proud of our Team. They will have learned a lot from this game tactically. One thing they cannot control in these games is their short bench and players with lack of game-time. Until they shore up the defence by bringing in a high end experienced import, and forward lines and defence pairings are settled, the Team will continue to battle but may struggle with consistency.
One difference in this game was netminding - Herzog was superb. Anyone who can stave off 12 direct shots against in a powerplay is on top of his game. And whilst relentless forechecking will usually unsettle the opposition, and shutting down shooting lanes will limit scoring chances , RBS used a few other tactics to ensure the Devils were going to have to earn puck possession and do something with it. For instance, many times Salzburg players simply man marked our Guys OFF the puck, meaning that our player with possession had no-one to pass it to. Haddad and Martin both had instances where they had to retain the puck, Fournier and Reddick had no option but to carry it themselves into the attacking zone....because all other players were man-marked out.
Chemistry looks to be building. The new Guys are making fantastic contributions. The Guys were battling man for man until the end. Once they iron out the niggles and get a full roster going, the Big Red Machine will be ready to roll in the domestic competitions.