[Cali Panthers Fan]

I don't know if the tactic will work, but I'm happy to see Hartley work the hell out of these guys. Maybe it'll remind them of what their bodies should feel like after a legitimate effort in a game.

I'm not doom and gloom on the season yet, but this team needs to find their work ethic and skating legs again. You have to at least make the other team earn it if you're going to give them a win.

Also, the pairings make sense to me:

Gio/Wideman: Gio can focus more on his own zone and Wideman can run around more on offense.

Russell/Engelland: We've seen Deryk step up when called upon to play bigger minutes, but he needs a guy who can skate the puck out of trouble as his partner. Kulak can do that, but hasn't really so far, so Russell is a better choice for the time being.

Hamilton/Smid: Probably get bottom pairing minutes for now. Hamilton has not been good, but there's no way I expect him to play like this for the rest of the year. Kid has got too much talent. Smid is probably chomping at the bit to get back on the ice, so I expect him to be a bulldog out there. It'll help Hamilton while he figures out his game.


BTW, this is all very temporary until Brodie gets back. Then I expect:

Giordano-Brodie
Russell-Hamilton
Smid-Wideman