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Originally Posted by tvp2003
One thing I just remembered this morning — didn’t Gaudreau injure his wrist late in Game 5 against Winnipeg and have to leave? Not suggesting it’s the sole root of the problem as he seemed to be stickhandling and shooting okay on Friday, but it might be reason why he’s being a bit more cautious out there..
Let’s face it — Johnny has NEVER been a physical player, so to suggest he should be grinding it out on the boards now seems a little far fetched. He’s a player that excels when he has time and space, and that’s not something he’ll easily get during the playoffs outside of the power play and occasional 4 on 4.
I also think the league (and specifically defenceman) have gotten quicker since Johnny broke into the league, which means he can’t just skate around everyone anymore...
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He played decent on Friday, had some nice passes to Mony that couldn’t convert and he also had a decent point shot that led to scramble in front. Let’s face it none of the lines looked good on Friday, Dube line looked the best and the Mony line might have generated the next most chances at ES.
That being said I wouldn’t mind switching Rinaldo and Johnny, not even a demotion, Johnny has shown chemistry with Derek Ryan before and I think Ryan deserves more ice time. Ryan and Quine are good at battling on the boards and retrieving pucks and none of Mony, Johnny, Lindholm are doing that (Surprising for Lindholm). I think Rinaldo with those guys could help bring some energy. Anyways the top line didn’t look as bad last game, especially in comparison to the other lines but if they do struggle I really hope we do see Johnny and Mony split up and Johnny get some reps with Ryan.