I think a big factor in my opinion will be if he can find some offence in the bottom 6. What I'd really like to see is some aggressive line blending, and then a willingness to double-shift whichever line finds some chemistry. So far it's been fairly stagnant, and I think now that we're confident Lindholm fits on the top line, we have to find some more combos that work.
I've been really happy with how the PP has adjusted through 2 games. I've seen 4 distinctly different breakouts and we've made changes when things haven't been working. For all the hate the drop pass gets, both of the 3rd period PP goals came after a drop pass to Gaudreau, and we've also seen some success gaining the zone with other breakouts. Predictability was our downfall last year so this is a really good sign. I also liked the way we attacked the net quickly after gaining the zone rather than always circling back to set up at the point. It really backs the D off and buys you more time for when you do intend to set up.
Based on Peters's comments that he's not happy with our 5v5 play, I'd hazard a guess he's defaulting to Ryan as 3C because Ryan knows the system better. If he's overusing Ryan in 5-10 games despite other players outperforming him then I'll be frustrated. I do think Bennett and Jankowski need some more ice time, at least 10-12 minutes even if they're the 4th line. Seems like they're not even getting as much PK time as they should, which is the real headscratcher to me. I'd rather have them play some hard PK minutes to keep guys like Backlund and Lindholm fresher for 5v5 play.
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