Don't the Bolts have a knack of losing most of their nationally televised, regular season games these last few years? I have no idea what their actual record is, but I was thinking it probably isn't great. Plus, it's usually against some of the better teams in the league. At least here, the Bhawks are a "formerly" good team.
Oh, crap! I forgot it will be televised on NBCSN.Now we're truly doomed!
#yzerplanGame Plan:
Win.
Dotchin is a defensive defensemen. Most physical Dman we have, without Hedman, best in front of the net. Skates well enough. Can get a hard shot on net. Yes, he should be a second or third pair guy. But at the moment, it is what it is. Everyone complains every time he makes a mistake or gets beat, without factoring in that he is out there against the top lines. Put any of those others guys out against the top lines and see what happens. I’m not saying he is a legit top pairing Dman, but I don’t get this whipping boy status.It's not so much hate as it is a reflection of how Dotchin has been playing recently and especially since Hedman went down. During the last five games or so, all of the rookies have been struggling. I'm also hesitant about the Strålman/Dotchin pairing because it puts Stråls on his off side which is always tricky for anyone who isn't Coburn.
Now, from a sheer physicality point of view, yes, Dotchin gives the top pairing a some grit, if (and it's a BIG if) he doesn't take stupid penalties and if he plays like he did during the game after he was benched. We'll see shortly.
