I thought we played well enough to win that game. As has been mentioned many times, while missing so many important players. It really is amazing that we continue to be competitive with so much of our roster missing.
I couldn't really pick out anyone in the first 3 periods that was off. I thought everyone played hard, and we equalled the Caps easily.
...BUT! I'm not conceding my opinion about our OT line decisions. If Wheeler was completely rested, then sure put him out there for a shift, but I don't like Buff or Little out there much at all. OT to me is all about speed with the space that you have out there. I have no idea why we don't start the ESL line. S & L are both pretty good defensively and E can beat almost anyone back to our end if he needs to. You need speed, creativity, faceoff wins and goal scoring which ESL brings. I just don't understand.
Don't mistake my criticism of the OT decisions for my opinions on the rest of the game(s) from a player or a coaching perspective. We have been very good all year in most situations and Mo has done a great job considering the injuries. It's just this one thing that really bugs me. It just seems so obvious to me to send out speed and skill over size and age.