My thoughts:
-Wow that first period was bad. Literally a full continuation of what they did vs. Vancouver and they got smoked as a result. Igor's angles and positioning were terrible. He was a different goalie in the 2nd and the 3rd, and in the best possible way.
-They were a completely different team in the 2nd, 3rd, and OT. And in a good way. If they play like they did in those periods, they're a serious Cup contender.
-Said it before, will say it again...Leschyshyn is useless and does not add value to this team. For everyone harping on his faceoff prowes, he was the only center not at 50% last night and it wasn't even close. I'd still rather let Goodrow take faceoofs and put Kravtsov on 4RW. So what if he's "not a 4th line player" - let him contribute where he's able, and if nothing else it's game experience. He may actually be able to help finish some Gauthier rushes here and there too (unlike Jake).
-Kreider still looks hurt but he was very opportunistic out there, and it was great to see the powerplay try some different looks with him. That last night was his first PP goal since November shows how one dimensional the PP has been.
-I still want to see Trouba OFF the second unit. That entire unit cycles, then Trouba will kill the possession by throwing a bad shot to the net. I really want to see the kids shoot more on the PP.
-Two games in a row now that Chytil has been cheated (Chyt'd?) out of an assist (unless it was changed overnight while I was sleeping). There was literally NO justifiable reason he didn't get an assist on Laf's goal. He wins the faceoff, Kakko chips the puck to himself, goes to get it without interrupted possession, chips it to himself again, then passes directly to Laf for a goal. Chytil should've had 2 assists in the last 2 games (including the secondary on the Miller goal in Vancouver). NHL official scoring needs to stop being so stingy with assists, and reinstruct the scorers who keep getting this wrong. If he snaps the puck on the goal mouth chance (vs. sweep shot), he also has a goal last night. So as good as he's been, there's still room for growth.
-Panarin will definitely score more goals with Trocheck and Vesey, but I'd like to see Trocheck be more involved as a scoring threat. Despite their success over 2 games, Panarin doesn't have a finisher on that line. I'm fine with leaving them together a little longer to figure it out, but part of me is very curious what Panarin/Trocheck/Tarasenko would look like since Tarasenko doesn't play the speed game that Kreider and Zibanejad want to. Problem is, who plays on that line then, since Vesey's clearly not a fit with 20 and 93. I still think it might be worth revisiting 20-16-26 and 10-93-91 at some point. I'm still impressed with Tarasenko's skill level overall, but the reads have not been there on that top line.
-Fox was a lot better yesterday. Hopefully whatever's been ailing him is getting better.
-Hated the call on Mika in overtime. If you're going to let them play, let them play. Can't not call one blatant trip, then call the second against the other team. Either both are penalties or neither.
-For all the hate on Laf, he has great hands. If he can learn to play like Draisaitl (who's also not a great skater), he very much can prove he's worth the #1 overall. This kid is definitely not the bust that some here seem to think.
-Kakko had good moments, and he had invisible moments (which, granted, were mostly in the first period like the rest of the team). Would love to see him be a little more consistent, that would help him avoid the long points droughts. He's coming along nicely though, and hopefully keeps up string of points. Kid line is their best forechecking/possession line and it's not even close. When they have bad games, it's because they spend most of their shifts pinned in their own end. If Chytil can become decent on faceoffs (my expectations are lowered here LOL), that will help a lot, plus not giving them D zone starts. I also cringe every time the 4th line gets a non-neutral zone start, because with Leschyshyn there, that line is just bad. At least they drew a penalty last night.