cardsfan
Registered User
- May 22, 2013
- 120
- 0
I hated that we started the playoffs with the line combos we did. Untested, unfamiliar, and got us down 2-1. But i also sort of get it, from a coaching perspective. Wondering what people think about my theory. Here it is:
Hitch knew those weren't our best lines. But they were working decent at the end of the season, so even when he had everyone back healthy and could go with whatever he wanted, he figured why not start with those in the playoffs, see if they could win a few games. That gave him a great card to play, in case anything went wrong—he could go back to what we all know works: Steen-Backes-Oshie, Schwartz-Lehtera-Tarasenko, Berglund-Stastny-Jaskin.
In a way, I think it was worth the gamble on his part. If the new combos had gotten us out of a 5-game seres with Minnesota, and we had the obvious line switch waiting in our pocket to play against Chicago, all the better.
On the other hand, I think we could be up 3-1 or have won the series by now if we played the lineup we played last night. Instead, we're at 2-2 and face a hell of a battle to get out of the first round. Again.
Hitch knew those weren't our best lines. But they were working decent at the end of the season, so even when he had everyone back healthy and could go with whatever he wanted, he figured why not start with those in the playoffs, see if they could win a few games. That gave him a great card to play, in case anything went wrong—he could go back to what we all know works: Steen-Backes-Oshie, Schwartz-Lehtera-Tarasenko, Berglund-Stastny-Jaskin.
In a way, I think it was worth the gamble on his part. If the new combos had gotten us out of a 5-game seres with Minnesota, and we had the obvious line switch waiting in our pocket to play against Chicago, all the better.
On the other hand, I think we could be up 3-1 or have won the series by now if we played the lineup we played last night. Instead, we're at 2-2 and face a hell of a battle to get out of the first round. Again.