Ok first, ugly second, great third period.
Petey has been struggling at 5 on 5, so good to see him with a bounce back there. Hopefully Mikyahev isn't out too long, as he's the lynchpin to that line working when Petey is on his game.
Thought Kuzmenko looked a bit better out there, but unless Petey gets back his zone entry form from last year the line is still going to be up and down at 5 on 5. Kuzmenko is very much an amplifier to that line - if they have the puck in the O-Zone, he's going to make sure they convert. However, he's only ok at zone entries and is not a great forechecker or defener, which is why Tocchet has been frustrated with him. Reminds me a lot of what Alex Tanguay used to be like.
Great performance from Demko and Hughes. Not enough can be said about their performances this year, just such a treat to watch each night. The way Hughes uses his feet to create space on the blueline is going to be the subject of a ton of scouting, as I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it in hockey. Guy is like Allen Iverson in his prime breaking peoples ankles.
At some point, the team is going to need to get blueline help though. Myers is great when we can keep his minutes down, but even the one injury to Soucy throws things out of whack & you can see it in everyone making uncharasteristic mistakes.
Having your bottom pairing guy play 9 and 13 minutes isn't sustainable, and this wasn't against a great team either. Hronek might need to be taken off the first PP unit, even if its just to keep his minutes a more manageable spot. I don't think the difference between him and Kuz is enough to warrant him playing an extra 2+ minutes a night (even if they're "easy" minutes) when he's already in the 24+ range.