So is this cat going to participate in regard to line ups, strategies, etc or is this just a little sizzle and no steak? Did we draft McDavid or Yakupov?
As far as lineups go, I'd roll with something like this:
F1. Malkin - Crosby - Kessel
Because this is the NHL, not house league where everybody gets to play. I'd go ahead and double shift this line if possible, try and rack up as big a lead as possible and then take it easy the rest of the game just running down the clock.
F2. Kunitz - Bonino - Hornqvist
The big keys to this line are 1) Kunitz driving the offense like the 35-goal scorer we all know he can be, and 2) Hornqvist staying healthy... this whole lineup is seriously ****ed if he gets hurt somehow, so that can't happen.
F3. Dumoulin - Cullen - Hainsey
This is what I call the "Jim Rutherford Special", you get 3 guys you signed 5 years ago and then put them back together in completely different circumstances and assume they'll figure it out.
F4. Sestito - Sutter- Sunqworst
I put Sestito in here because you need that little bit of grit and veteran inspiration in the playoffs.
D1. Letang/Daley/Maatta - Streit
The left side can vary because there's a wealth of options there and you can't possibly go wrong. The right side is mainly about laughing at the Flyers.
D2. Cole - Schultz
These defensemen play for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
D3. Who really cares, am I right?
I'd start Fleury over Martin because he's already banked a lot of XP at this point and you really kind of have to start all over if you switch now.
You can thank me later. I'll be back soon with some more ideas about how you can do things better.