My thought after the first period was that we saw a flip-flop of the usual when the Devils outplayed them by shot volume and possession metrics but lost the scoresheet.
My thought after the second period was that the great thing about a 5 goal lead is that you can take a 4 minute nap mid-game and still have the lead.
My thought about the PP was is was nice to see them stop trying to force shots from the bumper and let the shooters shoot
My thought after every game is that this cannot be the way the D-corps is constructed in April

Thank you for pointing out the save on Bardakov, the Altitude broadcast made it sound as if he shot it into Markstrom’s pad. He is an exciting young player and it will be interesting to see how fast or if, he can learn to check. Brindley is really something to behold. It looks as if he is one of the few players who translate better in the more predictable NHL than the American League. I don’t see how they can send him back.

Also yes, “Amen” to your take on Bednar’s stubbornness in using his time out. It seems there are two or three times every season where he puts his team at a disadvantage by not pressing the reset button. To me, 5-3 was a really obvious time.

Bardakov is a goner. Bednar is too lazy to coach young players. So what we have is an aging roster that’s going to fall flat on its face.