dlbalr

1-1 in the 2nd, Harvey-Pinard with the goal for Laval.

It's supposed to be all of the above. Only Weber didn't skate with the team today.

I spent way too much time watching the yellow one to see if the hand would 'catch' the back of the banging one (it got there eventually). I have no idea why I felt the need to watch that so closely...

After losing on Friday night in a game I didn't have time to make a GDT for, Laval and Toronto are back at it for the fourth game of this five-game set. It's likely that Cale Fleury returns for this one after being rested as a precautionary measure last night. Veilleux - Dauphin - Belzile Harvey-Pinard - Weal - Ylonen Lucchini - Vejdemo - Brook Baddock - Hillis - Mysak Schueneman - Leskinen Paquette-Bisson - Fleury Ouellet - Olofsson McNiven Gogolev - Kossila - McKenna McMann - Gaudet - Noesen Green

Today's lines:

When they're down to the Final Four, they will be reseeded by regular season points with the usual tiebreakers applying if necessary.

They didn't have Suzuki at the time, actually. Kotkaniemi was drafted in June that year while Suzuki came over in the Pacioretty trade in September three months later.

(I know, different episodes but that came to mind anyway...)

There's only one way to guarantee I don't write them... https://www.habsworld.net/2021/01/join-the-habsworld-writing-team/

They'd need to include some significant offsets for sure but Buffalo isn't retaining money to send their franchise player to a division rival. I don't think they can make the money work unless either Price or Weber is gone by the start of free agency (this is a deal that will happen by the start of free agency if it happens).

I should have clarified - I wasn't suggesting Frolik would be in the mix but rather that type of line (with Armia in his spot from my original combos) was the style that Ducharme may like to see to start a series.

Well, this one was a surefire loss since I was on recap duty... https://www.habsworld.net/2021/05/habs-drop-season-finale-in-overtime/

Why does Buffalo eat money for five years to trade him though? Here, we'll trade you the guy we've been building our franchise around for the last half-decade and pay for the 'privilege' to do so. They'll have to take back salary offsets but I'd be shocked if they'd even consider the idea of retaining money.

I was wondering why this was taking so long to be done as the deadline to get him signed was June 1st. He definitely earned it.

I think this is Sportsnet's fault. They have a national game at 7:30 EST (TOR-OTT) and with Edmonton's regional rights being on Sportsnet, they don't want the overlap.

Here's the other thing that came to mind when I was pondering those lines. The Frolik-Staal-Perry line had a bit of success playing as of late on a slower type of cycle. With the pace typically slowing in the playoffs, I can see Ducharme liking the idea of three big bodies that can play physical on Toronto defenders and grind out some shifts. I'm not convinced that's necessarily the best way to go but that seems like the type of safe line most coaches like and fans don't like. The funny thing is the Lehkonen-Evans-Byron line really complicates things if the goal is to keep them

Not that it's going to come up now with the recalls having been made but a retroactive LTIR placement for Price (who has missed enough time since he last played to satisfy the games missed requirement) would have solved that issue.

After a win last night, Laval will look to make it two straight over Toronto. (Lines are from last night) Gogolev - Kossila - Noesen Petan - Gaudet - McKenna McMann - Chartier - Green Clune - Elynuik - Pooley Marincin - Liljegren Hoefenmayer - Rosen Rubins - Kapcheck Hutchinson (Lines are from last night) Veilleux - Dauphin - Mysak Harvey-Pinard - Weal - Ylonen Lucchini - Vejdemo - Brook Baddock - Hillis - Hawel Schueneman - Leskinen Paquette-Bisson - F

We're going to have a week (probably slightly more than that) before Montreal's series against Toronto gets underway. Let's keep the pre-series talk in here.

Toronto made it interesting in the third (that has been a real trouble spot this season, letting teams get back in it from big leads) but Dauphin got an empty-netter to get the win. They're back at it tomorrow afternoon. https://theahl.com/stats/game-center/1022603

Ylonen makes it 3-0 in the second.

Based on the deployment of Staal and Kotkaniemi the last few games, if one of them sits to keep Evans in, it's probably not going to be Staal. I could see a Perry-Staal-Armia line (with Lehkonen-Evans-Byron the other one in the bottom six) to start with Kotkaniemi and Caufield being subbed in after a loss to shake things up.

Bergevin was banking on Staal rebounding in a winning environment as Buffalo has been where offensive players go to die recently. Based on last season, it was a reasonable gamble. Too bad it hasn't panned out just yet (we'll see if he does anything in the playoffs).

Laval begins a five-game stretch to finish the season tonight as they travel to Toronto for the first of two against the Marlies. The final three will then be at the Bell Centre. Cale Fleury returns while Josh Brook will line up at forward. Vasili Demchenko gets the nod. Lines will be updated closer to game time. Lineup TBD Veilleux - Dauphin - Mysak Harvey-Pinard - Weal - Ylonen Lucchini - Vejdemo - Brook Baddock - Hillis - Hawel Schueneman - Leskinen Paquette-Bisson - Fleury Ouellet - Olofsson Demchenko

Teasdale, Pezzetta, and Blandisi are all out for the season. Their injuries are what got them recalled to the taxi squad as Laval is down to just 12 healthy forwards.