It couldn't have been business as usual today at practice. I wonder how the team will respond to this senseless, irresponsible act. It's quite the distraction. It could be a blow out loss in Barrie or a motivated, determined team ready to compete.
The defence is now thinner.
Bonk, Dickinson, and Woolley (the latter playing his best hockey of his career) are the 'big 3', but someone has to round out the top 4. My guess is that will be Brzus, but he'll have to be paired with a defensive d-man (Bonk or Woolley).
The 3rd pairing is a concern, a point I've mentioned before.
Fimis has been fine for the most part; trustworthy d-man.
It's really the 6th D that has me concerned. Both Fagan and Spencer are horrible defenders, often get caught up ice, and their coverage is poor. When Fagan moves the puck up ice quickly he's less of a liability. It's when he keeps the puck on his stick that he's prone to turnovers.
Imagine this...
We're on the road...3rd pairing is out and we ice the puck. With a tired 5 skaters, the other team with last change sends out a refreshed top line. That's an area where we're vulnerable. Fortunately, we don't have too many concerns.
Keep in mind, that much of our 19 game win streak was before Allen came over.
