Should Bunting be put back into the lineup?

[Blaylock38]

We were outplayed for 5 of the last 6/7 periods. I don't get the 'keep a winning lineup' mentality.

But it is a result orientated business, and ultimately no matter if we were outplayed, that group won x3.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Come on, that doesn't matter in the slightest. Bunting's hit finished with an elbow high. If you'r Bunting, that's death. You don't even APPEAR to be making dirty hits if you're Bunting right now and he KNOWS that.

Even if all that atually happened was a freak injury with bad ooptics, Bunnting is STILL responsible for how that play looked to the officials. And hhe STILL made a stupid hit on Cernak, resulting in injury, and showing Bunting throwing a flying elbow into Cernak's head area. I don't even care if he didn't actually make contact (which he diid) that would have STILL been dumb. even if Cernak was uninjured, Bunting still should have sat for how needless and risky that play was.

Regardless of what actually hurt Ccernak, that's on Bunting and of all times he does this in game 1 of a playoff series. Bunting KNEW he should be on his best behavior in the playoffs and he still did something that stupid. Nevermind that he wasn't even in the same area code as the puck.. Even Brad Marchand isn't that dumb, not in the playoffs anyway.

WOW. That's a weird rant.

There was absolutely nothing in my post suggesting that I was trying to excuse Bunting's play, or dispute the penalty or suspension. It was an elbow, it was a penalty, it was a stupid play, and it deserved the suspension (although personally I expected 2 games), and he deserves to sit out tonight's game.

All I said was that it looks like Cernak's continuing absence may be more due to the way he landed than to the actual hit.

 

[Welsh Maple Leaf]

We were outplayed for 5 of the last 6/7 periods. I don't get the 'keep a winning lineup' mentality.

The line up won - what’s hard to understand

 

[ponder]

Yes.

I gave more of my thoughts here: GDT: - Apr. 27, 7:00pm: The BWO proudly presents "The Leafs vs TB - It's Game 5 Baby!" - The Opposite Edition

But IMO we should swap Bunting/ZAR, and Lily/Holl. I'd leave Bunting on the 4th line for now, but he improves that line over ZAR, and Lily is a massive ES upgrade over Holl.

We haven't been doing great at ES, have been managing to scrape by with some miraculous comebacks, but we shouldn't be relying on that. We should be playing our best lineup, that is most able to control games - that's Bunting over ZAR, and Lily over Holl.

 

[Antropovsky]

Yes.

I gave more of my thoughts here: GDT: - Apr. 27, 7:00pm: The BWO proudly presents "The Leafs vs TB - It's Game 5 Baby!" - The Opposite Edition

But IMO we should swap Bunting/ZAR, and Lily/Holl. I'd leave Bunting on the 4th line for now, but he improves that line over ZAR, and Lily is a massive ES upgrade over Holl.

We haven't been doing great at ES, have been managing to scrape by with some miraculous comebacks, but we shouldn't be relying on that. We should be playing our best lineup, that is most able to control games - that's Bunting over ZAR, and Lily over Holl.

Holl has made some big blocks... I don't think it's a good idea putting a green Liljegren into a game where Tampa will be playing desperate hockey. It would be different of he had time to acclimate. We've invest so much time onto Holl, we might as well keep rolling with him.

 

[Racer88]

Sounds like the no votes were the correct opinion

 

[ponder]

Holl has made some big blocks... I don't think it's a good idea putting a green Liljegren into a game where Tampa will be playing desperate hockey. It would be different of he had time to acclimate. We've invest so much time onto Holl, we might as well keep rolling with him.

And yet we're still getting outscored 3:1 with Holl on the ice, at even strength (worst on the team). Blocking shots is good, but we're constantly hemmed into our own end with Holl on the ice, that's really bad. It's not like Lily is THAT green, he's got 143 NHL games under his belt (and 185 AHL games, 35 of them in the playoffs), and he's just a much better ES dman than Holl. I'd very, very strongly prefer if Keefe played him. He literally never benches Holl, so I know it's not gonna happen, but IMO Keefe is f***ing up huge here.

ZAR over Bunting is a smaller, lower impact issue IMO, and probably very temporary, I'm sure Bunts is getting back into the lineup soon.