Rask is really sharp.Great PK. Tilt the ice for the next three minutes and get the hell out of this dump.
The goals against and possession are most amazing to me. Went from an awful defensive team, and below average possession team to one of the best. Rask has helped with the goals against, but the defense is really night and day from what it was last season. The only personnel change is Carlo for Seidenberg.Assuming no Chara yet, and with Beleskey likely out for a bit, guessing the lineup for Monday night looks like:
Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak
Schaller - Krejci - Backes
Blidh - Moore - Nash
Spooner - Czarnik - Hayes
Krug - Carlo
K. Miller - McQuaid
Morrow - C. Miller
Who had this roster 3rd in the division, ahead of Tampa (and 5 points behind the Habs) a month ago? I sure didn't...
Maybe it's coming from the significant changes in the forward corps. Ericsson for Backes may be a wash defensively, but the team shed four forwards who had at least 35 GP: Kemppainen, Rinaldo, Talbot and Connolly. They added Nash, Moore, Schaller and Czarnik -- who are all listed on the roster as centers.The goals against and possession are most amazing to me. Went from an awful defensive team, and below average possession team to one of the best. Rask has helped with the goals against, but the defense is really night and day from what it was last season. The only personnel change is Carlo for Seidenberg.