PlayOff Mode

They have to take Mika out of the bumper slot and put him back where he belongs on the left circle. Moving him to get Kane on the 1st PP unit is stupid and a waste of his one timer.

Panarin and Kane are turnover machines and should not be on the same line. Or we can keep them on the same line and simply not play them lol

Barring a monumental collapse (which in itself would trigger all sorts of organizational changes), NYR have a lock on the Metro #3 spot. That said, there is 19 games to see how this team meshes. Given the magnitude of the way this lineup has changed so quickly and the circumstances which created the situation of them playing short the past few games- I wouldn't worry too much about the current funk the team is in.

But as this team prepares for the playoff push, it's all on Gallant to address a bunch of issues including:
1) The turnovers you mention. Panarin is the main culprit. Irony is he can still be very good even when he cuts down the "freewheeling" just a bit. And when he WANTS to be, he can be effective in supporting the defense.
2) Team defense...Forwards need to support the defense, and the lack of awareness in the D zone is mind boggling. Allowing players to get open in the slot uncontested is a sure fire way to shorten the playoff run.
3) Powerplay...is the construction about appeasing the egos of the newbies? Or is it about minor tweaks to PP1 and PP2 (both which have proven capable)?

I fully expect Kane to find his game just like Tarasenko 👍 and the team to play better once roster is back to full strength. And does this team go deep into the post season, then great! Do they win the cup, that would be beyond belief, but I'm not hoping. I will wait and see 😀