Patrick Roy made one change to his lines at Thursday's practice, swapping Oliver Wahlstrom and Casey Cizikas ahead of this weekend's back-to-back set against New Jersey and Florida.
Wahlstrom was on the right wing with Anders Lee and JG Pageau, while Cizikas was on the left wing with Kyle MacLean and Liam Foudy. Cizikas and MacLean were linemates for first five games of the season and is a line that Roy expects to provide speed, energy and match up against top lines.
"They're energy guys," Roy said. "They're guys that are good when working down low and they're doing a very great job trying to bring pucks to the net.
"I have no problem playing against, let's say, the top line of the other team," Roy added.
Wahlstrom was reunited with Pageau on Thursday, who has been a relatively regular linemate for Wahlstrom over the past three seasons, as they've skated 520:22 together at five-on-five.
"He has a great shot, good vision, and he's very good with the puck in the o-zone," Pageau said. "He's put a lot of emphasis on his defensive game and has some grit to his game. I'm excited to play with him."
Roy praised Wahlstrom's defensive play and said he wants to see the 24-year-old continue to play with that mindset.
"I just want him to continue to play the way he's been playing," Roy said. "I don't think it's a different role because he's playing with Pageau and Anders, I want him to continue to work well in his zone. If there's a chance to maybe score goals if they're there, but if it's not [there], just play his game and be himself. That's all I want."
