What Johnny has done this year, considering the level of support he has had from his line-mates (including some inconsistent play from Monahan) is astounding.
And it is starting to show in how other teams defend against him.
Teams used to try and defend the pass, kind of like how they defend the Sedins. But with the lack of quality line-mates, we are seeing more and more teams double-team Johnny.
SJ was a perfect example last night. Instead of defending the zone, or the pass, or any number of other defensive strategies, they simply sent two guys after him each time he got the puck - one from each direction - and close his space. Other teams have done that recently as well.
I would assume the thought process is: if he passes to someone else, so be it (they are less of a threat), but don't let Johnny beat you.
Makes total sense. And until he gets quality line-mates that other teams respect, this will become more and more the norm.
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