Tough loss to swallow. Jagr needed to dump the puck if the next line up wasn't Backlund or Gaudreau line and Gulutzan needed to send Backlund or Gaudreau line. That was the game and it all came down to the 4th line being out on the ice at the wrong time.
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Originally Posted by crapshoot
I know Mike Smith has been great for us and he is awesome, but it's a bit annoying that he not only seems to be beyond criticism, but also justified to rip into the team. Last game I get, but not this one. He let in five. Not gonna win a lot of games when letting in five goals. Also it's so damn weird how the Jankowski-line simply doesn't score. It makes no sense for them to just keep struggling while creating great chances game after game. It's like they just lost the ability to finish.
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It's because it's 3 v 5 when they are out there on the ice. You NEED your defensemen to join the cycle. It's the same reason the Canucks started to decline when Vigneault left and was replaced by Friends of Gulutzan. If your defensemen aren't part of the cycle, there's no confusion. When's the last time a defenseman had a scoring chance with the Bennett-Jankowski-Jagr line out there? Now imagine the chaos you would get if a defenseman had a scoring chance. That's where goals come from. Goalies can stop point blank shots in the NHL if they can track the puck.