Currently the team is being held together by excellent 5on5 play and excellent goaltending (defensive play). The goaltending may not be sustainable... but the 5on5 play likely is.
Gully slowly removing his head from my chopping block. Special teams are approaching respectability and the puck support is greatly improved.
Can't ride high forever... and I don't want to be pissed off again in 3 games when it all comes crashing down. But right now I have a fragile peace with the situation. The last 17 games of great defensive hockey leave me pleased.
I respect that Gulutzan is also a bit of a young coach finding his own way. Improvements have been slow, but they've been there. I think for Trelivings part, the willingness to keep calling up players is also a positive for the club.
Somehow I feel like we are better with six rookies* (Hathaway, Mangiapane, Jankowski, Hrivik, Kulak & Rittich) than we were with the veterans they replaced. That's a strange feeling to find comfort in!
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Death by 4th round picks.
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