I'm sure this has been discussed already in this thread, but I feel like the team's fragility late in games while they're trying to protect a lead is a direct result of the ineptitude of the PP. That's gotta have an effect on the players' mental state. It's like they know they're not gonna score with the man advantage, and as a result the players get nervous, grip their sticks, and start over-thinking everything. Every time they go on the PP, you can see it in their body language and the stupid mistakes they make.
Instead of going on the attack and closing the game out with a solid forecheck and smart defensive play, they're forced to sit back too much, trying to cling for dear life to that 1 goal lead, knowing that the tiniest mistake could end up in the back of their net.
How many times this year has this team jumped out to a comfortable lead and cruised to victory? Not very often. Obviously a lot of that has to do with the atrocious PP not being able to convert and give them that 2 or 3 goal cushion when they need it the most.
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