Gaudreau was pretty darn bad for most of the series, especially games 3 and 4. He did show some willingness to backcheck at the very least and he was probably the only player on this team could keep up with the Avalanche pace.
But to me, the most telling thing was game 5. That was far and away his best game of the playoffs as he looked engaged, created a lot of chances and looked fast.
I also don’t think it was a coincidence that he was at his best because he actually had more time and space last night than any other game. For whatever reason, Colorado’s backcheck wasn’t nearly as intense or as relentless as the first 4 games. Maybe it was because they knew they had the series wrapped up and they didn’t feel the need to skate as hard and put up 50 shots again.
But either way, that game did at least convinced me that when Gaudreau plays in a game or a series where the speed factor is a wash, then he can be a big factor. But in a series where the opposition has an extreme speed advantage, he looks pedestrian as heck.
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