Lucic, Bennett and Mackinnon, big gap between the latter and the former two in terms of skill, but all are effective players in playoffs because they share the grit factor.
Will push, will lean, will hit and drive the net when the big games come around.
That's why the kind of slow yet bruising teams of LA from 2010-2015 could squeak in as an 8th seed and suddenly dominate for lengthy deep runs. Had the right DNA for big boy hockey, but maybe not necessarily an excess of pure skill that would ever have them flirt with the president's trophy in the regular season.
|