Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathgod
Is it just me, or does it kind of feel like the dead puck era has returned? Over the past 9 NHL playoff games, the losing team has averaged 1.1 goals per game. Teams know that the key to winning in the playoffs is to go into a defensive shell and count on your goaltender to outduel the opposing goaltender. Get a 1 goal lead and nurse it all the way to the end of the game. Dallas has rode this strategy to within 5 wins of a SC title, and now has a solid chance of winning the whole thing.
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I think you write some of that stuff off to playing in the bubble. Without home crowds to give teams that extra surge to come back, players have to entirely manufacture their own emotion.
Couple that with the knowledge that once you’re done, it’s back to the hotel room with your Frasier re runs, and little to no opportunity to capitalize on the celebrity that usually comes with a deep playoff run, and you’ve got teams that are easily demoralized once they’re down.
I dunno, maybe I’m just talking nonsense, but I certainly wouldn’t worry about dead puck era comparisons just yet - they didn’t even play a full season and still had 17 PPG players and nine guys with 80+.
That’s a far cry from Jamie Benn winning the Art Ross with 89 points a few years back.