Some encouraging things in that game:
1) We won the goaltending battle. Vladar said he had it pretty easy, but there were a few key saves, the saves on Tkachuk were huge, and there were a few good ones when it was 4-2 and a goal would have put the game in doubt. Like with PPs, timeliness is more important than the stats
2) They were on their toes - at least in the 1st and 3rd periods. And they generated chances off the rush.
3) Multi-point games from Huberdeau, Mangiapane and Dube - just what the doctor ordered. I thought that was Mangiapane's best game this year, he was engaged and effective.
The biggest concern with this team for me, other than the goaltending, is the breakout. The do the same thing over and over, and it is completely ineffective. The Dman throws it to the winger on the half wall, who has his back to the opposing defenseman, which allows that defenseman to pinch, cutting off the breakout and keeping the puck in the zone. Some shifts, they go through this same sequence 4 or 5 times. They really need to be more creative with the breakout because right now it is causing them to spend way too much time in their own zone.
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