Quote:
Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts
How come the greatest checkers of all time sucked it up in the playoffs or is it just Huberdeau that needs to learn to play in the playoffs?
Tkachuk and Gaudreau have been flakes in the playoffs.
They didn't check like you never seen checking before as love to say. Tkachuk stood at the defensive blueline and threw blind cross ice passes all the time.
They had career years playing for new contracts after they sewered their values the last 2.5 years and playoffs.
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It's not just Huberdeau, a lot of stars have this problem. It's a question that's been around since forever, look at Steve Yzerman transforming his game as a prime example.
Huberdeau doesn't have the overpowering physical attributes that gives him an edge over other stars like MacKinnon and McDavid who have that blinding speed where they can easily get around guys. He doesn't have that power forward like size or strength like Draisaitl or Malkin who can protect pucks and be tough to take the puck from. He also doesn't have that natural competitiveness like Crosby or Toews. These individual god given traits give these stars an edge in a lot of one on one situations.
Huberdeau's elite skillset has everything to do with his vision. Nobody else on this team has the same ability to find the trailer like he does or feathering it to a guy streaking towards the net or on a breakaway. But these aren't pure one on one situations, mono e mono scenarios, they're more situations that have to present themselves.
But these situations aren't going to present themselves as often if you're constantly turning pucks over or rushing passes to avoid contact. Conversely, when he's winning more puck and 50/50s though, then he creates more opportunities to find his teammates open more.
That's why it's important for him to do this on a regular basis because as nice as it is to be able to do this in the regular season when the game is more apt to wide open play, you don't get this kind of time and space in the playoffs when every play is being contested or the neutral zone is completely clogged up or backcheckers are coming at you furiously.
...and yes, I do agree with you to an extent that Gaudreau and Tkachuk have struggled in the playoffs. But they're also flawed, they're not 1st overall picks like McDavid or Mackinnon. They couldn't carry their own line by themselves, but when they finally did just the one time, they were easily at their most productive of their careers. I thought Gaudreau dominated in the Stars and beginning of the Oilers series which is something I had never seen from him before throughout his entire career.