It comes down to compete level for me.
In this playoff we are missing one or two game breaking players that can and want to carry the team on their back for a full 60 minutes.
Tkachuk is capable of evolving into that. Bennett has that compete too but lacks the confidence to take his game to a new level.
Do Johnny/Mony/Lindy have that gear and can they sustain it for 20+ games in a long playoff run?
Have not seen that extra gear from Johnny nor Mony other than for brief moments in series. Most surprising discover these playoffs and most disappointing.
Iginla could take over a game with his mix of skills and compete level like he did in 2004.
Lets get rid of Neal somehow and find/trade for one more gamebreaking player. The rest of the supporting cast is quite solid.
I will say this. Smith gave us that compete level on every save. Too bad it did not rub off on our first line.
This thread is therapy...and we all need some of that from what we have witnessed.
|