It sucks to be talking about this, but knowing that J-Bouw was conscious and alert and seemingly out of the woods, Army's focus will have to shift towards finishing the rest of this season and defending last year's championship. Considering Jiri Fischer and Rich Peverley never played again after their cardiac episodes, it's probably safe to assume that Bouwmeester will be moved to LTIR in the coming days joining Tarasenko, meaning whatever consideration that Army had to have for Tarasenko's potential early return is likely no longer of concern.
With the LHD depth now Gunnarson, Dunn & Mikkola, it likely spells the return of Faulk to the left side alongside Pietrangelo, which honestly, is probably the best place for Faulk at this point. Mikkola and Bortuzzo will probably split the 6/7 role for the remainder of the season. But now, with their shut-down pairing no longer in tact, I wonder if this forces Army and Berube to try to outscore their defensive short-comings and bring in a forward, or if they'll try to slide Mikkola in alongside Parayko and try to replicate the success 19 & 55 had together. Although the advanced stats said otherwise, Bouwmeester's loss is a huge concern for this team, and while there's a chance the team rallies to 'win one (or 28) for the Gipper', it's more likely going to strain the defense which has already been showing signs of leaks.
What a devastating night. Uggh.
