voyageur
Hockey fanatic
- Jul 10, 2011
- 10,505
- 9,902
The difference was the way the Avs skated through the Jets forwards to me. Monahan and Toffoli could not skate with that defense. Iafallo and Gustafsson couldn't skate with that defense. Nino was injured and couldn't skate with that defense. Lowry had trouble skating with that defense. Scheifele struggled to skate against that defense.I encourage everyone to look at the avs roster last year and tell me where all these big body players are... they were same size or smaller than the jets.
The difference in that series was the forecheck and that their top line was hungrier than ours.
But the Jets this year aren't the Jets last year. They are a better skating team, without Monahan, Toffoli, Dillon and Schmidt. Dillon had a good playoff, paired with Pionk. Pionk struggled at the end of it, especially game 5 and on the PK. The same one Monahan was out on. One thing that is evidently different is the way Arniel wants pucks in deep, and to apply pressure on opposing defenses.
But then you have to ask can De Melo play top pairing successfully in a playoff series? He and Morrissey have only had one good playoff series, and that's the Edmonton one in 2021. They do get worn down physically by the stronger net drives that you see in the playoffs.
But I love these boards. Heinola should be better than Pionk, because of? I'm guessing it's the new car smell.