PocketNines
Cutter's Way
It's very difficult to predict what a sum-of-the-parts style team will do in the postseason because you're mostly guessing about the state of injuries when April rolls around. Sum of the parts teams are strong when healthy because opponents can't shut any one area down and think they've got the game or series on lockdown, but injuries to any number of players throughout the lineup can seriously undermine the strategy. Whereas the more top-heavy teams need to keep their stars healthy.
If MacKinnon and Makar are healthy and playing a peak game it's a lot easier for Colorado to overcome an injury on the second pairing. If the Blues lost Krug or Faulk, which has happened each of the last two playoffs, then it has a more serious cascading effect. Predicting one round and out in this season is more like saying "the Blues will have just enough injury attrition to hold them back." Predicting a long run is also predicting excellent health.
If MacKinnon and Makar are healthy and playing a peak game it's a lot easier for Colorado to overcome an injury on the second pairing. If the Blues lost Krug or Faulk, which has happened each of the last two playoffs, then it has a more serious cascading effect. Predicting one round and out in this season is more like saying "the Blues will have just enough injury attrition to hold them back." Predicting a long run is also predicting excellent health.