Absolute clinic playoff game. Goaltending enables team to withstand a heavy first period push. Clutch performers combine to get the first goal. Complete team defending effort to fully and completely stifle opposition for forty minutes. A couple players who often get some rough rides leading the way with Nugent Hopkins, Skinner, and Bouchard stepping up for elite series in winning time. Bouchard's two way game has been superlative adding team high 4:17 PK TOI his playoff performance is tracking with all time elites.
Not a clean stat but this team had only 6 giveaways. They are dialled in with their game and it's been beautiful to watch aggressive neutral zone play cut the ice in half with their pressure, smart, disciplined forward backtrack and defending support. Composed, poised puck management throughout the d-corp calming directly their zone exits. All the pieces of successful Cup teams have galvanized.
Unfortunately overcoming adversity adds another massive one with Hyman's likely season ending injury. He reframed his game to be a heat seeking missile this playoffs has been a very important ingredient (along with timely support scoring). It's a huge loss against a clear, purposeful strategy to take the physical game to an anticipated Cup rematch goal against a cheap, dirty Panthers team. Sad for one of this team's leaders and culture drivers.
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