It pretty much boils down to the Pettersson line having 0 goals in this series.
If the line centered by our 100 point $11 million C had 4 goals in 5 games (which you’d think is pretty average) we’d have 16 goals in 5 games … which is totally fine. Instead we have 12.
Pettersson is clearly the guy that falls right in the crosshairs on this. Justifiably so, as our supposed "superstar difference-maker" who isn't make a positive difference at all right now. Even on the powerplay.
But there's an element of this that is deeply frustrating, in that it's clearly not working with Hoglander and Mikheyev either. You've gotta switch things up. Which Tocchet has been so hesitant to do. Outside of little bench-shortening here and there in crunch time. But it's clearly hurting those guys too.
They need to just split these guys up. Stick Suter between the wingers, get Petey back on the Lotto Line full time, and hope and pray that he perks up a bit and finds something. Because often the case is...JT Bozo is the "emotional engine" of this team. But scoring-wise...this team goes as Pettersson goes. And if he's not going...it's not good.
There's just an enormous gulf in the offensive potency of this team between when we get "100Pt Pace" Petey vs the "30Pt Pace" Petey we're getting in this series. And were getting down the stretch. That's not the sort of gap that you can expect Middle-6ers/Bottom-6ers to pick up the slack on. That's an entire "1st line caliber player" margin of difference.