1989
Registered User
- Aug 3, 2010
- 10,745
- 4,553
First off, not counting topics like "what about injuries" because there's no point in talking about something that COULD happen but isn't guaranteed. But you know what is guaranteed? General Fatigue
As we witnessed last night, players are giving at least 90%+ effort out there. MacKinnon was not sparing the rockets, the tempo overall was very high.
I wonder how it changes the Stanley Cup chase, especially for a team considered to be a contender and hasn't won a Cup with its current core. For example:
Should we expect to see less intensity in the games down the line from certain players who have their eye on the Stanley Cup?
As we witnessed last night, players are giving at least 90%+ effort out there. MacKinnon was not sparing the rockets, the tempo overall was very high.
I wonder how it changes the Stanley Cup chase, especially for a team considered to be a contender and hasn't won a Cup with its current core. For example:
- Oilers who have McDavid and Ekholm, their #1 C and #1D play full-tilt, but Germany's Draisaitl doesn't have to represent and is instead resting, feels like a 50/50 benefit;
- Florida with Bennett, Reinhart, Barkov and Tkachuk all playing key roles for their respective teams but they have won a Cup so they might see this all as a bonus competition;
- Then there's teams like Calgary and Vancouver where either only one player (Andersson/Petterson) is playing a key role, and they're trying to keep their wildcard position so they might have a net benefit down the line as fewer players were selected.
Should we expect to see less intensity in the games down the line from certain players who have their eye on the Stanley Cup?
) gets 2 weeks off to heal up.
