As I wrote recently over a full NHL season there are 20+ games a team is not
going to skate well or be in any position to win. The games against the Blues
or Wild were not two of those games.
You have to bank points with a three goal lead. Those were games with points on the table.
That's what playoff teams do.
What's coming up are games you are not supposed to win.
For years I have written about injuries here, it's the one constant in this organization virtually every single season.
Boychuk, Hamonic, Halak, Cizikas, Visnovsky, Bailey. It cannot be an excuse with the depth here any more.
This team wins against Minnesota in April 2014 with an AHL defense. The Wild came out and were mailing in two points to the New York Islanders.
Chad Johnson was signed for two years to give his team a chance, he's failed badly to date in his role, even if only one goal was on him against Minnesota (4-2) goal.
We all know about the 1st line issues, they have been written about since the summer. There is nothing that can be done to change this without a significant trade that surrenders a lot. Tavares/Okposo will get their points, but there is no one on that left side who can produce.
I do not want to hear about blaming one player from fans, this is about the team. If a player is struggling it's on management to find or callup a replacement.
The rest is just quoted words from players.
