It was a collective brain-fart by the team in the 2nd. Bieksa may still be playing through an injury, but his gaffes had little to do with his skating. I'm wondering if the absence of Tanev is starting to catch up to the blueliners. They were so used to him being on the ice and making the right plays that they're facing more pressure on the forecheck and making mental errors. That said, the forwards aren't helping out and setting things up for an organized breakout. Little things like playing the puck cleanly to wingers who make an effort to get clear in the zone for a break-out - that kind of stuff.cjc wrote:Ballard might have struggled but he's not alone. I'm convinced Bieksa has been injured for a while and is trying to play through it. Unfortunately it's affecting his play. As for Albert......why, on the Preds 2nd goal, did he back in so far? Isn't he meant to engage sooner? Looked like a house midget player.
A win's a win. I'm still not confident about the team's play. Kes is looking good and Roy is a great addition. Is this going to carry us through? Hmmm, I think I'll be reaching for the Depends in a few weeks.
Having said that, better to get the wake-up call now against the bottom-feeders and still collect the points in time to tune-up for the rougher stretch. It will be more itneresting to see how they fare against StL, Det, Chi and Ana. Having said that, I'm not sure how the last two games will play out, as both Chi and Ana have pretty much locked up their spots and may just play not to get anybody hurt before the playoffs.
