I’m coming around to the idea that it was three major factors at once:
1. Down with the sickness - a bug like that can mess up a team. Even a day or two after the taps turn off, you’re still drained.
2. It’s been a while - beyond the idea that guys like Foligno and Forbort hadn’t seen anything beyond an organized scrimmage the last couple months, no one on the team has been up against a fired-up, hungry team in a very long time. This was the first meaningful game they’ve played since March.
3. Bergeron - we’ve talked about how deep the team is, but Bergeron’s absence is a unique case of one of probably two or three players on this team that can’t be approximated by someone else. I mentioned how bad Krejci was on the PP1 bumper. Zacha centring Marchand and DeBrusk saw the line slightly underwater in 5v5 xGF% compared to the team as a whole, something you’d think wouldn’t happen with 37 there.
As far as Game 2 goes, if Bergy’s good to go, he slots back in. The downwind effect of I’m coaching is Foligno sits, and Frederic slots into LW4. On defence, Forbort’s out. I saw the argument that Florida’s heavy style could expose Grzelcyk, but I think they’re playing recklessly heavy. Several times, a forward would commit to a check and move in to hit, vacating his zone and springing a Bruins forward on a counter or odd-man rush. While Forbort’s going to absorb that contact better, the better puck-mover could take advantage of the Panthers’ lack of defensive discipline and spring some dangerous counters.
That said, it’s far more likely Monty slots Bergeron back in, sits Frederic, and we just hope Forbort doesn’t become the weak link Maurice can exploit.