While I feel that they need to discover that physical leadership that can effect momentum in a game/series, I don't agree with the mental weakness narrative. This is mostly the same core group that got smoked in Game 5 against Washington, but came back to win Game 6 and then Game 7 on the road. When a Zamboni driver was in net in a crucial RS game against Toronto, they didn't buckle. They took of business against a team that they've traditionally struggled with in the qualifying round.
Boston is on another level than those opponents. Carolina is not the only club on the upswing to face that type of elite team roadblock in recent memory. Pittsburgh's struggle with Detroit was previously mentioned. Vancouver lost to Chicago in back-to-back years. Ovechkin/Backstrom lost to Crosby/Malkin 3 times, including a back-to-back before breaking through.
This group has room to grow, both in terms of talent (namely Necas) and maturity. I really do think that the upside of this team is to be on the level that Boston is on right now. We are watching some growing pains in real time and that's okay. Be patient.
One good thing to come out of this is that we are getting the baptism by fire by playing a team like Boston over and over again. We have a good foundation, but the complementary pieces definitely need to be molded into something that can play with the kind of mean streak that a team like Boston can play with. In a way, getting our ass kicked twice in the playoffs by the same team should send a very strong message to our front office that we have a huge weakness and it badly needs to be addressed if we hope to legitimately contend. In a few years, I can see these years paying off for us, but its going to suck for now. Simply put, we need to be a physical team. We need to be a team that busts its ass off 60 minutes a game every night, and not accept any effort that is less than that. Right now, this year, it didn't seem like we ever developed the kind of urgency needed to win in this league and it was allowed to fester to the point it blew up our series against Boston, again, before it really got started.
And if we can't get that fixed, then we'll eventually have a new front office and coaching staff soon enough where someone else will take a chance at it. But I have faith in the current versions to get it right.
The one guy chastised us for not criticizing Tripp after his Svech isn’t Russian comments then doubling down after he got the receipts that we did, in fact, rip into him pretty hard pretty much sums it up.
They're children incapable of thinking at a mature, reasoned, level. Its not worth going there anymore, its just a toxic sludge of unchecked toxic masculinity that basically has free reign to spew whatever nonsensical, irrational, and at times, bigoted shit they want.
