I'll admit I was pretty down on how things were going after the first two games because they were just such a microcosm of how it went last year, but I think there's something from a mentality standpoint that is different. Last year you would see us dominate games all the time to start, then the goaltending gives up a soft chance and the team would just fold. This year, they've been getting out in front earlier, and then once you're ahead all the score effects of the other team chasing the game come into play so they start taking more risks, you start to exploit them, and if the goaltending actually holds up and you already have a lead or are at least controlling the game, it gives you more confidence to take those aggressive lines.
Also, this system is close enough to what they wanted to do last year, but it requires a high-intensity and effort level to do right. Across sports we've seen that athletes can give that kind of effort when they believe it's going to matter. But if in the back of your head you're just waiting for the other shoe to drop like they clearly were last year, it's harder to maintain that intensity. It's not a conscious decision a player is making, but rather just the endorphins telling you that you can do it when you truly believe in what you're working for. (This isn't a shortcoming of the player, BTW. This is just human nature. It's unreasonable to expect otherwise).
