I been lookin' at that and are we really sure he "lost" that battle? Sammy had Labanc tied up well enough but I'm not sure what he could do to keep him from getting to that loose puck. If he holds or tackles him it's a penalty. It's not like Labanc goes through G in order to get to that puck, it's the opposite direction, Sammy couldn't put himself between the puck and the recipient there.
Now I would have preferred Sammy go all out once the puck was there instead of try in vain to block it, if he gets a penalty THEN, then so be it.
Bottom line, that pass never should have gotten to the slot area so easily in the first place.
He has the stick tied up, then loses the stick battle, then loses body positioning, then falls down in a desperate attempt to block the shot. These are are all strength related issues. Someone like EJ or JJ could have kept Leblanc's stick ted up fo longer. They could have boxed him out better.
And he didn't have the reach to recover and disrupt the shot after losing body positioning. Someone like EJ or Bo could have extended their stick to get stick on puck sooner to deflect the shot away or prevent it.
This is why G needs to be paired with someone like EJ who can just hang out by the front of the net and down low, while G roams. It's no coincidence he was paired with EJ when he played his best on this team.
Bo's not a guy to just post up in front of the net. He makes too many smart good defensive plays subtly interfering with guys, tying up their sticks, and using his mobility to break up plays, and you want him to keep his feet moving so he's ready to jump up in transition when it's there. Hard to do that starting from the front of the net after a big physical battle every shift.