Why can't both those statements be true? In fact, it is the entire point! Bednar didn't just hit his head and forget how to adjust in game. He has been terrible at in since his first game as a Head Coach. That is the same malady which is killing the Avs in this series. If Bednar could adjust, the Avs would have won the President's Trophy without the tie breaker. Indeed, one need only look at the 4 game Vegas series including Tahoe. Bednar got outcoached and it nearly cost the Avs the trophy.
I'm not sure where anyone could read into my statements that the Avs need to match the Vegas slogging gameplan. Quite the opposite; they need to use their speed and puck moving ability, and make Vegas look silly. But Mac has been getting double and triple teamed all series. No single player can prevent that. A team-wide system is what defeats that, and Bednar has done NOTHING to make that happen. Coaches are supposed to be X and O guys. See things from a different angle, and set up parameters for success. Indeed, this should not be a change in system at all; merely a slight deviation in positioning - the Xs and Os. Willie Keeler once said that the best way to win baseball games is to 'hit it where they ain't.' The same should be said of hockey: In every game, a quality system should 'pass it where they ain't.' I am absolutely not advocating a new system every game. It is a single common sense system, which needs minor positional tweaks here and there based on the system they are playing against. If Mac has 2.5 to 3 guys covering him on entry, that means at least 1 Av has to be wide open. Bednar needs to see that on the video, and gameplan for it. But he does not now, and never has.
