I think the problem is not recognizing their contributions in the context of the game. For example:
Scenario 1 - they are hot and light it up, resulting in a win, a lot of top 6 scoring, and a bottom 6 that saws off or gives up a few. Reaction - "thank god we have McDavid and Leon because the bottom 6 sucks," even though the bottom 6 wasn't really a relevant part of the game because the other two put it away quickly.
Scenario 2 - Bottom 6 scores goals while McDavid and Drai are caught in a matchup battle with a good team. Reaction - "Bottom 6 showed up, but where the hell were those two?"
Almost always ends up being a chicken/egg dichotomy. If the bottom 6 scores goals to put us ahead we are happy, but confused why McDavid and Drai didn't contribute. If McDavid and Drai contribute, we lament the lack of scoring in the bottom 6. Truth is if one side of the lineup or not is scoring, there isn't as much of a need for the other half of the lineup to open up to score more.
This isn't necessarily applicable to Game 2 as being down should have forced everyone to step up, but just an observation I have about people's view of the team generally.