Here's the thing and this is why I am still beyond upset. I have no problem that we lost, nothing is guaranteed when you're playing a team as good as you are and is built as one of your biggest weaknesses against your club. I am beyond pissed off and I admit I am surprised not more people are is the way the Avs lost. Game 1 was a fluke, so we can throw that out. Game 2 was Vegas showing up after the beatdown, which could've been a "poke the bear" moment. The same media - that we absolutely hate for over-hyping us - pretty much went to Trump-esque scale of craziness and that (to me) made Vegas wake up. I do think adjustments made a big difference, but mentally Vegas came from a game 7 and seemed that they had something to prove to the hockey world. Avs at a really low momentum level never really adjusted to the Vegas gameplan on a player to player basis. They were always behind on the foot and it showed how the Knights were able to win four straight (again this is inexcusable). Grubauer kept us in the game and Avs were able to score timely goals to get the undeserved win.
Now in game 3 and 4 you're going to a crazy raucous crowd, which Vegas has been absolutely stellar in and that even makes it more difficult even if you're playing with a positive handicap. I am fine with being the inferior club of the two in a very tough arena to win, but Avs didn't even show up. I would give them benefit of the doubt and have a much more optimistic outlook if Vegas didn't outshoot and outscore the Avs almost two-to-one. Grubauer once again did his best in game 3 by keeping us in it, especially considering we had the lead which Avs deservedly lost and then the tyres fell off for everyone in game 4. Fine the series is back at 0-0 and Avs need to reset, they do just that in game 5 yet stupid defensive errors by everyone allowed Vegas to take a stranglehold on the series. Avs came into game 6 with confidence and even though Grubauer let in the second worst goal in the playoffs after Neddy's, I thought he looked fine after that goal. What killed the team was the late goal to give Vegas the 3-2 lead and it is ridiculous how many goals they scored off of faceoffs or in this case off the backboard (Got two against the Habs as well tonight). Avs had so many effing leads and blew every single one of them, which is unacceptable. It shows that the team got overconfidence, didn't rise to the level of desperation of the opponent, or were not able to handle the pressure which eventually gave way. In the case of the Avs, it was all three aspects; the team full on well bought into the media hype, they didn't have any adversity to face (which VGK did in their series against the Wild), and majority of the goals Knights scored in game 6 came off MULTIPLE failed clear attempts that went in the back of the net at key moments.
Maybe I am just burned out at these failures, but I can't handle the same mistakes they did against Vegas, which happened against Minnesota and Dallas in game 7. OT in a game 7 is just fluke where it can go either way, but lets face the facts that Avs have not only blown multiple leads against Wild in game 7 they were in full control of, they effin' did the same thing against a Stars team who was NEVER good, and now the same weaknesses against the Knights. That's the same mistakes on repeat and expecting different results. That right there is why I can't trust this squad of players anymore because the core team experienced that same failure barring Toews and some others...yet keeps repeating them.
They heavily rely on defensemen that can break up the play. The Columbus sweep was their big failure, and they did two main things... changed up their bottom 6 to be more physical (Maroon in the summer then Goodrow and Coleman at the deadline), then added puck movement to the defense (Shattenkirk). They also kept playing the Hedman rotation on RD trying to find that right guy... Rutta, Schenn, and Bogosian. To this day they are still playing that card and trying to figure that out. Cap issues have made them lose the puck movement on the back, so they doubled down on trying to find the RD for Hedman... which hasn't really worked yet. With that, they tweaked back more to the norm up front.
Isn't this exactly what you mentioned Avs shouldn't do in comparison to doubling down? Even the Blackhawks had Bickell, Buff, and Shaw as the agitators and they were quite effective. Wood would be one of those blokes we clearly lack and should move towards to for the bottom 6 as an insulator.
" narrative. 
