Reirden got this team turned around. Good on him!! Give credit where due!
Hey AJ!
Excellent 60 min effort for the game tonite, hands down!! Everybody “bought in”!!
I give Rierden credit for the line change ups, in the sense of getting a good spark going!!
It also appears Rierden put some redirection into the PP. very good!!
This was an extremely satisfying game to watch, witnessing the gradual energy/effort, build its way up to peak level, through the 1st period!
Only to have a steady, continual, performance, of the same, basic, magnitude, throughout the 2nd and 3rd, then putting the period on it, with the STRONG finish!!
GREAT TOTAL GAME!!! Very praiseworthy, all around!!
Although it’s not very often, I have to differ with you, somewhat, on the Rierden turning the team around thing, EXCEPT, in the sense that the head coach always, and rightly so, inherits both the praise, and scorn, in the general course of wins and losses.
My take is more consistent with the prior opinion I posted, about games 3and 4, of the series in Carolina, on where the EFFORT factor originates from!
I still maintain that it was the PLAYERS themselves, independently, and outside of the realm of ANY influence from coach Rierden, (i.e. a motivational locker room talk, a harder practice, etc.), that CHOSE to go “ALL IN” tonite!
The line changes are fine, from the coaching perspective, BUT, in the end, I’m convinced, most any of the regular line combos we have seen, would have dominated tonight’s game, IF, and WHEN, these guys all communicate to each other, that it’s time to “BRING IT”!!... AND THEY CERTAINLY DID TONIGHT!!
I will give TR the very “generalized” credit, properly due the head coach, for this GREAT WIN!!
BUT....I’ll end with this point:
Tonites game is one of those games that imparts, and deservedly EARNS, the FULL spectrum of joy and elation, that the overall fan base can feel, for the status of this type of game! (Round one playoff win)!
OR, at least, this SHOULD BE THE CASE!
As a big fan, If the max joy scale for tonight’s game is potentially a BIG 100, and the boys truly did CHOOSE their intensity level, THEN, being honest, that implies they DIDNT CHOOSE, that level of play, in Thursday’s game 4, (obviously)!
IMHO, THAT implies it’s frickin OPTIONAL, some nights, for them, (by their own admission, in some interviews)!! THAT, then, shows they take for granted, on occasion, their PRIVELEGE, of playing hockey at the ultimate professional level!!
THAT, then, DILUTES the overall feeling, because a small part of my fan experience is “ripped off”, by the less-than-stellar performances, that have been proven to be SO, when we see what they can do, otherwise, WHEN THEY REALLY WANNA!!
Even letting go of the poor performances, as is necessary for my fan sanity, LOL, doesn’t change the reality of the poor effort losses, NOT happening, and more so, the WHY, and the team attitude, behind HOW they generally occur!!
So the joy scale, for me, comes in now at a potential max of 94-95ish!
It’s a great feeling, but in the recesses of the mind, rises, that rarely mentioned, “effort stain”, that has its slight, yet, permanent effect!
On the real positive, at least we can be fairly sure, that these boys, with tonight’s effort, show that they haven’t PLANNED, behind the scenes, for an early golfing playoff exit!
Wherever the effort comes from, they look to stand as good as anybody else, for the remainder of the playoffs!! THAT IS A GOOD THING!!!
GO CAPS!!
Rush
