Originally Posted by
franchise
was winnable. But when guys that have scored a combined 127 goals during the regular season go missing, its not. Black showed up for one game. Gordon, Cave, and Merkley? not at all. These guys have some soul searching to do. Merkley is the poster child for that. He just never ever made an effort when body contact was necessary. When the going got tough he left. The only guys who showed heart and desire were Laurikainnen and Burns. Both those guys gave the team a chance to win every single game. I don't even think they would have made the playoffs without Burns.
Gawdin played hard as did a few others but cripes, where were Black, Gordon and Cave?
Debrusk, 17 years old, made every shift count and I thought Heatherington played his game. But every time a Honka shot was blocked, which just seemed like every time he took one, it was a fire drill gone wrong trying to get back. Black and his linemates were busy taking 2 minute shifts and rarely did get back once the puck was turned over.
I really hope some of these guys learned the lesson. Play like you are determined to win, not like you hope to.
One goal from any of Cave, Merkley, Gordon, and this series would have been a real series. It's just a shame these guys didn't elevate their game like expected.
Kudos to Eetu and Burns. Examples for everyone.