Now that it's over I want to put the fade under a microscope. The bones of a playoff team were there. Then the schedule tightened post-Olympic-break, Larkin's knee took him out for 2+ weeks right at the worst time, and the team couldn't hold leads when it counted. 92 points masks a finish that fell apart. Was it injuries, was it depth, was it coaching, or all of it?
All of it, but weighted. Losing your 1C for 2+ weeks in a playoff race is a structural earthquake, every line slides up a slot and the matchups stop being yours. McLellan never found a stable look without Larkin. The forecheck got passive, the neutral zone got soft, and good teams ate the gaps.
and nobody wants to say it but the power play went cold at the exact wrong time. Larkin had 14 PP goals, 8th in the LEAGUE, and when he's out the umbrella has no trigger man on the off side. you can map the fade onto the man advantage drying up.
PowerPlay's onto something. The special teams swing was real, but the bigger driver was even-strength shot quality cratering late. They got out-chanced in the high-danger areas in the close losses. When you're banking one-goal games and your 5v5 control slips, the regression comes due all at once. That's the fade in one sentence.
or, hear me out, this is just who the team is and the 'fade' is the real team showing up after a hot stretch papered over it. occam's razor, baby.
lets be honest gibson dragged this team to 92 points. 2.72 and .901 over 57 starts. when the skaters faded he was the only thing standing between us and a 75 point disaster. the fade wouldve been a freefall without him.