This is very apparent, especially since it’s been their backup goalie in 2 of their 3 wins against us, although that may be in namesake only, given that Wedgewood has played better than Ottinger statistically this season. But that’s why I made my suggestion above about ramping up the physicality, to set the tone and a precedent, should we draw them in the first round. There’s a saying in MMA about fighting a skillfully superior fighter.. ‘punch a black belt hard in the face once and he becomes a brown belt’. I believe it’s how the Kings managed to force Edmonton to 7 games the first playoff series two years ago, when we had a decimated defensive corps. They played like our 2012 playoff team, very aggressive, very physical.. and it almost worked in offsetting the skill differential. If they had been able to actually kill a penalty here and there, the result could have been quite different. To that point, I think it’s why we only made it to six games in the following series, when we had our higher end D corps back in place..
Anyways, all of that is to say that, the Kings are not going to ‘out skill’ Dallas in a seven game playoff series. They’re going to have to take a different approach.