Déjà Vu

You can throw around all of the cliches you want, but Game 1 for the Moncton Wildcats was like déjà vu.

Yanick Jean’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens came as advertised.

Hard nosed, very structured, opportunistic and extremely composed. They played the proverbial “road game” to a tee last night and did everything it took to get the W.

On the other hand, Dan Lacroix’s Moncton Wildcats continued to showed tendencies in their game that have been apparent all season long. Tendencies in the game of hockey usually lead to bad habits or shortcuts.

Teams that take shortcuts in the playoffs lose and that’s exactly what the Cats are going to continue to do if they don’t address those tendencies.

Oh you can look at the analytics and say the Wildcats perhaps ran into a hot goaltender, or that they out chanced the Sags at times, but that’s part of the tendencies that have been circulating all season long.

To win in the playoffs, you have to do what it takes to win, not relay on a wish and pray style of play.

The Wildcats worked hard, but didn’t make any in game adjustments which has been a tendency of theirs all season long.

Case in point, the power play, it’s been way to predictable and stagnant for while now, the Cats kept going to the well over and over again, it was just like déjà vu.

They didn’t support the puck coming out of their own zone so they couldn’t attack with speed as a five man unit.

The chances they had weren’t sustained and were all one and done shot opportunities.

Again doesn’t this sound familiar?

It’s like déjà vu isn’t it?

The Sags power play was effective calculated and composed. Their transition game was efficient and effective. The one area they have to tighten up heading into Game 2 is at times they sat back and allowed easy entry into their zone, now the Cats didn’t take advantage of that because they didn’t attack with speed or puck support.

“We did a lot of things good.”

That’s the go to phrase after a hard fought playoff loss in Game 1, but that’s like déjà vu for the Cats as well.

“There’s no momentum in a playoff series.”

That’s another hockey cliche that might get thrown around heading into Game 2 tonight. Let’s get one thing straight, there might not be any momentum, but there sure is hell tendencies and those tendencies will be exploited over and over again until they’re addressed and corrected.

As always specialty teams play a massive role in the overall vibe and mojo of a game.

Taking undisciplined selfish penalties in the playoffs is unacceptable, but to quote the late great Yogi Berra that seems like “déjà vu all over again.”

What adjustments are the Wildcats going to make in Game 2?

What adjustments are the Sags going to make in Game 2?