“We have to play faster”
That was the mantra coming from the Syracuse Crunch following their Game One loss on home ice to the Cleveland Monsters. In Game Two they wanted to move the puck through the neutral zone faster, make faster decisions in the offensive zone, and get their shots off faster in order to thwart the Monsters’ shot blocking. They did none of those things and lost 5-1. After a record-setting regular season they, like the Lightning before them, are now staring elimination straight in the face.
It was a Groundhog Day-esque performance from the Crunch that constantly saw them have their shots blocked or deflected aside by a cavalcade of Cleveland defenders.