Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueG2
What did Rome and Alberts really do to use their size against the Hawks that Ballard didn't do? I have a suspiscion that Ballard is not 100% and that is why he is scratched/has had minimal ice time. There is no way AV is picking on Ballard just because. Ballard probably has been playing all season and playoffs because rome alberts salo and edler were all hurt at the same time.. and then Tanev went down... I will bet Ballard has and is 75% most of the season.... That knee tweak against the Coyotes was probably more than we think too....
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A couple of times in the series, Ballard has looked unsure of himself in the corners and flubbed the puck, etc. It could be an injury, or it could be a case of not knowing how to handle pressure in the corners. I'm willing to bet it's the latter, but we won't know until the end of the season.
Alberts played well along the boards and made a couple of nice passes out of trouble last night. He does have problems in the open ice, like on the winning goal in OT. I will also say that I have more confidence in Alberts getting out of trouble than Ballard - he makes the simple play while Ballard will try to skate around behind the net and then try to cut out into the middle.