1) Handling "the Breaks"
At some point, every team allows a bad goal, embarrasses itself with a terrible game, gets shafted by a ref's mistake or sees a leading player crumble to the ice with an injury.
Great teams remain stoic in the face of lousy officiating and bad luck, and somehow manage to fill in when their best defenceman disappears. They can blow a third period lead and still win in overtime, or play their best hockey two days after losing a game they should have won.
The Detroit Red Wings were in deep trouble after game five of the 2002 Western Conference Final. Colorado had won 3-2 in overtime, leaving the Wings one game from elimination. Reporters confronted Detroit coach Scotty Bowman with a simmering controversy: replays suggested the winning goal might have been offside. Bowman shrugged, said it looked offside to him but that's the way it goes sometimes, and dismissed the issue. The Red Wings won the next two games and moved on to the Stanley Cup Final.
2) That's Why They're Called "Special" Teams
Goals are hard to come by in the playoffs - final scores of 1-0 or 2-1 are not uncommon - so a team that kills penalties and gets the power play going usually has its opponent by the tail. Goaltending looms large here, hence the old saying that your goalie has to be your best penalty killer.
3) The Straw That Stirs the Drink
Even the most balanced team needs a big line to lead the way. Can the big scorers fight through stifling defense and harrassment night after night? If you don't notice the star or hear his name mentioned very much, it probably means the opposing checkers and defensemen are doing their job.
4) The Workhorse
A top defencemen gets more ice time than any other skater, often over 30 minutes per game. He kills penalties, runs the power play, outworks all attackers, makes pinpoint passes and spoil the other team's most promising plays. Then he rests for 40 seconds and does it again.
Most of it is unspectacular work, with success often measured by the absence of anything exciting. When a team can't mount any offense or get a decent shot on goal, check out who is manning the blueline on the other side.
5) The Flexible Game Plan
If everything went wrong for your team in game one, do they come back with an identical effort 48 hours later? Or have they used the two-day break to adjust their game?
A losing coach might try new lines and new tactics. He will rotate different players into the lineup. He might demand more speed, more hitting, more shooting, more passing, more patience, more urgency, more offense from the defensemen, or more defense from the forwards. And he has to do it all without looking like he's panicking.
Will it work? That depends on the available talent, the players' willingness to adapt and the coach's ability to read strengths and weaknesses.
6) What a Save!!!
You don't have to be Toe Blake to figure this one out. Without a hero in net, even the greatest lineup of superstars is naked and vulnerable at Stanley Cup time. The goalie must win at least a couple of games in which his mates are badly outplayed. And he must avoid the soft goal that can send a contender into a downward spiral.
Great goaltending performances don't always come from the big names. Occasionally, a rookie or journeyman steps up to play the series of his life. Sometimes it's the guy you least expect.
And one more obvious one....
Good health. It's self-evident, largely uncontrollable, and you can't win without it.
