To be fair to Lavi, the Rangers were getting absolutely obliterated at 5v5 last night. They couldn’t just change how the game was going because the Canes dictated what was happening and imposed their will. I don’t think it was Lavi’s gameplan to turtle and let the Canes live in the Rangers’ end of the rink for the entire 3rd period on a 1 goal lead. Even if it was the gameplan, it’s really because he had no other option except to put it on Shesterkin’s shoulders to provide the shutout.
This is why 5v5 performance matters. The Rangers kept up enough to keep it relatively even through the first few games, where Igor and special teams production could be the difference. PP production has gone away and the 5v5 disparity has grown increasingly more tilted in favor of the Canes. First period G4 was pure domination. The entire game G5 was pure domination. It was a matter of time for the shots to start going in.