Pivotal Moment: A Different Look

John Torchetti has spent all of one morning skate with the team, and was in the background talking to the press as the assistant coaches ran practice, but changes have already started to take hold. Torchetti has already begun to show signs of fulfilling the role we've been told he would fill in holding the entire team accountable for their play, deploying the players who are playing well, and igniting certain players to get them to play at a higher level. We saw Torchetti throughout the game chattering in the ears of his players with a fire in his eyes. All in all, Torchetti was looking for different results and ultimately wasted no time in making some adjustments to help the team be successful. Let's take a look at some items from how the game was managed to find signs of change.

These I present as evidence of things that would not have been expected under the previous coach. Though the team didn't move away from their suffocating defensive system, a couple of players got the transition game working. Zach Parise broke out of his scoring drought in the first and the other 4 goals came from youth players who have been utilized as depth scorers. Several younger players including all three of the young guns (Granlund, Coyle, Niederreiter) found their way onto the score sheet. Though some of last nights success should absolutely be contributed to the adrenaline coming from firing a coach, this game represents a blueprint for the types of games fans have been crying out for by enabling the youth and holding the veterans accountable. If Torchetti and the other coaches can continue to pull the right levers, this team could absolutely wake back up and find a new gear they have yet to find through their youth getting the space they need to develop.