Rick Nash not only earned it on the play, but he was in dire need of a confidence boost. Scoreless in the Olympics up until that point, he was beyond due. You can’t force Sidney’s heroics, you just have to hope that he’ll come through when we need him most. Up by 4, against Germany, why even give him the chance to miss and fuck with his confidence? He’s getting it done in the game, where you’re already surrounding him with the top performers, asking him to pinch hit on this play is just too much. If Babcock isn’t confident with Nash’s shootout skills, then delegate to the hot hand of Iginla (5 goals) or opt for the shootout specialist in Toews. It doesn’t help the argument that Crosby missed, and Nash scored his first of the tournament later in the game. Our depth is our greatest asset, to win we need everyone to show up and perform at the highest level.
