Does he make big changes, as Quenneville did, in hopes that his players respond with new energy?
Does he make subtle tweaks, which has been his approach throughout this two-month odyssey through five cities and two nations?
Or does Laviolette simply keep a steady hand on the wheel, conveying calm and confidence and trusting his team to respond as it has before?
It is a fascinating crossroads, partly because it could really be two distinct crossroads. Laviolette could choose to stay the course for Wednesday night's Game 6 because the Flyers have performed well against the Blackhawks in the Wachovia Center. If they can win that game, then maybe the coach switches things up for Game 7. It would be played at the scene of Sunday night's crime, which left the Flyers bloody and traumatized.
Make the wrong choice, of course, and there is no Game 7. The pressure goes way up for a possible elimination game. This is why coaches get paid good money and burn out every few years.
Laviolette is somewhat limited, of course. He doesn't have Bernie Parent waiting to come in and seal off the opening to the Flyers' net. There aren't a whole lot of options among the healthy scratches that could make an impact (a positive one, at least) this late in the series.
For Laviolette, the decision-making starts in goal. He played coy again in a conference call with reporters Monday, saying he knows who will start but will not reveal it publicly until he talks with Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. Leighton has been yanked twice in the Finals - both times in Chicago - and Boucher has been merely OK in relief.
Leighton has to be the guy, with two qualifiers.
First, he did take a puck off his knee during warm-ups Sunday. If that injury is affecting his play, then Boucher may get the call.
