James' handling and confidence shined in this game, having many sequences where he evaded a check with a quick move to buy time and space to make a play. He seemed to never shy away from an opportunity to flex his puck skills, navigating around Wild defender time and time again. Especially down low and along the boards, Roy always seemed to have the right move to navigate his way to safety and spark a chance, all stemming from his ability to create space with his hands.

I liked Roy's ambition in trying to make plays in this game. He wasn't always successful, but he was typically trying to make something happen when he had the puck. James frequently relied on his handling, trying to attack toward the middle of the ice, challenging defenders 1-on-1 on a few rush sequences and looking to find ways to get to decent scoring locations. James had a good blend of passes within the offensive zone and these attack the middle sequences, making for a well-rounded offensive showing.

Roy had some of the most scoring chances on the Titans' side. A lot of his success in generating scoring chances came from his off-puck play, as whether it was in the offensive zone or breaking up ice, James was looking to be in the right spots. There was one especially noteworthy sequence where James picked up a puck in the neutral zone and then exploded to split the defence, get in alone against the goaltender, and register a high-danger chance. He didn't find the back of the net, but he had at least four quality scoring chances that he could have scored on and they all revolved around his offensive anticipation and positioning. To add to his scoring chances, he created plenty as a playmaker, picking apart the defence with some passing to teammates in the dangerous areas, making for an all-around offensive performance. In past views of the Titans, I noticed Roy plenty, but this was the first game I felt he really jumped off the page as a primary creator, which was great to see.