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Post by franko on May 11, 2018 6:02:28 GMT -5
no love for Morrow?
he could get a ring on his finger without even lifting much of one!
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Post by CentreHice on May 11, 2018 9:51:50 GMT -5
Round 3.
Tampa in 5. I'm thinking Washington might suffer a "just happy to be here" letdown after beating their nemesis. Tampa's D will be the best they've faced yet.
Vegas in 6. The consistency of VGK up-tempo pace is remarkable, and they've proven all doubters wrong so far. It'll also be interesting to see if future officiating reflects HQ-desire to keep that Vegas fairy tale alive.....
What a U.S. promotional tool story...right, Gary?
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Post by madhabber on May 11, 2018 10:37:16 GMT -5
The further Vegas goes, the worst the rest of the league looks. No need to build through the draft. So no need of Scott Mellanby, Martin Lapointe and other pro scouts. Just pick up other teams 4th line cast off and challenge for the cup. Shouldn't we have done better too with our collection of 4th liners. Oh that's right, no centers. And the leaders quit after the first game of the season.
This makes the NHL look very week, and seem like a champion beer league team would give the eventual Stanley Cup Champ a competitive fight and maybe even win a few games in a 7 game series. Is this Buttman's vision.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 11, 2018 10:52:05 GMT -5
Round 3. Tampa in 5. I'm thinking Washington might suffer a "just happy to be here" letdown after beating their nemesis. Tampa's D will be the best they've faced yet. Reminds me of the Habs taking out the Bruins, then not being able to bring their game to the same level in the next round ... I think if Washington does lose it might be a factor, as you suggested, CH ... that said, though, I wouldn't mind seeing Alex Ovechkin with a Cup ... he's been taking the heat for all of these playoff exits, quite unfairly, IMHO ... Cheers. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 11, 2018 10:58:35 GMT -5
The further Vegas goes, the worst the rest of the league looks. No need to build through the draft. So no need of Scott Mellanby, Martin Lapointe and other pro scouts. Just pick up other teams 4th line cast off and challenge for the cup. Shouldn't we have done better too with our collection of 4th liners. Oh that's right, no centers. And the leaders quit after the first game of the season. This makes the NHL look very week, and seem like a champion beer league team would give the eventual Stanley Cup Champ a competitive fight and maybe even win a few games in a 7 game series. Is this Buttman's vision. Like, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Vegas, but I can only imagine the conspiracy theories if they do end up winning it all ... you make some good points, though, MH ... will be interesting to see how the next expansion draft goes and whether or not there are the same quality of players are available the next time around ... Cheers. |
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Post by CentreHice on May 11, 2018 11:04:59 GMT -5
There's no doubt that Vegas plays a synchronous game. They all seem to be on the same page most nights...fast and precise...always in motion.
Pretty sure the camera picked up the sign in their locker room: PLAY FAST!
And I have to think there's an "Our former teams left us unprotected....not wanted....let's show 'em!" attitude at the foundation.
An attitude that comes by really only once. The ultimate underdogs on a mission.
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Post by Willie Dog on May 11, 2018 11:41:57 GMT -5
The further Vegas goes, the worst the rest of the league looks. No need to build through the draft. So no need of Scott Mellanby, Martin Lapointe and other pro scouts. Just pick up other teams 4th line cast off and challenge for the cup. Shouldn't we have done better too with our collection of 4th liners. Oh that's right, no centers. And the leaders quit after the first game of the season. This makes the NHL look very week, and seem like a champion beer league team would give the eventual Stanley Cup Champ a competitive fight and maybe even win a few games in a 7 game series. Is this Buttman's vision. Its all about the Benjamin's and if Vegas wins a cup then the franchise fees go up for Seattle. |
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Post by Cranky on May 11, 2018 12:54:45 GMT -5
Vegas reminds me of what BC and I have screamed about for a long time. A well coached, fast paced team filled with very good but not necessarily stars can go all the way. BC coined "four lines of skating fury" and of course I couldn't read that line without thinking of our size deficit and bastardized it into "four lines of furry fury", with images of teletubbies and smurfs invading my mind.
The biggest proof of that was a couple of Olympics back when a team with mostly AHL level players gave everybody fits, including us. I think it was Slovakia in 2010. Slovakia played fast paced hockey every second of the game and beat the stacked Russians, then gave us fits.
Other examples closer to home was our very fast starts several years ago. We were a fast team but lacked size and talent to sustain those fast starts. So by December, we started to fade or crash back to reality. Those "four lines of skating fury" ran into the reality that you can only go so far with speed alone.
I hope Vegas sets the new norm where speed and desire beats expensive, bloated egos.
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Post by Tankdriver on May 11, 2018 12:56:21 GMT -5
It's already been mentioned many times by Bettman and Daly that it will be the same draft rules...Only difference is this time the fee is 650 million.
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Post by Boston_Habs on May 11, 2018 16:13:36 GMT -5
No team can overcome leaky goaltending.... Hope the Jets can beat Vegas. I must say I'm bummed the Preds didn't advance. I wanted nothing more than a Stanley Cup and maybe a Conn Smythe for PK while he rolled into the Children's Hospital in MTL. They had everything except the goaltending. Rinne was maddeningly inconsistent. I thought he had righted the ship with a shutout in Game 6, and then lays an egg in Game 7. Devastating loss for that group. I just can't pull for Vegas and I've never much liked the Jets, although they sure have some high end talent. I'm sure NBC is pulling for Vegas - it's been such a bizarre run for them since Day 1. I'm pulling for whoever comes out of the East. I don't really care much between the Caps and Bolts, which should be yet another great series. Tampa is stacked top to bottom and Yzerman has done a great job building that core. The Caps have had the choker label for a while, but I wouldn't mind in the least seeing Ovechkin finally get his Cup. |
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Post by blny on May 11, 2018 16:18:56 GMT -5
They're Gallant-ly marching to victory ...
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Post by NWTHabsFan on May 11, 2018 16:56:23 GMT -5
Tampa in 6
Winnipeg in 7
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2018 19:56:22 GMT -5
Kucherov scores--except, they had too many men on the ice.
Ensuing powerplay, some guy named Ovechkin scores.
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Post by CentreHice on May 11, 2018 20:27:29 GMT -5
4-0 Caps halfway through the game.
So much for the let-down I took a stab at....
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Post by CentreHice on May 11, 2018 20:35:26 GMT -5
Selling sponsor space for in-game replays now....
"This highlight sequence brought to you by Tim Horton's....the official coffee of the NHL...."
First time I've noticed it....
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Post by franko on May 11, 2018 20:37:22 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2018 20:51:09 GMT -5
4-0 Caps halfway through the game. So much for the let-down I took a stab at.... It's as if they're well-coached. Wonder what that's like... |
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Post by seventeen on May 11, 2018 22:34:55 GMT -5
Tampa had a poor start against the Bruins too. Wonder if they'll repeat the process?
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Post by Willie Dog on May 11, 2018 23:55:39 GMT -5
No team can overcome leaky goaltending.... Hope the Jets can beat Vegas. I must say I'm bummed the Preds didn't advance. I wanted nothing more than a Stanley Cup and maybe a Conn Smythe for PK while he rolled into the Children's Hospital in MTL. They had everything except the goaltending. Rinne was maddeningly inconsistent. I thought he had righted the ship with a shutout in Game 6, and then lays an egg in Game 7. Devastating loss for that group. I just can't pull for Vegas and I've never much liked the Jets, although they sure have some high end talent. I'm sure NBC is pulling for Vegas - it's been such a bizarre run for them since Day 1. I'm pulling for whoever comes out of the East. I don't really care much between the Caps and Bolts, which should be yet another great series. Tampa is stacked top to bottom and Yzerman has done a great job building that core. The Caps have had the choker label for a while, but I wouldn't mind in the least seeing Ovechkin finally get his Cup. I'm hoping Caps and Knights... |
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Post by Dschens on May 12, 2018 2:52:04 GMT -5
Tampa Bay in 7
Winnipeg in 6
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Post by Willie Dog on May 12, 2018 6:28:48 GMT -5
Caps in 6
Knights in 6
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Post by Cranky on May 12, 2018 12:14:54 GMT -5
Habs in 4, or 5, or 6, I'll take my heart pills and call it 7.......but I simply don't care otherwise.
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Post by folatre on May 13, 2018 21:15:46 GMT -5
Tampa is playing with intensity tonight but the making of a positive outcome is looking bleak.
Stralman and McDonaugh are having a rough night. Offensively the Lightning are thinking too much at even strength, turning down solid plays that could place the puck on net or down low in order to wait for pretty plays like blind drop passes.
Eller was always a guy with size and talent and he was always a guy who did fine as a third line centre, but he is playing great hockey right now.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on May 13, 2018 21:24:22 GMT -5
Tampa in a heap of trouble.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2018 21:35:03 GMT -5
Washington's found ways to get to Vasilevsky. They look like they're gonna go home up two games.
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Post by folatre on May 13, 2018 21:36:35 GMT -5
I believe the Lightning had the most even strength goals in the league this season. I do not think they can depend on winning games exclusively with the power play because the neutral zone is an autobahn for the Capitals at even strength.
The series is not over, but I cannot help but I wonder if something is wrong with Stamkos. He has really looked ponderous in all three zones in not only this series but throughout the entire post season.
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Post by seventeen on May 14, 2018 1:28:29 GMT -5
Tampa should have a slight speed advantage on Washington, especially Orpik, but that doesn't seem to be in evidence. What is obvious is that Washington really wants to win, more badly than Tampa.
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Post by blny on May 14, 2018 5:35:35 GMT -5
Galley was talking about it in the 3rd period last night, and for once he was right. The Caps have speed up front, but they're also big and play heavy hockey. Going back to 2010, that's something you really couldn't consistently call them. Even without Wilson snapping, they've got a bottom six that has size and a mean streak.
They punished McD and Stralman repeatedly last night. Both guys look slow because they're constantly looking over their shoulders. They started to tick off Hedman last night, picking fights with him. That can work, but Hedman has shown he can up his game when he's angry. We'll see if he can. He'll need to.
They're all over guys like Kucherov, who's constantly bouncing off bodies and falling to the ice.
Backstrom who?
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 14, 2018 7:16:01 GMT -5
Wasn't expecting this from Washington ... it's far from over, but they're steamrolling Tampa Bay ... happy for Alex Ovechkin, Lars Eller and Davante Smith-Pelly ... interested in seeing how Las Vegas comes out of the gates tonight ...
Cheers.
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Post by CentreHice on May 14, 2018 7:26:47 GMT -5
The Bolts have simply not matched the Caps' intensity.
Maybe they were lulled into complacency by ousting the Devils and Bruins in 5 each....
Since the Caps' first two losses at home to Columbus, they've gone on a 10-2 run....with 7 of those wins on the road.
They appear to be on a mission.
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Galley was saying last night that Eller's talked about "losing his identity" in Montreal...bounced around the lineup by Therrien. (Who wasn't?) And I can only imagine how often he was subjected to Therrien's pre-game teardown--as described by Desharnais. How can anyone develop in such a toxic atmosphere?
Galley went on to say that when Eller was traded to the Caps, Trotz told him he'd be their 3rd line centre....period.
He's having a solid playoffs, currently stepping-up in Backstrom's absence.
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