2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs thread

The Game Room
202

Yes, you can pull the goalie at that point.

This bring up a slightly unrelated point I’ve always been curious about; wouldn’t it makes sense to use your backup goalie as a relief goalie in situations where you’re ludicrously far AHEAD? So it’s 5-1 with 3 minutes to go; why not send in the backup? The rest factor is fairly minimal, but most importantly, it allows your backup goalie to briefly see some shots fired in anger. During the playoffs your #2 goalie might have gone weeks without seeing game action; it’s got to be good for him to get at least some in, lest you need him for real at some point.

I realize culturally this is unknown in the NHL, but a coach with real influence like Barry Trotz, Mike Babcock, or Joel Quenneville could easily do it, by simply establishing this expectation at the beginning of the season; “Look, Bill, you’re the #1 and no mistake, but if I can get Steve a few minutes at the end of a game we’re winning by four, I’m gonna do it, and that’s the way it’s going to be. I won’t pull you from a shutout, and I am doing this to keep his fresh, no other reason.” It’d catch on very quickly.

203

Forgot to put in the link to the column.

I think this is a different hockey “expert” from the columnist for the same Columbus paper who for the past couple of seasons has been urging the team to tank late in the year so they have a better shot at the top draft choice(s). Oddly enough, the team managed to win 50 games this year without a rookie superstar.

204

I’m not from Toronto, but Mike Zeisburger and Steven Brunt seem pretty reputable from what I’ve seen.

205

Ottawa’s up 2-0 and I have no confidence at all, because this has been the Year Of Blown Playoff Leads.

Rangers fans booed “O Canada.” Stay classy, guys.

206

I’m confident. So confident that I’ve gone to bed.
And hey, I saw the anthems and didn’t hear booing!

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207

Of course it’s now 3-2 and Ottawa has precisely one shot in the third period, 13 minutes into it. Jesus. Playing on your heels always fails.

208

Phew.

Eight down, eight to go.

209

Yeesh. This team is just scary with the lead, and not in a good way. Fortunately Anderson had a huge game. I can’t believe that we’re going to the conference finals (admittedly the divisional format helps here). Next round will be an extremely tough matchup whoever we get.

210

Ottawa is the real deal. Solid team and they can be ferocious when they want to be, which has been nearly all of the time in the playoffs. The Rangers were a solid team; can’t wait to see what both of them are like next year. I’d say the Senators have a good chance to come away with the Cup this year.

211

Hats off to Ottawa going into MSG and taking the seventh game. Karlsson was just being Karlsson - easily the most impressive player I’ve seen this playoffs so far.
A small detail, but one that really stood out for me: late in the first period, Bobby Ryan, not known as the most devouted shot-blocker, hit the ice twice within a span of about twenty seconds to take a couple for the team. (hehe the second one looked like it woulda smarted!)
Trying to figure out which home team - Anaheim or Washington - will be facing more pressure tonight. That is so awesomely cool the games are staggered - thank-you different time-zones! Kinda weird if it’ll turn out to be an Oilers/Predators semi - who’d’a’thunk?
This Canadian is torn between wanting to see a Canadian team take the cup, and seeing Ovie (finally!) holding it aloft (sorry, Guin). Canadian teams will have shots at it again over the years, but Ovie, at 31…less so.

212

It was game 6, but yeah it would be nice to see Ovie win one before he retires eventually.

213

Heck, it’s be a first for Ovechkin to even make it to teh third round.

Given Ovechkin’s continued performance, I don’t think he’s an old 31. He’s got lots of goals left in him.

214

Bye bye Ovie.

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215

Bring on the Sens!!! :smiley:

Seriously, I was so convinced that tonight we were goners. Thank god for Fleury – that guy is worth his weight in (black and) gold!

216

To me the tragedy (as it has happened before) is Lundqvist. He’s done the heavy lifting for so long and it looks like his name will never be on the Cup. He’s a workhorse and he is passionate. Forget the Rangers, I would just like Lundqvist to get his due.

217

It’d be interesting to figure out who the greatest players ever were who never won a Cup.

I am pretty sure a solid #1 candidate would have to be Marcel Dionne, who, like Ovechkin, never even played in a conference championship despite being one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the sport, albeit in an era when people scored a huge number of points. He just played on terrible, terrible hockey teams. Norm Ullman is largely forgotten today, but scored a great many points in an era when 70 or 80 points was a tremendous season, top ten in scoring.

I would not write off Henrik or Ovie yet, of course; if Ray Bourque could win one in his 48th season or whatever it was, why not them?

218

I’m not an Oilers fan but I’m heartbroken they lost. They’re a fun team; conversely, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks are the most boring and irrelevant franchise in the NHL, except for the Coyotes. Do they even have fans? Go Nashville!

So the final four:

Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa.

Pittsburgh has to be a ten to one favourite. They are, on paper, so much better than the Senators it’s stupid; the Sens were lucky to make the playoffs and lucky to win both their series. Pittsburgh has more weapons than the U.S. Army. They have nine playoff goals from someone named “Jake Guenztel.” They’re just the best team in the East. Oh, and Sidney Crosby. Greatest hockey player in the world. You might remember him.

But it’s not a certainty, because

  1. Erik Karlsson, who is clearly not a normal human, but is one of the X-Men, whose superpower is the ability to someone be two hockey players at the same time. You are never, ever safe when Erik Karlsson is on the ice. He has elevated his game to new heights of genius and the Penguins are doubtless worried he’ll elevate it further.
  2. The Senators play a tight defensive game that frustrates people and encourages their opponents to make stupid errors, thus making luck more of a factor than against an attacking team.
  3. Marc-Andre Fleury is in and out. I don’t think it’ll matter; the Penguins can win a lot of 6-4 games. But you never know, I guess.

So I’d put a hundred bucks on Pittsburgh, but not a thousand.
Nashville vs. Anaheim

Hey remember when the Canadiens traded PK Subban because they felt he wasn’t enough of a leader and they wanted someone to get them deep into the playoffs? And people said… okay, I’ll get off that topic… no I can’t. I hope Subban scores two overtime winners and rides his stick like a horse and drives racist shits insane, and if Ottawa can’t win the Stanley Cup, I want Nashville to, and Subban to win the Conn Smythe and be given the keys to the city by the mayor of Nashville while adoring fans scream his name and Montrealers march downtown to hang Marc Bergevin while Mike Milbury’s tiny brain explodes. God that would be glorious, wouldn’t it? I’m going to write PK Subban and ask him to actually do a dab every time the Predators score, even if he’s on the bench.

Oh, right, the series.

The Predators finished well behind Anaheim this year but they got off to a bad start, so I’m really not convinced the Mighty Ducks are actually a better team. Truth be told, neither of these teams were regular season juggernauts. Certainly the Predators have looked awfully great during the first two rounds, though, so I’ll give them a slight edge, with the depressing admission that the Mighty Ducks are so goddamn boring fate will probably let them win.

Obviously the best player on either team is Pekka Rinne right now, who is playing out of his mind. It’s near impossible to beat a team whose goalie has a save percentage about .950, and Rinne is getting terrific work from a defense that allows few shots on net - fewer, in fact, that any of the other 3 teams left in the playoffs. Teh Ducks are going to have to hope Rinne stops his head-standing act, but to do that they need to beat Nashville’s defence; a goalie only facing eight or nine shots a period isn’t being pressured enough to crack.

219

I am pleasantly amused by that. Then I want him to take the Cup and visit the children’s hospital in Montreal that he donated $10 million to. I think that would really send a message. We can hope!

220

Sign me up for the Subban-blows-up-Milbury’s-head party. Also the Cup to the hospital: awesome!

221

I’m so very split to see the Sens beat the Rangers. On the one hand, I’d love for Lundquist to get to raise the Cup, on the other hand I’m fucking stoked he’ll be joining Sweden for the World Cup and play with his brother again.

On the third, I’ve been a Sens fan for a while, and this is great for the franchise and for Erik Karlsson who is just amazing. On the fourth, I would very much have liked for EK to join the Swedish team, although I know that’s less likely than Lundquist.

I like your list and analysis, RickJay, and I want to ask you if you’ve been watching a new up and coming defenceman from Sweden named Rasmus Dahlin? If not, youtube him. He’s 17 now, and if his next season is as good as the last one I’d give even money on him being first pick when he turns 18.