# NHL Playoffs 2025 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** hockey-nhl\ **Created:** [April 18, 2025, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160 "2025-04-18T03:06:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2025, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/121 "2025-05-19T22:17:27Z")
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**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/122 "2025-05-19T22:27:39Z")
I know nothing of Leafs coaches, but what’s the general personality of the coaches they’ve been hiring? Sometimes one needs a ruthless Saban/Belichick/Jimmy Johnson type to put fangs into the guys; culture sometimes just has to be implanted by force of will. ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/123 "2025-05-19T22:39:25Z")
Mitch Marner immediately gave away the puck after that clip, and would have allowed a goal had it not been waved off. He also disappears in the playoffs, particularly in later games. If his teammates managed to avoid saying something snide to him on the bench or after the game after that little comment, they have more restraint than I. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/124 "2025-05-19T22:40:07Z")
Interesting article on Mitch Marner – New York Times, but doesn’t appear to be paywalled: > **[Mitch Marner’s last game as a Maple Leaf? Clock ticks toward free agency for...](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6366840/2025/05/19/mitch-marner-maple-leafs-free-agency-nhl-playoffs/)** > > There's a strong chance Mitch Marner will be wearing a different jersey the next time the playoffs roll around. ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/125 "2025-05-19T22:48:26Z")
They had Mike Babcock, a guy who’s coaching style borders on straight emotional abuse (I’m not joking about that, he’s out of the league because of how much of a shithead he is to staff and players). Sheldon Keefe was more of a players coach, possibly to a fault. Then this year they have Craig Berube, a very no-nonsense sort of guy. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/126 "2025-05-19T23:30:12Z")
> [@keeganst94](#): > > Mitch Marner immediately gave away the puck after that clip, and would have allowed a goal had it not been waved off. He also disappears in the playoffs, particularly in later games. If his teammates managed to avoid saying something snide to him on the bench or after the game after that little comment, they have more restraint than I. Indeed to everything there - not sure if I need to mention that I just posted the clip not as any sort of rooting for Marner but just as a symbol for current dysfunction. > [@keeganst94](#): > > …[Babcock]’s out of the league because of how much of a shithead he is to staff and players. Still gobsmacked at his directive to Marner to share a list of his teammates’ deficiencies. Or something like that, IIRC. > [@RickJay](#): > > Who’s the greatest player of all time to not (yet) win a Cup? Connor McDavid is up there, surely. He’s a 3-time MVP, has 1082 points in just nine and a half seasons, 134 points in 85 playoff games and so on and so forth. Too many great players. (sad, kinda) My pick is Marcel Dionne. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/127 "2025-05-20T00:19:15Z")
Pardon multi-post…I realise this is a week old, now, so kinda moot, but, has it been mentioned in this thread about about the missed Edmonton can-opener tripping call, (just before their ovetime goal) in (I think) game 3? While this sordid Canucks fan I want Edmonton to win the Cup now, that game _was_ a tainted W. Looking forward now to just watching McJesus and his otherworldy skating accelerations. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/128 "2025-05-20T00:26:31Z")
> [@keeganst94](#): > > Yeah, no. I’m not a Leafs fan, I’m a Habs fan, but these Leafs are disappointing on a historic level. In the 9 years they’ve made the playoffs, they’ve made it to the second round twice And that’s the kind of statement that makes me compare Leafs fans to Cowboys fans. Money and the talent it buys can get you into the playoffs, whether you go deep in the playoffs depends more on luck. > [@keeganst94](#): > > What in the world are you talking about? The Panthers had the first 21 shot attempts of the game. The Leafs were lucky it wasn’t 2-0 in the first 5 minutes. So? Shot attempts don’t mean much, many teams have won games while the other side had more shots on goal, much less shot attempts. They were lucky to score first because it made Toronto tighten up an play things safe. They couldn’t really afford to do that against Florida. ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/129 "2025-05-20T01:01:50Z")
I’m not a Leafs fan. But fine then, the Leafs are historically unlucky - after all, if it’s mostly luck, they should have made it to the second round 4 to 5 times by now, right? Made the third round twice, and even odds of winning a cup. And the fact they’ve tied the NHL records for consecutive game 7 losses and worst home loss in a game 7, just a coincidence. Genuine question, if you think that hockey is just luck based, why do you watch? Why not just play lotto or something? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/130 "2025-05-20T01:25:43Z")
> [@keeganst94](#): > > Genuine question, if you think that hockey is just luck based, why do you watch? Why not just play lotto or something? Because it’s not all luck, a great deal of it is the player’s skill capitalizing on their luck. But it is a sport where it is quite hard for a player’s skill to erase the luck of the other team. > [@](#): > > In the NHL, it is estimated that the [contribution of luck to a team’s season record](https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Success_Equation/Qb4qSoJ6B40C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover) is approximately 53 percent. At the other end of the spectrum, only 12 percent of an NBA team’s record is due to luck. > **[Why does luck play such a big role in hockey games?](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/why-does-luck-play-such-a-big-role-in-hockey-games)** > > With low-scoring games and a preponderance of deflected shots, randomness is much more likely to influence NHL teams’ records than those in the other four major U.S. pro sports leagues. In fact, the importance of luck in hockey games is _precisely why I watch hockey_. It’s a fast moving game, and it is devilishly hard to predict what’s going to happen in the next five minutes, much less an entire best of seven series.You never leave a hockey game because there’s a good chance the team that’s behind right now might just be lucky enough to win it. I don’t play lotto or generally gamble because I understand enough about statistics to know they’re generally a losing proposition. Unless I can actually influence the outcome of a bet, I’m not wagering on it. So, if you bet against me, you’ve probably already lost your money. ---
**Author:** ![keeganst94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@keeganst94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeganst94)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/131 "2025-05-20T01:25:45Z")
Also, isn’t the reason that people hate the Cowboys because they’re always cocky, predicting a super bowl every year? I’ve literally never heard a Leaf fan say they expect the Leafs to win a cup that year in my life. If anything they have a sort of fatalism about them. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/132 "2025-05-20T01:26:46Z")
I have no idea why the Cowboys are popular. I suppose it’s marketing. I don’t watch football, but I still have to listen to Cowboys fans bitch. Oh, and the Leafs fans are just like the Cowboys fans, anything besides a super bowl ring or a cup, and the team are failures. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/133 "2025-05-20T01:27:51Z")
Calgary had Darryl Sutter, the players eventually rebelled against him, the team imploded, exploded, and former Flames are now spread throughout the league. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/134 "2025-05-20T03:44:43Z")
Round 2 is done. **Eastern Conference** Florida Panthers (4) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (3) Carolina Hurricanes (4) vs. Washington Capitals (1) **Western Conference** Dallas Stars (4) vs. Winnipeg Jets (2) Edmonton Oilers (4) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (1) And the Conference Finals are set: **Eastern Conference** Florida Panthers (3A) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (2M) **Western Conference** Dallas Stars (2C) vs. Edmonton Oilers (3P) ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/135 "2025-05-20T12:41:36Z")
> [@keeganst94](#): > > I’ve literally never heard a Leaf fan say they expect the Leafs to win a cup that year in my life. If anything they have a sort of fatalism about them A 2018 cover of The Hockey News was titled, ‘Plan the Parade’ > **[Google Image Result for...](https://images.app.goo.gl/Gqpq17YYwxwUuiJk8)** ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/136 "2025-05-20T14:45:24Z")
Presumably not titled by a true Leafs fan.(Though they are out of Toronto.) ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/137 "2025-05-20T15:19:02Z")
I picked a good year to get back on the hockey bandwagon. I hadn’t paid attention in probably 30 years (who’s this Ovechkin guy everyone is talking about?). This year I got Fanduel to watch the Braves, and found I could also watch the Predators and the Hurricanes. The Atlanta Gladiators are Nashville’s AA minor league team (is that the correct term?). So, I thought great, the Preds are my team. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Flipped over to the Canes. Hey, they’re pretty good. Oh look they made the playoffs. Alrighty! Go Canes! I’ll still root for the Preds in the Central, but the Canes will be my team. Off Topic - there are two groups of investors trying to bring the NHL back to Atlanta. Both want to build arenas and revitalize areas that are pretty close to me (north of the city, where most hockey fans probably live). Unfortunately, I don’t see Atlanta getting a third chance, unless another team relocates. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/138 "2025-05-21T01:16:26Z")
The Canes don’t still do the Duck Duck Goose thing at the end of a game, I trust? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/139 "2025-05-21T02:00:19Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > In fact, the importance of luck in hockey games is _precisely why I watch hockey_. It’s a fast moving game, and it is devilishly hard to predict what’s going to happen in the next five minutes, much less an entire best of seven series.You never leave a hockey game because there’s a good chance the team that’s behind right now might just be lucky enough to win it. I agree with this. Whether I happen to be a big fan of a particular team at any particular time, I love the high energy and fast action of this amazing sport. And yes, luck is a factor in winning, but only one factor. Incidentally, way back in the day, I was a Habs fan. I loved **[the incident in the 1993 Cup Finals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Stanley_Cup_Finals#Game_two)** when the LA Kings were leading the Habs in Game 2 late in the third period, and coach Jacques Demers very astutely stopped the action and demanded that the curvature on Marty McSorely’s stick blade be measured. It was found to be illegal and McSorely got a two-minute minor, during which Demers pulled goalie Patrick Roy, creating a 6-on-4 powerplay in which Eric Desjardins scored, and sent the game into overtime. Montreal won the game, and ultimately won the Stanley Cup. Man, hockey used to be fun! And now we have … the Leafs. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160/140 "2025-05-21T02:54:33Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Man, hockey used to be fun! And now we have … the Leafs. Hehehe, you end a post I am wholeheartedly am in alignment with, with more bitching about the Leafs. Are you really sure you aren’t a Leafs fan? 🤡 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-playoffs-2025/1017160.md?page=8)