2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Talk

[A Star is Burns]

As a secondary Avs fan, and someone who liked the Calgary trade from the start, and someone that was happy by the end to watch the arrogant Bill Peters leave, I'm pretty happy

 

[Joe McGrath]

OK, I'll ask the question. We're now 20 minutes away from the two No. 1 seeds *combining* for ONE win this playoff season. Does something need to be changed? Are we giving enough of an incentive for teams to have play all-out for 82 games? If the playoffs are going to be a crapshoot from Day 1, why expend the energy to get a good seed?

IMO, there *should* be more of an upside to finishing at the top of the regular-season standings, but I have no idea what that should be.

The simplest thing to do would for them to actually call penalties like they do in the regular season. It’s almost an entirely different game when the playoffs start.

The #1 teams are usually the most skilled and they get neutered come playoff time. Tampa had zero powerplays in one of the games. That’s bananalands.

 

[DaveG]

i don't know how i missed this, but i have been laughing for ten minutes straight

The completely deadpan "why?" At the end of that, holy shit I'm losing it.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Y’all need to find the original video. IIRC after “it quenches my thirst” there’s another solid 2-3 seconds of dead air before it just cuts to an interview with another player.

 

[vorbis]

i don't know how i missed this, but i have been laughing for ten minutes straight

absolutely incredible. that is Peters' legacy, right there.

 

[Dack]

But he can skate guud and occasionally makes a sweet breakout pass.

He got destroyed. I'm literally Hanifins biggest hater on the Flames board. The guy has the hockey IQ of a rock and ideally they move on in the summer because I highly doubt he gets much better and right now I bet his value is still high.


Lindholm is a good player but aside from the powerplay our top line performed similarly with Ferland.

All in all Hamilton is still the best player in this trade despite a slow start, which annoys me as someone who didn't want to trade him. Look at what he's done in the playoffs he's playing like a legit #1 (no sour grapes mad at my teams GM not you guys). I'm also happy he's found somewhere he fits in because he's a great hockey player and the media in Calgary shit on him far more than he deserved.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

No, the top eight advance automatically and get to play teams that just played a best-of-5 series in a max of eight days (if I had my way). The matchups this year would have been: COL@VGK, ARI@DAL, FLA@MTL, CHI@CBJ, MIN@STL, PHI@CAR, VAN@WPG, ANA@PIT. Winners move on to face: TBL, CGY, BOS, WSH, NYI, SJS, TOR, NSH, where those eight would have a decided advantage, I would think.

These teams didn't lose because of the matchups. They lost because playoff hockey is a different sport. The result of your scheme would just be 1-12 upsets instead of 1-8 upsets. Which might be even better!

If you want top seeds to win more, try calling penalties in the playoffs, maybe.

Personally, I don't want that.

 

[the halleJOKEL]

He got destroyed. I'm literally Hanifins biggest hater on the Flames board. The guy has the hockey IQ of a rock and ideally they move on in the summer because I highly doubt he gets much better and right now I bet his value is still high.


Lindholm is a good player but aside from the powerplay our top line performed similarly with Ferland.

All in all Hamilton is still the best player in this trade despite a slow start, which annoys me as someone who didn't want to trade him. Look at what he's done in the playoffs he's playing like a legit #1 (no sour grapes mad at my teams GM not you guys). I'm also happy he's found somewhere he fits in because he's a great hockey player and the media in Calgary **** on him far more than he deserved.

he was also playing with a broken thumb for most of the first half of the season

 

[SlavinAway]

I’m glad the Flames are out for many reasons; one of them being we don’t have to see those home uniforms again.

 

[CaniacSZN]

The simplest thing to do would for them to actually call penalties like they do in the regular season. It’s almost an entirely different game when the playoffs start.

The #1 teams are usually the most skilled and they get neutered come playoff time. Tampa had zero powerplays in one of the games. That’s bananalands.

Not sure if there’s been a more recent study, but I know Garret Hohl looked at the data in 2015 and the penalties called per 60 in the regular season was almost identical to the postseasons penalties per 60.

“I do believe that referees let more go in the playoffs. However, my guess would be that this fact causes teams to try and get away with more. The two opposite impacts then counter each other, and create a similar number of infractions” quote from him in the article.

Then there’s a reddit thread from 2016 where penalties were called at a much higher rate in the playoffs than the regular season for that year. I just think the media creates this narrative and then fans go along with it when they see their guy get mauled and no penalty is called.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Expand the playoffs. Make it 20 teams in a 3-5-7-7-7 format. Columbus having to beat a red hot Montreal in a best of 3 just to get to Tampa could help cut down on these type of upsets.

Half the league not making the playoffs every season in a few years is bad for business.

 

[jaalru]

More teams in the playoffs massively dilutes the value of making the playoffs thus making them less interesting.

People would just start watching when the actual playoffs start. Look at other leagues with "play-in" formats. Attendance is poor at those games.

Less teams in the playoffs is better. I'm not saying go NFL route, but with the expansion 50% to playoffs is a good number.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I think they should go with a 30 team playoff. The one team that doesn't make it gets the 1st OA pick. When Seattle joins, still go with a 30 team playoff, then make the 31st and 32nd team play a 7 game series to see who gets the 1st OA pick.

Now, with that done, I'm going to go count all my participation medals.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

~76% of all teams made the playoffs during the NHL's Golden Age (the 80s).

12 teams or whatever with no realistic shot at making the playoffs in February devalues the regular season too. The last months of most of those 9 seasons were tough to watch. Maybe that's just me. Or maybe not, judging by this team's attendance during that run.

 

[cptjeff]

Expand the playoffs. Make it 20 teams in a 3-5-7-7-7 format. Columbus having to beat a red hot Montreal in a best of 3 just to get to Tampa could help cut down on these type of upsets.

Half the league not making the playoffs every season in a few years is bad for business.

I got an idea- why don't we have an 82 game round robin tournament to see who gets to advance to the elimination round?

50% is already among the highest in sports. 4 rounds, win 4 games each. It's perfect already. If you miss, it sucks, but you had 82 games to get it done.

 

[jaalru]

I don't think they can add a playoff round without reducing regular season games. Season is too long as it is. If they did, I'd be more open to it, but still against.

 

[My Special Purpose]

He got destroyed. I'm literally Hanifins biggest hater on the Flames board. The guy has the hockey IQ of a rock and ideally they move on in the summer because I highly doubt he gets much better and right now I bet his value is still high.


Lindholm is a good player but aside from the powerplay our top line performed similarly with Ferland.

All in all Hamilton is still the best player in this trade despite a slow start, which annoys me as someone who didn't want to trade him. Look at what he's done in the playoffs he's playing like a legit #1 (no sour grapes mad at my teams GM not you guys). I'm also happy he's found somewhere he fits in because he's a great hockey player and the media in Calgary **** on him far more than he deserved.

As the Hurricanes board's biggest Hanifin hater, I'm only too happy to pass the torch to you. FWIW, your assessment of him sounds familiar as well. Unfortunately for you, I don't think he's going anywhere for a while.

What did you think of Derek Ryan?

 

[Navin R Slavin]

he was also playing with a broken thumb for most of the first half of the season

Easy to break your thumb when it spends so much time up your ass.

 

[My Special Purpose]

The simplest thing to do would for them to actually call penalties like they do in the regular season. It’s almost an entirely different game when the playoffs start.

The #1 teams are usually the most skilled and they get neutered come playoff time. Tampa had zero powerplays in one of the games. That’s bananalands.

These teams didn't lose because of the matchups. They lost because playoff hockey is a different sport. The result of your scheme would just be 1-12 upsets instead of 1-8 upsets. Which might be even better!

If you want top seeds to win more, try calling penalties in the playoffs, maybe.

Personally, I don't want that.

I get both your points. But a change to the playoff system is almost definitely coming with the addition of Seattle. There's just no way NHL owners are going to settle for 50 percent of teams in the playoffs. At the very least, we're going to 20 teams, maybe 24. And I'm pretty certain they'll *try* to improve the odds for the top qualifiers (I think).

 

[Dack]

As the Hurricanes board's biggest Hanifin hater, I'm only too happy to pass the torch to you. FWIW, your assessment of him sounds familiar as well. Unfortunately for you, I don't think he's going anywhere for a while.

What did you think of Derek Ryan?

I actually quite like him. I know he was overused here but in Calgary he's really found a nice niche as a 4th line center 5v5 with 2nd PP time.


He's good at entering and exiting the zone, has some good vision and all in all just outplays most bottom 6 centers he comes across. He's the engine of what was a dominant 4th line for us this year. Decent enough defensively as well.

 

[SaskCanesFan]

Expand the playoffs. Make it 20 teams in a 3-5-7-7-7 format. Columbus having to beat a red hot Montreal in a best of 3 just to get to Tampa could help cut down on these type of upsets.

Half the league not making the playoffs every season in a few years is bad for business.

I don't want to cut down on the upsets, they make the playoffs so compelling. And half the teams making it is fine, look at the percentages in the other major sports.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

I actually quite like him. I know he was overused here but in Calgary he's really found a nice niche as a 4th line center 5v5 with 2nd PP time.


He's good at entering and exiting the zone, has some good vision and all in all just outplays most bottom 6 centers he comes across. He's the engine of what was a dominant 4th line for us this year. Decent enough defensively as well.

He's overused everywhere, because he's got pics of Pastor Bill in compromising positions.

 

[Bunch of Jurcos]

Smashville is up 1-0 atm but damn if Dallas hasn't done everything but put the puck in the net. This easily could be at least 3-0 the other way.

And just as I finish typing this they score. Pay me Stars.

 

[My Special Purpose]

Smashville is up 1-0 atm but damn if Dallas hasn't done everything but put the puck in the net. This easily could be at least 3-0 the other way.

And just as I finish typing this they score. Pay me Stars.

I'll tell you what, the Predators are one of the teams mentioned in the "elite" defense personnel conversation, but their defensemen pretty much sucked that period. P.K. Subban had Alex Radulov tied up on the first goal, but let up at the last second and Radulov got enough on the pass to score. Then Ryan Ellis lost a puck battle so badly, Jamie Benn had all kinds of time to find Radulov in front for an easy one-timer. And finally, Subban and Mattias Eckholm got so wide on a 3-on-2 that Tyler Seguin walked right down the middle, took a pass and scored easily.

Great defensemen are nice, but only if they play well as a group. The Preds defense is a mess right now.

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

I'll tell you what, the Predators are one of the teams mentioned in the "elite" defense personnel conversation, but their defensemen pretty much sucked that period. P.K. Subban had Alex Radulov tied up on the first goal, but let up at the last second and Radulov got enough on the pass to score. Then Ryan Ellis lost a puck battle so badly, Jamie Benn had all kinds of time to find Radulov in front for an easy one-timer. And finally, Subban and Mattias Eckholm got so wide on a 3-on-2 that Tyler Seguin walked right down the middle, took a pass and scored easily.

Great defensemen are nice, but only if they play well as a group. The Preds defense is a mess right now.

It will be interesting to see where Subban ends up this summer.