NHL 2023-2024 Out of Town: Stanley Cup Playoffs II

[GoBs]

The only thing that will keep Edmonton in the series is refs.

 

[JAD]

Maybe I'm jealous, but I cannot give Edmonton any credit with all the #1 draft picks they were handed in the draft lottery over the last 10+ years

..they should've won a Stanley Cup by now with all those picks

Maybe the arrogance of entitlement of the old boy's club in Edmonton has finally departed. That combined with the maturation process of their prospects finally reaching a level of maturity that is allowing them to give up their own selfish wants and desires and instead buy into a coach's philosophy and game plan. No longer do Conner McDavid and Leon Draisaitl play a selfish, highlight real - look at me game, having bought into the coach's plan and other players are now also following suit.

That said, I really hope Edmonton can light Florida up. I just don’t really care for Florida's team other than wishing the Bruins had a Barkov to play center.

 

[BB79]

Yup, eeks out the Van-Boston 2011 series by 40 miles (or 64km for the metrically inclined)

 

[BB79]

FLA-EDM is a nightmare in terms of buzz/national interest. Will this be the lowest rated cup final in a long time?

Probably. Most Americans who aren't hockey fans don't even know where Edmonton is or that Florida has pro hockey teams. Rangers-Stars would have had much better tv ratings but oh well.

Personally I think the NHL should start their regular season a month earlier, and the Final could be at this time in May instead of competing with the NBA Finals during the same weeks.

 

[Absurdity]

The only thing that will keep Edmonton in the series is refs.

Edmonton can win the special teams battle. They are also a fast team with a deep roster that can score. Florida will win if their forecheck and system are successful like it was the last three series they played.

 

[McGarnagle]

I wonder if the have ever been any direct flights between Fort Lauderdale and Edmonton before. They'll probably have to start some temporary new routes because I imagine any fans or media wanting to travel between the two would have to have layovers in Toronto or Minneapolis or somewhere probably

Probably. Most Americans who aren't hockey fans don't even know where Edmonton is or that Florida has pro hockey teams. Rangers-Stars would have had much better tv ratings but oh well.

Personally I think the NHL should start their regular season a month earlier, and the Final could be at this time in May instead of competing with the NBA Finals during the same weeks.

What's a shame is that it will be a good showcase of the best player in the world and a really strong Panthers team as well.

Anaheim-Ottawa was a total deadzone for the league back in 06-07. Not counting the COVID years, this is definitely the worst matchup of markets we've had since then.

 

[BB79]

Toronto won't be happy if Edmonton wins.

The real question is- when the hell is Toronto happy?


Let's go Oilers! Skinner has been playing better of late, hopefully he keeps that going. If he doesn't, the Oilers are cooked.

 

[bobbyorr04]

The Oilers ball washing has already started in full force here in Canada, with the "Edmonton could be the 1st team in 30 years to win the Stanley Cup" slogan......yuck

..and I just found out that my youngest son who's been a Flyers fan forever, has jumped onto the Oilers bandwagon

I'm almost tempted to root for Florida now

...almost

 

[Aussie Bruin]

The Oilers ball washing has already started in full force here in Canada, with the "Edmonton could be the 1st team in 30 years to win the Stanley Cup" slogan......yuck

..and I just found out that my youngest son who's been a Flyers fan forever, has jumped onto the Oilers bandwagon

I'm almost tempted to root for Florida now

...almost

Isn't it natural that all of Canada (probably except the die hard fans of other teams) or at least the Canadian media is getting behind the one team that finally has a chance to bring the Cup back north? To be it just seems self-evident that it would be that way.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Didn't look that way to me.

This isn't soccer, you can't get a goal 10 minutes into the game and then just defend. Oilers were outshot 12-3 in the first period. Without the power plays they were dominated start to finish.

I agree that the Oilers were definitely outplayed in G6, although I'd say that there was no incentive for them to try and increase their offense after the first period once they had a 2-0 lead they could sit on. But regardless, that's only one game, and the rest of the series was back and forth as to which team was on top. Edmonton had moments when they dominated and were generating a lot of shots, and vice versa.

Can they get enough going their way against the Panthers? Maybe, going to be hard going but they have the speed and the talent. Whether they have the legs left, we'll have to see. But I don't think their last game was representative of their general level across the playoffs.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I agree that the Oilers were definitely outplayed in G6, although I'd say that there was no incentive for them to try and increase their offense after the first period once they had a 2-0 lead they could sit on. But regardless, that's only one game, and the rest of the series was back and forth as to which team was on top. Edmonton had moments when they dominated and were generating a lot of shots, and vice versa.

Can they get enough going their way against the Panthers? Maybe, going to be hard going but they have the speed and the talent. Whether they have the legs left, we'll have to see. But I don't think their last game was representative of their general level across the playoffs.

Agreed.

It is an indicator of the last game they played. But I don't ever recall seeing a team win an NHL playoff game with only 10 shots on goal.

 

[McGarnagle]

Sunrise, FL is geographically closer to Brazil than to Edmonton

Edmonton is geographically closer to Russia than to Sunrise

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Agreed.

It is an indicator of the last game they played. But I don't ever recall seeing a team win an NHL playoff game with only 10 shots on goal.

It was an especially low shot count and in terms of sitting on a lead it was certainly up there as a leading example of how to full blown park the bus. Very little jump.

But if I've learnt one thing watching hockey over the years it's that things can turn on a dime from game to game, or even period to period. Two or three flat games suggests a pattern, but one you can write off pretty easily.

I think it has to be a big question mark over whether the Oilers can sustain the same compete level as the Panthers, who simply almost never seem to wilt. But they may not have to if they can score enough timely goals. That probably has to be their hope - for the most part they're not going to outplay Florida pound for pound over a full 60 mins. Seize their opportunities though, and they might still have a chance.

I'm tipping the Panthers in 6. But I don't think it's a done deal.

 

[Number8]

Everyone was ready to crown Florida last year after sweeping Carolina. We saw how that turned out.

Exactly. Of course airfare is going to be brutal this series. Maybe we should just tell Bettman to crown the Panthers now and put the savings to the Cap.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1797742286597689771

man it's crazy how these totally bullshit "fancy stats" like expected goals keep correlating so heavily to team success. pretty wild coincidence that this keeps happening.

anyway, can't wait to add some big tough guys this summer who consistently have a negative expected goal share

 

[BruinDust]

Exactly. Of course airfare is going to be brutal this series. Maybe we should just tell Bettman to crown the Panthers now and put the savings to the Cap.

The travel in particular for Florida is rather interesting. It could be a greater factor than upon first glance.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1797742286597689771

man it's crazy how these totally bullshit "fancy stats" like expected goals keep correlating so heavily to team success. pretty wild coincidence that this keeps happening.

anyway, can't wait to add some big tough guys this summer who consistently have a negative expected goal share

 

[Olden McGroin]

 

[bobbyorr04]

Isn't it natural that all of Canada (probably except the die hard fans of other teams) or at least the Canadian media is getting behind the one team that finally has a chance to bring the Cup back north? To be it just seems self-evident that it would be that way.

Yes and no

It's natural to promote and advertise a Canadian team's successful journey to the Stanley Cup Finals, but every time a Canadian team makes it to the Finals, every damn sports network in the country (local, provincial and national) make such a big deal about it, and are so repetitive, that it tunes me out. Even if I was an Oiler fan, I'd get tired of the constant coverage.

If the Oilers do win the Cup, the coverage will be unbearable....so as much as I hate the panthers, a part of me is hoping they beat the Oilers, just so the constant ball washing and around the clock coverage will stop

 

[McGarnagle]

The travel in particular for Florida is rather interesting. It could be a greater factor than upon first glance.

Edmonton's logged a lot of miles this postseason. Went to LA and bac once and Dallas and back twice (roughly 2,000 miles each leg), and Vancouver in between was closer geographically but went the full seven so that alone was 6 flights in a 2-week period.

Florida by contrast played Tampa, right down the road, and then the Bruins and Rangers which are less than two-hour jaunts down the east coast.

So one of two things will happen: A. The wear and tear from cumulative travel will catch up with the Oil or B. They find themselves well accustomed to it and won't be as jetlagged as Florida is when they touch down in Edmonton for games 3 and 4.

 

[Fenway]

Flying to Edmonton from the Eastern US is not easy

There is only ONE nonstop flight from Atlanta and NONE from Chicago

 

[BruinDust]

Edmonton's logged a lot of miles this postseason. Went to LA and bac once and Dallas and back twice (roughly 2,000 miles each leg), and Vancouver in between was closer geographically but went the full seven so that alone was 6 flights in a 2-week period.

Florida by contrast played Tampa, right down the road, and then the Bruins and Rangers which are less than two-hour jaunts down the east coast.

So one of two things will happen: A. The wear and tear from cumulative travel will catch up with the Oil or B. They find themselves well accustomed to it and won't be as jetlagged as Florida is when they touch down in Edmonton for games 3 and 4.

I'd even go back further but look at Florida. They have played what seems to be an abnormally low number of games outside the Eastern Conference since early-to-mid January. They got nearly all of their out-of-time zone travel out of the way in the first half (14 of 16 Western games done).

They come back from a Western road trip on January 10th and after that, they leave the Eastern time zone twice and only one time zone over. They go to Nashville (their closest West team) for a game on Jan 22. And then a trip to Dallas on March 12 which is either the 2nd or 3rd closest Western team. That's it.

Meanwhile, the Oilers had trips where they changed time zones 7 or 8 times since returning from an East/Central trip (Mtl/Det/Chicago) in mid-Jan, including two more trips out east in early and late March.

Does the lack of long-distance travel and staying in the same time zone for all except a few days of the past 5 months help or hurt Florida? Say this series goes deep and now they are going back and forth the continent, does the fact they aren't as conditioned for changing time-zones and long travel like the Oilers play into Edmonton's favor?

Does it become a factor? Would if benefit Edmonton the longer the series goes because of it? Or does the lack of time zone changes and travel up to this point just further benefit Florida in the long-run?

 

[RoccoF14]

Agreed.

It is an indicator of the last game they played. But I don't ever recall seeing a team win an NHL playoff game with only 10 shots on goal.

They beat LA (Game 4, I think?) 1-0 in the first round, with 13 total shots. That’s the lowest total in my memory, until last night’s game.

Both games were eerily similar. Then again, if you have guys who can finish, like McD, Drai, and Hyman, you don’t need shot volume, although it sure does help.

 

[BruinDust]

Bill Zito sees similarities between Panthers, 2011 Bruins

On Monday's edition of The Jeff Marek Show, Marek proposed a comparison between this iteration of the Florida Panthers and the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins to Panthers general manager Bill Zito.

www.sportsnet.ca

I listened to the clip live and Marek did twist Zito's arm a bit, but the fact people are comparing a current team to a cup champion from 13 years ago says a lot about that 2011 Bruins team and how its regarded.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Yes and no

It's natural to promote and advertise a Canadian team's successful journey to the Stanley Cup Finals, but every time a Canadian team makes it to the Finals, every damn sports network in the country (local, provincial and national) make such a big deal about it, and are so repetitive, that it tunes me out. Even if I was an Oiler fan, I'd get tired of the constant coverage.

If the Oilers do win the Cup, the coverage will be unbearable....so as much as I hate the panthers, a part of me is hoping they beat the Oilers, just so the constant ball washing and around the clock coverage will stop

Yeah I get that it can be a bit much. But after 30 years without success, I think it's inevitable that the excitement's going to be dialled up to 11.

Maybe if the Oilers do win this year, much as I think that's unlikely, it'll make things less crazy in future years, for a while at least. Short term pain for long term gain kind of thing.