GDT: 2024-2025 NHL Playoffs Bandwagon Thread

[RussianGuyovich]

i still blame coaching staff, the toronto defensive zone exit strategy is better than ours (get hit and then make one short pass, and then the next guy gets hit too and panics), but yeah the difference is the toronto stars are putting it in the net when they have the opportunity and point just whiffed a bunch.

 

[The Gongshow]

At least we can put that "Florida is a good shut down team" to rest. We sucked, there's no excuse when Marner is producing and Kucherov/Point couldn't.

Yeup, Florida wasn't lights out better than us, our stars just didn't do f*** all.

 

[Soul Assumption]

They lost to a very average team, but everyone kept their jobs. Even the assistants weren't fired, which is mind boggling. At least pretend that you care and find a scapegoat like they did in colorado

 

[aylib]

Naw we just softened them up for Toronto

Yeah, only mentally, as they played down and are now shell shocked by the vast difference in the level of competition in all aspects, from scoring and physicality to coaching and resilience, among many others.

 

[Sky04]

McDavid is just automatic in OT, dunno why Point-Kucherov aren't more dangerous with the open space. It's like every single Oilers OT game is ended by a Draisaitl-McDavid rush.

 

[Stammertime91]

Perry has 3g and 2a in 8 games. Lol. On top of a 19 goal season (15 EV) at the ripe age of 39. What a gem.

McDavid flying by Eichel for the game winner was poetic.

Give me Dallas vs Edmonton and Toronto vs Washington. What a juggernaut final four.

 

[Sky04]

Perry has 3g and 2a in 8 games. Lol. On top of a 19 goal season (15 EV) at the ripe age of 39. What a gem.

McDavid flying by Eichel for the game winner was poetic.

Give me Dallas vs Edmonton and Toronto vs Washington. What a juggernaut final four.

"Those guys are too old and slow imagine if we had a fast 4th line"

 

[Hoek]

McDavid is just automatic in OT, dunno why Point-Kucherov aren't more dangerous with the open space. It's like every single Oilers OT game is ended by a Draisaitl-McDavid rush.

Because they like curling around to their backhand and drop passing instead of trying to score directly for some reason

 

[AlwaysSunnyInTampa]

How is Leo XIV gonna fix our 4th line?

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Teams need to play the trap against Edmonton. They're just too dangerous off the rush. They're a pretty mediocre 5v5 cycle team

 

[AlwaysSunnyInTampa]

I am literally incapable of imagining the Lightning playing an OT at even a fraction of the pace the Leafs and Panthers are. We would seriously go out there and be all too happy to defend 16 shots while getting maybe 3 of our own.

Gee I wonder how we're like 1-14 in OT over these last many years

 

[JTBF81]

Too bad, the Leafs had a real chance to put that series away tonight with multiple two goal leads.

 

[LightningStrikes]

I guess the Stars won’t win this game.

 

[Renopucker]

Leafs looked like somebody put Ambien in their jugs in the second. Never seen anything like the switch being flipped in the other direction.. Saw it most every shift. Then in the third, I guess they got the salts out. That was even Steven. OT could’ve gone either way, and I certainly didn’t think the Leafs would sweep.

 

[RSchmitz PhD]

Bodes not well for Toronto past this round but so what, plenty of rope to screw the Panthers

 

[LightningStrikes]

Looking back at previous series it’s almost always game 3 the other team got against the eventual series winner (MTL, NJ, STL, MIN, TB).

Strong performance by the Jets. Helle finally has stepped up.

 

[Stelio Kontos]

Corey Perry scoring 2 goals in a way that any lightning players couldn’t imagine.. cutting to the center of the ice and actually shooting and being tall enough to effectively screen the goalie and getting a tip.

 

[Stammertime91]

Man, some of the people on here proposing the idea of trading Vasy don't watch Stuart Skinner enough. It'll make you want Vasy here until he's 75.

Also, Corey Perry scored two goals and sits at 5 goals in the playoffs at 39 years old. Nobody talk to me.

 

[Sky04]

Man, some of the people on here proposing the idea of trading Vasy don't watch Stuart Skinner enough. It'll make you want Vasy here until he's 75.

Also, Corey Perry scored two goals and sits at 5 goals in the playoffs at 39 years old. Nobody talk to me.

You're talking like Vasys numbers are that much better than Skinners the last 3 playoff runs and Skinner has significantly less defensive support and no selke center either. Skinners also well, a 2.6m goalie he's not even expected to be average. Vasy has a top3 caphit has he been a top3 goalie?

 

[Stammertime91]

You're talking like Vasys numbers are that much better than Skinners the last 3 playoff runs and Skinner has significantly less defensive support and no selke center either. Skinners also well, a 2.6m goalie he's not even expected to be average. Vasy has a top3 caphit has he been a top3 goalie?

Do you think Stuart Skinner wins during the b2b run?

Actually, yes - for the regular season as he's a Vezina finalist. Lol. Goalies don't get contracts based solely off playoff performances. Even though Vasy shit the bed against Toronto, an injury gives him a pass for one of those three. Last year and this year, he's gotten better except in the postseason. Though, I don't know if Adin Hill or one of the many sudden godsend 5M goalies that are plug-n-play would have done any better against Florida. As it stands, Adin Hill, Andersen, Otter, Helle, Thompson, Bob, Woll/Stolarz and the Skinner/Pickard dynamic duo are all that remain. Grab a 5M goalie doesn't sound all that better when none of them have two cups and have rebounded from a back injury to become a Vezina finalist.

Trading Vasy to alleviate 4-5M for another middle six winger isn't a route I'm willing to lobby for.

 

[Sky04]

Do you think Stuart Skinner wins during the b2b run?

Actually, yes - for the regular season as he's a Vezina finalist. Lol. Goalies don't get contracts based solely off playoff performances. Even though Vasy shit the bed against Toronto, an injury gives him a pass for one of those three. Last year and this year, he's gotten better except in the postseason. Though, I don't know if Adin Hill or one of the many sudden godsend 5M goalies that are plug-n-play would have done any better against Florida. As it stands, Adin Hill, Andersen, Otter, Helle, Thompson, Bob, Woll/Stolarz and the Skinner/Pickard dynamic duo are all that remain. Grab a 5M goalie doesn't sound all that better when none of them have two cups and have rebounded from a back injury to become a Vezina finalist.

Trading Vasy to alleviate 4-5M for another middle six winger isn't a route I'm willing to lobby for.

Agree to disagree but that's a middle 6 winger or a top4 defenseman everyone is crying about would make a difference since at the end of the day we've been getting below average goaltneding when it matters anyways.

You can't get hung up on past results when he hasn't been performing anywhere near that level of late, would you say the same for Point? Oh well he gave us 2 CS worthy runs 5 years ago can't criticize him either.

 

[Stammertime91]

Agree to disagree but that's a middle 6 winger or a top4 defenseman everyone is crying about would make a difference since at the end of the day we've been getting below average goaltneding when it matters anyways.

You can't get hung up on past results when he hasn't been performing anywhere near that level of late, would you say the same for Point? Oh well he gave us 2 CS worthy runs 5 years ago can't criticize him either.

Total strawman. I've already criticized Point and wouldn't mind seeing him traded.

Centers are incredibly valuable and so are goalies, especially when they are your clear cut #1s. My personal preference would be to hang onto the #1 goalie and a get a "1C" that might be a 70 point guy but not totally lay an egg in the postseason.

My point initially was that lesser paid goalies are mediocre. Yeah Skinner is even cheaper but guys like Woll, Anderson, etc aren't dependable either. Sure they're in round 2, but they normally aren't there much longer.

Id take Vasy over the extra Bjorkstrand, Paul or whoever type middle sixer.

 

[gn2007]

Oof for draisatl just saw the highlights god damn lol

 

[LightningStrikes]

Oof for draisatl just saw the highlights god damn lol

A goal scorer’s goal!

 

[DFC]

Do you think Stuart Skinner wins during the b2b run?

Actually, yes - for the regular season as he's a Vezina finalist. Lol. Goalies don't get contracts based solely off playoff performances. Even though Vasy shit the bed against Toronto, an injury gives him a pass for one of those three. Last year and this year, he's gotten better except in the postseason. Though, I don't know if Adin Hill or one of the many sudden godsend 5M goalies that are plug-n-play would have done any better against Florida. As it stands, Adin Hill, Andersen, Otter, Helle, Thompson, Bob, Woll/Stolarz and the Skinner/Pickard dynamic duo are all that remain. Grab a 5M goalie doesn't sound all that better when none of them have two cups and have rebounded from a back injury to become a Vezina finalist.

Trading Vasy to alleviate 4-5M for another middle six winger isn't a route I'm willing to lobby for.

Honestly, yeah, Skinner probably would have been enough to win in the b2b years. Maybe. But I do think an average goalie would have gotten us there those years.

That's not to say I'm an advocate for moving Vasy. I'm just saying those teams were pretty special, and Vasy playing top notch was kind of icing on the cake.

It's not really about Vasy so much as the theory people talked about years ago (that teams are better off not spending a ton on goaltending) is being proven more and more right. A bad goalie can sink you, no doubt, but a very good team with an average goalie can win. And it's been a while since we've seen a goalie steal his way to a cup. Those days seem over.

Again, I don't want to move Vasy or anything. Under the rising cap I'd rather just eat his salary rather than save 4m, which in coming years will basically just upgrade a 3rd line winger. Just saying that, in general, it does seem like a better strategy to spend the money on skaters and hope your goaltending can be "good enough."