Eastern Conference Wild Card Race is Embarrassing

[North Cole]

Yeah, wild card teams are bad...in both conferences. That's why they are fighting for a wild card spot.

 

[Osakahaus]

Mike Sullivan and Ron Hextall are doing everything in their power to sabotage the Penguins.

The Penguins are a pile of garbage being carried tremendously by Crosby Guentzel Letang and the refs. This team should be eliminated. Not even trying to sound like a Pens hater, but dear lord this team is rancid. They also lack a proper goalie, a proper defense (yes its hurt), and their deadline backfired tremendously

At this point I'd start to question if Fenway Sports will care about the Penguins so they actually improve from this dismal mess. The future is gonna look really nasty if they don't improve.

 

[Notsince67]

I mean to be fair the Sens schedule has been incredibly tough opponents while dealing with injuries to Norris, Talbot, Forsberg, Joseph, Chabot and Chychrun.

I can't imagine many teams would make the playoffs easily while missing their 1a and 1b goalies, their 1c last year, stretches of their top dmen being out or playing injured and the bottom 6 rotating constantly.

I'd argue it's impressive that they're even in the mix.

Last stat I have...
Man games lost
1. Habs 627
2. Leafs 513

 

[SimpleJack]

Don’t let this thread be a distraction to the fact that Al Bundy once scored 4 touchdowns in a single game for Polk High School Panthers in 1966 versus Andrew Johnson High School, including the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against his old nemesis, “Spare Tire” Dixon Bubba Smith.

This is incredible. LOL

 

[Nothingbutglass]

The Penguins are a pile of garbage being carried tremendously by Crosby Guentzel Letang and the refs. This team should be eliminated. Not even trying to sound like a Pens hater, but dear lord this team is rancid. They also lack a proper goalie, a proper defense (yes its hurt), and their deadline backfired tremendously View attachment 677576
At this point I'd start to question if Fenway Sports will care about the Penguins so they actually improve from this dismal mess. The future is gonna look really nasty if they don't improve.

This seems a little over the top. Last I checked, they were still in playoff position despite all their issues.

Why would FSG buy the Pens to neglect them less than a year later? They bought the Red Sox and won 3 titles breaking a 86 year drought. Liverpool won EPL for the 1st time in 30 years under FSG. The NHL needs more FSGs and less Melnick types if they want to become a big boy league.

 

[NHLInjuryViz]

Last stat I have...
Man games lost
1. Habs 627
2. Leafs 513

Without even getting into weighting MGL by “value”, the Leafs’ number there is more than a little misleading without context of who’s included, less so for the Canadiens’ (though depends on whether you believe Price is retired) but still can’t see how it can be way past 600 yet. This was from games through 23 March:

 

[BallardEra]

The slow crawl for that WC2 spot continues.

 

[Dread Clawz]

Pittsburgh taunting Florida, trying to finish 1 point ahead of them.

 

[Notsince67]

Without even getting into weighting MGL by “value”, the Leafs’ number there is more than a little misleading without context of who’s included, less so for the Canadiens’ (though depends on whether you believe Price is retired) but still can’t see how it can be way past 600 yet. This was from games through 23 March:

View attachment 677615

Leafs basically losing their top defense core for a chunk of the year is the context you exclude?

 

[Jerkbait]

Why is it embarrassing? Weird take.

Also, the reason is because the top end of the East is stacked.

Meh I guess because neither Pittsburgh or Florida can find any kind of groove .
.they both lose ....Florida could have gained ground but lost , then Pittsburgh gets beat bad by Detroit....

 

[NHLInjuryViz]

Leafs basically losing their top defense core for a chunk of the year is the context you exclude?

That and players who would’ve actually been candidates to be on the roster doesn’t come close to adding up to 500+ MGL is the context.

 

[cowboy82nd]

No, I want someone to beat up old man Bergeron and Krejci

Really, Bergeron??? Not a Bruins fan at all, but Bergeron gets a ton of respect. Now, I could see if you said Krejci and Marchand.

 

[KnightofBoston]

You do realize the reason the points are so low for these wildcard teams is due to there being a team that has broke several NHL league history records scooping up ridiculous amounts of points and then another top team doing similar things and then you also have Toronto and tampa making it even harder on those lower teams.

Anyone of those wildcard teams can beat any other team in the league on any given night and I would not put it past anyone of them to upset the bruins either.

I wouldn’t fret about regular season point totals. Sometimes the point spread just looks like the wealth distribution in the United States.

 

[BallardEra]

You do realize the reason the points are so low for these wildcard teams is due to there being a team that has broke several NHL league history records scooping up ridiculous amounts of points and then another top team doing similar things and then you also have Toronto and tampa making it even harder on those lower teams.

Anyone of those wildcard teams can beat any other team in the league on any given night and I would not put it past anyone of them to upset the bruins either.

I wouldn’t fret about regular season point totals. Sometimes the point spread just looks like the wealth distribution in the United States.

When Tampa had 128 points in 2019, Carolina had 99 points in WC1 spot and Columbus had 98 points in WC2.

This year the teams simply aren't as good and it shows because they're too inconsistent to nail down a spot.

 

[KnightofBoston]

When Tampa had 128 points in 2019, Carolina had 99 points in WC1 spot and Columbus had 98 points in WC2.

This year the teams simply aren't as good and it shows because they're too inconsistent to nail down a spot.

feels like this just proves what Im saying, do you really feel there's a significant difference between a 98 points team and a 92 point team? That's a few bounces one way or the other over an 82 game schedule. Looking at all the teams collectively compared to 2019 the point spread is very similar, the biggest difference is columbus is even more abysmal than ottawa was that year. The two teams that miss will likely end up right around where Montreal did that year. Tampa feasted that year and the Bruins are feasting this year, along with carolina which can explain the slight decrease in those teams as there are two juggernauts as opposed to one

 

[Dubi Doo]

It's kinda crazy that nobody stepped up.

The Isles are doing pretty well last I checked, but maybe theyve slowed down.

Buffalo is the youngest team in the league and dealing with a lot of injuries even if some players are playing injured + have had a tough, crammed schedule to end the year. Theyre just running out of steam. The rescheduled games due to the snow storm arent going to make things any easier.

The Sens are young and dealing with goalie injuries.

The Pens and Caps cores are in their twilight years.

Florida has the talent, but inconsistent goaltending and mediocre coaching is a bad combo. Ekblad falling off a cliff doesn't help, either.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Pit, Was, Fla, and Clb have lower pt% than they did last year. The other teams that were at the bottom of the East last year all have better pt% this year.

So you get two pressure points. Better bottom teams, a couple worse top teams. Less total crap teams, more kinda crappy teams.

People wanted more fun in the east race because last year the top 8 were known in like Nov. Well, here you go. People also say they want less boring hockey. Well that probably means more mistakes, more sloppy play, it'll look bad, but it'll be more exciting. Rarely do you get both exciting and efficient.

 

[saintunspecified]

I think the Jets vs. NYI is such an instructive comparison. Same number of points, identical points %. Both have excellent goalies. One would think, going by the names & talent, that Winnipeg should easily outstrip the Islanders. But collectively, to use the phrase, they could use a check of from the the neck up. You could see it on their body language on the ice in their game on the Island. You could say much the same about Calgary, St. Louis, and Vancouver.

In the east there are a few key differences vs. last year. Among the contenders/bubble teams, the biggest differences have been Washington's slippage (Backstrom's importance obviously can't be overstated), and the improvement of Buffalo/Ottawa.

There's one reason why NYI are ahead of Pittsburgh and Florida, and all three fanbases understand that it's all about goaltending. Being at a disadvantage in goal consistently wears teams down. It is the opposite to consistently have an advantage.

One thing that's interesting to me is NYI's 33 regulation wins is barely fewer than any of the teams higher than them in the metropolitan. (Carolina has 35, Devs & Rangers have 34). In the playoffs 3 v 3 & shootout proficiency have no bearing on outcomes.

 

[Number8]

Don’t let this thread be a distraction to the fact that Al Bundy once scored 4 touchdowns in a single game for Polk High School Panthers in 1966 versus Andrew Johnson High School, including the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against his old nemesis, “Spare Tire” Dixon Bubba Smith.

Yeah, I get it. Still doesn't outshine the fact that back in ’82, Uncle Rico used to be able to throw a pig skin a quarter mile.

Man I wish he had a time machine. He coulda won State. If the Coach has put him in in the 4th quarter, that is.

 

[BMOK33]

honestly yeah. People will quote CBJ upsetting TBL Pres trophy a few years back but that CBJ team was much better than their record after loading up at the deadline. This year's wildcards are a joke. 2nd rounds in the East will be a lot of fun though


if you read the post though he's mostly talking about the race for wildcard 2 and acknowledges the Isles have been much better and separated from the pack a bit despite significant injuries...

I am more scared of CAR as an Isles fan than I am BOS. BOS is obviously a great team but they are not a 60-62 win roster...I am sorry, they are loaded with old players and it was just a case where everything came together this year perfectly. I believe they are absolutely beatable by NYI...PIT/FLA no. Largely because the game style those 2 play and the goaltending difference. CAR is a machine in all aspects except in net. I would say its 5% or less any of those 3 beat them. I am still concerned though the offensive depth or goaltending could get them again though vs someone like NYR/TB

 

[saintunspecified]

The Pens and Caps cores are in their twilight years.

The Penguins & Caps situations are different. Caps are dealing with aging/injured players. Penguins are dealing with the same thing they've been dealing with since 2018-2019 - failure due to goaltending disadvantage. It's a management failure to last that long, waste the "twilight" (i.e. still frigging excellent) years of Crosby's career. What difference does it make if they fail to make the playoffs, or simply fail because of goaltending in the first round?

 

[saintunspecified]

I am more scared of CAR as an Isles fan than I am BOS. BOS is obviously a great team but they are not a 60-62 win roster...I am sorry, they are loaded with old players and it was just a case where everything came together this year perfectly.

You shouldn't be. Carolina doesn't score enough to win consistently in regulation, and it's worse with Svechnikov's injury. Boston's scoring depth/size is a matchup nightmare for the Islanders. Even if you deal with the big line, you've got to deal with Zacha & DeBrusk. There's massive incentive to finish with WC1.

 

[Michoulicious]

OP isn’t wrong, but the Western Conference race looks no better. Seems like nobody wants to be the one to make it.

Normal.

In a few years, it will be obvious that the teams that drafted in the top 15 of the draft were the real winners, not the teams that made it just to get killed in the 1st round by Boston or Carolina.

Detroit's/Buffalo's managements are aware of it.

Pittsburgh it is a last kick to the can.

Florida, well... That's a clear failure since they don't have the first rounder.

Ottawa, well, that's Dorion. At least Chychrun is good. It's not Chiarot.

 

[BallardEra]

The Penguins & Caps situations are different. Caps are dealing with aging/injured players. Penguins are dealing with the same thing they've been dealing with since 2018-2019 - failure due to goaltending disadvantage. It's a management failure to last that long, waste the "twilight" (i.e. still frigging excellent) years of Crosby's career. What difference does it make if they fail to make the playoffs, or simply fail because of goaltending in the first round?

I think they are very similar. Aging cores and not much in the pipeline.

Next season Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Ovechkin and Backstrom will be 36-38 years old.

Both teams can do a reboot for next season and make the playoffs with the right moves but they both won't be winning any Cups very soon.

 

[Tasteless Beaver]

I think this should be the year that WC2 just gets cut and the #1 seed gets a 1st round bye. Nobody wants the 8th spot in either conference, it will not be occupied by a winning and/or deserving team.