Pre-Game Talk: ECF Series Talk: Rat Bastards versus Boring Jerks

[Brock Anton]

For their own psyche, I think the team *needs* to win Game 1. You know the narrative is going to be "swept in 3 straight ECF's", and if you go out in lose Game 1 at home, it's only going to get louder/bigger. Go out and win Game 1 and nip it in the bud and kill the narrative immediately.

 

[SlavinAway]

For their own psyche, I think the team *needs* to win Game 1. You know the narrative is going to be "swept in 3 straight ECF's", and if you go out in lose Game 1 at home, it's only going to get louder/bigger. Go out and win Game 1 and nip it in the bud and kill the narrative immediately.

Then win the next 3 and the sweepees become the sweepers!

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Then win the next 3 and the sweepees become the sweepers!

Go to 4OT in Game 1 and I’ll be the one who’s so sweepees

 

[Bourque]

CAR has home ice and FL went to the SCF in 23 & 24. FL has played tons of hockey in the last 3 years, and I don't consider them the favorites.

 

[VAcaniac]

Hopefully Svech can be a net front pest like was against Jersey because we’ll need it against Bob.

Maybe accidentally fall on Bob a couple times too…

 

[bleedgreen]

Just win one effing game.

 

[Borsig]

Just win one effing game.

then 3 more

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

then 3 more

Then 4 after that

 

[3CanesInTheBox]

 

[Kat Predator]

I was going to thank the schedule makers for giving the rats only 1 day of rest. But that's not fair to the Leafs, who actually gave them a 7th game of rest as well.

 

[jiitu]

How much this the extra rest really does matter? As im not old professional sportman or even close myself, i cannot say, but it feels that it is bit exaggerated. They play whole year ebery second day, they play "only" 15-30 min....somehow for my eyes, i can never clearly see that there would be big difference on performance of pronhockey players.

But does it after all and how much? Is it more physical or mental side?

 

[robbieberns]

Got to say I haven’t felt nervous or anxious yet these playoffs, I think it’s been a combination of the classic transition year/overachiever vibes as well as a general confidence that we’re better than the Devils/Caps and I knew a Rod team with this much playoff know how could handle it.

Now that we’re at the Conference Finals against the Panthers again, we have all that we have going right for us so far, I woke up feeling it big time. I think this one goes 7 games.

 

[DaveG]

How much this the extra rest really does matter? As im not old professional sportman or even close myself, i cannot say, but it feels that it is bit exaggerated. They play whole year ebery second day, they play "only" 15-30 min....somehow for my eyes, i can never clearly see that there would be big difference on performance of pronhockey players.

But does it after all and how much? Is it more physical or mental side?

not a ton IMO, there's tradeoffs each way. A quick series gives you more recovery time and theoretically less injury risk, but the rust can be real. And a long series can simply wear you down but the team remains more mentally dialed in with less of a break.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

How much this the extra rest really does matter? As im not old professional sportman or even close myself, i cannot say, but it feels that it is bit exaggerated. They play whole year ebery second day, they play "only" 15-30 min....somehow for my eyes, i can never clearly see that there would be big difference on performance of pronhockey players.

But does it after all and how much? Is it more physical or mental side?

Obviously, there's a bit of a physical side to it. Injuries are given some extra time to heal, etc. Tkachuk not getting time to heal up a little should be huge. But I'd say the mental side is the biggest benefit of ended series early.

Martinook did an interview the day after they eliminated Washington and the first thing he mentioned was how great it was to have the day off, hanging out by the pool with his kids.

That day(s) of relaxation and reset does wonders for the mental health, and it's something Florida doesn't have the benefit of. Especially considering their very long playoff runs the last two years, the "grind" of playing hockey should start to wear on them.

 

[WreckingCrew]

How much this the extra rest really does matter? As im not old professional sportman or even close myself, i cannot say, but it feels that it is bit exaggerated. They play whole year ebery second day, they play "only" 15-30 min....somehow for my eyes, i can never clearly see that there would be big difference on performance of pronhockey players.

But does it after all and how much? Is it more physical or mental side?

I do think it's sometimes overblown, just like how we always excuse our team for being "tired" on a B2B, but then when we get thoroughly outplayed by a team on a B2B nobody notices...and then we're always "rusty" if we have more than 2 days off? That said, playoff hockey is way tougher physically and mentally because the teams you're playing are the top teams, every game, and all desperate to win.

The one aspect of rest that is very important though, is the chance to heal up/recover a bit more from tweaks and other minor injuries. Way easier to heal up if you don't have to risk over-exerting yourself during a game. End of game 4 against Washington is a perfect example, you could see Chatty was struggling at times, but then with just a few min left on the clock you could see the moment he badly aggravated whatever was bothering him. Then he was out the next game.

 

[rainband]

TFW even the national media are predicting they will take out your goalie.

 

[Nikishin al Gaib]

How much this the extra rest really does matter? As im not old professional sportman or even close myself, i cannot say, but it feels that it is bit exaggerated. They play whole year ebery second day, they play "only" 15-30 min....somehow for my eyes, i can never clearly see that there would be big difference on performance of pronhockey players.

But does it after all and how much? Is it more physical or mental side?

Burnout is real. You could see it in the eyes of the Caps players last series, they just couldn't physically keep up with the Canes and they knew it. Their legs wouldn't let them. Florida is a lot better than most at being able to match us, but at the same time this is their 3rd long playoff run in a row, and tonight will now be their 8th game in the last 15 days, and their 13th game in the last 28 days for them, as opposed to our 6th game in the last 14 days and 11th game in the past 30. We are averaging an extra day of rest between games more than they are this postseason, and eventually that will add up.

 

[Derailed75]

On the subject of rest. I know it's not directly comparable but I remember seeing interviews with NFL guys and positions like the line on both sides, LBs and RBs who were either hitting almost every play or being hit said it would take until Thursday after most games to stop being sore for the previous week, and the later it got in the season the longer it took some times until the morning if the next game before you felt ready to play again.

 

[Nikishin al Gaib]

Defensive lines this morning are

Slavin-Burns
Orlov-Walker
Ghost-Morrow
Chatty-Nikishin

uhhh

 

[SlavinAway]

Florida fans on the main board trying to prepare themselves for all of the Canes diving....

 

[The Faulker 27]

Obviously we won't know if rest plays a factor in this series until we get into it. I tend to think like most things it's probably overblown, but I do wonder if Panther/Leafs is shorter series if Panthers had been rested, and with a healthy Tkachuk. They were by far the better team from top to bottom.

 

[MinJaBen]

That’s a choice.

 

[Nikishin al Gaib]

Florida fans on the main board trying to prepare themselves for all of the Canes diving....

That's rich coming from them

 

[spockBokk]

Good for Morrow.

He deserves a shot. To be honest, I was surprised they did put in Nikishin over Morrow in game 5 vs the Caps. He was the more obvious choice having played the Canes system all year, no language concerns and he wouldn’t have forced anyone on their off side.

Nikishin handled himself well, but personally, I think Morrow is the better Chatfield fill in for the time being, especially with last change.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Refs tonight: Sutherland and Furlatt