League News: NHL Talk - (News n' Scores n' Stuff) - 2021-22 season, Vol. 3, Playoffs Edition

[CapitalsCupReality]

Gerard destroyed!

 

[RedRocking]

I'm rooting for McDavid. The league is more fun when its biggest stars are thriving in the playoffs.

Being on the west coast (and with the new ESPN+ deal), I’ve watched a decent amount of Oilers this year.

The incomparable speed, hands, the highlight 1 on 4 goals - have all been there. But at times I wondered if his game was too finesse to translate to the playoffs. Going in all alone and just turning it over, while trying to do too much, happened a lot.

I hate to say it, but once they added Kane to his line, it made a huge difference. Not only in opening space, but I think it’s made McDavid more physical and given him a player constantly driving the net.

As has been said a million times - since the end of the Kings series, he has hit a new level and it is awesome to watch. Just a new mental and physical toughness - blocking shots, refusing to lose. It does feel like history in the making, and wish more people could see it live.

 

[Eirikrautha]

Well, we'll get to see if all the posters here drooling over Husso are on to something. He's in due to Binnington's injury...

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Well, we'll get to see if all the posters here drooling over Husso are on to something. He's in due to Binnington's injury...

I hope so because the team in front of him bores me to death….

 

[Capsman]

That Husso goal, not much different from what we’ve seen from VV and IS.

Would love to have this mature version of Kadri on our team.

 

[trick9]

Long-term deal for Bryan Rust, 6 years @ 5.125m AAV.

I wonder how he looks away from Crosby.

 

[Langway]

No Point, no problem. Florida is easy work. Going to be interesting what comes next for them, particularly given how they're largely drained of futures.

 

[RedRocking]

No Point, no problem. Florida is easy work. Going to be interesting what comes next for them, particularly given how they're largely drained of futures.

What a bunch of frauds the Panthers are. We really let them off the hook.

When faced with a more disciplined team that can protect a lead, they got nothing.

 

[John Price]

Caps broke Florida. You love to see it.

 

[marcel snapshot]

We literally had to hand the series to Florida in order for them to win. They’re really good at beating up the 16 or so teams in the league that are average or worse, but faced with competition from a motivated good team on a night to night basis, they’re pretty ordinary. We were gifted them opportunities with our bone-headed mistakes. No such generosity from Tampa

 

[twabby]

Makes me feel better knowing that even if Washington had advanced, they likely would have been taken to school by Tampa.

Toronto has to feel really disappointed knowing they were so close to beating the juggernaut.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

I've just never been sold on Weegar being anything more than a solid player, nor on Ekblad being 'that guy'.

And I've always said that Bobrovsky stinks.

 

[max21]

I like to think we would have given Tampa more of a fight, that game today was embarrassing

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Makes me feel better knowing that even if Washington had advanced, they likely would have been taken to school by Tampa.

Toronto has to feel really disappointed knowing they were so close to beating the juggernaut.

Styles make fights. Telling yourself we would have been whooped by Tampa is mental gymnastics. I bet we would have taken them to at least 6 games.

 

[Empty Goal Net]

Styles make fights. Telling yourself we would have been whooped by Tampa is mental gymnastics. I bet we would have taken them to at least 6 games.

Always difficult to predict how/whether performance in one series will affect/carry over to the next. For the Caps, as well as many other playoff teams, I expect that confidence after winning the first round would've bumped up and - assuming they had won by not making the boneheaded mistakes (Hi, Mr. Norris) that cost them v. Fla - they would've at the very least given the Dolts more of a challenge than the Cats are giving them.

 

[ovikovy817]

When I said that Caps lost the series (and not FLA won the series) I was laughed at.
I also have said that TOR or TBL will go easily through FLA (I thought at least 5). But it seems like a sweep.

 

[Corby78]

The fact that it’s becoming more evident that we lost that series’s versus them winning it, makes me even more pissed.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Makes me feel better knowing that even if Washington had advanced, they likely would have been taken to school by Tampa.

Toronto has to feel really disappointed knowing they were so close to beating the juggernaut.

The Caps always play Tampa well. Given what we know now about Wilson not coming back and Backstrom falling apart at the seams, plus Ovi needing an injection to play, it’s highly doubtful Washington would have won the series but I think they’d have put forth a better game plan than Florida.

 

[StrikingDistance]

Makes me feel better knowing that even if Washington had advanced, they likely would have been taken to school by Tampa.

Toronto has to feel really disappointed knowing they were so close to beating the juggernaut.

Hilarious take. What series were you watching? I said before, FL doesn't even look like a PO team. We lost because? Hath missed the EN by an inch? 2 defensive mistakes by 420 norris and Fever? Willy being out?

Whatever, we would of played the Bolts better than the Cats are. Ovi and Co have a good record vs Vasi.

The only team I was concerned about in the east was the Rags due to Igor. But PO hockey: Shit happens.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Crowdsourced Canadian National anthem is always so great….

 

[twabby]

Hilarious take. What series were you watching?

I wasn’t watching any series.

 

[twabby]

The Caps always play Tampa well. Given what we know now about Wilson not coming back and Backstrom falling apart at the seams, plus Ovi needing an injection to play, it’s highly doubtful Washington would have won the series but I think they’d have put forth a better game plan than Florida.

They play them well but Tampa doesn’t give up cheap goals. I suspect Washington would have struggled to generate 5v5 offense, as they have done the past 4 postseasons, and I also suspect Washington would not have blanked Tampa Bay on their power play.

Anything could have happened. It’s hockey. They’d have had at least a 1/4 shot. But I don’t think they would have outplayed them like they did with Florida for large stretches.

 

[tycoonheart]

I honestly don't see a team that can beat Tampa.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I honestly don't see a team that can beat Tampa.

Avs or Edmonton have the guns…

 

[Langway]

Flames D are just a bunch of dudes. The Oilers are a problem, tho.