Out of Town Round 2 Playoff Thread

[A Star is Burns]

Really great teams lose all the time in the playoffs earlier than they should. Making it even to the 2nd round is not an easy task. Ideally, a Vegas against Colorado matchup shouldn't have happened until a conference final. Quite possibly the Canes against Tampa as well should have been a later matchup. That's the way it goes sometimes in the current format. And inevitably, some teams are going to be served a shit sandwich several years in a row. I don't think it has to mean that team is some incredibly flawed team. You have to always pursue getting better but be careful to make knee jerk reactions that could damage your team.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Really great teams lose all the time in the playoffs earlier than they should. Making it even to the 2nd round is not an easy task. Ideally, a Vegas against Colorado matchup shouldn't have happened until a conference final. Quite possibly the Canes against Tampa as well should have been a later matchup. That's the way it goes sometimes in the current format. And inevitably, some teams are going to be served a shit sandwich several years in a row. I don't think it has to mean that team is some incredibly flawed team. You have to always pursue getting better but be careful to make knee jerk reactions that could damage your team.

That's what I've been trying to say. This is not the time to panic for the Canes, ESPECIALLY if Tampa ends up repeating like I suspect that they will. Again, Necas is only 22, Svech is only 21 (and still plays like he's 21 sometimes), and Aho will only be 24. They have room to improve without any moves at all. Combine that with huge cap losses for Tampa, and you might have yet another cup contender on your hands.

 

[Svechhammer]

It's hard to call what happened vs. Tampa a meltdown outside of Game 4 and those stupid penalties. Every game was closely fought and had the scores to match the eye test. Tampa simply finished a bit better and had Kucherov and Vasi as the key difference-makers. Hence why it makes sense, at least to me, to stand pat and see Tampa get eaten alive by the salary cap (If they repeat. If they lose to Vegas, then make that big trade for Reinhart).

I was pretty much talking about Game 4. That meltdown was the end of the series for us.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

I was pretty much talking about Game 4. That meltdown was the end of the series for us.

It was also Tampa F***ing Bay. Give them that many power plays, occasionally on not-great calls, and they turn into that NBA Jam cheat-code/can't-miss mode with the basket on fire.

 

[Svechhammer]

It was also Tampa F***ing Bay. Give them that many power plays, occasionally on not-great calls, and they turn into that NBA Jam cheat-code/can't-miss mode with the basket on fire.

Exactly. We just went full blown clown show in that game taking dumb penalty after dumb penalty against a team that had already shown it had our PK figured out. Like, we needed to avoid the box like the plague and we instead took penalties like they were painkillers in an episode of House.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Exactly. We just went full blown clown show in that game taking dumb penalty after dumb penalty against a team that had already shown it had our PK figured out. Like, we needed to avoid the box like the plague and we instead took penalties like they were painkillers in an episode of House.

A lot of that was on youth and inexperience, I think, especially when it came to Svech, who the refs called on multiple times.

 

[The Faulker 27]

I'm pulling for the Tampa Bay Circumventors.

 

[GoldiFox]

I can't get excited about any of the teams left. If I had to guess NYI with bore TB to death and Montreal will bore Vegas to death. Culminating in the most boring SCF in recent history.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

I can't get excited about any of the teams left. If I had to guess NYI with bore TB to death and Montreal will bore Vegas to death. Culminating in the most boring SCF in recent history.

Tampa are a terror because they can adapt to postseason hockey on top of being a freak show of skill. IMO, they're repeating.

 

[hblueridgegal]

I have found the Isles fun to watch. With the Canes/Avs out, hope to see family, who are spirited Isles fans, happy... especially since they're taking me to the new UBS digs next season.

 

[emptyNedder]

The VGK comeback has me second-guessing stuff. A lot of commentators and quite a few posters on HF (including this thread) had me believing that Vegas had a fatal flaw--lack of talented centers. Now Vegas looks almost as good as Tampa.

 

[The Faulker 27]

I'll say If Trotz somehow manages to get his squad past Tampa the guy deserves serious accolades. I hope he does and I'll be excited as hell to continue pulling for NYI if that happens. They're gonna need a red hot Varlamov for that.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Rooting order:

1) Vegas: what a fun team that I would actually enjoy winning the Cup.

2) Islanders: didn't really build up any ill will toward the fanbase from 2 years ago (the series wasn't long enough to: hey-o!). Don't love Lou, but love Trotz. Fanbase has been through a lot and a good way to "send out" Nassau.

3) Tampa: I don't really like teams winning 2 years in a row. I was rooting for them last year but this year it'd just be meh. (On the record as not caring about the "cap circumvention".)

4) Montreal: the question is, would it be funnier for Canada's Cupless streak to continue this year? Or for it to be snapped, and everyone else gets to invalidate it because it happened in a fake season? If it were anyone other than Montreal, I'd hear arguments for the latter. But it's Montreal. We do not need this Montreal team to fluke their way to a Cup.

 

[A Star is Burns]

I don't really super love or hate any of these teams. I guess I'd like to see Vegas win. I like how bold they've been to go out and get big time players and figure out how to make it work later. I would love us to be like that now that our window is here.

 

[Porvari]

I know it's a sin to root foor Habs in these parts, but Jesperi Kotkaniemi is my favorite 15-year-old NHLer and Joel Armia has successfully transformed himself from a lazy sniper into Randy Quaid's son, so I'm torn.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

The VGK comeback has me second-guessing stuff. A lot of commentators and quite a few posters on HF (including this thread) had me believing that Vegas had a fatal flaw--lack of talented centers. Now Vegas looks almost as good as Tampa.

I asked a similar question on the main board, but didn't get a response. Is there a meaningful difference in Stone playing the wing and Stephenson playing center compared to a Stone-like center and a Stephenson-like wing? I feel like if they were flipped, no one questions that lineup.

From what I see, the modern NHL is very fluid (positionless) in the offensive zone. It's the 3rd man high, not the center high. Everyone contributes on the cycle. The center coming up the ice with speed more often than a winger is the only difference that I notice offensively (and that's what Stephenson is being judged on).

From a roster building perspective, I totally get it. It's easier to find a 60 point wing than a 60 point center. GMs thus prioritize the rarer asset. Evaluating team vs. team, it seems like a dubious talking point.

 

[Lempo]

I know it's a sin to root foor Habs in these parts, but Jesperi Kotkaniemi is my favorite 15-year-old NHLer and Joel Armia has successfully transformed himself from a lazy sniper into Randy Quaid's son, so I'm torn.

I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel.

 

[A Star is Burns]

And of course, going back to the Avs, you're left with the question the Leafs were many times. What if Nazem Kadri wasn't a ****ing idiot?

 

[Lempo]

And of course, going back to the Avs, you're left with the question the Leafs were many times. What if Nazem Kadri wasn't a ****ing idiot?

This is one of them rhetoricals, right?

 

[AD Skinner]

And of course, going back to the Avs, you're left with the question the Leafs were many times. What if Nazem Kadri wasn't a ****ing idiot?

Remember those "history will be made" commercials?

 

[A Star is Burns]

Remember those "history will be made" commercials?

 

[HisIceness]

I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel.

I'm cold and I am chained........

 

[surfzone365]

Personally glad to see the Avs choke and hit the links with us. They are good but overhyped like the 2019 Bolts.

 

[AD Skinner]

I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel.

I'm cold and I am chained........

Thinking about that game 4

 

[WreckingCrew]

How many weeks has it been since the last hockey game? Are playoffs over by now?