PENS vs Montreal Canadiens Round 1 (Best Of Five)

[Deczola73]

It looks like this series is set in stone.

I see this as a easy series for the Penguins (unless Murray is really poor).

What I have noticed that in closed door sporting events over the past years (almost exclusively in soccer), the team with the superior talent wins almost every time. In watching some games it almost gives a feel that the home team fans add a bit of pressure on their team. An example of this is the biggest match in Germany being Schalke vs Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund is a vastly better squad the past few years but rarely win vs them at home......last week they played in front of no fans and Dortmund blew them off the field.

I'm expecting to see many one sided series with 4 goal victories as the norm starting with a Penguims romp over the Canadiens.

Your thoughts fellas?

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[HandshakeLine]

I hate the format, I hate this lame gimmick, and I'd rather see an asterisk put next to whoever wins this season, even if it's us.

 

[HandshakeLine]

The main board is going to be hilarious the first time a star or a team has to drop out because of COVID infection, though.

 

[Empoleon8771]

This is not going to be an "easy series", even with the Habs being a mediocre team. A rested Carey Price has the potential to absolutely steal a series. The Penguins may dominate the series, but still lose due to goaltending (both on their side and Montreal's side).

 

[SUBdrewgANS]

I haven't been following updates at all.. what's the format and did they give a start date?

 

[HandshakeLine]

I don't think the format's been ratified by the players yet. They're voting on it today, I think?

 

[Shady Machine]

Someone was going to get hosed in this proposed format (which is no where near set in stone by the way as the NHLPA still has to opine), but sucks that the Pens were that team. 5th in the conference and 7th in the whole league but have to have a play in series with a team 15 points below them in the standings and 1% chance of making the playoffs.

Garbage.

 

[HandshakeLine]

Yup, true. It's horseshit.

 

[Ogrezilla]

eh, win the games they put in front of you. Format isn't great, but if we lose it isn't the format's fault.

 

[Shady Machine]

eh, win the games they put in front of you. Format isn't great, but if we lose it isn't the formats fault.

I'm not building in excuses, but it's a garbage format if you wanted to treat the regular season like it mattered. The only teams in the East they don't make the playoffs are teams that intentionally tanked and the tire fire that is Buffalo.

Unless re-seeding is coming into play (which it currently isn't), Montreal could beat Pittsburgh and then play the 4th seed even though they are the 12th. It makes no sense.

Yes the Pens need to beat the teams put in front of them, but the league has had 2 months to dream things up and this is what they came up with?

 

[BHD]

I dunno, man... I’d like the Pens to win, but I’m not crazy about the format. Even though I want to see ‘playoff’ hockey, the 24 team bracket (lol) doesn’t do the reg season justice (see: @Shady Machine).

As for the matchup... Even if the Canadiens are average, they have enough scoring to make the most of some good games from Price and bad games from Murray/Jarry. Not saying that’s going to happen. However, that’s how I see it playing out if the Habs win.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I'm not building in excuses, but it's a garbage format if you wanted to treat the regular season like it mattered. The only teams in the East they don't make the playoffs are teams that intentionally tanked and the tire fire that is Buffalo.

Unless re-seeding is coming into play (which it currently isn't), Montreal could beat Pittsburgh and then play the 4th seed even though they are the 12th. It makes no sense.

Yes the Pens need to beat the teams put in front of them, but the league has had 2 months to dream things up and this is what they came up with?

Yeah that's fair. I guess I'm just happy they are playing at all.

 

[Shady Machine]

Yeah that's fair. I guess I'm just happy they are playing at all.

I'm a glass half empty kind of guy!

 

[Ogrezilla]

I'm a glass half empty kind of guy!

Not my style. At least not with sports.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Oh shit we have to do this without Simon. What's guentzel's situation? I straight up stopped paying attention to hockey stuff.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Oh shit we have to do this without Simon. What's guentzel's situation? I straight up stopped paying attention to hockey stuff.

Penguins F Guentzel on track for possible return

His timeline was 4 to 6 months and July 1st would be exactly 6 months from the surgery. It sounds like the playoffs wouldn't start back up until then, so I think the expectation should be that Guentzel is back.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

I'm not building in excuses, but it's a garbage format if you wanted to treat the regular season like it mattered. The only teams in the East they don't make the playoffs are teams that intentionally tanked and the tire fire that is Buffalo.

Unless re-seeding is coming into play (which it currently isn't), Montreal could beat Pittsburgh and then play the 4th seed even though they are the 12th. It makes no sense.

Yes the Pens need to beat the teams put in front of them, but the league has had 2 months to dream things up and this is what they came up with?

The regular season doesn't matter. Especially for the Penguins.

I think the 24 team tournament is weird but in no way does it dimish the playoffs.

 

[Shady Machine]

The regular season doesn't matter. Especially for the Penguins.

I think the 24 team tournament is weird but in no way does it dimish the playoffs.

The regular season determines who gets to the playoffs. This format essentially throws that out the window as nearly everyone who wasn't trying to lose gets to the playoffs. Not sure how your post is relevant to mine.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Didn't the Penguins slide into the playoffs last full season by like the skin of their teeth?

Of course the regular season matters.

This playoff format is a bag of shit. Will I be watching? Well yeah. But it's a bag of shit.

 

[Al Smith]

At least when the Hawks won the Cup in a shortened season there was some connection to a regular season. This is essentially starting a new season - with little connection to a regular season - with the Stanley Cup and deciding it with October-quality hockey.

I don’t like it but the league needs the revenue I guess and with the Tour de France postponed at least there will be something to watch.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Gosh darn it!

Please don't pull a 2010 boys...

We should kill them, but who knows what could happen with the rust and all.

Good thing is that I will be able to hide in my basement crying without raising any suspension if we lose.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Just for the record:

24 team playoff is stupid f***ing clown shoes.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

The regular season determines who gets to the playoffs. This format essentially throws that out the window as nearly everyone who wasn't trying to lose gets to the playoffs. Not sure how your post is relevant to mine.

I think they made it 24 instead of 16 is to appease the bubble teams.

If it was up to me I would have skipped the season and went straight into the 16 team playoffs, but then the bubble teams would have upset. You can't please everyone. This 24 team tourney is at least a little fair. It excludes the 7 worst teams, and no one really cares about the worst teams anyway.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Is Montreal even really a bubble team, though? Didn't they sell at the TDL?

Like I said yesterday I get that they were HYPOTHETICALLY still eligible. But so are a just about every team these days until like the last ten-ish games of the season.

It just seems so f***ing Penguins to have to get stuck with this horseshit.

 

[Gurglesons]

Going to be a frustrating series and the exact type we would lose. Also, our reward for winning it would be playing Washington right?