“Run and gun”. Just say you’re clueless instead.
Ottawa is closer to 7th than 2nd. Yikes.
Predict the Atlantic Standings
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KnuckChuckinTkachuk
Give'yer balls a tug
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And no one had Florida making out of the first round after barely making the playoffs but look what happened.
Eggtimer
Registered User
Last year I thought the Metro was the hardest to predict as Rangers, Canes , Pens ,Caps , Islesanders , all seemed like playoff teams plus NJ with a chance if they got goaltending and Jackets as a wild card with adding Gaudreau.
Now , it’s the Pacific for me that’s hard to predict.
I would say Boston falls out of the playoffs but I thought that last year and they set records are crushed the league in the regular season.
Then you have perennially strong teams like Leafs , Bolts , and Panthers .
The hardest part is figuring out who misses the playoffs as Sens , Buffallo look like they are very strong teams.
Now , it’s the Pacific for me that’s hard to predict.
I would say Boston falls out of the playoffs but I thought that last year and they set records are crushed the league in the regular season.
Then you have perennially strong teams like Leafs , Bolts , and Panthers .
The hardest part is figuring out who misses the playoffs as Sens , Buffallo look like they are very strong teams.
Pavels Dog
Registered User
Pretty sure that group was playing most of March.
However, bringing up injuries also highlights that Chychrun is an injury prone player and you can't reliably pencil him in for more than 60 games until he proves he can stay healthy.
It is so hard to predict this division, in my opinion, and people arguing about who ends up where is kind of laughable. There has been a lot of changes, for better or worse to most of these teams' cores. A couple these teams are not even cap compliant yet if they are going with more than 20 players on their rosters, so some changes still have to be made.
The way I see it, there are two teams that are locks to making the playoffs, and an additional five teams that has a chance of making the playoffs.
The way I see it, there are two teams that are locks to making the playoffs, and an additional five teams that has a chance of making the playoffs.
I'm saying Boston is clearly weaker at center than Ottawa but Ottawa making up 49 points is A LOT
AwesomePanthers
Maybe next season
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Quality shot > quantity shots.
And playoff hockey isnt the same as regular season. Some players are just build for the playoffs, either physically og mentally, or both.
To call the run luck, just says how ignorant you are. You dont have luck 8 out of 9 games, you earn it.
The long break cost the Panthers, also four key players playing with fractures etc.
Buffalo made up 46 points on Florida last season, and New Jersey made up 79 points on Florida.
It is a lot, yes, but one team declining and another team getting better will inflate those points really quick.
Lmao, I didn’t see this as I wasn’t tagged in it and had multiple tags yesterday at the time. Again, what’re you trying to prove? Boston scored on Bob and the Panthers responded when needed in elimination games. You’re also acting as though Florida didn’t score in the Toronto and Carolina series when needed.
Bob had a terrific run, thanks for the numbers I knew? The boys played playoff hockey, they’re a year into Maurice’s system now and aren’t going away.
The90
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I quite literally said they got timely goals and an insane goaltending performance and you guys are all up in your feels about it.
The point is, it wasn’t Maurice’s ‘system’ it was Bob going from .905 to .953 lol
Do you expect .905 or .953 this year? That’s the difference between wildcard and a divisional placement big guy. Also, between a cup finalist and squeaking in the playoffs by 1 point
pickles555
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The only two locks are Toronto first Montreal last,
I think Ottawa makes playoffs this season, and Boston is out
I think Ottawa makes playoffs this season, and Boston is out
No one’s in the feels. You can’t get out of the feels and listen when multiple people have replied to this. I guess you need it to be those to things since it boils down to Bob NEEDING to be otherworldly in order for the Toronto choked again narrative to not be true.
You’ve been told what changed between the 21 and 22 playoffs versus 23, your reply was “Maurice didn’t change shit” . You’re wrong.
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sr edler
gold is not reality
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I'm not a Panthers fan, but that run was way more than Bobrovsky. It was a team which had won the Presidents' Trophy just a year ago, and with many former high picks on its roster. Ekblad, Barkov, Reinhart, Bennett and Tkachuk are all former top 6 overall picks, sprinkle that in with a very solid supporting cast in Forsling, Montour, Verhaeghe, Lundell, Duclair, et cetera, and you've got a very solid team.
They were really strong down the RS stretch, to even make the playoffs. This was without Bobrovsky but with some AHL journeyman in his place.
I feel blaming a playoff loss on the opponent team's goalie "standing on his head" has become the new trendy coping mechanism on this board. Yes, Bob was dialled in for most of the playoffs, but Toronto didn't lose to Florida because Bob stood on his head, they lost because they deployed a way too tentative style of play and Florida just out-forechecked them and played an overall better team game.
TheBeastCoast
Registered User
I mean I am not saying the only reason Florida won was because of Bob but your goalie having the best playoff run by a goalie in modern history through 3 rounds is going to objectively take you a long way in the playoffs and cover up a lot of mistakes. Again this isn't me "coping" Florida fully deserved to beat us and won soundly. But if Bob doesn't do what he did I don't think all that other stuff you mentioned despite it being true matters. That isn't me knocking what that was, it's just points to how game changing a great goalie can be come playoff time.
The90
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I’m literally not though lol. The highest ever save percentage for a regular season was .938, Bob was .07 ABOVE that for 2 rounds. And somehow, you’re telling me the biggest change was coaching? Please.
The leafs were surprised how in your face and aggressive Florida was compared to Tampa and there were media clips of them openly saying that. They weren’t defensive they were bailed out by an excellent goaltending performance. It happens every other year.
It’s not even a slight to them, it’s just not sustainable. I had the exact same conversations with Habs fans 2 years ago.
What? Who said the coaching was the biggest change? It was A big change, the guys were in their faces and they played a totally different style, you just refuse to accept it. You’re focused on Bob, because that’s what you NEED. Period. Cause if the Panthers “don’t have Bob,” they can’t repeat and Toronto suddenly has a chance. Yet, Maurice changed it up to get them playing playoff hockey all year. We have more depth this year as we have more cap room, we won’t be rolling out undermanned teams if someone’s hurt due to cap constraints.
i mean, the biggest change was the Tkachuk trade, surely that’s not lost on you, too.
But it does matter. If guys aren’t wearing down the other team, scoring (obviously?), etc it matters.
People keep saying Bob’s play, it was incredible, but they waive off the guys scoring when needed throughout the playoffs as though it was just some “timely goal.” When a goal was needed, we tended to get it.
TheBeastCoast
Registered User
Right but if Bob wasn't playing at the level he was at the rest of your team literally wouldn't have had the opportunity to come through with those big goals at big moments. Obviously scoring goals matters but if you have a shooter tutor in net it doesn't exactly matter what the other players are doing. I would also argue that when a team is getting the kind of goaltending that the Panthers got it can free them up in the offensive zone. Like the saying goes show me a good goalie I'll show you a good coach. Show me a bad goalie I'll show you an ex coach. It is just simply the most impactful position in the sport one of the most impactful in all of sports.What? Who said the coaching was the biggest change? It was A big change, the guys were in their faces and they played a totally different style, you just refuse to accept it. You’re focused on Bob, because that’s what you NEED. Period. Cause if the Panthers “don’t have Bob,” they can’t repeat and Toronto suddenly has a chance. Yet, Maurice changed it up to get them playing playoff hockey all year. We have more depth this year as we have more cap room, we won’t be rolling out undermanned teams if someone’s hurt due to cap constraints.
i mean, the biggest change was the Tkachuk trade, surely that’s not lost on you, too.
But it does matter. If guys aren’t wearing down the other team, scoring (obviously?), etc it matters.
People keep saying Bob’s play, it was incredible, but they waive off the guys scoring when needed throughout the playoffs as though it was just some “timely goal.” When a goal was needed, we tended to get it.
It basically boils down to we’ll never know. The reality is, they scored quite a bit in the Boston series, responded at times especially in Game 6, and did what needed to be done until injuries caught up with them.
Injuries were also a factor that may or may not take place throughout the next year and the playoffs.
I just think you can’t say “Bob has to be out of his mind again” for Florida to have a repeat run. It’s disingenuous, takes all kinds of factors out of it, and honestly just looks like a coping mechanism.
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
The irony is that goaltending is the reason why the Leafs even made it to the second round.
TheBeastCoast
Registered User
I don't think saying a team needs great goaltending to go on a run is a coping mechanism I think it is just true.
I don’t disagree, Vasi was obviously huge for Tampa and Bob was for us, but also saw how guys dove in front of pucks for Vasi, blasted guys, etc and Florida did much of the same.
The90
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I agree with that. They shouldn’t have beaten Tampa this year, but should have last year. This year they got the bounces. Florida got the bounces the next round. That’s how it goes sometimes. Laus is upset that we’re recognizing that.
Which of course is offset that it still required a .953 to get to 8-0 in overtime games. Aka you scraped by on excellent goaltending.
Yeah but Florida was president trophy winners the year before. Ottawa has been non-playoff contenders for a long time now.
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