Who are your Pre-season Cup Favorites?
- Thread starter Ben Grimm
- Start date
- Jul 25, 2006
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Oilers probably won’t get lucky again having an easy 1st and 2nd rounds on their way to the finals. Still a miracle they made the finals with that defense and goaltending
nowhereman
Registered User
Florida
Dallas
Vegas
Colorado
Boston
Dallas
Vegas
Colorado
Boston
Their opponents team MVP was injured, and they still needed 7 games
Oilers fans all hyped up that they beat a team with a beer league goalie, the freaking Kings, and a Stars team known for choking
The only good team they really played, they lost to.
MrazeksVengeance
VENGEANCE
- Feb 27, 2018
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Jeune Poulet
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- Oct 31, 2019
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The Great Mighty Poo
I don't like you either.
I like the moves oilers have made with skinner #2 and arvidsson. If skinner #1 can work on his consistency in goal, that'd be good. Still a bit of a question mark for me, though. I hope McDavid gets his cup some day.
Florida did well with Boqvist, I think. Maybe they can run it back?
They were in the finals last year too, after all.
Heiskanen, Lindell, and Hintz make it very easy to cheer for the Stars to have some success as well. With Saros' extension and other moves, they will also be interesting. I thought they were kind of in a retool/soft rebuild at first, but it seems they are going for it. Stammer isn't bad even though he's not really my favorite player.
Florida did well with Boqvist, I think. Maybe they can run it back?
They were in the finals last year too, after all.Heiskanen, Lindell, and Hintz make it very easy to cheer for the Stars to have some success as well. With Saros' extension and other moves, they will also be interesting. I thought they were kind of in a retool/soft rebuild at first, but it seems they are going for it. Stammer isn't bad even though he's not really my favorite player.
HockeyWooot
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- Jan 28, 2020
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Stars
Panthers
Oilers
Rangers
Knights
Avs
Canucks
Bruins
Leafs
Devils
Panthers
Oilers
Rangers
Knights
Avs
Canucks
Bruins
Leafs
Devils
It isn't actually, they were top 5-6 in the league for best goals against in the regular season under Knoblaugh and one of the best teams defensively in the playoffs for goals against (for teams past round 1) as well, about even with Florida in the playoffs.
They had the best record in the league from Nov. 12 onwards (when Knoblaugh was hired) too ... they are just flat out a good team and making the Cup Final was not that big of a surprise.
People need to stop acting like Colorado and Vegas are the same teams they were 2-3 years ago too -- they're not. Colorado had a very mediocre goals against last year, not even close to the Oilers. Vegas did too and was crap for like the last 70% of the season and then got waxed by Dallas. Both of these teams have lost significant piece since their Cup wins.
Very difficult if not impossible to replace heart and soul pieces like Landeskog and Marchessault.
Edmonton had far better goals against than both of these teams, things change.
- Jul 25, 2006
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- 23,213
Im not arguing their ability to play good team defense. I’m just saying they don’t really have a legit #1 d-man, and their overall d core was probably one of the weakest on paper in the playoffs. Also the goaltending question they had. Things just came together for them which includes having a favorable 1st and 2nd rounds. Not sure they can repeat and make the finals again
Ekholm is a legit no.1 D IMO, he is near the top of plus minus for all NHL players, he is underrated, just because he's not a 60+ point D with a lot of sexy offense doesn't mean he doesn't effectively play like a no.1. Double digit goals and 45 points is still pretty good offensive production for a D too.
Bouchard is one of the rising young D stars in the league too he outplayed Quinn Hughes, the Norris trophy winner, head to head in the playoffs clear as day (was the best Oilers or Canuck player in that series flat out).
This idea that they have nothing on the back end is untrue and 2 years outdated.
They showed by pushing Florida to 7 games even with Draisaitl badly hurt they can play with anyone, this magical unicorn NHL team that is way better than Florida doesn't exist.
PuckG
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- Feb 26, 2015
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So?
McDavid, Draisaitl and Kane were also injured. Only reason it went as long as it did was Silovs standing on his head.
A big part of the reason the Oilers beat the Canucks is because Bouchard outplayed the shit out of Hughes head to head, people now want to act like the Norris trophy winner didn't get his lunch money stolen from him when everyone saw it for themselves just a few weeks ago.
Evan Bouchard 7G, 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points, +7
Quinn Hughes 7G, 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, +2
Bouchard scored or directly set up the game winning goal in 3/7 games himself.
That was a star making performance.
Evan Bouchard 7G, 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points, +7
Quinn Hughes 7G, 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, +2
Bouchard scored or directly set up the game winning goal in 3/7 games himself.
That was a star making performance.
RogerRoger
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- Jul 23, 2013
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Lost by 1 like it was 1990.
Which was ironically the last time the Oilers won a cup.
Time is a flat circle.
oconnor9sean
Registered User
So basically the exact opposite of what happened to Dallas this year.
Florida would've beat any team from the West in 5-6 games, the Oilers were the only team that could push them to 7 IMO and that was with Draisaitl basically not being able to shoot the puck anymore due to a broken rib + broken finger (only playoff round of his life with 0 goals).
I dunno man, Canucks twitter and instagram comments made me believe that Hughes would be lifting the Cup a month ago.
Florida to repeat unless Toronto steps it up. Don't believe in the west anymore, too many injuries each year now.
The Tourist
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- Jul 11, 2008
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In what universe is getting to the Conference finals or beyond three years out of five considered "choking?" If you want to talk choking let's talk winning the President's Trophy then getting doinked out of the first round by a team that won 23 fewer games in the regular season.
But really there's no choking in the NHL. Winning a Stanley Cup is one of the biggest crapshoots in sports.
It’s pretty rare that the same two teams make the SCF two years in a row and it’s even rarer in the cap era that a team can make the SCF 3 years in a row.
That said, Florida is my favourite in the East along with the NYR. In the West Dallas and Colorado would be my picks with the Oilers just behind them.
Those are the 5 that I think have the best shot and probably in this order:
Florida
Dallas
Colorado
NYR
Edmonton
That said, Florida is my favourite in the East along with the NYR. In the West Dallas and Colorado would be my picks with the Oilers just behind them.
Those are the 5 that I think have the best shot and probably in this order:
Florida
Dallas
Colorado
NYR
Edmonton
