your team's biggest concern heading into playoffs

[A1LeafNation]

Matthews and Marner need to take over series after series

 

[Chainshot]

Same as most years - how to get tickets.

 

[ottawagm]

Health with current injuries, age with Giroux looking like he's 50 lately and how to hide our 4th line from the other team. Getting Cousins back to replace one of Highmore/Gaudette will help, but we really needed another 4c at the deadline.

I think they may have to mix a 2nd/4th line on the road and do something like:

Tkachuck - Cozens - Batherson (physical line to put against the smaller D on opponent)
Zetterlund - Stutzle - Giroux (double shift Timmy in place of Gaudette and keep Z and G minutes down 5v5)
Greig - Pinto - Amadio (shutdown line)
Cousins - Gaudette .... - Perron (more skill and experience on the 4th line for the road games)

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

1) 4th line and 3rd pair AKA depth.
2) The PK.
3) Sitting back when leading.
4) Health of Tkachuk/Jensen

Don’t the Sens have one of, if not the best record in the league when scoring first? And I think a pretty good record heading into the 3rd with a lead.

The PK is probably the biggest issue. It’s below average stats wise, but that’s only because goaltending is bailing it out. The Sens allow a crazy amount of high danger chances on the PK because of the diamond formation, and a team will likely take advantage of that in a playoff series.

But not far behind is even strength scoring. The Sens only have 127 5 on 5 goals this season, ranking third last in the league. If the reffing gets tight and calls are not being made, the Sens offense may go non-existent.

 

[Boud]

Don’t the Sens have one of, if not the best record in the league when scoring first? And I think a pretty good record heading into the 3rd with a lead.

The PK is probably the biggest issue. It’s below average stats wise, but that’s only because goaltending is bailing it out. The Sens allow a crazy amount of high danger chances on the PK because of the diamond formation, and a team will likely take advantage of that in a playoff series.

But not far behind is even strength scoring. The Sens only have 127 5 on 5 goals this season, ranking third last in the league. If the reffing gets tight and calls are not being made, the Sens offense may go non-existent.

Good point on the 5 on 5 scoring. That might be #1.

 

[Kupo]

My biggest concern is my team won’t be getting into the playoffs, mainly because Chris Drury is an AssClown of a GM.

 

[Czechboy]

My starter may be Calvin PIckard or Stuart Skinner
My 2RD will be Stecher or Emberson

Everything else I actually love going in. However, my above 2 points nuke us.

 

[MikeFolignosHelmet]

The usual for the Canes. Leaky goalkeeping, lack of scoring, and lack of physicality.

 

[Forge]

 

[BB79]

My golf course or yours?

 

[Maitz]

Habs starts to play in the 3rd period, they somehow always find a way to win which is great but it's really concerning that they always give up the first goal and trail soon in the game

 

[jetsforever]

Not too much specifically, more like can this version of Jets hockey translate well to the playoffs (also health)

 

[PhilJets]

Not to crumble when the best players on the other teams pushes and asserts that they are the better players...

Helly
Connor
Scheifele
Morrissey
Lowry

Got to push back and push back ( we are better) , this is their time!!!!

 

[bazawiggle]

A bunch of paleontologists showing up mid-game and taking Brent Burns to a museum............ or Goaltending

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

Surviving the Atlantic. It’s a going to be a very difficult path.

 

[Random schmoe]

The Caps... They've sucked for the past month or so. Lost a lot of the crispness they had earlier in the season and their goaltending has been average at best.

If they continue playing this way into the playoffs and face Montreal, the Habs could win that series. They have the top end talent to make a difference.

 

[banks]

Morgan Rielly is a big concern, as he's been having a pretty terrible season. Only Carlo has made him look alive again. If Rielly drags that pairing down then there's too many minutes for everyone else.

I'm also concerned that Auston Matthews hasn't been himself all season. A guy who can score at will isn't easy to replace by committee.

Also, the team has far too long a record of playoff failure. Another embarrassing early loss is a very real worry.

 

[waitin425]

First is making it.

Second is goaltending.

 

[fsanford]

Playing the God Damn Oilers again
Probably best version of Kings team to face them in these recent faceoffs

But Stuart Skinner will turn into Darcy Kuemper and Darcy Kuemper will turn into Stuart Skinner.

The positive, I save money on playoff tickets given I only pay for 1 round every year lately.

 

[IPS]

Being the Toronto Maple Leafs

I had about 3 different points I was gonna make but I think this is just the Occam's razor way of putting it.

 

[Zwui21]

For the Bolts IMO is the awful 3rd D pair + the lack of sandpaper and offensive abilities of the 4th line.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

The leafs being so soft and weak on the puck that the sens play down to them

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Special Teams

And not just raw #s

Kings have found a way all season to be dominant at even strength then lose all momentum on a powerplay and blow games because of it.

Add to it that when we play the Oilers not only does the power play go 0 for infinity, the PK suddenly forgets how to play hockey as well, and that's been the biggest story of every series for the last 3 years...

last year-- 0 for 12 on the PP, while edmonton went 9 for 20.

 

[Bouboumaster]

None

We are entering the playoffs with both Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, and the first line is on fire

Get out of the f***ing way, Washington; let us deal with real opponents

 

[Skidooboy]

Jets fan.

luck and reffing and injury