NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018

Hey guys,

 I know in the past there has been threads on the NHL Playoffs, but didn't see one for this season.

I love hockey more than any other sport, so the Stanley Cup Playoffs are always a must watch for me. However this season has been really fun!! Maybe because my Bruins are in the dance, and have a chance, but mostly because the matchups have been great so far.

Now I feel the playoff format is a little strange in that you have the two teams with the best regular season records in each conference playing each other in the second round, but sometime E36 M3 happens. The first round matchups were great with LA/Vegas, Boston/Toronto, Anaheim/ SJ, The battle of PA, A surprisingly tough Colorado vs Smashville, MN/WPG, etc..

The remaining series with Pitt/Wash doing their yearly battle has been great.Maybe Wash can get over the hump this season? The Winnipeg/Nashville game last night was amazing!! I turned it on with Nashville just going up 3-0, and then watched some of the Pitt/Wash game only to come back to a now tied up 3-3 game in Nashville, with Winnipeg winning 7-4!! That is some high drama.

There sure has been some bad blood as always too with head hits, and dirty plays all over the place. This really is the best time of the year. Here's to another month or so of good hockey, and hopefully my B's can make another run!! If not anyone but the Pens!!! Yuck!!!

Lets Go Bruins!!!

This playoff format is garbage. It's completely ruined the playoffs for me. Boston is a strong team when they want to be. Toronto was never in that series. It was almost a carbon copy of last time.  I called Nashville in the finals but Winnipeg is making it interesting and the might just do it

[party pooper/not entirely relevant]

This season more than any other has proved to me what morons the NHL and owners are. Why? The Golden Knights. This is not a rant against the Knights, but the situation that made them what they are. The salary cap has neutralized the entire league to a point that you can literally throw a team together and have it be not just competitive, but the team to beat. Obviously they rolled the sevens and had everything go right (including the Oilers being awful, but with Chiarelli at the helm maybe that isn't surprising), but in order for that to happen, the entire league had to be so berkeleying watered down that you only need 2 guys to have career high shooting percentages and a decent goalie, and you're a division winner. What a boring league. And the product has, IMHO, suffered. Too much parity (except for the tanking teams), which doesn't make for anything all that enjoyable to me. 

[/pooper]

I had called a 'Ning vs. Perds final before the playoffs started. I still think that will happen. What I want though is a 'Ning vs Knights. Ignoring my rant above, which was against the league and not the team, how cool would that be for the Knights to win? 

Sharks I don't think have a chance, not when Fluery is as on fire as he is. Jets are making things interesting for the Perds, I did not see that one coming. Always liked the Lightning though, after I flew down to see my Blackhawks beat them in 2015. 

I don't entirely disagree with your rant but I think the parity is more the fault of the GM's than the league, IMO.  Teams are quickly becoming 2-3 highly paid guys and everyone else making league minimum or close. What happened with the knights is nothing new. See St. Louis blues

I live in Winnipeg and have never been into hockey but damn, the energy in this town over the Jets this year is crazy and infectious (very un-Winnipeglike). I have watched the Winnipeg playoff games and it's been amazing. 

Suprf1y said:

I don't entirely disagree with your rant but I think the parity is more the fault of the GM's than the league, IMO.  Teams are quickly becoming 2-3 highly paid guys and everyone else making league minimum or close. What happened with the knights is nothing new. See St. Louis blues

But that’s the point, isn’t it? The salary cap has made that necessary, more or less. Penguins, Blackhawks, Kings, Bruins. All more or less a few giant contracts with a bunch of filler. Although, you could argue that the Knights are disproving that that is necessary. 

But your second point about the blues does not hold water. The NHL was split into Expansion teams and Original 6 teams for the playoffs; they were guaranteed to have an expansion team in it. I don’t think the Blues won a single game in those 3 years. 

'Ning up, Sharks tied it... What happened to Flower? 4 goals?

mtn said:

'Ning up, Sharks tied it... What happened to Flower? 4 goals?

It's may now.  This is normal.

alfadriver said:

mtn said:

'Ning up, Sharks tied it... What happened to Flower? 4 goals?

It's may now.  This is normal.

Good point.

Really hoping this is the year the caps finally beat the pens but years of caps fan hood has taught me not to get my hopes up. 

Well that was definitely fire wagon hockey last night. Glad the caps were able to pull out a win. Even if it was holtby keeping us in it most the night. Also glad vrana was finally able to prove that he deserves top 6 minutes. 

Go BOLTS

GO JETS GO!!

The Jets were not moving or passing very well in the 1st period against the Predators in Nashville and I thought they were on their way to losing but wow, they came alive in the 2nd period and had a dominant victory. Tomorrow in Winnipeg is going to be bonkers with the Whiteout. Wanna see fandom done right? Watch how Winnipeg supports their team.

I'm a Blackhawks fan, but I always liked the Jets. An F-18 as part of your logo will do that.

Yea I've been disappointed by how the preds have been playing. Lot more goals against than I expected. 

In reply to MazdaFace :

I'm not an expert but the Predators seem to do a much better job at passing, getting the puck back and shots on net but lose out in goalkeeping

So, now that my Bruins have been eliminated I throw all my good vibes to Winnipeg. Well played series by the Bolts. They outplayed the Bruins even in game 1 in defeat. 

Ugh, berkeley Winnipeg.  

As for Boston, no amount of fondness for Rask can overcome my utter hatred for Marchand.  So slimey. 

Pulling for Nashville and Vegas (amusing to see a new team do so well), mostly want Caps vs Pens to go seven with the winner losing in 4 next round, sliiiight preference for the Caps if I have to choose.

loosecannon said:

In reply to MazdaFace :

I'm not an expert but the Predators seem to do a much better job at passing, getting the puck back and shots on net but lose out in goalkeeping

The Perds are a fun team to watch and with their defensive core they're really all or nothing--it really is the only D in the league that I can think of that is essentially all rovers who will drive the play forward. 

As for the goaltending, good ol' E36 M3 hip is and has been streaky his whole career. Capable of being a Vezina winner (or at least finalist), and also capable of barely breaking .900 SV%.

Thank you Washington!!! 

Holy crap holy crap holy crap bird celly holy crap I could cry sweet tears of penguin hating joy. That is all. 

It's about goddamn time they made it past the 2nd. First recent year I didn't go to a game so maybe it was my fault.

In reply to Grizz :

Yea I almost didn't believe it actually happened.