Post: #151

(04-24-2019 01:26 AM)Brosemite Wrote:  

(04-24-2019 01:09 AM)doc holliday Wrote:  Wow what a game that Vegas-SJ game 7 was. I think that play deserved the major. You can seriously fuck someone up by cross checking them because of the force you can apply with your stick like that. Pavelski is so strong on his feet so Eakin must have used a ton of force to knock him off balance like that. Stastny could have been given a penalty for driving his head to the ice like that too.

If anything a 5 minute major by Stastny for driving Pavelski into the ice while somewhat in mid-air....maybe a minor on Eakin but that's a judgement call open for interpretation

(04-24-2019 01:09 AM)doc holliday Wrote:  First game 7 was good too, Rask and Boston's 4th line won that game for the Bruins. I can see Columbus taking them out, I don't think the Bruins are anything special.

I think Columbus can take out the Bruins too. What an implosion by the Leafs...

(04-24-2019 01:09 AM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  Puuljarvi is a project, he may end up being a decent top 6 forward. Another rushed Oilers prospect.

Wouldn't say he was rushed because he was brought up & down accordingly...likely better off finding his game elsewhere

(04-24-2019 01:09 AM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  Adam Larsson seems fine but everyone is still pissed off about losing Hall.

Yeah Hall was a cancer in the locker room & within the community too...Oilers still didn't get enough for him and Eberle though

Was Hall a cancer though or just young and tired of being on a shitty, mismanaged team? I forget exactly in his one season with McDavid they didn't have much chemistry and usually didn't play together IIRC.

I find that management often makes up these stories as another reason to justify a shitty trade.

Post: #152

(04-24-2019 01:41 AM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  Was Hall a cancer though or just young and tired of being on a shitty, mismanaged team? I forget exactly in his one season with McDavid they didn't have much chemistry and usually didn't play together IIRC.

I find that management often makes up these stories as another reason to justify a shitty trade.

There were many players that went off to do better things yet were once ridiculed heavily by management & especially the media for on ice performance..namely Jeff Petry, Justin Schultz, Andrew Cogliano (sorta), and now Jordan Eberle despite an injury plagued season within a new Barry Trotz system....but none of those guys were ridiculed for their "attitudes" like Taylor Hall who brought a ton of negative publicity to himself.

In the farewell ceremony to Rexall Place of April 2016, many current and Oiler alums were called out individually to the applause of fans...only guy that was booed = guess who?

Guy was incredibly frustrating to watch as coaches in the Team Canada offseason development camps couldn't stand the guy either.

Horrible defensive zone coverage, too soft to go into the dirty areas, and constantly turned the puck over with his stupid toe drag move in the neutral zone.

Hall was mainly a guy who ran up his goal tallies during garbage time when the team was already up 5-1 or getting blown out 6-1 in the dying minutes of regulation.

Dallas Eakins was a horrible coach leading to the ultimate implosion of Hall but the biggest enabler of them all had to be Tom Renney whom I liked....wish Ralph Krueger was still behind the bench however.

During the first two seasons of Hall & Eberle, Oilers were essentially dead last which was fine but Renney ultimately ruined their development by putting them in the position to run up their offensive numbers yet placed very little emphasis on their defensive responsibilities. Heck have your young talent learn how to kill penalties & learn during lost seasons when there is nothing to lose in the standings....

I'm not a fan of having your best offensive talent kill every penalty but it's good to emphasize those lessons during rebuilding years...heck Nugent Hopkins, Draisaitl, and McDavid learned that aspect of the game when first starting out whereas a defensive-minded coach like Tom Renney oddly sheltered Hall/Eberle too much during their 1st two seasons

Post: #153

What the fuck happened last night? I saw Vegas up 3-0 and thought "alright, time for bed, Sharks are pathetic". I wake up and the fucking Sharks win 5-4 in OT???????? Wow, perhaps the biggest surprise I've seen since the Tampa Bay Lightning President's Cup Trophy Winners got swept in the first round way back when.

Well, good for the Sharks. Fuck the Golden Knights. Maybe now Reaves can get a head start on that WWE career he's been talking about. I thought the Leafs-Bruins series was evenly matched honestly. Pretty boring game 7 though. And Lol @ Kadri.

I'll have to go see what this major was about from last night.

Post: #154

Ah, ok, I see what happened now. Sharks rallied for 4 goals off a major penalty. It went to OT and they won.

It's kind of amusing how r/hockey is having it's period over this major penalty. My team had a 5 minute power play and managed exactly one goal. Giving up 4 is pathetic. But Vegas still came back and scored to take it to overtime, right? And then they lost in OT? But oh no, the refs stole this one, this is egregious, it's outrageous, by God we must change the rules! It's the worst call ever made!!!! Remember when Niskanen accidently high sticked Crosby in the head and took him out for a few games? I didn't think he meant it but I understood it was still wrong and didn't have a damned tantrum over the major.

Nah, don't crosscheck someone up high and then have another guy drive them into the ice while they're falling if you don't want a penalty. Don't do two illegal things and then cry about being punished. I do think Stastny should have been tossed instead. How can people argue it was just like any other hit and essentially benign if Pavelski ended up bleeding from his head all over the ice? Clearly something about the play was wrong and illegal. I'm totally fine with the major and don't think Vegas had the game stolen from them. Not that I would have any sympathy for the sore loser goon squad led by whiny goon coach himself.

Post: #155

Vegas are upset about the 5 minute major call, but the Golden Knights blew a 3-1 series lead and a 3-0 third period lead. On top of that, Las Vegas played close to 50 minutes of overtime hockey, spanning two games, while San Jose was facing elimination. They failed to find that last goal to get it done. The loss is on them, not the officials.

---

I believe that we are witnessing a new Golden Age for the NHL. With the current emphasis on speed and wide open hockey, the on-ice product has never been better.

Even an unimportant Tuesday night regular season game between non-divisional teams is exciting to watch. Playoffs are on a complete other level.

Today, if a player can't skate, he's useless. Things have come a long way from the early 2000s clutch & grab trap era.

Post: #156

The last 10 minutes of the Sharks game was insane. OT was great too, the arena was in absolute pandemonium for OT as soon as the Sharks took the ice.

Fuck I love the playoffs.

Post: #157

Can you imagine being at that game? Holy shit my adrenaline was pumping watching that on TV. I've seen some epic Hawks game live and man there is nothing like the crowd going insane, yelling and screaming at the top of your voice when your team is kicking ass. That scene in SJ last night must have been in-sane.

Post: #158

I wonder what the timeline is on Karlsson being healthy, his groin injury is limiting him.

Post: #159

Me right now

Post: #160

Apparently this shit is not a penalty. Martinook playing like it's the NFL or something.

https://streamable.com/6flwl

Post: #161

OH GOD OH FUCK

Post: #162

I think ovi was trying to kill the goalie when he hit him in the mask.

Post: #163

All four division winners eliminated in the first round!
#ClownWorld, NHL edition.

Post: #164

My condolences to Once was not, MDWanderer and any other Caps fans who had that dagger plunged into their hearts this evening. Amazing, just amazing that all 4 division winners are out. Lord knows what the second round will bring.

Post: #165

I think COL is going to beat SJ especially if Pavelski isn't going to play in the series or first few games.

McKinnon is playing like he is the best player in the world right now, COL is fast and they now have Makar. They also have Varlamov ready to step in if needed.

I'm so happy COL didn't get the 1st overall pick in the draft lottery, they would be ridiculous adding Jack Hughes. Plus you have guys like Jost who still have lots of time to put it together.

Post: #166

Dang, really thought we had it in the first period. The overtimes were like killing one long penalty, terrible. Sucks we couldn't avenge Oshie. Unfortunately losing Kempney and Oshie was ultimately too much to overcome. And it's hard to win when only your first line consistently shows up. Their coach was damn good too.

I expect lots of personnel changes in the offseason. We got steadily worse over the season and lots of guys in this series didn't seem to care or want to be here. This is what I expect/hope for:

Forwards:
4th line
Two seasons ago our 4th line was Winnik-Beagle-Wilson. A damn good one. Now? It's a bunch of AHL players. Fix it. I don't ever want to see DSP, Stephenson, or Dowd or Boyd in a Caps jersey ever again.

3rd line
At last the Burakovsky experiment is over, thank God. Let him walk.
Connolly had a career year and will be overpaid...somewhere else.
Hagelin will probably be expensive. Unless he takes a huge cut to be a 4th liner let him walk.

2nd line
Move Vrana to 3rd line until he becomes a more complete player.
RE-SIGN MARCUS JOHANSSON IN THE OFFSEASON. And fill the gaping wound he left behind when we idiotically traded him. If we do nothing else we absolutely must do this.

1st line
Powerful and deadly. Change nothing.

Defencemen:
Top 4
Is Carlson overrated? Probably. Can we do anything about it? No. Pray he returns to form on the powerplay.
Orlov-Niskanen was not as strong this season. Luckily Orlov confusingly returned to form for the post-season. Niskanen will likely continue slowly declining.

Bottom pair
For the love of God, Orpik, fucking retire and become a coach. Siegenthaler in my opinion is the combo of brains and body we couldn't get with Bowey or Djoos. Let him get a season under his belt. I'm super high on him.

Powerplay:
Sign Mojo so our entries can stop being dogshit. If it doesn't get any better by mid season...fire Forsythe? I like him though.

Coaching:
Todd gets another year. Maybe some new assistants or something?

Post: #167

Hoping for a Blue Jackets/Sharks final at this point, or Canes/Avs would be cool too...basically Anyone but the Bruins!

Post: #168

It's hard to repeat as Cup champions which is why it's only happened once in 20 years. Washington will retool and be back strong next year.

I agree Sid, Col will beat SJ. The Sharks expended everything to get by Vegas and I'd be shocked if they beat Col. You're also right that they will be a powerhouse team for the forseeable future, hell maybe even starting this year. And to think they had once Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly and Paul Stastny on their team.

Other winners: Columbus- Boston: I think Columbus (fuck Boston)
NYI-Carolina: I have no idea at all
STL-Dal: I have no idea at all

I'm just glad the Hawks are picking ahead of Colorado this year.

Post: #169

(04-25-2019 01:42 PM)doc holliday Wrote:  It's hard to repeat as Cup champions which is why it's only happened once in 20 years. Washington will retool and be back strong next year.

I agree Sid, Col will beat SJ. The Sharks expended everything to get by Vegas and I'd be shocked if they beat Col. You're also right that they will be a powerhouse team for the forseeable future, hell maybe even starting this year. And to think they had once Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly and Paul Stastny on their team.

Other winners: Columbus- Boston: I think Columbus (fuck Boston)
NYI-Carolina: I have no idea at all
STL-Dal: I have no idea at all

Colorado has all the talent, speed, skill, and size to beat San Jose. Will experience triumph over youth in this one? I'm actually going to bet on that one. San Jose

Columbus over Boston...I'll give credit to Boston for getting rid of the detested Leafs

NYI-Carolina - I think the Canes are more talented but can the Isles overachieve based on the great system set forth by Barry Trotz? I'll take the Isles with more big goals from Eberle as SOMEBODY will overpay for his declining body this offseason. (Canes were gifted Dougie Hamilton from Calgary via bag of pucks)

St Louis-Dallas - Not a Stars fan...esp that douchebag Jamie Benn...but I'm leaning towards them. Blues have the size & skill on defence to slow down the big skilled forwards of Dallas. Please Jay Bo, Petrangelo, and Parayko....don't let me down...will take Stars but hope I'm wrong.

Post: #170

Dallas vs. NY Islanders in the final.

Post: #171

So the NHL has officially apologized to Vegas about the call and said the two refs won't get any more games this post season.

Post: #172

These matchups in the West remind me of the late 90s/early 00s. Modano, MacInnis, Sakic, Forsberg, Nolan, etc.

Great times

Post: #173

(04-25-2019 12:32 AM)doc holliday Wrote:  My condolences to Once was not, MDWanderer and any other Caps fans who had that dagger plunged into their hearts this evening. Amazing, just amazing that all 4 division winners are out. Lord knows what the second round will bring.

It sucks, but this playoff was not good across the board for the final four teams from 2018. Winnipeg, Las Vegas, Tampa Bay, and Washington all getting eliminated in the first round. Even the Penguins were swept. I think the Caps will learn from this and come back next year. From the looks of it, the Capitals played a sloppy and uninspired game yesterday. A lot of goals Holtby gave up that he doesn't usually give up. And blowing a 3-1 lead at home? They resembled more of the Choking Dog (The Washington Post's old nickname for the Capitals) teams from the past than the defending champions. Oh well, at least we finally have our Cup.

Who I want to see in the Stanley Cup Finals: St. Louis vs. NY Islanders, but I think it will be Columbus and Dallas/San Jose instead.

Post: #174

It'll probably end up being San Jose/Boston again.

Also, fark the Flyers.

Post: #175

LOL, We New Englanders are a tough hardy lot... we like our teams to put team goals and performance ahead of glitz and personal egos... what is interesting is seeing the younger Bruins guys take form and develop and play up to their potential due to the on-ice coaching and lead by example of our veterans... I expect Boston to put their heads into each game and grind it out with a balance of toughness, aggressive attacking style of play and finesse. Toronto was a bigger and faster team but the tough Boston Tempo and work ethic basically wore them out in 7 games.

One of the things I look for is a will to win each possession, each period, each game - as is most evident when they can pull out wins on the oppositions home ground... then I begin to become excited at our chances be it Patriots, Red Sox, our beloved Boston Bruins or our Celtics. There is a reason why Boston is consistently the City of Champions even though Chicago, LA, NYC, and Florida are ten times our size and ten times richer - the secret is subordinating individual star egos and working toward the team goal of winning championships against all odds and comers.

Example Arron Rogers of GBP gets $38M a year and Tom Brady only takes $20M cash per year with a large deferred comp package... Result Americas Patriots have plenty to pay for a strong Offensive and Defensive line and backs plus enough to sweeten the pot for great receivers now that Gronk retired before his back and neck all need to be fused with rods and screws. Will be tough to replace Gronks heart and will to win always putting the Team ahead of himself... Result Brady SIX Lombardy Trophies and Gronk THREE Lombardi trophies including the one he used as a baseball bat at the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox home opener and now has a permanent Gronk Dent in it and the fans all love him for it and his enthusiastic energy to live life to its fullest...

Let's see if the same Boston work ethic and team above all else attitude pays off for our beloved ancient and honorable Bruins in the New England birthplace of the frozen north countries favorite and toughest game.

Will we win the Stanley Cup - hard to say and do not want to jinx our chances with hubris... will we make all challengers fight for every inch of ice and every goal and do the same ourselves - you can bet on it!