Top 8 pretty much locked up in the East. Habs and Flyers on fumes, but odds are stacked against them in the East - they play each other tonight and other than this game MTL only has 2 remaining games vs non-playoff teams.
Maybe a little more drama in the West since MIN just one point back, but not much IMO since of their final 9 games, 8 are against playoff teams. Arizona with a good 2nd half, I'd like to see them get in, fun team to watch.
TB has clinched the President's cup and probably a lot of post-season awards for it's players.
Playoff matchups as of today:
East:
1 vs WC2: TB vs CBJ
ATL2 vs ATL3 BOS vs TOR (hope this happens)
2 vs WC1: NYI vs CAR
MET2 vs MET3: PIT vs WAS (hope this happens)
West:
1 vs WC2: CAL vs ARI
PAC2 vs PAC3: SJS vs LVG
2 vs WC1: WIN vs DAL
CEN2 vs CEN3 NSH vs STL
Agreed. The one thing this team tends to do is play down to their opponents. This team has a similar feel as the cup team. Not saying they are going to win the cup but the potential is there.
The goalies are hot and the team has no quit. There is also that little edge and confidence that they seem to play with even in tight games that they are winnable which has been missing for a few years now.
Now if Aho would just start scoring again it would really reduce the screaming at the TV and my stress when I am watching the games.
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they seem to up their game vs good teams.
Agreed. The one thing this team tends to do is play down to their opponents. This team has a similar feel as the cup team. Not saying they are going to win the cup but the potential is there.
The goalies are hot and the team has no quit. There is also that little edge and confidence that they seem to play with even in tight games that they are winnable which has been missing for a few years now.
Now if Aho would just start scoring again it would really reduce the screaming at the TV and my stress when I am watching the games.
CAR and CBJ have comparable schedules IMO, not really that hard.
MTL has the hardest and that's why, as the standings showed when I started this thread, CBJ and CAR get in, MTL comes up short.
The remaining game between MTL and CBJ, is obviously huge.
Next man up will likely be Dal Colle.
Next man up will likely be Dal Colle.
Dal Colle was playing better than Ladd so this will likely make the Islanders better. Also, I think this increases the odds of Lou finding a way to get Ladd on the LTIR to open next year which would give the Islander a nice boost to the already close to $31,700,000 in cap room they have this offseason.
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They'd probably be in the mix. But we're not the Islanders, whose fans are going to give their team a standing ovation after they get steamrolled in the first round because it was a nice unexpected season getting into the playoffs. It's about meaningful contention.
Rangers were a few points out of a playoff spot when they announced the sell last season. They probably could have bought and snuck in as the last seed. But that core had been to the playoffs plenty. It's about contending for the Cup and the chance for that group had passed.
It's sad because it was a really likable group that gave us some fun memories. And this season has just been awful. Part of me does miss just getting in the tournament and seeing what happens because playoff hockey is a blast. They could have kept stringing it along. But I give management credit for at least recognizing it was over.
And here I thought it was about winning the cup, not coming close
It is. But the Rangers were a few bad bounces, LA beating Chicago in game 7 overtime, and Zuccarello's head injury from *likely* winning one. Not a dynasty by any means since they never had generational forwards/D, and since Sather significantly cut short their window.. but anyway, nobody can quantify the difference between almost and Champion.
Ovechkin's teams were never going to get over the hump... until they did.
As Kyle said, it was a great run.. but honestly i thought they were done the year they lost to Pittsburgh in 5. They brought back the team another two years after that - Hank and some bounces stole a series against MTL (and they made the playoffs that year on some lucky advanced metrics), but then they lost to Ottawa who wasn't that great and rapidly declined after that.
In the 2014 series, he had that miracle last second goal in game 3... but you guys won that game anyway in OT. He also scored in the game 1 blowout and crazy 7-4 game 5 loss. MSL had the series defining goal in the game 4 OT. Dominic Moore had the GWG in game 6 (felt so good for him at the time after what he went through personally)
I do stand corrected though - Hank didnt steal the 2017 series. Tanner Glass (GWG, game 1) did!
and while Tokarski didn't play badly, he didn't steal any games like Price had the capability to do.
I don't blame Kreider like some Habs fans, but that play IMO did possibly change the series.
I had also read that while Tokarski did have good #s / save pct, etc.... Montreal did have to change their style to more defensive oriented once he was out.
Anyway, Rangers probably beat Tampa with a healthy deck the following year so... well, it just sucks. Moving on.
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In comment 14356997 Kyle in NY said:
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They'd probably be in the mix. But we're not the Islanders, whose fans are going to give their team a standing ovation after they get steamrolled in the first round because it was a nice unexpected season getting into the playoffs. It's about meaningful contention.
Rangers were a few points out of a playoff spot when they announced the sell last season. They probably could have bought and snuck in as the last seed. But that core had been to the playoffs plenty. It's about contending for the Cup and the chance for that group had passed.
It's sad because it was a really likable group that gave us some fun memories. And this season has just been awful. Part of me does miss just getting in the tournament and seeing what happens because playoff hockey is a blast. They could have kept stringing it along. But I give management credit for at least recognizing it was over.
And here I thought it was about winning the cup, not coming close
It is. But the Rangers were a few bad bounces, LA beating Chicago in game 7 overtime, and Zuccarello's head injury from *likely* winning one. Not a dynasty by any means since they never had generational forwards/D, and since Sather significantly cut short their window.. but anyway, nobody can quantify the difference between almost and Champion.
Ovechkin's teams were never going to get over the hump... until they did.
As Kyle said, it was a great run.. but honestly i thought they were done the year they lost to Pittsburgh in 5. They brought back the team another two years after that - Hank and some bounces stole a series against MTL (and they made the playoffs that year on some lucky advanced metrics), but then they lost to Ottawa who wasn't that great and rapidly declined after that.
2017 team was a bit smoke and mirrors but they legitimately pissed away a shot at another conference final (where Ottawa took Pittsburgh to OT in game 7) with some of the worst late game personnel management I've ever seen by a coach. Two games blown with Ottawa tying it up 6v5 in the final minute. First time I've seen a coach almost single handedly cost his team a playoff series.
My youngest, who changed her hockey # to 73 this year b/c she likes Charlie McAvoy (a NY Giants fan by the way), told me she wanted to go to a playoff game.
I told her it's a waste of money, but I was able to get tickets to Stanley Cup Finals home game #2 for the Bruins. I'm hoping they make it so she gets to see a SCF game, but I'm also hoping they don't make it so I get my money back.
anyway, I know cool story bro, but that's life as a Canadiens fan in a house full of Bruins fans.
And Toronto hasn't differentiated itself vs the top 3 Metro teams this year anyway. Sure, Boston and Tampa are the two best teams - but Washington and Pittsburgh have literally battled for the Stanley Cup in the second round the past three seasons so...
I get the playoff approach and why they do it but I hate it.
Agree it should be 1 - 8.
I'm also starting to come around on a international tournament point approach, if they're not going to get rid of the point for an OT/SO loss, make it 3 pts for a regulation win, 2 pts for an OT/SO win, and 1 pt for an OT/SO loss. I wonder in a simulation if that changes playoff teams over the years.
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to seeding 1-8. Doesn't seem right that only one of Tampa/Toronto/Boston will be in the conference final
I get the playoff approach and why they do it but I hate it.
Agree it should be 1 - 8.
I'm also starting to come around on a international tournament point approach, if they're not going to get rid of the point for an OT/SO loss, make it 3 pts for a regulation win, 2 pts for an OT/SO win, and 1 pt for an OT/SO loss. I wonder in a simulation if that changes playoff teams over the years.
They've done studies - doesnt impact playoff teams as much as would think. I think one year Edmonton got in on shootouts.
What it does impact is seedings and home ice. Rangers would have hosted the Kings in Finals in 2014...
Love the 80s, good times.
Actually I was referring to when Rags lost to Kings. Forgot about 94. Did Rags win it then?
When Fox wouldn't sign in CAL it was rumored to be because he wanted to graduate from Harvard and then sign with the Rangers (he's a native NYer). If he heads to Harvard for his senior year he's almost certain to become a free agent.
Not sure if true though. Harvard is in the NCAA Hockey Tournament so not sure why anyone would say anything yet.
Costa Rontzocos
@Rontzeeez
34m34 minutes ago
It seems Adam Fox is returning to Harvard for his senior year. Cue all the Canes fans who tripped when I said he may not sign in Carolina
Sara Civ
Verified account @SaraCivian
4m4 minutes ago
I'm hearing that if Adam Fox has decided not to sign with the Hurricanes, he hasn't told them yet. The Canes haven't heard anything and they think he is still undecided.
absurd. #LGR - love stealing others prospects. Can't get enough of it.
Thursday night habs and BJ's looms large. Given that MTL finishes @WIN, vs TBL, @WAS, and vs TOR a loss Thursday likely seals their fate. CBJ last two on the road but @NYR and @OTT. No win is guaranteed in the NHL, but I would consider betting those games.
COL vs ARI on Friday also a big game. West race for the WC2, also a 3-team battle shaping up for a good finish too. CHI still alive as well.
Latest charts:
East:
West:
Twitter use who puts these together linked below.
Link - ( New Window )
If Carey keeps playing like Carey you are always in it, but your chances would be a lot better if DROUIN were a complete player. He is a turnover waiting to happen.
If Carey keeps playing like Carey you are always in it, but your chances would be a lot better if DROUIN were a complete player. He is a turnover waiting to happen.
MTL won't be given any breaks and no one IMO is on cruise control, even TBL who has nothing to play for and came back to beat the Bruins in one of the best games I've seen in a long time.
Drouin is on the 4th line, he's not a good player right now, but he's also not what's wrong with MTL.
They have one two-way D. Weber. And one D who is a really good skater, Mete. After that it's JAG's at best, their D is the problem.
Also, I don't see Toronto getting out of the 1st round. I think Boston wins that series handily.
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I agree, your season is probably over if you lose, but still not a sure thing should you win. Im not sure how much motivation or urgency teams like Tampa and Winnipeg will hsve. I think Caps still hsve a lot left and of course the Toronto-Habs rivalry is a given.
If Carey keeps playing like Carey you are always in it, but your chances would be a lot better if DROUIN were a complete player. He is a turnover waiting to happen.
MTL won't be given any breaks and no one IMO is on cruise control, even TBL who has nothing to play for and came back to beat the Bruins in one of the best games I've seen in a long time.
Drouin is on the 4th line, he's not a good player right now, but he's also not what's wrong with MTL.
They have one two-way D. Weber. And one D who is a really good skater, Mete. After that it's JAG's at best, their D is the problem.
Also, I don't see Toronto getting out of the 1st round. I think Boston wins that series handily.
I dont watch any Hab games except v Leads, but I do like to read the stats of other teams players and Im surprised you call these guys Jags:
Petry....43 points, I think 12 goals
Benn....5goals, leads your team with a +17 (tied with Weber)
Kulak....5 goals in 52 games isnt great, but a +10 isnt too shabby
Add these with Mete (+22) and Weber....that is 5 pretty decent Dmen.
I dont know your definition of a Jag is so why dont you tell me.
a JAG is "just a guy", he's someone who if waived maybe gets claimed, maybe doesn't, generally not a top 4 D, but could be a bottom pair/bottom 4 D for many teams.
Weber and Mete are the only Habs D who would be top 4 D on other teams. Petry has value, but he's very inconsistent, as a 3rd pair D I love him, top 4 not so much. The rest the Canadiens got off the NHL scrap heap.
Losing Juulsen really hurt because it made everyone else play up a level from where they should be playing (like last year when Weber was out).
the rest are jags. and using plus minus to cite D proficiency is very old school, much better measures these days like for example high quality scoring chances allowed.
The reason this is better than plus minus is because a) if your goalie bails you out with a ridiculous save (like Price is prone to do) why should you get "credit" for that, and conversely if your goalie lets in a softie why should you be "penalized".
Even Weber struggles with allowing high quality scoring chances, but he's the best of the bunch in MTL.
Leafs D is their Achilles heel too and the Bruins will expose them in the playoffs.
As for Leafs, Defense is not good although Hainsey,Ridley, and Gardiner all have higher pluses than any Hab player. (I know this is old school.) Muzzin has helped. Too bad we didnt pick up one more d at deadline.
I dont know who we will play first round but you are right, Boston and Tampa probably dont lose to us.
As for Leafs, Defense is not good although Hainsey,Ridley, and Gardiner all have higher pluses than any Hab player. (I know this is old school.) Muzzin has helped. Too bad we didnt pick up one more d at deadline.
I dont know who we will play first round but you are right, Boston and Tampa probably dont lose to us.
It is already 99% determined, Leafs play Bruins 1st round. No other realistic outcome with the current format.
TB clinched the #1 seed and play the WC2.
Then 2 and 3 in the Atlantic play each other. That is Boston and Toronto - technically MTL can surpass TOR, but that would require practically require MTL winning out and the Leafs losing out.
You can count on Bruins vs Leafs 1st round with the winner likely facing TB, barring an upset of TB.
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Here I thought it was a derogatory term. Thanks for clearing that up.
As for Leafs, Defense is not good although Hainsey,Ridley, and Gardiner all have higher pluses than any Hab player. (I know this is old school.) Muzzin has helped. Too bad we didnt pick up one more d at deadline.
I dont know who we will play first round but you are right, Boston and Tampa probably dont lose to us.
It is already 99% determined, Leafs play Bruins 1st round. No other realistic outcome with the current format.
TB clinched the #1 seed and play the WC2.
Then 2 and 3 in the Atlantic play each other. That is Boston and Toronto - technically MTL can surpass TOR, but that would require practically require MTL winning out and the Leafs losing out.
You can count on Bruins vs Leafs 1st round with the winner likely facing TB, barring an upset of TB.
Who is the idiot who thought of those pairings? Sheesh. Boston and then Tampa if we manage to win......sheesh....
In the W, COL and DAL put some distance between them and ARI and the Wild hopes fading....
tonight is huge, MTL @CBJ obviously, but CAR vs WAS too. A Habs loss could seal their fate with their final 4 being so difficult.
East:
West:
Columbus looks to be gaining some momentum and do have several easy teams but still have to win on the road is no given.
Carolina also is no given.
Holding out hope Detroit can finish with more points too, though its a long shot.
Ottawa tore it to the ground, giving some stuff away for free...
Standings be damned, Ottawa is better right now than Buffalo. Yes, they still suck (a lot), but Buffalo is a disgrace. Watch them lose Skinner for nothing too.
An excerpt:
This is no newsflash, but the bottom line is that Terry and Kim Pegula don't know what they're doing in running a professional sports franchise and have proven that over and over.
They're business people, and pretty good ones in multiple ventures. But as for running the Sabres and the Buffalo Bills, they're fish out of water.
------
The Pegulas should have had a president of hockey a long time ago. Enough of the Ted Blacks and Russ Brandons of the world. But they got spooked when Terry Pegula hired Pat LaFontaine in November 2013, and Kim Pegula ran him out before Easter the following spring in some sort of warped power struggle that's never been fully explained.
Of course, there's never much of an explanation from Kim Pegula for the litany of people she's fired with her two teams or at Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which has long reeked of a frat house/soap opera mentality while the bosses live mostly in Boca Raton, Fla., and try to run things via Skype and video conferencing.
Yet another sign of how backwards the Pegulas have things. They should be running the business and staying away from the teams.
In the last five years, they've clearly grown to love the notoriety and celebrity status of being NFL owners, freely cavorting on sidelines before games and visiting the locker room afterward, while continuing to allow the hockey team to get run into the ground.
And referencing timintey's post above, that was a massive comeback by the Isles last night. Despite a storied history, it was the first game in Islander history that they trailed with two minutes to play and rallied to win in regulation. Overcame 3 2-goal deficits along the way. Great response in a critical game.
It should be obvious to Pegulas what to do with Sabres - ( New Window )
An excerpt:
Quote:
Like the other derailed campaigns of the recent past, it starts at the top. The very top.
This is no newsflash, but the bottom line is that Terry and Kim Pegula don't know what they're doing in running a professional sports franchise and have proven that over and over.
They're business people, and pretty good ones in multiple ventures. But as for running the Sabres and the Buffalo Bills, they're fish out of water.
------
The Pegulas should have had a president of hockey a long time ago. Enough of the Ted Blacks and Russ Brandons of the world. But they got spooked when Terry Pegula hired Pat LaFontaine in November 2013, and Kim Pegula ran him out before Easter the following spring in some sort of warped power struggle that's never been fully explained.
Of course, there's never much of an explanation from Kim Pegula for the litany of people she's fired with her two teams or at Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which has long reeked of a frat house/soap opera mentality while the bosses live mostly in Boca Raton, Fla., and try to run things via Skype and video conferencing.
Yet another sign of how backwards the Pegulas have things. They should be running the business and staying away from the teams.
In the last five years, they've clearly grown to love the notoriety and celebrity status of being NFL owners, freely cavorting on sidelines before games and visiting the locker room afterward, while continuing to allow the hockey team to get run into the ground.
And referencing timintey's post above, that was a massive comeback by the Isles last night. Despite a storied history, it was the first game in Islander history that they trailed with two minutes to play and rallied to win in regulation. Overcame 3 2-goal deficits along the way. Great response in a critical game. It should be obvious to Pegulas what to do with Sabres - ( New Window )
That game last night is a game I have waiting a month for from this team. They showed fight, they competed and dominated the 2nd period. They never gave up after a fluke goal put them behind 13 seconds into the game. Last night just might be what the doctor ordered. They have been playing so tight. Seeing Casey getting his 20th to tie the game really put the exclamation point on it for me. He is by far the heart and soul of this team. When he tied it I knew we were winning. Go Isles!!!
Dahlin is the real deal, and Eichel is a notch below McDavid, Mattthews, in the elite young crop of players.
But that team is not making progress and I don't think it's intentional in any way.
Habs on life support and a brutal final 4 (@WIN, vs TBL, @WAS, vs TOR)
East:
West:
CBJ cake schedule with 3 of their remaining 4 vs BUF, OTT, and NYR.
The winner of ARI vs MIN will still have some life in the West.
East:
West:
Linking the twitter author who creates these charts again below.
Link - ( New Window )
LOL, if that final game of the season between MTL and TOR means one gets in the other goes home, it would be the most watched show on television in Canadian history.
I was worried both could return to school for their senior seasons.
I think Poehling could play the final 3 games.
MTL has the toughest road: vs TBL, @WAS, vs TOR.
CAR probably second hardest, but only one game vs a playoff team. CBJ the easiest.
AZ and COL the battle for final WC in the West. Similar schedules, but COL has a game in hand.
Charts below.
East:
West:
Still an uphill battle with 2 G left.
West all over but the crying.
Latest charts:
East:
West:
Still an uphill battle with 2 G left.
West all over but the crying.
Latest charts:
East:
West:
Pj, I thought about not showing up here because my boys let your boys down last night. I knew we would lose after we clinched the night before. We played the back up goalie and basically had nothing to play for. Sorry mate.
As for your boys....to beat Winnipeg and Tampa pretty convincingly too is most impressive. Ever since you picked up a few bottom 6 guys, you have been able to play 4 lines which is what Claude wants. Moving Lehk to the second line and dropping enegmatic Drouin to the 3rd line was brilliant. Lehk is a very hard worker even though he is not a big goal scorer.
Looking at the remaining games, this Capitals game in Washington looks ominous but your boys have done it before. Im sure you will beat my boys if you need to. I hope you get some help but all four of those teams Carolina and Columbus are playing are sorry teams. You may have to have some luck (a goalie playing out of his mind) for them to lose. Best wishes....your boys deserve to be in the dance.