This has to be the dullest matchup in any finals or Super Bowl I've ever seen. I thought Pittsburgh vs Seattle Super Bowl was uninteresting but this one might top that.
I wonder if Ducharme being back behind the bench was a factor? The Habs seemed so crisp in game 2. And tonight they just seemed out of sorts. Bolts a better team, no doubt, but the Habs laid an egg tonight.
I don't know what substances are being injected in TB
Tampa is boosted.
Hedman hadn't looked like himself the whole playoff. Cernak got knocked out for multiple games against the isles. Ruutta and Sergachev also missed periods against the isles. McDonagh carried them that series. Now they're an all world defense corps again. Russian gas.
Gustafsson was brutal. Tie up a stick, find a man.
Agree, subpar for sure, fat rebound on one, mis-timed and errant blocker efforts on others, couple of those Wednesday also. Part of down assessment of Price unavoidably imo is by comp to Vas (not great last night either); I think he's worn down, reflexes and hand eye just not there.
Good look by NBC production team at the too short dump in and TB taking advantage of ill-timed line change by that long outlet pass for the 2-on-none for the Kucherov backhanded flip. Not one MTL skater on the left half of its own BL.
Hadn't realized Savard was a trade deadline pickup, emulating namesake Serge, and Hedman near doppelganger.
TB is just a beast of a team - what's their weakness?
or put another, which aspect of their team isn't the best in hockey?
their goalie is.
their overall skill level is right up there. Point doesn't even have a goal yet in the SC.
does anyone else in the league have a Tyler Johnson centering their 4th line?
by default their defense/depth would theoretically be the weakest link to try to attack, but then you look at the TOI numbers and see that their top 4 have all played a managable 20-22 mpg this postseason. Even with Hedman not playing at his usual Norris level the D is consistently strong. And the more you try to attack them the more you open yourself up to their ability to counter attack.
this offseason is going to start chipping away at that depth big time though. Hard to see any scenario where they can bring back Coleman and Goodrow. Rutta and Savard are both likely to walk too. and even with those guys off the books they're still projected over the cap. So you'd think someone else of consequence will need to be traded (Killorn, Johnson, Palat?). McDonaugh seems like to be exposed for the expansion draft if multiple of those guys aren't. Perhaps why they are all so locked in right now - they know they are running out of ways to keep this group together within the cap.
Ok gentleman and those who can do everything with a smile,
I hope your fourth of July was grandiose and I know we all love hockey but let's hope that this is the last remaining element of the covid-19, in the sports world!
For the love of God Tampa Bay, end this boring bullshit tonight. Please for the love of sugar. Dance the night away with the Stanley Cup with 12% capacity in Montreal. I wonder how many Canadian residents are actually Tampa Bay Lightning fans LOL in Montreal?
Did you exchange sweaters with Scott in Montreal? However one might want to throw shade at the Habs, they can't be accused of coming up short against an inferior team. Give TBL some credit, stellar organization from FO to the bench to behind the bench.
Covid 19 is going to be with us a long time, between variants, the need for boosters, the high %% of people who refuse vaccinations in US, the much higher numbers (hundreds of millions) in other countries who have no access to vaccination. It won't necessarily be as disruptive as 2020 and 2021, but we most certainly have not heard the last of fan attendance protocols, I'm afraid.
As far as SCP, why did NBCSN apparently demote KT to doing player interviews at intermissions?
If the Canadians are indeed done, they have a game left to prove they are not, eyes will in any event soon turn to the off-season where there will be a ton of anticipation and activity for the NYC area teams, esp. NYR with Drury and Gallant now in charge, a sea change from the end of the season and with a host of decisions to be made or deferred. First up, the expansion draft and pre-draft deals to protect or expose.
3,500 people inside while knowing there will be 10,000 crammed together, shoulder to shoulder outside?
Can the Lightening go down in history as the empty-arena dynasty? Playing in front of 3,500 sullen fans in Montreal probably won’t sound much different than a capacity crown in Amalie Arena.
Columbus Blue Jackets
@BlueJacketsNHL
·
2h
It’s with a very heavy heart that we share the news that goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks passed away last night at the age of 24.
We are heartbroken. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Novi police tell The Athletic Kivlenieks was part of a group fleeing a hot tub after a fireworks malfunction. He slipped and fell, his head hitting concrete.
Columbus Blue Jackets
@BlueJacketsNHL
·
2h
It’s with a very heavy heart that we share the news that goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks passed away last night at the age of 24.
We are heartbroken. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Rest in peace, Kivi.
https://cbj.co/3ys3BLI
24 years old! That is awful.
Fireworks related incident. Sounds like something went wrong near him and he scrambled to get out of a hot tub and run away and slipped and hit his head.
Did you exchange sweaters with Scott in Montreal? However one might want to throw shade at the Habs, they can't be accused of coming up short against an inferior team. Give TBL some credit, stellar organization from FO to the bench to behind the bench.
Covid 19 is going to be with us a long time, between variants, the need for boosters, the high %% of people who refuse vaccinations in US, the much higher numbers (hundreds of millions) in other countries who have no access to vaccination. It won't necessarily be as disruptive as 2020 and 2021, but we most certainly have not heard the last of fan attendance protocols, I'm afraid.
As far as SCP, why did NBCSN apparently demote KT to doing player interviews at intermissions?
If the Canadians are indeed done, they have a game left to prove they are not, eyes will in any event soon turn to the off-season where there will be a ton of anticipation and activity for the NYC area teams, esp. NYR with Drury and Gallant now in charge, a sea change from the end of the season and with a host of decisions to be made or deferred. First up, the expansion draft and pre-draft deals to protect or expose.
I still stand by what I originally said. They are not a great team. The Habs would not have made the playoffs during a regular year. The squeaked in and played above their talent level in the first two series against other average teams that would have also had a hard time making the playoffs during a regular year.
If MAF did not have the ultimate brain fart in game 4. Vegas goes up 3-1 in the series and the Habs would not have advanced. That was the series killer.
The Habs do have some good young players that hit their groove for this run. They hit a monster team with talent to spare. A team who does not make many mistakes and kills you when you make yours. Ask RBD and Mrazek.
My friends here that are Habs fans have already gone into "Well we made it to cup" mode. Nobody is going to remember who Tampa spanked in a couple of years. Finishing as a cup finalist and winning the "Kiss your sister Bowl" means fuck all.
The Habs are going back to being a mid to low pack team next season. Only difference is that they will have a lot of holes to fill to give a decent supporting cast to the few young budding stars they have. Won't be easy with a flat cap and Price eating up another 10.5 million for 5 more years.
I am looking forward to the expansion draft. I am curious how Francis is planning on building his new team. Will it be with a lot of wheeling and dealing to get draft picks. Or will it be like Vegas and draft to be a contender right away. Going to be fun to watch
I think Kotkaniemi is leading the team in 5v5 goals in the playoffs. Tough one for the kid, but he's always bounced back from these questionable coaching decisions. Kotkaniemi was brutal on the dots.
Romanov and Kulak in for Merrill and Gustafsson. about two games too late on this one.
Novi police tell The Athletic Kivlenieks was part of a group fleeing a hot tub after a fireworks malfunction. He slipped and fell, his head hitting concrete.
8 years $41M. Normally I'd say this is a bad deal, clearly putting resources into RNH hasn't yielded success along with McDavid and Draisaitl, but at this price, it's a good extension IMO.
is probably bad, it's July, has to be the latest the SCF have been played, no?
Literally last year was into September, pj. Pay attention!
I'm a little surprised they can't keep the ice better (if that's what was driving it) - this isn't Lake Tahoe.
ha, yeah, but it's cooler in September.
I remember in game 1 or 2 when Hedman scored he became the first player in NHL history to score a goal in all 12 months in a playoff or regular season game. They said the NHL never played a regular or playoff game in July (at least as I understood it).
Anyway, humidity is harder on the ice than heat/sun - at least in hour shitty New England youth hockey rinks. Every time those doors open the glass gets foggy, when we had the heat wave a few weeks ago there were puddles on the ice. it was terrible.
maybe it's not what's going on, but it was my guess.
Finally got an entertaining game from this series.
Game 2 was competitive, and more so, for MTL, had the clear better of play almost the entire game, just some brutal late lapses and a brutal loss. Last night they borrowed a page from that game and went hard at Kuch, Point, Hedman and for stretches, not long ones mind you, but stretches, TBL looked disorganized, overloading in zones and not intentionally.
Had to look at the replay several times: Anderson, similar to Point in game 2 (?) as he went to the ice, able to flip the puck in the brief moment there was an opening below Vas' blocker arm and above his right pad.
#27 critical factor, again, on both TBL goals and what should by all rights have been the game and Series winning shot threading the needle to Kuch at the far post. His play intercepting a poorly conceived clear at BL, cross ice to right point (Cernak?) and he glides down the slot, takes a return from Cernak, gets a shot off that Price blocks with his left pad and McDonagh with sleight of hand corrals the rebound in close and backhands a perfect pass back up the slot to Goodrow and a wide open net.
I remember a pass he made--back in blue--from his own BL threaded a narrow needle between two Kings d-men to Rick Nash at the Kings' BL springing him for a clean break away. Nash may even have buried it, but maybe not, as it was McDonagh's pass that sticks in my mind.
Montreal played with the desperation you would hope to see
In a team facing elimination. Tampa looked to be playing more of a “soft” game. I expect you will not see the same on Wednesday. Tampa wants to win a cup at home and I think you will see them step up the feistiness.
In the series against the Islanders, Tampa always seemed to have a response to what the Isles did the next game. I expect that will continue, although I hope it doesn’t because I would love to see this series go 6 or 7.
TBL played great - they had a ton of chances. Kucherov is going to have nightmares about that miss for a while - more so if MTL miraculously comes back.
And not that it matters, but no clue how Carey Price didn't get one of the three stars.
It was easily his best game of the series.
and the coaching changes had an impact. I'd probably have Kotkaniemi in over Staal, but Staal is better on face offs so I get it.
That line of Caufield, Suzuki and Anderson is probably the best Habs line in a decade. They're hard to play against.
I think this series has been better than people are saying - Habs easily could have won both games 2 and 3, and probably should have won at least one of them. We should be at a 2-2 series. It reminds me a little bit of LAK/NYR in 2014 in that sense.
I don't mean to shit on Price, but he cost them a game. He doesn't look as good as he did a series or two ago. I don't believe the Canadiens are a team being carried by their goaltender at all this post-season. They're playing well.
When the Rangers won game 4 in 2014 I started getting irrationally optimistic. Just win game 5, then you're at home and they're on their heels, etc.
is probably bad, it's July, has to be the latest the SCF have been played, no?
Literally last year was into September, pj. Pay attention!
I'm a little surprised they can't keep the ice better (if that's what was driving it) - this isn't Lake Tahoe.
ha, yeah, but it's cooler in September.
I remember in game 1 or 2 when Hedman scored he became the first player in NHL history to score a goal in all 12 months in a playoff or regular season game. They said the NHL never played a regular or playoff game in July (at least as I understood it).
Anyway, humidity is harder on the ice than heat/sun - at least in hour shitty New England youth hockey rinks. Every time those doors open the glass gets foggy, when we had the heat wave a few weeks ago there were puddles on the ice. it was terrible.
maybe it's not what's going on, but it was my guess.
Yeah, that happens in NY too - I would expect pro rinks to be better, though.
not irrationally confident, the Lightning are as good a team as there has been in a long, long time.
Almost no weakness. Perennial Vezina candidate in net, perennial Norris candidate on the blue line, and several perennial all-stars up front. Lethal PP, solid (or better) bottom 6 and can play physical or finesse.
They are $18M over the salary cap, but I'm not going to whine about that, if you can skate through the season without Kucherov and a lot of it without Stamkos, make the playoffs and get them back healthy, you are a good team.
Watching the Lightning break out is technically as sound as any team I have seen since the old Soviet teams. Surgical.
But...MTL has heart and talent of their own, despite what some might say but MTL margin for error is MUCH less. MTL needs to be just about perfect to win. Last night both major mistakes they made wound up in the back of their net, and a couple more hit posts.
They can win, but it's an uphill battle, I'd take it one game, one shift at a time, win the battles, get some breaks, stay out of the box.
This has to be the dullest matchup in any finals or Super Bowl I've ever seen. I thought Pittsburgh vs Seattle Super Bowl was uninteresting but this one might top that.
I’d think long and hard about throwing game 4.
Hedman hadn't looked like himself the whole playoff. Cernak got knocked out for multiple games against the isles. Ruutta and Sergachev also missed periods against the isles. McDonagh carried them that series. Now they're an all world defense corps again. Russian gas.
Gustafsson was brutal. Tie up a stick, find a man.
Good look by NBC production team at the too short dump in and TB taking advantage of ill-timed line change by that long outlet pass for the 2-on-none for the Kucherov backhanded flip. Not one MTL skater on the left half of its own BL.
Hadn't realized Savard was a trade deadline pickup, emulating namesake Serge, and Hedman near doppelganger.
their goalie is.
their overall skill level is right up there. Point doesn't even have a goal yet in the SC.
does anyone else in the league have a Tyler Johnson centering their 4th line?
by default their defense/depth would theoretically be the weakest link to try to attack, but then you look at the TOI numbers and see that their top 4 have all played a managable 20-22 mpg this postseason. Even with Hedman not playing at his usual Norris level the D is consistently strong. And the more you try to attack them the more you open yourself up to their ability to counter attack.
this offseason is going to start chipping away at that depth big time though. Hard to see any scenario where they can bring back Coleman and Goodrow. Rutta and Savard are both likely to walk too. and even with those guys off the books they're still projected over the cap. So you'd think someone else of consequence will need to be traded (Killorn, Johnson, Palat?). McDonaugh seems like to be exposed for the expansion draft if multiple of those guys aren't. Perhaps why they are all so locked in right now - they know they are running out of ways to keep this group together within the cap.
I hope your fourth of July was grandiose and I know we all love hockey but let's hope that this is the last remaining element of the covid-19, in the sports world!
For the love of God Tampa Bay, end this boring bullshit tonight. Please for the love of sugar. Dance the night away with the Stanley Cup with 12% capacity in Montreal. I wonder how many Canadian residents are actually Tampa Bay Lightning fans LOL in Montreal?
Covid 19 is going to be with us a long time, between variants, the need for boosters, the high %% of people who refuse vaccinations in US, the much higher numbers (hundreds of millions) in other countries who have no access to vaccination. It won't necessarily be as disruptive as 2020 and 2021, but we most certainly have not heard the last of fan attendance protocols, I'm afraid.
As far as SCP, why did NBCSN apparently demote KT to doing player interviews at intermissions?
If the Canadians are indeed done, they have a game left to prove they are not, eyes will in any event soon turn to the off-season where there will be a ton of anticipation and activity for the NYC area teams, esp. NYR with Drury and Gallant now in charge, a sea change from the end of the season and with a host of decisions to be made or deferred. First up, the expansion draft and pre-draft deals to protect or expose.
Can the Lightening go down in history as the empty-arena dynasty? Playing in front of 3,500 sullen fans in Montreal probably won’t sound much different than a capacity crown in Amalie Arena.
@BlueJacketsNHL
·
2h
It’s with a very heavy heart that we share the news that goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks passed away last night at the age of 24.
We are heartbroken. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Rest in peace, Kivi.
https://cbj.co/3ys3BLI
Quote:
Columbus Blue Jackets
@BlueJacketsNHL
·
2h
It’s with a very heavy heart that we share the news that goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks passed away last night at the age of 24.
We are heartbroken. Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Rest in peace, Kivi.
https://cbj.co/3ys3BLI
24 years old! That is awful.
Fireworks related incident. Sounds like something went wrong near him and he scrambled to get out of a hot tub and run away and slipped and hit his head.
RIP
Covid 19 is going to be with us a long time, between variants, the need for boosters, the high %% of people who refuse vaccinations in US, the much higher numbers (hundreds of millions) in other countries who have no access to vaccination. It won't necessarily be as disruptive as 2020 and 2021, but we most certainly have not heard the last of fan attendance protocols, I'm afraid.
As far as SCP, why did NBCSN apparently demote KT to doing player interviews at intermissions?
If the Canadians are indeed done, they have a game left to prove they are not, eyes will in any event soon turn to the off-season where there will be a ton of anticipation and activity for the NYC area teams, esp. NYR with Drury and Gallant now in charge, a sea change from the end of the season and with a host of decisions to be made or deferred. First up, the expansion draft and pre-draft deals to protect or expose.
I still stand by what I originally said. They are not a great team. The Habs would not have made the playoffs during a regular year. The squeaked in and played above their talent level in the first two series against other average teams that would have also had a hard time making the playoffs during a regular year.
If MAF did not have the ultimate brain fart in game 4. Vegas goes up 3-1 in the series and the Habs would not have advanced. That was the series killer.
The Habs do have some good young players that hit their groove for this run. They hit a monster team with talent to spare. A team who does not make many mistakes and kills you when you make yours. Ask RBD and Mrazek.
My friends here that are Habs fans have already gone into "Well we made it to cup" mode. Nobody is going to remember who Tampa spanked in a couple of years. Finishing as a cup finalist and winning the "Kiss your sister Bowl" means fuck all.
The Habs are going back to being a mid to low pack team next season. Only difference is that they will have a lot of holes to fill to give a decent supporting cast to the few young budding stars they have. Won't be easy with a flat cap and Price eating up another 10.5 million for 5 more years.
I am looking forward to the expansion draft. I am curious how Francis is planning on building his new team. Will it be with a lot of wheeling and dealing to get draft picks. Or will it be like Vegas and draft to be a contender right away. Going to be fun to watch
I think Kotkaniemi is leading the team in 5v5 goals in the playoffs. Tough one for the kid, but he's always bounced back from these questionable coaching decisions. Kotkaniemi was brutal on the dots.
Romanov and Kulak in for Merrill and Gustafsson. about two games too late on this one.
JFC. 24...Good Lord. What a tragic event. RIP.
8 years $41M. Normally I'd say this is a bad deal, clearly putting resources into RNH hasn't yielded success along with McDavid and Draisaitl, but at this price, it's a good extension IMO.
It's been terrible.
This is the lamest 4 min PP I've ever seen. Yes that includes the Rangers and their follies.
At least one more night of hockey.
Win in Tampa on Wednesday and the complexion of this series changes quite a bit.
Literally last year was into September, pj. Pay attention!
I'm a little surprised they can't keep the ice better (if that's what was driving it) - this isn't Lake Tahoe.
Quote:
is probably bad, it's July, has to be the latest the SCF have been played, no?
Literally last year was into September, pj. Pay attention!
I'm a little surprised they can't keep the ice better (if that's what was driving it) - this isn't Lake Tahoe.
ha, yeah, but it's cooler in September.
I remember in game 1 or 2 when Hedman scored he became the first player in NHL history to score a goal in all 12 months in a playoff or regular season game. They said the NHL never played a regular or playoff game in July (at least as I understood it).
Anyway, humidity is harder on the ice than heat/sun - at least in hour shitty New England youth hockey rinks. Every time those doors open the glass gets foggy, when we had the heat wave a few weeks ago there were puddles on the ice. it was terrible.
maybe it's not what's going on, but it was my guess.
Had to look at the replay several times: Anderson, similar to Point in game 2 (?) as he went to the ice, able to flip the puck in the brief moment there was an opening below Vas' blocker arm and above his right pad.
#27 critical factor, again, on both TBL goals and what should by all rights have been the game and Series winning shot threading the needle to Kuch at the far post. His play intercepting a poorly conceived clear at BL, cross ice to right point (Cernak?) and he glides down the slot, takes a return from Cernak, gets a shot off that Price blocks with his left pad and McDonagh with sleight of hand corrals the rebound in close and backhands a perfect pass back up the slot to Goodrow and a wide open net.
I remember a pass he made--back in blue--from his own BL threaded a narrow needle between two Kings d-men to Rick Nash at the Kings' BL springing him for a clean break away. Nash may even have buried it, but maybe not, as it was McDonagh's pass that sticks in my mind.
In the series against the Islanders, Tampa always seemed to have a response to what the Isles did the next game. I expect that will continue, although I hope it doesn’t because I would love to see this series go 6 or 7.
And not that it matters, but no clue how Carey Price didn't get one of the three stars.
It was easily his best game of the series.
and the coaching changes had an impact. I'd probably have Kotkaniemi in over Staal, but Staal is better on face offs so I get it.
That line of Caufield, Suzuki and Anderson is probably the best Habs line in a decade. They're hard to play against.
I don't mean to shit on Price, but he cost them a game. He doesn't look as good as he did a series or two ago. I don't believe the Canadiens are a team being carried by their goaltender at all this post-season. They're playing well.
When the Rangers won game 4 in 2014 I started getting irrationally optimistic. Just win game 5, then you're at home and they're on their heels, etc.
I don't remember how that series ended, though?
Quote:
In comment 15299708 pjcas18 said:
Quote:
is probably bad, it's July, has to be the latest the SCF have been played, no?
Literally last year was into September, pj. Pay attention!
I'm a little surprised they can't keep the ice better (if that's what was driving it) - this isn't Lake Tahoe.
ha, yeah, but it's cooler in September.
I remember in game 1 or 2 when Hedman scored he became the first player in NHL history to score a goal in all 12 months in a playoff or regular season game. They said the NHL never played a regular or playoff game in July (at least as I understood it).
Anyway, humidity is harder on the ice than heat/sun - at least in hour shitty New England youth hockey rinks. Every time those doors open the glass gets foggy, when we had the heat wave a few weeks ago there were puddles on the ice. it was terrible.
maybe it's not what's going on, but it was my guess.
Yeah, that happens in NY too - I would expect pro rinks to be better, though.
Almost no weakness. Perennial Vezina candidate in net, perennial Norris candidate on the blue line, and several perennial all-stars up front. Lethal PP, solid (or better) bottom 6 and can play physical or finesse.
They are $18M over the salary cap, but I'm not going to whine about that, if you can skate through the season without Kucherov and a lot of it without Stamkos, make the playoffs and get them back healthy, you are a good team.
Watching the Lightning break out is technically as sound as any team I have seen since the old Soviet teams. Surgical.
But...MTL has heart and talent of their own, despite what some might say but MTL margin for error is MUCH less. MTL needs to be just about perfect to win. Last night both major mistakes they made wound up in the back of their net, and a couple more hit posts.
They can win, but it's an uphill battle, I'd take it one game, one shift at a time, win the battles, get some breaks, stay out of the box.