STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ARE HERE BABY WHO YOU GOT???

[Ramlock]

Jets are winning the Cup!

Got beat in their house tonight...

 

[Boston Ram]

Got beat in their house tonight...

This is a heck of a series.

 

[HeiseNBerg]

Got beat in their house tonight...

Sucks that the Jets lost at home, but it was bound to happen at some point. They hadn't lost at home since February.

Some thoughts about Pens-Caps Game 4:

Where the hell is Phil Kessel?!? Dude's been invisible this entire series. The same goes for depth guys like Rust and Sheary. All those guys are usually good for chipping in a few goals here and there.

The team, as a whole, still looks sloppy as hell clearing the zone. And I don't think I've seen Olli Maatta look worse than he's looked in this series.

After taking that heavy Orlov shot to the collarbone area (and dropping like a redwood), maybe Matt Murray should consider wearing a plexiglass throat protector (like Fleury's been wearing all these years). Not sure if it would have reduced the impact, had he been wearing one; but it might have.

Really hoping to see Dominik Simon bury one on Holtby - he's the latest in the line of call-ups from their AHL affiliate. The kid's been hustling his arse off and has a good nose for finding an open shooting area up close. He's had a lot of near misses so far - one of those shots is bound to find its way in.

Finally: welcome back, Carl Hagelin! We've missed your wheels, especially on the PK.

 

[T-REX]

Is in dire straits...can they rally?...headed back to PPG, get it done there then anything can happen in a game 7. Since 2008 the Caps are 1-4 in game 7 on home ice.

 

[Ramlock]

Sucks that the Jets lost at home, but it was bound to happen at some point. They hadn't lost at home since February.

Some thoughts about Pens-Caps Game 4:

Where the hell is Phil Kessel?!? Dude's been invisible this entire series. The same goes for depth guys like Rust and Sheary. All those guys are usually good for chipping in a few goals here and there.

The team, as a whole, still looks sloppy as hell clearing the zone. And I don't think I've seen Olli Maatta look worse than he's looked in this series.

After taking that heavy Orlov shot to the collarbone area (and dropping like a redwood), maybe Matt Murray should consider wearing a plexiglass throat protector (like Fleury's been wearing all these years). Not sure if it would have reduced the impact, had he been wearing one; but it might have.

Really hoping to see Dominik Simon bury one on Holtby - he's the latest in the line of call-ups from their AHL affiliate. The kid's been hustling his arse off and has a good nose for finding an open shooting area up close. He's had a lot of near misses so far - one of those shots is bound to find its way in.

Finally: welcome back, Carl Hagelin! We've missed your wheels, especially on the PK.

Something seems to be wrong with Kessel. He’s getting the puck stripped and can’t control or maintain possession...he’s not strong on his skates, as though his core strength doesn’t allow him to stand contact...ribs or shoulder? He’s still got the wrister.

But then Kessel played his best game of the series, too.

LeTang is making too many positional mistakes, isn’t he? I’m not crazy about his play right now.

And then Matt Murray has given up too many easy ones.

Yet the Caps are getting paid too.

That 2nd period was pretty good. The Caps were parading to the penalty box and the Pens were everywhere.

Gotta finish.

 

[HeiseNBerg]

Something seems to be wrong with Kessel. He’s getting the puck stripped and can’t control or maintain possession...he’s not strong on his skates, as though his core strength doesn’t allow him to stand contact...ribs or shoulder? He’s still got the wrister.

But then Kessel played his best game of the series, too.

Kessel has always had moderate difficulty puck-handling in close quarters; to the caps' credit, they've been tightening the Pens' space all series long.

LeTang is making too many positional mistakes, isn’t he? I’m not crazy about his play right now.

Oh, man -- if I was GM, I would have kicked Letang to the curb last summer (and kept Bonino). There's only ONE reason he was selected to the All-Star Game: chick fan votes!

 

[Ramlock]

Kessel has always had moderate difficulty puck-handling in close quarters; to the caps' credit, they've been tightening the Pens' space all series long.




Oh, man -- if I was GM, I would have kicked Letang to the curb last summer (and kept Bonino). There's only ONE reason he was selected to the All-Star Game: chick fan votes!

I just think that we will find out after that Kessel had an injury...he’s not close to the same guy,IMO.

It is great to have Hagelin in the line up...if he had a scoring touch, wow.

 

[Ramlock]

Flower to the Conference Final.

That’s awesome.

And, another shutout.

Fantastic

 

[HeiseNBerg]

Game 6 tonight in da Burgh -- Pens have their backs to the wall. Gotta kick it into full-on survival mode to force a Game 7.

Need some scoring from the supporting cast; can't leave it all to Crosby, Guentzel, and Hornqvist.

 

[Ramlock]

Dang it

Pulling for Marc Andre now

 

[HeiseNBerg]

Dang it

Pulling for Marc Andre now

Yup. There's a handful of former Pens on VGK right now:
Marc-Andre Fleury
James Neal
Deryk Engelland
David Perron
Ryan Reaves

But I'm really torn between VGK and Winnipeg - both are great stories, and it's cool to see some new teams in the playoff mix. Hard time rooting against either of those 2.

Back in the east, I hope the Bolts stomp the Caps. And maybe Kucherov will burn Holtby with the rope-a-dope for a THIRD time. If you missed the first 2 times, enjoy:

 

[Debacled]

Glad the Preds are out. I'm sooooooo tired of hearing smashville!!!

 

[HeiseNBerg]

Glad the Preds are out. I'm sooooooo tired of hearing smashville!!!

Once again, it's proof that the President's Trophy Curse is REAL!

Since it was introduced in 1985, the President's Trophy winner (the team with the most points in the standings for that season) has gone on to win the Stanley Cup only 8 times (that's just south of 25% of the time).

And yeah....the Smashville bit was getting annoying.

 

[HeiseNBerg]

Great article on Marc-Andre Fleury from NBC Sports:

https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2018/05/17/these-playoffs-belong-to-marc-andre-fleury/

I'm in a bracket pool with a bunch of friends who are hockey fans (well.....some are just Flyers fans), and I picked Tampa Bay over Winnipeg in the Cup Finals. But now I'm wishing I had hitched my wagon to VGK.

 

[Merlin]

All I can say is that Fleury is a far better goalie than I gave him cred for prior to him being on my team. The guy has been money for us.

This western final is delivering, too. It's been some great hockey, some extremely close hockey too outside of the first game when Winnipeg worked us over. So this series might still go 7 tbh. Jets are one helluva team.

Just hoping the Knights close this thing out on Sunday in Winnipeg. Because watching these two teams is a heartstopping affair at times with all the speed and shots on goal. It's a damn terrifying way to spend a few hours.

 

[HeiseNBerg]

All I can say is that Fleury is a far better goalie than I gave him cred for prior to him being on my team. The guy has been money for us.

This western final is delivering, too. It's been some great hockey, some extremely close hockey too outside of the first game when Winnipeg worked us over. So this series might still go 7 tbh. Jets are one helluva team.

Just hoping the Knights close this thing out on Sunday in Winnipeg. Because watching these two teams is a heartstopping affair at times with all the speed and shots on goal. It's a damn terrifying way to spend a few hours.

Yeah, it's definitely a nail-biter of a series if you're a loyal fan of either team. But as a fan of a team that's already been eliminated, this Western Conference final has been flat-out primo entertainment.

Winnipeg has been emptying both barrels, and Fleury has been standing tall. He'll drive you nuts with all the rebound opportunities (HE was never big on smothering the initial shot).

Loved the clip of MAF giving Blake Wheeler the Wet Willy.

 

[Memento]

Holy fucking shit, Vegas. First expansion team to make the finals in their first year since my Blues. I get a feeling that they're going to win it as well.

 

[HeiseNBerg]

Holy freaking crap, Vegas. First expansion team to make the finals in their first year since my Blues. I get a feeling that they're going to win it as well.

They look tough to beat, for sure. Tampa Bay MIGHT be able to give them a competitive series, but Washington won't stand a chance.

 

[Ramlock]

I haven’t really posted since the Penguins were eliminated, but I’ve watched every game, enjoying them all.

Does it seem like the Caps have shot their wad, having beaten the Pens?
The Caps don’t even look like the same team to me against the Lightning.
Bad matchup or exhausted?

With that said, the Pens were a wounded team out of gas...never would have stood a chance against the Lightning.

Paul Maurice wanted to say that attrition led to the Jets loss against Vegas. They didn’t seem to have anything left.

Looks like Tampa vs. Vegas may be our final.

Established against expansion.

Quite a story.

 

[Ramlock]

Congrats due for the Washington Capitals.

That’s a veteran team, knowing how to win.

I will pull for MAF and the VGK

Wet willies for all!